The warm Caribbean sun was casting its last shadows against the solid mass of Petit Piton mountain as my wife and I languidly swam a few more laps in the tranquil waters of Anse de Pitons beach, nestled in a dramatic setting on the grounds of a former sugar plantation, now the spectacular setting of the beautiful Sugar Beach Resort . Calm turquoise waters invited frequent dips, followed by decadent lounging on the beach under tiki huts with attentive staff providing food and drink beach service. The most famous beach on the island, and one of the most beautiful in all the Caribbean, gorgeous Anse de Pitons is spectacularly situated between Gros and Petit Piton, ensuring phenomenal views both from the sand and in the water. The white sand on this crescent beach was imported and spread over the natural black sand, part of the island’s volcanic heritage.
The terrain is ruggedly beautiful in the southwest, centered around Soufriere. It’s a gorgeously scenic region of old sugar and cacao plantations, mountain-rimmed beaches most easily reached from the sea, and displays St. Lucia’s volcanic origins through the Pitons, which are volcanic plugs in geologic terms, and active features such as the strong-scented Sulphur Springs. The Pitons are a United Nations World Heritage Site, one of five such sites designated as natural landmark sites in the Caribbean, with the others in Cuba (2), Dominica and Jamaica. They are the most recognizable feature of the island, and even the local Piton Beer bottles feature their image.
Situated between Martinique and St Vincent, St. Lucia abounds in natural beauty. We did not opt to rent a car, which is essential to do any island exploration. Though it is easy to arrange for a taxi, the drive times are not insignificant to move around the island. We had wanted to visit Castries’ fruit, vegetable and crafts market, but it did not fit into our all-too short stay. Plus, the lure of staying put at Sugar Beach is powerful.
For a small nation, St. Lucia has carried intellectual heft, producing two Nobel Prize winners, including Derek Walcott, who won the Prize for Literature in 1992 and passed away in 2017. A trenchant observer of his Caribbean home, Walcott captured the beauty of his island home in his poetry. He wrote, “Visual surprise is natural in the Caribbean; it comes with the landscape, and faced with its beauty, the sigh of History dissolves.” And there is a lot of history in St. Lucia. After changing hands 14 times between the British and French over 150 years, the British finally took control in 1814. French historical influence remains strong in its cultural impact and many of the geographical and town names. Soufriere was the capital during French colonial times. Pitons mean Peaks en francais and the language is a Creole Patois.
Our home for several days was one of the resort’s luxury cottages, tucked into the dense tropical foliage that covers the hillside and reaches down to the sea. The cottage featured a comfortable king-size four poster bed, large bathroom with claw-footed tub and an outdoor patio with private plunge pool with stunning views overlooking the Caribbean. Watching the sun set with a glass of wine as we lounged in the pool quickly became a favorite way to end the day, at least until it was time to indulge in the chef’s culinary magic at dinnertime.
We were highly impressed by the level of service. A personal butler provides attention to your every need, and blue and pink, his and her cell phones enabled us to reach the staff at all hours. We were celebrating a wedding anniversary, and the special welcome touches included rose petals on the bed, atop the terry cloth robes, and surrounding the rim of the claw-footed bathtub. The words Welcome and Congratulations were crafted in palm frond strips on the bedroom desk, along with a cup of addicting plantain chips with dipping sauce and a bottle of local rum.
The chef at Sugar Beach served a selection of exceptional culinary choices, and we avidly anticipated each meal. We couldn’t resist the temptation of tasting as many dishes as we could at each of the resort’s three restaurants.
The top floor of the Great House features the elegant Great Room where we enjoyed romantic, candlelit dinners under paddle fans inside or on the charming balcony. Tasting menus were available nightly. During our dinners at the Great House, we enjoyed as appetizers a delicate Diver Sea Scallop Carpaccio, served with such unique accompaniments as Oyster Sorbet and Esplette-Vinegar Jelly, and a fresh Organic Heirloom Tomatoes salad with buttery Burrata Mozzarella, locally grown Tomato Tartar and Smoked Anchovies dressed with Balsamico di Modena, all providing the finest Italian flavors.
