We stayed at the Anse Chastanet hotel in St Lucia from the 30th of September to the 14th of October 2005 and had a fantastic time.

We booked via Kuoni, and at arrival from the airport we saw the hotel rep who arranged a taxi for us to get to the hotel. It was about 60 minutes drive, and the first 45 minutes was smooth on the roads, and they drive on the same side as UK wahey. The last 15 minutes however was on a really really really bumpy road, but it is good because not many people go down this route. Although the road is public, the government doesn't carry out repairs to it, instead the hotel funds this.

St Lucia (the South Western side) is very pretty, luscious and green, and very good scenery en route to the hotel passing the Pitons. Also it's not too built up and not too touristy either.

Upon arrival at reception we were greeted with a welcome alcoholic free drink and a ice cold face towel. We were all inclusive, which definitely is a must, and we were then escorted to our rooms ;) We were only in the standard rooms. We walked up some steps ;) to our room, there was a double bed, mosquito net, two chairs, fridge with bottle of water and some fruit in, desk and chair, chest of drawers, then there was the shower, with toilet and sink.

There were a few mosquito's in the shower and I got bit while using the toilet, but that's OK, I can live with that. The room was basic and windows was wooden slated, and had a mesh grill to keep the mossies and bugs out. We got an extra fan in the end because I found it quite hot, in fact it was the humidity which did the most damage.

Staff were extremely friendly in all areas, from reception, waiters/waitresses, bar staff etc. They knew us by our names and made us relaxed, and were very hospitable.

On the way to the beach we had to negotiate some steps, but it was good fun. In total I think there were about 168 steps from our room to the beach, much less if you live closer to the beach, and obviously more if you live higher up on the hills.

The beach was fantastic! Generally clean, plenty of sun-loungers and couscous beach huts. You get free beach towels on a daily basis from the beach attendants. Also there is a chap that gets your drinks for you when you want from the beach bar, so you don't have to get it yourself. Water activities include sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing. Other water activities included snorkeling, and diving. There are a couple of coral reefs literally right off the beach, and the water was very clear, and we could see tons of fish. The snorkeling and diving gear was of very high quality.

There was also a complimentary water taxi to the other beach that belonged to the hotel. The hotel has their own plantation with excursions include hiking trails and jungle biking etc, we did both. Some trails were shielded from the sun. If you do this take mossie repellent.

Food was of a high standard, and you could eat in the piton restaurant where in the mornings they serve breakfast. In the evening they have their a la carte menu, and at the beach restaurant you could have lunch there as well. We didn't suffer from food poisoning once, and there was a great variety and selection of food, which we thoroughly enjoyed. If you wanted a romantic setting you could book to eat for dinner for two on the beach.

The hotel had a list of excursions which you can either book through them or you can arrange yourself. We went on the micro-reflector rain forest hike which took 2-3 hours, and was very rewarding. We also did the sunset cruise, which was fantastic on the sailing boat Serenity. and we did complimentary hikes with the hotel, with Meno the tour guide they used. These are a must, and very rewarding as Meno knows his onions and great entertainment too. We also did the drive through volcano and botanical gardens excursion, which were quite good, but I didn't like the way the guides at these two locations were pitching for tips because they were independent etc..

It didn't rain much, about 5-10 mins each day we were there. On our departure day it rained lots, literally the whole day, so I guess we went at the right time. The beach is very pretty, and the sand is black due to the volcanic sand. It's also safe too, as we left our belongings at the beach hut, often unoccupied, and they were still there on our return.

While we were there they were building more huts, and still completing the infinity suites, which are about US$700 - US$900 a night, and also a potential helipad being built for the movie stars. We heard the odd banging here and there, but it didn't spoil the holiday.

At night it's generally hot, but as I said above we got an extra fan which was sufficient in keeping us cool. The humidity was just too much, but apart from that the mossies were kept at bay because I slept in the net. We saw toads and lizards which were cool, and when it rained at night we saw lots of little frogs. I accidentally trod on one the first couple of nights I was there. If you are in hillside accommodation, you probably get great views. Our view from our room we could see the sea and the pitons, and we saw hawks, hummingbirds and finches. The hotel has no TV's, radios or newspapers which is great. My mobile phone did work though ;)

Book this hotel if you want a romantic holiday resort with no kids. Book if you want to relax, or book if you want activities. Book this hotel if you want to live with nature. Don't book if you can't live without air conditioning, although you don't need it.

The only negative things I can say about the hotel is it would be luxury if they had air conditioning, and also the prices of bottles of wine is a bit extortionate, but that's normal for prices you would pay for bottles of wine in a five star hotel.

Advice - take mossie repellent, lots of suntan lotion, and from the hotel reception to the beach it's about 100 or so steps (a great work out for legs).

The Anse Chastanet hotel neglected to tell me that during my stay I would be subjected to major construction; complete with land clearing! When I expressed my unhappiness with the situation, I was offered an apology but nothing else. Had I known that I would have been awaken every morning at 7 by hammering and loud workers I would have gone somewhere else! Funny for a hotel that does not allow radios in order to maintain serenity! This became such a problem that I was on the phone attempting to locate another place to stay until I was told that the remainder of my stay would not be refunded. If I could have afforded to pay for another hotel, I would have left and not looked back!
My beach-front room was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. At one point during my stay, I counted 54 bites on my arms, back and legs. Although the rooms LOOK great in brochures, be forewarned that there are no screens on the windows and just about every creepy, crawly thing that can get inside your room will get inside your room. I am not one who is taken aback by the sight of insects; after all, I do live in New York. But these bugs were big! And they bit!
The beach bar closes promptly at 10... Even if you are one of eight couples who are sitting at the bar engaged in conversation. My wife and I met several interesting couples after dinner. It would have been nice to continue speaking with them without getting kicked out of the bar area and being forced to return to our rooms! The entire hotel shuts down after 10. It felt like being at summer camp with an enforced curfew!
When I called to make the reservation, I asked if a meal plan was necessary or could we go into town and experience some local restaurants. The receptionist said that the town was a short cab ride away. The town is a very expensive, bumpy cab ride away and the hotel truly discourages you from going elsewhere. In fact, upon arrival we were subject to an early morning "orientation" in which we were warned about the "evil locals" who wanted to prey upon our innocence. The truth of the matter is that the hotel wishes to scare guests from leaving the compound so that any money you spend will be on their services! Because of the difficulty in arranging a cab, we were mostly forced to pay the ridiculous price of dinner ($45/ person). The portions were incredibly tiny and the quality was very poor. I mistakenly ordered steak. It was the size of a post-it-note and most of it was fat! If you are at all active, you will not get enough to eat and God forbid you ask the staff for more! Mt waitress "sneaked" me an extra plate one night and you would have thought she put her life on the line to do so! It was so bad that my wife would order the cheese plate -- that traditionally comes at the end of a French meal instead of dessert -- just so she wasn't starving. Or, you can do what I did and go to the gift shop and buy a $10 bag of cheese doodles! This is the only vacation that I have gone on and LOST weight.
I had arranged a day of horseback riding and was quoted a price by the social desk that was automatically charged to my room. I told the manager that instead, I wanted to pay this in cash and in person the day of my ride. I found out the hotel charges a MUCH higher rate than the ranch does and the hotel keeps the difference! No wonder why they kept encouraging me to charge everything (from taxi rides to mountain biking) to my room!