The first resort we stayed at
The path to our vila
Private entrance
The view as you arrive
All the individual villas were named after flowers
up the steps
The view we'd wake up to every morning
Looking right out to the Caribbean
And just below the Petite Piton
We spent a lot of time in the pool, just relaxing.
Kate really enjoyed the hammock.
Beautiful flowers surrounded us
An entire look at our piece of paradise
Our first day we went down to the small town of Soufreie.
It was a small fishing town, and also served as a water taxi port
We got caught in a short rainstorm
The streets were extremely narrow for 2 cars to pass.
We got a few snacks from the local grocery.
The few times the rain would come it would appear instantly.....
...... and leave just as quickly, leaving only the wet ground as evidence.
We took at hike up to an extinct volcano and the remaining sulfur springs.
A monument on our way up.
The Sulfur Springs
The smell was horrible.
The closest town Soufreie translates to mean Sulfur City.
It was extremely hot, humid and very smelly.
The farthest our hike took us.
Obviously, extremely hot.
We debated hiking up one of the pitons, but it was rated a 9.5 climb, not something for a honeymoon trip.
This is the view from a lookout point near our resort.
From here you can see the entire town of Soufriere.
Kate thought it looked like a little Greek fishing village.
Tim thought it looked more like a pirate town.
On the other side of the bay, there were a few more resorts.
Petite Piton with the Gross Piton barely visable behind it
The Mango tree was the restaurant Stonefield owned, and where we ate at for most meals.
The dining area was completely outdoors and provided excellent views.
Every night the menu provided a different style of meal. Indian, Caribbean, BBQ etc.
We also ate breakfast here almost every morning.
The pancakes were the best. And as you might have guessed from the name, the mangos were some of the sweetest.
The dining deck looked right out onto the caribbean sea
I believe this was our Indian meal.
And this was Asian night. Appropriate live music was played during dinner as well.
The mango tree also offered a pool for the residents, but since everyone had their own private pool, it was never used.
Being on the west side of the island, we saw gorgeous sunsets every night.
Our third day we went to another resort to go snorkeling.
We had an all day pass that provided chair rentals, a shuttle back and forth, lunch while we were here, and snorkeling gear.
The natural color of the sand on the island is black from the volcano.
Tim tried to teach Kate how to dive down to swim with the fishes.
Even though it was Kate's first time, she caught on pretty quickly.
The water was the perfect temperature.
One of the other resorts. Prices there ran almost $1000 a night.
We took the opportunity one evening to have a sunset photo shoot.
Friday night we joined the resort manager and another couple to attend a local Fish Fry. We drove 1.5 hours north along very curvy roads to get to this street party, but it was worth it.
People came from all over the island and there is music and dancing in the streets.
At our villa we had a few cats that visited our porch and would beg for our snacks. We named this common visitor “Skinny”
Saturday we took a shuttle over to a neighboring resort to hang out at hte beach.
We asked them to drop us off at the top of the resort so we could walk down.
The name of this resort was Jalousie Plantation, and it looked like a plantation.
On our way down, the Gross Piton in the background.
Cut grass?!
A large chess set added to the relaxing nature of the resort.
Beautifully kept grounds and plant life.
Kate makes her move.
The resorts have chairs and huts available for rent. We decided to “borrow” one this day.
All the beaches on St Lucia are open to the public.
This beach had its sand imported to give a more “paradise” white sand look.
The grounds and beach of Jalousie is nestled between the two Piton mountains.
Gross Piton to our south.
Sailing was offered, but we saved that for later.
And the Petite Piton directly of our beach to the north.
That evening we visited yet another resort for dinner. They had one of the best views where we enjoyed a few drinks.
Directly below here is the Jalouise Plantation resort and beach where we were earlier in the day
Kate enjoying some wine.
Watching the sun set on a great view.
The sun sets behind the mountain.
Dasheene was the name of the restaurant and the food deserved all 5 stars.
A honeymoon dessert!
Sunday we spent most of the day relaxing and playing in our pool.
Trying to time both of us jumping in.
Awwwwww
Piton beer was the local beer of choice.
After Stonefield we were headed to the other side of the island. There were a couple options for getting there, and we decided a helicopter ride would be exciting.
On our way north, we passed Stonefield.
Only an 8 minute ride, but the view was incredible.
Small villages dotted the coast line.
Kate's first helicopter flight.
On our way north!
Yet another fishing village.
Banana plantions are a majority of St Lucia's economy.
Oil storage for the island.
As we arrived at the airport we could spot Sandals in the distance.
We had arrived. Sandals!
A difference pace from Stonefield.
Checking out the grounds, the feel was a total opposite from where we had just came. But it was a nice change.
Swim up bars and Beach Volleyball, it was the Spring Break for honeymooners.
A quick beach walk to view the sunset our first night there.
After a beach-party-buffet-dinner, we were entertained with dancers......
....Limbo.....
...fire dancing.....
....and fire breathers!
On Tuesday we took an excursion on a zip line through the rainforest.
Kate isn't a big fan of heights but had a blast anyway.
Through the jungle!
Our super cool helmets and harnesses.
Plenty of rope bridges to add to our adventure.
On our shuttle back from the zip line, we stopped at a lookout of the Atlantic side of the island.
Picture of the local firehouse for Kate's Dad.
Lunch on the beach at one of the numerous eating places Sandals had to offer.
That afternoon we changed into swimsuits and went kayaking.
We went out a little further than we were supposed to, but just had so much fun exploring the bay.
Kate being cautious of her husband, the splasher.
A nice diner at their Italian restaurant.
Entertainment was everywhere you looked.
Kate at the bar while we get ready to be part of the audience of Sandal's newly wed game show.
On our last day we took a short hike from Sandals up to Pigeon Island.
Pigeon Island served as a fort to protect the local city.
At the top of were look outs that were used from the early 1500s all the way up until World War II
Protecting the bay.
We learned about the history of the island and how control had gone back and forth between the French and British 14 times.
Entire view of the bay.
Silly pictures at the top.
I command this land!
Look who's there!
Strike a pose.
What's in here?
Keep a watchful eye to the north.
A model of Pigeon Island.
One of the remaining fort structures that was kept up.
Our last full day Tim took some basic sailing lessons.
We had a blast crusing around the bay.
It was amazing how much easier it was using the wind to move on the water, than rowing in a kayak.
So peaceful.
On our way back we were delayed and had to spend an extra night in Miami. How fiting that we got our own Ricky and Lucy beds to cap off our honeymoon.
St Lucia Honeymoon 2008
