The Caribbean island famed for its rainforests and volcanic peaks
Exquisitely beautiful St Lucia is known for its dense rainforests and dramatic volcanic peaks with a circumference fringed with palm-shaded, floury beaches. St Lucia is, without a doubt, one of the best Caribbean islands and the stuff of tropical holiday dreams, especially when you scatter some seriously luxurious hotels across the landscape.
Located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, St. Lucia is part of the Lesser Antilles, tucked between Martinique and St. Vincent. The island is famous for its iconic Pitons, two towering volcanic spires that rise from the sea and are cloaked with rare native trees. And while Caribbean holidays might bring to mind toes-in-the-sand dining and long days on the beach, the island's lush rainforests mean holidays to St Lucia don’t have to be exclusively about languishing on tropical shores — there's volcano hiking, mud bathing, a cacao tasting to try when you stir from your sun lounger. In fact, the island's interior is so beautiful that two of St Lucia’s best hotels, Ladera and Rabot Hotel, are found inland, set in a former sugar plantation and working cacao farm, respectively.
The airport is in the island's southern reaches, but many luxury hotels in St Lucia are towards the northwestern corner, including the ultra-foodie Cap Maison and wellbeing favourite, BodyHoliday. Their west coast location perfectly orients them to maximise sunset views. Further south on the west coast, Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet are two extraordinary hotels that have blockbuster views of the Pitons and have design features worth talking about. Staying at either of these beauties or choosing Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Hotel, puts you within easy distance of reaching Diamond Falls to admire the waterfalls and botanical gardens and soak in the therapeutic mineral waters.
If you can’t bear a long transfer after the nine-hour flight, a few luxury hotels in St Lucia are closer to the airport. Coconut Bay Resort & Spa is just a five-minute transfer and is one of the best family hotels in St Lucia. It's one of the island's many all-inclusive hotels, and there are some newcomers to look out for, too — all-inclusive Secrets St Lucia Resort & Spa is slated to open in December 2024 on Rodney Bay Marina strictly for adults, joining two other top adults-only, all-inclusive resorts in St Lucia, Sandals Grande St Lucian Spa & Beach Resort and Hideaway at Royalton St Lucia.
So, without further ado, we bring you our top picks of the very best hotels in St Lucia…
Jade Mountain
Perhaps the most famous hotel in St Lucia is the incredible Jade Mountain, which appeared on BBC’s Amazing Hotels. It is an extraordinary place for so many reasons and a firm favourite for romantic honeymoons thanks to its showstopping views, astonishingly clever design, and attentive butler service.
The resort opened to huge and well-deserved fanfare in 2007, following in the footsteps of sister hotel Anse Chastanet (fabulous in its own right — scroll to number 6). Jade Mountain guests can use Anse Chastanet’s facilities by taking a short walk down the hill or hopping on a shuttle if a Caribbean holiday means doing as little as possible. Although frankly, it’s likely most of your time will be spent luxuriating in one of the 29 suites at Jade Mountain, each reached by an individual sky bridge. In the majority of the suites, the sea-facing wall is completely missing to maximise sensational views of the Caribbean Sea and the Pitons. And as each one has an open-air jacuzzi or private pool, it’s easy for days to vanish in the blink of an eye in such phenomenal surroundings.
Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort
In a superb location in the southwest corner of St Lucia wedged between the Pitons, Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Hotel is a lavish choice that blends traditional styling with a modern luxury approach. Despite its unapologetic fanciness, there’s a laid-back feeling about it, particularly when grabbing a beer and burgers from the pier bar or dining with your toes in the sun-warmed sand at Bonté.
For all of Sugar Beach’s carefree informality, pampered service comes as standard, and personal butlers are available to unpack your holiday wardrobe and magically press a rum cocktail into your hand. And because we can’t get enough of that looked-after feeling, our standout highlight of a stay here is the Rainforest Spa, a treehouse-style affair built on stilts and surrounded by lush foliage where you can float away during a bamboo massage in what has to be one of the most exceptional settings for a spa anywhere in the world.
Ladera
Set inland in a remarkable location on a volcano ridgeline, Ladera is a former cocoa plantation. It’s only a five-minute drive from the coast, and a complimentary shuttle whisks you down to Melgretoute Beach if you find yourself longing for a stroll along a soft sand beach. But by staying inland, you get incredible island views from Ladera's lofty position of 1,000 feet above sea level, including up-close views of those iconic Pitons.
Every room at Ladera has a private pool, some with suspended swings above the water, and beautiful furniture handmade by master artisans. But the most fabulous thing about the rooms is that, like Jade Mountain, they are missing a fourth wall that frames incredible views of the Caribbean Sea without compromising privacy and giving you a glorious open-air feel.
East Winds
For something a little more low-key but just as pampering, take a look at East Winds. There are just 30 timber-clad cottages here, perfect if you’re looking for a quiet Caribbean escape with all those classic elements – beach palapas, steel band, Friday night barbecues and the like.
When you get here, you can pop your purse in the safe and forget about it – everything is included, even beach picnic hampers and champagne. Indulge in an open-air spa treatment in the rainforest garden and look out for yoga and Pilates classes several times a week. One of our favourite spots is the swim-up bar, looking out for hummingbirds with a rum cocktail in hand.
Cap Maison
Part of the esteemed Relais & Chateaux group, Cap Maison has been a top hotel in St Lucia since 2008, a gorgeous Mediterranean-style escape on the site of a former sugar plantation. It’s a sophisticated place, and particularly appealing to those who love great food and wine on holiday. The resort produces its own rum and has an impressive walk-in wine cellar with pairing dinners available, perfect for celebratory moments. You can also take part in cooking classes with the resort's executive chef.
