A small tropical gem located midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain, St. Lucia is a volcanic island of jaw-dropping jungle terrain. Its dramatic peaks rise majestically from turquoise seas, while verdant rainforests serve as a natural habitat to some of the world’s most colourful and exotic wildlife. The island’s kaleidoscopic landscape is sprinkled with aged fortresses, quaint villages, and open-air markets, paving the way for a vibrant dining and nightlife scene.
St Lucia’s cultural treasures are a resplendent melange of its rich past and many different traditions, as well as the island’s people who have gained a reputation as some of the world’s warmest and most charming.
The island’s hotels radiate an elegant Caribbean charisma and range from chic hilltop boutiques to trendy palm-fringed beachfront resorts. Here are the best cool and unusual hotels in St. Lucia (in no particular order)…
1. Jade Mountain – a cool, unique and very Instagrammble resort that is the only one in St. Lucia to offer a majestic view of both the Piti and Gros Piton mountains
One of the Caribbean’s most striking hotels, this futuristic lair is housed in a James Bond-esque concrete structure that sits on a secluded hilltop within 600-acres of jungle.
Each of the 29 suites can be reached via a long bridge-like walkway girdled by abundant tropical foliage. Equipped with an airy, open-plan space, the private sanctuaries invite you to revel in breathtaking views of the Pitons through a missing fourth wall.
Most rooms offer a colourful-tiled infinity pool which blends seamlessly with the sky-meets-ocean panorama.
Near the top of the property, The Jade Mountain Club offers an open-air space where you can sit and enjoy exceptional meals created by top-rated chefs.
2. Rabot Hotel From Hotel Chocolat – a chic, beautiful and romantic boutique hotel that provides a peaceful setting where you can unplug and unwind
Set on a historic cocoa-growing plantation, Rabot Hotel offers an imaginative and sophisticated hospitality concept, with a dramatic pavilion-style restaurant as its focal point.
The recognizable dark brown hues of the Chocolate Shop brand have been joyfully integrated into the vibe of the Caribbean, and fill the 14 modern, pared-down guestrooms with a unique look.
In each colonial-chic unit, arty prints of cocoa beans, and graceful touches such as complimentary homemade cookies beautifully reflect the hotel’s distinctive atmosphere.
Additionally, the four-poster beds set under mosquito netting invite you to a blissful night’s sleep. The restaurant is a fantastic space where imaginative food is mostly infused with cocoa, and utilizes the very best of local produce to create delicious savoury and sweet meals.
3. Ti Kaye Resort & Spa – a trendy and attractive award-winning 4-star adult-only boutique resort that features modern décor with an ocean view
This remote clifftop hotel overlooks one of St Lucia’s most pristine stretches of shoreline. At Ti Kaye, a chilled-out atmosphere radiates through the quaint gingerbread cottages, exuding an air of romance.
This adults-only haven is suited to the young-at-heart who want to retreat to a slower pace of life, by spotting hummingbirds in bougainvillea and lapping up the most gorgeous sunsets.
The rustic interiors of the 33 rooms are expressed by through dark wood furniture and large four-poster beds, and each unit is connected to a charming private outdoor space. Open-air garden showers, hammocks, and rocking chairs offer opportunities to soak up the beautiful island charm from the comfort of your own sanctuary.
4. Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort – a sophisticated resort that is embraced by hundreds of acres of tropical rainforest and white-sand beach
Beautifully occupying a former sugar plantation between St Lucia’s landmark Pitons, Sugar Beach has transformed a pristine location into a spot of swish, sophisticated luxury.
The property’s tasteful style is exuded through charming villas and cottages dotted across the forested slopes, while a contemporary twist is added through outré modern art pieces.
The 96 designer units offer predominantly white-on-white interiors, and boast private plunge pools, a wet bar, and a fully stocked fridge. If you bag a Luxury Beachfront Bungalow, you can rest directly behind the main beach on private loungers and hammocks over the white sand.
In the evening, you can take your pick from a stylish Beachfront Restaurant, or a trendy cocktail bar equipped with a full-size snooker table.
5. Fond Doux Eco Resort – a unique and stunning country-style resort based on a historic 19th-century working cocoa estate
Coated in cocoa, thick swathes of palms, and exotic flowers, the 135-acre hillside spread which houses the bird-rich Fond Doux Eco Resort is one of St. Lucia’s most scenic expanses.
The resort invites you to a back-to-nature experience through a one-of-a-kind eco concept which permeates the rustic buildings. Winding paths lead through jungle gardens to the secluded guest cottages and the two open-air restaurants.
