St Lucia Marriage Proposal
Nov 18, 2017, 3:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
St Lucia Marriage Proposal
YouTube Video:
Last year we took advantage of the amazing JetBlue promotion where they'd match your Virgin America point balance. We took a cheap flight from Long Beach to SFO and obtained 75k points each.
St Lucia (Christmas 2016)
Flight: JetBlue
Route: SAN-JFK-UVF
I booked an apartment through Airbnb just above the town of Soufrière. It was newly built and owned by a tour guide operator. I believe it was around $110-125, which is double the typical price due to the holiday. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1467167...e=0&s=YIxWJ34a
After unpacking our bags in Soufrière we headed down to the beach for the sunset. I spent a looooong time finding the perfect spot to propose. Searching through Google maps I was able to find a secluded spot with a great view. I typically make vacation videos so placing the cameras around to catch the proposal didn't give anything away
Some highlights over the next five nights:
Lunch at Jade Mountain Resort. The place was completely empty! A lot of people will come for dinner, but we found that lunch was less than half the cost. It seems if you come right before dinner the place is typically empty, which was an amazing experience. You'll need to book in advance, but I get the impression that once you've come they have no problem allowing you back if you just want to use the bar.
The waiter asked me discreetly if we were on our honeymoon, and I mentioned that I had just proposed the night before. He pat me on the back and said, "Then I will make sure this is a very special lunch for you both!". After finishing lunch he prepared a special desert for us both as if I had planned it all in advance! They also gave us each a free drink (they gave me a very nice cognac).
The meal after a generous tip came out to $113. The waiters are very well trained and ask if they can do a photo-shoot with your camera so that you can remember your visit. I have to say that I wasn't sure how they would treat non-guests but it was an amazing experience. The only awkward thing is that we went to take the photo below and peered over the ledge to see the property below and noticed two people naked on their balcony. So while the guests rooms are amazing, I'm not sure they are as private as they may seem!
Sugar Beach (Jalousie Beach) on Christmas. I would say it is worth spending two to three hours here. We had our Airbnb owner book us a drop off here and a pick up from Anse Chastanet Beach. I believe we took a golf cart down with the hotel. Usually they ask that you purchase a meal or what not, but they did not mention that to us. The beach is divided in two with about 20% being the "public side". The hotel wants you to pay for a day pass to use the day beds and umbrella. I think this was $50 per person. We tried to put our towel down on the non-public side, but a hotel employee tried to request us to leave (which you don't have to). Eventually we found that they are so persistent that it wasn't worth the trouble and moved our stuff under the shade of some trees. We brought a insulated bag full of local beers and snacks and had a great time otherwise.
We then negotiated a price for a water taxi that already had a tour group. I think it was ~$5-7 a person for the both of us. This avoids the need to have an expensive meal at the hotel in order to get the golf cart ride back up the hill where your taxi can pick you up from.
Anse Chastanet Beach
If you have snorkeling gear to bring.. then I'd bring it here. I'm not sure if it is worth renting gear as the amount you can see snorkeling in my opinion is rather limited, but it's the best beach for it in the area. We had a nice meal right next to the beach that wasn't expensive.
We made a quick stop in the downtown before having the driver take us home:
Horseback riding on the beach. This was on the other side of the island. It is a bit more expensive to do horseback riding here, but the views are incredible. I believe the helmets are optional, going back I'd probably opt not to use them. We thought going near the time of the sunset would be the best time as the air temp is cooler. While it was a more comfortable temp, the photos in the morning might have been a bit more spectacular. The only downside is that I think the horses are a bit tired late in the day. I'd advice early morning if possible. http://www.atlanticridingstables.com/
Soufrière city tour:
Active "drive through" volcano
Botanical Garden
Local BBQ
Banana Plantation
Volcanic Mud Baths
I thought this was a tourist trap. It was packed and hot. I'd go for the sake of going, but try to research when this place is slow because it is busy with holidays and when cruise ships are docked. There is a fun waterfall near by for you to rise off at.
