La Fleur Des Pitons
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Breakfast under The Pitons
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Infinity Pool under the Pitons
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Living area
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Kitchen
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Pool and terrace
- Category
- Villas & Villa Living
- Island
- St Lucia
- Location
- Soufriere, Soufriere
- No of Rooms:
- 2
- Prices from:
- US $500.00/ villa/ night ? view all rates
At a glance
A captivating, contemporary two-bedroom house, perched 1,000ft up on the Pitons High Ridge, with an awe-inspiring setting overlooking the landmark Saint Lucia Pitons. An open aspect and natural tropical wood draws on the best of Caribbean plantation style. There are two bedrooms on separate floors, each with a wet bar and en suite facilities, and an infinity edge swimming pool.
- Best for:
- Family, Romance, Hiking & Walking
- Who for:
- Couples, families with older children and friends
- Not for:
- Beach
- How to get there:
- Direct flights from the UK, USA, Canada, Europe
Key features
Incredible Caribbean house setting with stunning views between the Pitons. Open plan Great Room (30ft x30) living with fully equipped kitchen, dining and sitting area. Covered veranda. Infinity edge swimming pool with adjacent sun terrace. Alfresco dining terrace. Two air-conditioned bedrooms each with balcony and Piton views, king-size four poster bed, wet bar and en suite bathroom with shower. DVD player. Bose stereo system with CD player and music library. Books and games. WiFi. Perfect tropical hideaway for couples in the beautiful surrounds of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Style:
A modern build clearly influenced by St Lucian plantation homes, with lofty exposed roofs, wooden jalousie doors and windows and wide verandas. Plenty of local wood is used in the handmade furnishings and fixtures. Views and outdoor living are elemental to the natural, open-plan design, making la Fleur des Pitons a relaxed, tropical hideaway with bird’s eye views, and ideal for couples seeking peace and quiet close to nature
The beach:
The closest beaches are at The Jalousie Plantation in the bay below, Malgretoute on the north side of the Petit Piton (both Saint Lucia Pitons are about 15 minutes by car) and Anse Chastanet just beyond Soufrière (about 25 minutes away)
The rooms / villas:
2 bedrooms on separate floors, each with wet bar and en suite shower room
Children:
Not suitable for young children. Minimum age 14 years
Staff:
Resident caretaker couple (own cottage on property) Fabrice and Shaka are on duty 6 days a week from 8.30am to 4pm. Additional evening hours by personal arrangement locally
Journalist’s Review
Beach & Swimming
Located at approximately 1000ft above the shoreline between the Pitons, the nearest beach is directly below, at The Jalousie Plantation. It takes around 15 minutes to reach by car and there is a man-made section of white sand beach beneath the huge black rocky face of the Petit Piton. A variety of non-motorised watersports is available. On the other side of the Petit Piton is Malgretoute Beach, a reasonable stretch of grey sand with a local beach bar. At Anse Chastanet to the north of Soufriere, there is a lovely cove with grey sand and good watersports.
La Fleur Des Piton has its own pool, which is located off the covered veranda leading from the Great Room. With its infinity edge set against the majestic Pitons it seems to hover above the verdant mountainside, which tumbles 1000ft below. One side of the 30ft long pool (12ft wide) runs alongside the covered veranda, whilst the overlooks the mountainside.
Sports & Recreation
Neighbouring Ladera has a full spa service in their new Ti Kaye Spa, where massage and other body and beauty treatments are available. Jalousie Plantation also has extensive facilities including a fitness room, tennis courts, scuba diving and a beauty salon and spa. The local area is very fertile and there are good opportunities for visiting gardens and former plantations and there is also plenty of hiking in the area. If looking at the Pitons so much inspires a desire in you to climb one, then tours are available of the Gros Piton.
The area is good for birdwatching and an estimated 50 species can be seen and the scuba diving around Soufrière is also excellent. The slopes drop off underwater almost as steeply as the land descends to the sea, so there are walls clad with coral. There are even volcanic outlets, so you end up diving in bubbles. We recommend Dive Fair Helen.
Locality
Situated on the south west coast about three miles south of Soufrière, just off the steep main road, La Fleur Des Pitons is located next door to Ladera Resort with its award winning restaurant, Dasheen. Set on the mountain ridge between the two Pitons, the villa overlooks the bay at The Jalousie Plantation. Nearby Soufrière is the oldest town in St Lucia and although it is currently undergoing development it still retains much 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 area you will also find another famous St Lucia attraction (the most famous of course being the Pitons designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Sulphur Springs, the island's volcanic vent. It is an area of steaming, smelly morass, jokingly referred to as the 'drive-in volcano'. The countryside here is immensely fertile and there are two delightful former plantations at Morne Coubaril Estate, a former plantation where you will see old cocoa works, a 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, where there are garden tours and 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 transport and an 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.
La Fleur Des Pitons is very open and quite 'exposed' and therefore may not be suitable for those with an aversion to heights. Also be aware that tropical nights are rarely quiet and the peeping of tree frogs and other insects can seem quite loud in the silence. It quietens down late in the night, but if there is any rain, expect a chorus.
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 with a Tropical Villas sign. 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, you may want to consider organising a concierge service, we'd 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, strongly recommended for all St Lucia villas, will be essential when staying at La Fleur Des Pitons. A vehicle will be useful if you want to dine out at night or do lots of exploring 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 (which has an outlet in nearby Soufriere) 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. They will issue your St Lucian driving licence, price US$20 or EC$54 and can return the car to either airport or they will collect it at a pre-arranged time on your departure day.
Be aware that there can be a shortage of cars in St Lucia over the Jazz Festival and possibly at Christmas, so at these times you are advised to book well in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better.
La Fleur Des Pitons offers bookings via the following villa rental agents:
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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