The most coveted spot in the resort is Rock Maison, where champagne arrives on a private seafront platform on a zipline, momentarily distracting you from the sunset over Martinique. And while eating out at Cap Maison always has an air of specialness, it's not always formal — we also love The Naked Fisherman, set on an impossibly blue bay, for casual seafood barbecues where you can feast on locally caught snapper.
Anse Chastanet
At a temptingly lower price point than sister hotel Jade Mountain, Anse Chastanet still has fabulous design credentials. It’s all about the beach here (so if you’re a pool person, you’ll need to look elsewhere unless you treat yourself to the Piton Pool Suite).
The resort is set across 600 acres and has the island’s best sights of the Pitons – you get a view of both. The rooms are in jungle-backed beach buildings that spill down the hillsides with glass-less windows providing zero obstructions to the knockout views.
There’s a carefree feel here, all set to a soundtrack of birdsong emanating from the forested slopes. You could choose to while away your days gently kayaking on clear bays to peek at the colourful coral reefs or snoozing under a parasol on one of the two soft-sand beaches. But there’s much more on offer here, from visiting the resort’s organic farm (which keeps the restaurant in good supply of fruit, veg, nuts, and herbs) to biking through the jungle on 12 miles of private trails or painting in the twice-weekly art classes.
Rabot Hotel
Set in British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat’s working cacao farm on a mountainside in St Lucia, is there any better hotel in the world for chocoholics? Part of your stay includes a tree-to-bean experience where you’ll learn more about chocolate production. Perhaps it should go without saying, but chocolate is inescapable here, and you’ll find plenty on the menu. Even at breakfast, you can sip on cacao tea and feast on warm cacao banana bread. And the desserts? You're in for a treat. Chocolate mousses, chocolate puddings, chocolate pannacotta... and the so-called Magnificent Piton — a meringue creation drizzled with (you guessed it) warm chocolate sauce.
There are just 25 luxury lodges here, and it’s an adults-only resort, making Rabot Hotel an ideal choice if you prefer quieter escapes. And – because we know you’re wondering – yes, the rooms have their own Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser.
Hideaway at Royalton St Lucia
If you’re looking for a slick, large, adults-only, all-inclusive kind of holiday in St Lucia, Hideaway at Royalton St Lucia and Sandals Grande St. Lucia (scroll to number 10) might be the two you’re weighing up. At both, there’s a real resorty vibe – think evening entertainment with dancing and theme nights – so consider whether that’s to your taste when deciding which is the best hotel in St Lucia for you.
At Hideaway at Royalton St Lucia, if you decide on one of the Diamond Club rooms, you’ll get a raft of extra perks like butler service to unpack your luggage and iron anything that’s got wrinkled on the journey. You’ll also get an upgraded mini-bar selection and additional services like a nightly turndown. Choose the Luxury Junior Suite with the swim-out option, and the resort’s pool laps your private terrace.
BodyHoliday
Spa bunnies and wellness aficionados rejoice – this is the hotel for you. Daily, 50-minute spa treatments are included when you stay at BodyHoliday, along with a raft of complimentary yoga, pilates, meditation, and stress management classes.
It all begins long before you’ve zipped up your suitcase. You'll plan your spa treatments with the hotel team in advance, so your wellness programme is mapped out before you arrive and orientated around your goals, whether that’s relaxation, fitness, better ageing, or another element of your general wellbeing. And it's all in beautiful surroundings, too. You can swim in the sea from a pristine beach and retreat to a light, bright, and airy guestroom for a post-massage nap. All in the name of good health, of course.
Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort
Set on a private peninsula lapped by calm waters, Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort has a prime spot on the island. We love that there are overwater bungalows here for a taste of the Maldives in the Caribbean, providing escapist bubbles in an otherwise large and sociable resort.
Twelve restaurants give you more variety than most resorts. Plus, you can visit the two other Sandals resorts on the islands, Sandals Regency La Toc and Sandals Halcyon Beach, opening your restaurant choices to an impressive 27, all included in the price of your holiday. Even scuba diving is included here, whether you want to try it for the first time in a three-hour programme or you’re already certified and take advantage of the complimentary equipment, dive boats, and the in-depth knowledge of a team of pros. If you’d prefer to stay closer to the surface, your water sports choices are impressive, to say the least, with all the usual suspects alongside some novel options like aquatrikes and snuba – a snorkelling/scuba hybrid.
Windjammer Landing Resort & Residences
Windjammer Landing Resort & Residences should be jostling for the top spot on your shortlist if you're weighing up luxury family hotels in St Lucia. Set village-style in white-washed, red-roofed buildings across a hillside, Windjammer Landing is one of the island’s larger resorts. That means it has loads of restaurants, activities, and experiences to try—perfect if you need to keep restless kids occupied. The kids club stays open late, too, so you can plan a child-free dinner for two and remember you’re an adult, as well as a parent.
Thanks to a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2023, Windjammer Landing feels gorgeously fresh and contemporary. We particularly like the villas, ideal for those sociable holidays with your friends and their children, and some have private pools. It firmly falls into the category of all-inclusive hotels we actually want to book, too.
Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa
Another large, luxury family hotel in St Lucia worth considering is Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa. The fact that this one is a mere five minutes from the airport holds weight when you’re travelling with little ones, plus it has its own waterpark, so it scores family-friendly points all around.
There’s an undeniable fun factor here. There are multiple pools, water slides, a lazy river, and even a paintball arena. It’s not the most luxurious hotel in St Lucia overall, but if you want something a little bit more special, take a look at the butler suites, which have their own private plunge pool in the designated adults-only section of the resort.
More holiday ideas:
- The best family hotels in Spain
- Luxury family hotels in the UK
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