Attractive fretwork, four-poster beds, and painted ceramics fill the guestrooms with a unique charm, while some units offer private plunge pools, outdoor garden showers, and iridescent valley views.
Three small pools and a decked gazebo area with sun loungers offer peaceful spaces to hang out and relish the gorgeous surrounding landscape.
6. Anse Chastanet Resort – a boutique resort home to 600 lush tropical acres and bordering two soft sand beaches
Housed in a vast forested hillside cocooned from the outside world, Anse Chastanet is catered to romantics, divers, and escapists who want to take a step back and surrender to the rhythms of jungle life.
Everything in the resort is designed to be integrated with the effervescent, natural surroundings, notably the 49 guestrooms which come with wrap-around balconies and stunning floral murals.
The property plays host to a charming, shingle-roofed beachfront bar, a beachfront restaurant, and a hillside restaurant, serving a variety of delicacies sourced from the resort’s organic form. Behind the beach lies the spa which offers five treatment rooms, and a first-class dive centre.
7. Cap Maison Resort & Spa – a stunning upscale boutique resort spa located in a breathtaking location that has its own secluded sandy beach
This hacienda-style property is adorned with arches, courtyards, and fountains, while Hispanic tilework and terracotta urns present a Spanish Caribbean look.
Graced by meticulously tended tropical gardens and iridescent flora, the resort’s clifftop location makes it one of the classiest places to stay in northern St. Lucia.
At the bottom of the steps is a beautiful beach, which is a pretty cove where visitors can relish the blissful sea breeze from a cosy sun lounger.
Spread over 10 two-storey whitewashed blocks are the 49 rooms, suites, and villas, featuring cedarwood floors, hand-painted Mexican décor, and wicker-furnished terraces.
8. Ladera Resort – a lavish and romantic resort that is the only one in St. Lucia based on a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ladera Resort invites you to relax in beautifully crafted wooden suites exposed to the elements, where a private plunge pool is backdropped by scintillating views of the Pitons.
Formerly a cocoa plantation, the lush tropical garden which hosts the resort is bursting with colour and scent, owing to the gorgeous hillside ambiance set by hibiscus, orchids, and bougainvillea.
The resort is perched on a volcano ridgeline 1000ft above the Caribbean Sea, and the missing fourth wall in each suite provides front-row seats to dramatic and uninterrupted ocean-meets-jungle views.
The on-site restaurant Dasheene serves up contemporary Creole cuisine in a setting teeming with an elegant Caribbean flair.
9. Calabash Cove Resort and Spa – Adults Only – a stylish resort spa located on a palm tree-lined beach along the Caribbean coast
A resort with the wow factor, Calabash Cove is a lush, tropical property offering graceful wooden Balinese-style cottages perched on a hilly expanse overlooking the sea.
This peaceful boutique invites discerning travellers to a retreat brimming with excellence in every corner, covered head-to-toe in eponymous calabash trees and beautiful vegetation. An impressive in-house restaurant serves an exquisite menu of fusion cuisine utilizing local produce, while the delightful sunset bar offers crafted cocktails in the backdrop of dramatic horizon panoramas.
To reenergize, you can make use of trailblazing equipment in the resort’s gym, or take a dip in the shimmering pool which is sided by a delightful swim-up bar.
10. Sandals Regency La Toc All Inclusive Golf Resort and Spa – Couples Only – one of the best resort hotels to stay in St. Lucia perfect for Millennials and Gen Zs
Exuding beauty and elegance from every angle, this characterful all-inclusive resort is set on the jaw-dropping 200-acre La Toc Estate.
The on-site, executive-style golf course represents the pinnacle of modern luxury, and is surrounded by exquisite tropical scenery and rolling hills.
The resort hugs a majestic crescent-shaped beach and plays host to 9 unique restaurants showcasing a trendy coalescence of Italian, French, Far Eastern, and Caribbean cultures through mouth-watering dishes.
Divers flock to this corner of the planet to experience some of the world’s most renowned reefs, and Sandal’s comprehensive scuba diving programmes offer memories which will last for a lifetime!
11. East Winds St. Lucia- All Inclusive – an exotic hotel with a private beach that is the perfect choice for a tranquil urban escape
Here we have a tranquil haven spread out across a dozen acres of glorious tropical grounds. Palms, ferns, fruit trees, ginger lilies, and hibiscus set the tone for a romantic getaway at East Winds, topped by the sporadic visit of gorgeous hummingbirds, herons, and doves.
