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Style: Stylish simplicity with lots of privacy
The Beach: A path leads through the garden down to two small areas of sand and sea bathing or take a 10 minute walk to Marisule Beach (5 mins drive)
The Rooms: The villa itself comprises of two buildings on one level platform with a total of four bedrooms
Key features: An unusual Guyanese wood St Lucia villa, swimming pool, fruit trees and coconut palms, good for birdwatching.
Children: Welcome
Staff: Maid service 5 days a week. Cook available at extra cost |
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Description
STOP PRESS
Please note that Antillean House (previously known as Seascape), recently changed hands and has been considerably upgraded. A new full review of the property and the changes will be written late in 2006/early 2007 after we next have a chance to visit St Lucia. Meanwhile, please use the link above to go through to the owners' own website for up to date information and rates. The images on this page and the review below relates entirely to Antillean House as it was. We have therefore left the name as Seascape so that there is no suggestion that this review describes Antillean House as it is now.
Seascape is set in its own mature three acre hillside garden on the west coast of St Lucia, between Castries and Rodney Bay. Built in the 1970s, it is a relatively old villa, but it has a lovely layout, with a large living room giving onto a huge veranda and a private pool, and it is excellent value. It also has superb sunsets. All in all it is ideal for living the Caribbean life without spending a fortune. Set in two buildings linked by an open wooden deck, Seascape can come in a number of configurations. You can take one of the two self-contained studio apartments or you can take the whole place as a three or four bedroom villa.
One of the joys of this villa is the garden, where you will find a host of huge tropical bushes and trees. There are 200 local plants in all, including breadfruit, mango (in season mangos literally drip off the branches), and a whole line of flamboyants along the drive, which provide an extraordinary splash of colour during the summer months when they turn scarlet. Paths lead around the gardens and then down the slope to the two coves from where you can swim. These are pebbly but very private. The closest beach is Choc Bay, with white sand, which is a short walk away. If you would prefer to relax up at the house itself then the pool is a good size and has steps going into the shallow end. Next to it is a gazebo, which makes a nice alternative for lunch. The gardens at Seascape are also a haven for birdlife and you can see around fifty species.
The villa is built entirely of tropical hardwood, greenheart form Guyana on the South American coast, and it was imported in kit form and assembled in the mid 1970s. The wood is quite dark, but all you need do is to open the doors and windows and the light will flood in. Seascape also uses the best of the building styles of the time, with traditional jalousie windows and louvres and fans to encourage a through-flow of air.
Building styles have moved on considerably since the property's construction obviously and so it is important to know that the villa is simpler and more rustic than more recent Caribbean houses. The bathrooms have been modernised, and the bedrooms have air-conditioning, but otherwise the atmosphere and style is still very much as it was built in the 1970s and may feel old-fashioned. It is perfectly comfortable though, and suits travellers looking for a simple, unpretentious style of holiday in a lovely setting. It also has an interesting history. See a History of Seascape.
The villa is laid out in two cottages that are joined by an open wooden deck which extends on either side to provide a wide covered veranda in front of each of the two buildings. Fringed by hanging baskets of ferns, the veranda looks over the sloping gardens and through the palms to the sea horizon. There is a dining table with chairs for when you want to eat outside. You approach the villa through the garden, arriving at the back of the main house, with the pool and a gazebo to your right.
When you enter the house you walk into the large main room. Immediately to your right is the open plan kitchen and a breakfast bar that divides it from the main dining area. Straight ahead is the sitting area and beyond here you will see the veranda and then the view through the trees to the sea below. The sliding glass doors can be opened out so that the whole front of the living room gives onto the veranda.
The sitting area has a three seater and a two seater sofa and a couple of armchairs set around some tables. There is cable tv and a small library of books to keep you entertained. The dining area has an oval table which can seat ten. The kitchen itself is now dated in style, with formica units, but it is well equipped. It has a large fridge/freezer, a stove and oven, a microwave and as much crockery and cutlery as you could need. Next to the kitchen is a bathroom. It serves two of the bedrooms, but with a loo and a walk-in shower it can also be used as a day bathroom for the house.
Three of the bedrooms give off this main room. Two lead off the dining area and have queen size beds. The third is one the other side of the main room, and it has twin beds, a standing fan and its own bathroom with a walk in shower. It also has a kitchenette with a one ring cooker, a microwave, a small fridge, a kettle and crockery. This, if taken on its own without access to the rest of this part of the villa, is the smaller of the two self-contained studio apartments.
The master bedroom is in a separate building, across the open deck and has a similar wonderful view through the sliding patio doors which lead to a private veranda area facing the sea. You can open the room out onto the veranda, but you also have the option of closing it up and using the air-conditioning. There is a king size bed and a single bed, so you can share the room with a child. The bathroom is en suite and has a walk-in shower. Like the third bedroom, effectively a studio apartment, the master bedroom can be rented as a separate unit. It also has a kitchenette set into a cupboard in the wall.