Lunch at Mango Tree
A little more expensive, but great views, decent food, and a fun place to have a few drinks. You can ask ahead of time if you can swim in their pool.
On the way up to the airport to depart for Barbados we took a photo stop at Marigot Bay.
If we had more days we would have rented a car and explored some of the local towns as we didn't get much time in them otherwise.
Overall we really enjoyed Saint Lucia. Would we go back? Probably not. While you can go up north and see pigeon island, we felt staying in Soufrière was the way to go. The landscape of the island is amazing, but the beaches aren't worth the hassle. You end up spending a good chunk of money to get transportation to the beach, have limited food options, and Sugar Beach has a very large hill to climb if you don't buy a meal there. Airbnb provides a great alternatives to the resorts. I found very mixed reviews on anything that wasn't a high-end hotel. There are some great local BBQ places, but the food options are rather lacking unless you are up to paying for expensive meals at hotels and resorts. The cost of renting a car is a bit high and the taxis aren't that cheap. I'd opt for a few transfers and one or two days with a tour guide.
Last year we took advantage of the amazing JetBlue promotion where they'd match your Virgin America point balance. We took a cheap flight from Long Beach to SFO and obtained 75k points each.
St Lucia (Christmas 2016)
Flight: JetBlue
Route: SAN-JFK-UVF
I booked an apartment through Airbnb just above the town of Soufrière. It was newly built and owned by a tour guide operator. I believe it was around $110-125, which is double the typical price due to the holiday. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1467167...e=0&s=YIxWJ34a
After unpacking our bags in Soufrière we headed down to the beach for the sunset. I spent a looooong time finding the perfect spot to propose. Searching through Google maps I was able to find a secluded spot with a great view. I typically make vacation videos so placing the cameras around to catch the proposal didn't give anything away
Some highlights over the next five nights:
Lunch at Jade Mountain Resort. The place was completely empty! A lot of people will come for dinner, but we found that lunch was less than half the cost. It seems if you come right before dinner the place is typically empty, which was an amazing experience. You'll need to book in advance, but I get the impression that once you've come they have no problem allowing you back if you just want to use the bar.
The waiter asked me discreetly if we were on our honeymoon, and I mentioned that I had just proposed the night before. He pat me on the back and said, "Then I will make sure this is a very special lunch for you both!". After finishing lunch he prepared a special desert for us both as if I had planned it all in advance! They also gave us each a free drink (they gave me a very nice cognac).
The meal after a generous tip came out to $113. The waiters are very well trained and ask if they can do a photo-shoot with your camera so that you can remember your visit. I have to say that I wasn't sure how they would treat non-guests but it was an amazing experience. The only awkward thing is that we went to take the photo below and peered over the ledge to see the property below and noticed two people naked on their balcony. So while the guests rooms are amazing, I'm not sure they are as private as they may seem!
Sugar Beach (Jalousie Beach) on Christmas. I would say it is worth spending two to three hours here. We had our Airbnb owner book us a drop off here and a pick up from Anse Chastanet Beach. I believe we took a golf cart down with the hotel. Usually they ask that you purchase a meal or what not, but they did not mention that to us. The beach is divided in two with about 20% being the "public side". The hotel wants you to pay for a day pass to use the day beds and umbrella. I think this was $50 per person. We tried to put our towel down on the non-public side, but a hotel employee tried to request us to leave (which you don't have to). Eventually we found that they are so persistent that it wasn't worth the trouble and moved our stuff under the shade of some trees. We brought a insulated bag full of local beers and snacks and had a great time otherwise.
We then negotiated a price for a water taxi that already had a tour group. I think it was ~$5-7 a person for the both of us. This avoids the need to have an expensive meal at the hotel in order to get the golf cart ride back up the hill where your taxi can pick you up from.