For our main courses, we always chose the fish. The Slow Cooked Sea Bass was light and tender served with sautéed Baby Leeks and Roasted Garlic and dressed with an inventive Mussel-Saffron-Hollandaise which resulted in an extremely tasteful combination. The Oven Roasted Codfish was very moist and flaky still maintaining its robust taste, served with a smooth Mussel Foam and a crispy Calamari Ink Tuile. The desserts satisfied with a mouth-watering sweet finish, with the Chocolate Coco Sec with a Pan-Seared Pineapple completed with an airy Light Coconut Mousse, and the Crispy Strawberry Streusel with Coconut Shavings, creative Philadelphia Sorbet and an ambrosial Coconut Mousse, combining for a moist and crunchy tasteful fusion.
The water’s edge Bayside Restaurant serves fantastic fresh Caribbean fish and local specialties such as conch fritters, set between the resort’s pool and the beautiful beach sheltered between the Pitons. Among our favorites during extensive lunchtime samplings of menu items were the succulent grilled or slow roasted catch of the day charcoaled to perfection, tangy Hot Jerk Chicken Skewers accompanied by sweet and sour Fruit Compote and Pineapple Salsa, the most tender Octopus Tostada with Romaine, Cilantro, Scallions, Eel Sauce, Chipotle Mayo and Sour Cream, crunchy Plantation Coconut Shrimp with Sweet and Spicy Sauce and the Local Chips made with Sweet Potato and Plantain and served with Blue Cheese and Chipotle Aioli.
The Terrace Restaurant is positioned on the ground floor of the Great House, with views overlooking the lily pond and beyond to the Caribbean. Each morning we ordered the breakfast buffet, which in addition to a wide-ranging choice of omelets, pancakes, breads, muffins and local juices, also offered the traditional Creole breakfast consisting of cocoa tea (the local hot chocolate with Lucian cocoa), salty stewed fish, smoked herring, Johnny Bakes (fried dough), tart pickled cucumber and tomato, creamy avocado and a sweet fried ripe plantain.
Several cocktail bars provide a place to unwind and enjoy drinks and food. The Bayside Bar was the perfect spot to gather for cocktails and savory hors d’oeuvres and meet the general manager and staff. Our favorite was the Cane Bar in the Great House. Here you can sample some of the best aged rums in this specialty rum bar, designed with chic white-and-charcoal colors, featuring a glowing, curved white bar with rows of colorful bottles, and comfortable, oversized chairs and couches. The Cane Bar provides a professional “rummelier” to aid in the selection of the local Lucian, Caribbean and international rums. In addition, it features an extensive menu of Asian-inspired dishes. And you can even play a game of pool as I did while nursing my expertly-prepared libation.
Our last full day at Sugar Beach coincided with International Creole Day, the culmination of St. Lucia’s Jounen Kweyol Festival in October. Held annually since 1984, it celebrates the African French dialect widely spoken. It is held in four chosen communities each year, two of which were close to our hotel near Soufriere. A day trip to the Festival is highly recommended.
It was a steamy hot day, and we hired a driver to take us to Jacmel, three miles south of Castries on the west coast. Throngs of locals were turning out for the event, which is little publicized, more a celebration for residents to take pride in their heritage that in-the-know visitors are welcome to join in and experience. We had to park out of town and walk to the village, with the festival grounds marked by a large assemblage of booths and a center stage set up for live music. Lucians wear traditional Madras wear the week leading up to the events and we enjoyed seeing a trio of young children decked out in their colorful outfits.
We sampled our way through many of the food booths, whose names were spelled out in green palm fronds. Locals dished out an abundance of home-made traditional foods from family recipes with a welcoming smile, and we either stood and ate or found refuge from the hot sun on a scattering of plastic chairs under large umbrellas. A few bottles of ice-cold Piton beer helped fend off the heat while quenching our thirst. We tasted a little bit of everything, including the national dish of green figs (bananas), salty codfish and mixed vegetables, as well as locally-caught hard shell crab and a savory pork stew just to name a few.
We got caught up in the local scene, and enjoyed observing the mainly local crowd enjoying the vibrant beat of island music, one man slowly stepping in time across the field to the music by himself, and browsed the hand-made crafts. We heard the delighted laughter of those enjoying simple yet fun games like a bean bag toss, others socializing and liming, relaxing with friends and family. It was a window into Lucian heritage and society that would be missed by limiting oneself to the resort, as magnetic as its allure is.
Our last night we opted for room service, so that we could extend our plunge pool idyll as the last rays of the sun lit up the jagged peak and massive side of Petit Piton. The meal arrived by golf cart up the steep and winding road from the Great House. We spread out atop our four-poster bed, toasted each other for the amazing experience Sugar Beach provided us, and began plotting our return to reprise the vacation all over again. Next anniversary!