Birds seen at Seascape
Trees and Caribbean flowers at Seascape |
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Beach & Swimming
There is a large swimming pool at Seascape with steps into a 2 metre wide shallow area that is only a metre deep, making it easy for non-swimmers to cool down and join in. There is a path that goes about 150 yards down the garden, not for the old and infirm, but it a reasonably easy walk there and back down to a little private and rugged beach – a mixture of sand and pebbles - which is only a few yards wide but gives swimming access. A short walk away there is another little private beach, which is a bit bigger and more sandy and if you walk 10 minutes along the coast you’ll come to Marisule Beach (5 minutes drive).
Seascape is about 10 minutes drive from Vigie Beach. Years ago this used to be the main swimming beach in St Lucia, however Reduit Beach at Rodney Bay, about 7 minutes to the north by car, is now the most popular and has a good range of activities. The beach at Vigie is located just across the road from the inter-island airport (former Vigie Airport) George F L Charles Airport, and stretches for a fair distance. It has golden sand with good calm swimming conditions and has plenty of almond trees for shade. It is popular with St Lucians on weekends. |
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Sports & Recreation
The three acre garden at Seascape is packed with interest if you are a birdwatcher or garden lover. At least twenty species of birds have been spotted in the immediate environs (please see list of birds here), and there are over 200 different plants, trees and shrubs around the villa. See here for a list of Seascape's flowers and trees. If you enjoy being on the water, by arrangement a jet ski or fishing boat will come and collect you off your own little beach.
For golfers, the 18-hole, 6829 yard, par 71 course at the St Lucia Golf & Country Club at Cap Estate is within 15 minutes drive and has a pro shop, driving range and restaurant. The nearest tennis courts open to the public (courts must be booked in advance) are at the Rex St Lucian in Rodney Bay, about 7 minutes by car, and the St Lucia Racquet Club at Club St Lucia in Cap Estate (about 20 minutes), which has seven floodlit Laykold cushioned tennis courts, a squash court and gym. There are also two squash courts at the St Lucia Yacht Club at Reduit in Rodney Bay. The Sportivo fitness centre at Rodney Heights is St Lucia’s largest gym and offers yoga, Tai Chi and Karate classes. A variety of watersports is available from Reduit Beach including waterskiing, parasailing, jetski, sunfish and hobie cat sailing. |
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Locality
Seascape is within 10 minutes drive of Vigie Beach and George F L Charles Airport. The capital Castries, with its natural deep water harbour is also just 10 minutes by car. On the outskirts of the town is the duty free shopping complex at Pointe Seraphine, and in the town itself the bustling fruit and vegetable market also sells some interesting handicrafts, including the local coalpots in varying sizes. There is a fairly well stocked supermarket in the town centre selling both local and imported produce. There are two good restaurants on Vigie Cove off the road into Castries, the Coal Pot and Froggies Jack’s which rate among the best restaurants in St Lucia.
Rodney Bay is about 7 minutes drive to the north and is the liveliest tourist area on the island. There are many hotels and apartments, good restaurants and bars, a shopping mall, banks, mini marts, Julians supermarket (on the main road) and a very lively nightlife. The village of Gros Islet hosts the now famous Friday Night Jump Up which is an all night street party. On the far shore of Rodney Bay is the Pigeon Island National Park, a forty four acre National Trust reserve which was joined to the mainland by a man-made causeway in 1972. The island features ruins of many 18th century British and French military buildings including Fort Rodney, and has an Interpretation Centre, a restaurant featuring local cuisine, a historical themed pub and restaurant, and a lookout point at the top of the fort. The island is also the main venue of the annual St Lucia Jazz Festival, held each May, which attracts a host of international stars. A ferry runs between the island and Rodney Bay on an hourly schedule. |
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Useful Hints
We recommend that you ask your travel organiser or the villa owner (if booking direct) for initial food and drink supplies to be laid in for your arrival if you wish. Rental rates for villas in St Lucia do not include ‘tips’ for staff, about which you will find advice in the guest information book at the villa or you can ask the owner who will be there to greet you and show you around when you arrive. A personal laundry service is available at extra charge. |
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How To Book
All bookings should be made direct with the owner by using the DIRECT ENQUIRY facility at the top of this page, or you may contact the owner via the website link also shown at the top of the page. |
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Airport Meet & Greet
It is probably best to ask the owner to send a taxi driver that knows the location of the property to meet you at the airport. You will need to pay the taxi driver directly and the journey will take approximately an hour from Hewanorra (the international airport situated in the south of the island) and 10-15 minutes from George F.L. Charles (the airport for local Caribbean flights). Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport, with a range of services that can include helicopter transfers, a Concierge Service please click here for St Lucia Representative Services. |
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Getting Around
A hired car is strongly recommended for all St Lucia villas, and life without transport at Antillean House would be a little tricky unless you are prepared to walk to the main road and use the local bus services. A vehicle will be useful if you want to dine out at night as well as for sightseeing and particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries. The best car hire companies for your St Lucia car rental are Drive-A-Matic or Cool Breeze Car & Jeep Rentals. We suggest you ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property approximately 3 hours after your scheduled time of arrival on St Lucia or the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. |
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All the information on this page comes to you free of charge. Please remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you contact the owner of Seascape, Drive-a-Matic or Cool Breeze Car & Jeep Rentals for your St Lucia car rental bookings as our service to you may depend on how frequently our name comes up as a point of reference. |
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