In the evening, a social atmosphere emanates from the hotel’s Clubhouse, which is a divine open-air lounge bar encased in foliage. A thatched-roofed, open-air restaurant is blissfully lit by candles and lanterns, establishing a gracious mood for a romantic three-course meal.
Sprinkled around the manicured grounds are semi-detached cottages which exude luxury through botanic décor, leaf-patterned furnishings, and state-of-the-art amenities.
12. Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort – a premium beachfront resort that overlooks the beautiful Caribbean Sea
This upmarket Mediterranean-looking complex is characterized by red-tiled, whitewashed buildings, and a bustling atmosphere is lent by its multiple restaurants, pools, and shops.
Through terracotta floors and mosaic-tiled bathrooms, the guestrooms and villas blend a rustic style with a contemporary flair. At the top end are the individual Estate Villas which are perched high up the hillside and offer large private pools, as well as sweeping panoramas across the palm-fringed beach.
Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort also boasts several casual beachfront restaurants and bars, as well as many hammocks strung out over the water inviting you to rejuvenate the soul as you listen to the sounds of the ocean.
13. Pink Plantation House – a quirky-chic inn housed in a 3 story French colonial wooden home
Offering a spacious terrace, stunning gardens, and a cool hilltop breeze, Pink Plantation House embraces a totally natural setting.
The hotel is colourful, elegant, and reminiscent of a bygone era through vaulted ceilings and historic, rustic furnishings. The guestrooms have been infused with an air of romance, adding a boutique flair to a traditional layout, and boast floral artwork to reflect the spirit of the property.
Each room is equipped with a ceiling fan, a wardrobe, and plush linens, optimising comfort and exuding a truly homely feel. The soaring trees which surround Pink Plantation House frame a breathtaking vantage point of ocean, islands, and vegetation, enhancing a sense of serene hilltop seclusion.
14. Hideaway at Royalton Saint Lucia, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort, Adults Only – a refined seafront resort that provides free bikes for guests to explore the area
Clustered around four shimmering pools, this contemporary hideaway is a sprawl of multi-storey ocean-facing buildings, and lays emphasis on the classic Caribbean trifecta of sun, sea, and sand.
The ground-floor rooms boast sliding glass doors which open onto a shared pool, while others offer private terraces overlooking the property’s lush grounds.
All rooms are equipped with all the mod cons you’d expect from a five-star resort, including cosy décor, plush linens, and high-end, tech-forward amenities. Further on-site offerings include swim-up bars, the island’s largest spa, a children’s water park, and cabanas with butler service.
For a spot of seclusion, guests can rent one of the private ocean-view plunge pools, beside which you can take shade under swaying palms.
15. Stonefield Estate Resort – one of the best resorts in St. Lucia set in a former lime and cocoa plantation
Here we have a peaceful, adults-only bolthole set on a former cocoa plantation in the shadow of the Petit Piton. The Stonefield Estate Resort is home to a cornucopia of tropical flora, inviting you to nod off to the sound of tree frogs and awaken to the gentle cacophony of hummingbirds.
Dotted across the estate are 17 romantic cottage-like villas, which offer a large plunge pool, a terrace with a hammock and rocking chairs, and outdoor garden showers.
The interiors are dressed in a smart rustic style, while a private kitchen and separate living room provide the comforts of home.
16. Green Fig Resort & Spa – a rustic-chic accommodation that is the perfect home away from home
Green Fig Resort & Spa overlooks the colourful town of Soufriere from a beautiful hillside vantage point, and is separated from a pristine beach by a 5-minute walk through a picturesque expanse of jungle.
A truly unique Caribbean experience is embodied through the spectacular trees and wildlife that surround the property, which beautifully contrasts the city and beach vibe below.
The treehouse-style spa is backdropped by the majestic Pitons, and invites guests to indulge in an array of treatments curated by expert therapists.
Colourful Caribbean cuisine made from a variety of fresh local ingredients is served in the on-site restaurant, offering a memorable dining experience.
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Born and raised in Brazil, Gaby has always had a taste for the intriguing, the off-beat and the far flung. After travelling around most of South America, living in Spain and Italy and then moving to England, her feet have stayed continually twitchy. Studying for a degree in Spanish translation and then learning five more languages only poured more fuel onto her travelling ardor.
Gaby likes nothing better than discovering new destinations and meeting the locals, tasting the cuisine and hearing about the local stories. Her other indulgences include French cinema, boxing, photography, colourful manicures and soaking up the rays on a sun-infused beach. She counts Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Barcelona, Lisbon and Cornwall as her most favourite places in the world.