Anse Chastanet Beach
If you have snorkeling gear to bring.. then I'd bring it here. I'm not sure if it is worth renting gear as the amount you can see snorkeling in my opinion is rather limited, but it's the best beach for it in the area. We had a nice meal right next to the beach that wasn't expensive.
We made a quick stop in the downtown before having the driver take us home:
Horseback riding on the beach. This was on the other side of the island. It is a bit more expensive to do horseback riding here, but the views are incredible. I believe the helmets are optional, going back I'd probably opt not to use them. We thought going near the time of the sunset would be the best time as the air temp is cooler. While it was a more comfortable temp, the photos in the morning might have been a bit more spectacular. The only downside is that I think the horses are a bit tired late in the day. I'd advice early morning if possible. http://www.atlanticridingstables.com/
Soufrière city tour:
Active "drive through" volcano
Botanical Garden
Local BBQ
Banana Plantation
Volcanic Mud Baths
I thought this was a tourist trap. It was packed and hot. I'd go for the sake of going, but try to research when this place is slow because it is busy with holidays and when cruise ships are docked. There is a fun waterfall near by for you to rise off at.
Lunch at Mango Tree
A little more expensive, but great views, decent food, and a fun place to have a few drinks. You can ask ahead of time if you can swim in their pool.
On the way up to the airport to depart for Barbados we took a photo stop at Marigot Bay.
If we had more days we would have rented a car and explored some of the local towns as we didn't get much time in them otherwise.
Overall we really enjoyed Saint Lucia. Would we go back? Probably not. While you can go up north and see pigeon island, we felt staying in Soufrière was the way to go. The landscape of the island is amazing, but the beaches aren't worth the hassle. You end up spending a good chunk of money to get transportation to the beach, have limited food options, and Sugar Beach has a very large hill to climb if you don't buy a meal there. Airbnb provides a great alternatives to the resorts. I found very mixed reviews on anything that wasn't a high-end hotel. There are some great local BBQ places, but the food options are rather lacking unless you are up to paying for expensive meals at hotels and resorts. The cost of renting a car is a bit high and the taxis aren't that cheap. I'd opt for a few transfers and one or two days with a tour guide.
Nov 20, 2017, 3:29 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: VA WP, NZ *A SG
Posts: 529
Thanks for the trip report. I've long been intrigued by St Lucia - it seems like one of the most exotic places in the world but I have no desire to pay $100 per meal! Are there ways of doing it on the cheap? I was hoping there would be chrapish little beach huts with little rustic beach bars/bbqs you could visit?
Nov 21, 2017, 10:20 am
#8
Join Date: May 2006
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1MM *G (recovered GS), SPG Nothing, Hilton Nothing, AA Nothing
Posts: 895
Congratulations! Beautiful report and pictures.
As it happens Mrs. Ctw and I got married about 100 yards off of the Anse Chastanet beach some years back...
We got married on the boat, with a dive and underwater photo session afterwards.
Nice place (view from our room).
As it happens Mrs. Ctw and I got married about 100 yards off of the Anse Chastanet beach some years back...
We got married on the boat, with a dive and underwater photo session afterwards.
Nice place (view from our room).
Nov 21, 2017, 2:26 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
Congratulations to you and the future mrs.Astrophsx ... very well planned out.
always wanted to go to st.lucia but its not on the cheap side (even the all inclusives).
always wanted to go to st.lucia but its not on the cheap side (even the all inclusives).
Nov 29, 2017, 8:49 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: New York
Programs: AAdvantage, BA Executive Club, CX MPC, Marriot Rewards, Priority Club
Posts: 144
Congratulations!!!
Nice pics of my place of birth, actually I am from the capital in the north (Castries).
I haven't been to Soufrière or the surrounding areas in ages, I think I am due for a revisit.
Nice pics of my place of birth, actually I am from the capital in the north (Castries).
I haven't been to Soufrière or the surrounding areas in ages, I think I am due for a revisit.