Arc En Ciel
- Category
- Villas & Villa Living
- Island
- St Lucia
- Location
- Soufriere, Soufriere
- No of Rooms:
- 5
- Prices from:
- US $1900.00/ villa/ night ? view all rates
At a glance
A five-bedroom house of exceptional quality and with awesome views of the sea and Petit Piton. In three acres of gardens in St Lucia’s south, it has classic Caribbean architectural design and decoration, with bedrooms linked by covered walkways to a plantation-style Great Room. There is also a second swimming pool accessed from the master bedroom.
- Best for:
- Family, Eco/Nature, Hiking & Walking
- Who for:
- Families with older children and friends
- Not for:
- Babies or toddlers
- How to get there:
- Direct flights from the UK, USA, Canada, Europe
Key features
An exceptional St Lucia villa rental set between the St Lucia Pitons, highest quality, with Piton and sea views, extensive landscaped woodland gardens, formal great room, large verandas, two storey breakfast gazebo, dining terrace with fully equipped bar and surround-sound, barbecue, professionally equipped kitchen, laundry room, large angled swimming pool with grotto and waterfall, plunge pool, 2nd pool for master bedroom, TV, DVD and CD system in all rooms.
Style:
Classic, “Messel-inspired” Caribbean design brought to a contemporary finish – laid out in linked pavilions, each with traditional peaked shingle roofs, tray ceilings, flattened arches verandas and jalousie shutters. It is furnished with colonial-style pieces and marble bathrooms. A luxurious retreat with a very comfortable feel
The beach:
About 15 minutes walk or five minutes drive down to the beach at The Jalousie Plantation
The rooms / villas:
5 bedrooms with private patio/balcony, all with marble en suite bathrooms with Jacuzzi bath tub and separate shower. The master bedroom is in a separate pavilion with a glass-fronted ‘Piton-view’ bathroom and a private sundeck and pool
Children:
Welcome. Not suitable for very young children due to the villa’s design, and the large pool area (not enclosed) where children will require close supervision
Staff:
Cook, Sylvia. Housekeeper and caretaker (resident couple Dianne and Raymond have a cottage in the grounds) available 7 days a week. Gardener, Simon 5 days a week 8am-4pm
Journalist’s Review
Beach & Swimming
The nearest beach to Arc En Ciel is at The Jalousie Plantation, where there is a man-made section of white sand beach beneath the huge black rocky face of the Petit Piton. It is a pretty 15 minute walk, part of which follows right along the southern edge the Anse des Pitons. A variety of non-motorised watersports is available.
The swimming pool at Arc En Ciel is very special. It is set on the lower level of the villa with the bedroom wing at one end and the covered dining terrace along its side. It also stretches around to the front of the house next to the family room, via a low wooden gangplank bridge and past a stone-clad grotto with a waterfall set into the wall. A broad set of steps give into the shallow end (4ft) and there are places down to 9ft deep. In addition to the main pool, there is a 'jump' pool beneath the dining gazebo reached by the bridge over the pool.
The master suite has its own private pool, which is accessed via the glass-walled bathroom. It is a small, infinity-edge pool with jets, a private sun deck and fantastic sea views.
Sports & Recreation
The Jalousie Plantation has extensive facilities including a fitness room, tennis courts, scuba diving and a beauty salon and spa. There is even a small golf driving range.
The area is good for birdwatching. An estimated 50 species can be seen around this area. The scuba diving around Soufrière is also excellent. The shoreline drops off underwater almost as steeply as the land descends to the sea and the walls are clad with coral. There are even volcanic outlets, so you might end up diving in bubbles. We recommend Dive Fair Helen.
The area around Soufrière has plenty to explore aswell, from botanical gardens, through walks in the rainforest and a climb up the Piton. The staff can help to book tours for you, both on land and offshore.
Locality
Arc En Ciel is situated about two miles south of Soufrière in the Beau Estate, a private development that was owned by the late Lord Glennconner (otherwise known as Colin Tennant, who lived just down the hill). It is accessed via the grounds of The Jalousie Plantation and guests at the villa are able to use the facilities of the hotel.
Soufrière is the oldest town in St Lucia and although it is currently undergoing development it still retains some of its traditional character. To the rear of the town are the Diamond Falls and Botanical Gardens, with explosive tropical flora and some baths that take advantage of the mineral-laden and extremely hot waters. You can take a curative bath here if you wish.
In the region you will also find another famous St Lucia attraction (the most famous of course being the Pitons), the Sulphur Springs, the island's volcanic vent. It is an area of steaming, smelly morass, jokingly referred to as the 'drive-in volcano'. There are also two delightful former plantations in the area. At Morne Coubaril Estate, a former plantation you will see old cocoa works, copra and cassava factories and the remains of a sugar mill, as well as a re-creation of a traditional St Lucian farm workers' village. Farther south is Fond Doux, another very pretty plantation where there are garden tours. Here you will see the traditional method of processing cocoa beans.
Useful Hints
Ask your travel organiser or the management company (if booking direct) for initial food and drink supplies to be laid in for your arrival (a starter food pack costs approximately US$40 per person), so that the cook can prepare a simple welcome meal for you. Thereafter, your cook will be happy to assist you with your shopping should you wish to delegate this chore, however do expect to provide transportation and appropriate gratuity for this service. Rental rates for villas in St Lucia do not include 'tips', about which you will find advice in the guest information book at the villa.
Personal laundry is not included in the rental rates and charges are approximately as follows: machine wash small load EC$10, hand wash small load EC$25 and ironing small load EC$25.
There is currently no TV reception in the area.
Airport Meet & Greet
If you are booking direct ask the villa management company Tropical Villas to send a taxi to meet you at the airport. These are arranged with their taxi driver Desir (pronounced Daisy), who normally waits in the area just outside the customs hall at Hewanorra airport. He will hold a Tropical Villas sign and if you miss him go to the Tourist Board desk and they will page him for you. Your airport transfers are paid for locally and take approximately 50 minutes from Hewanorra. 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 and a Concierge Service, we recommend St Lucia Representative Services.
If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking.
Getting Around
A hired car is essential for a holiday in Beau Estate. A vehicle will be useful if you want to dine out at night or do lots of sightseeing and particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries. Book car hire via your travel organiser or direct with Drive-A-Matic (Tropical Villas will book this for you) or Cool Breeze Car & Jeep Rentals and 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.
Arc En Ciel offers bookings via the following villa rental agents:
-
Tropical Villas
By far the most established property management and rental company on St Lucia.
See details for this property on the Villa Rental Agent’s web site
