Hotel Reviews: Windjammer Landing, Saint Lucia

If you’re ready to escape the dreary British winter to soak up the Caribbean sun, we’ve got you covered …

We abandon the gray skies of London for the tropical climates of the speckled bays of the yachts of Saint Lucia. Traveling in the age of Covid-19 is not for those who are afraid to fill out forms, pre-test, wear a mask or apply hand gel very regularly, but I assure you that a getaway to the island’s Windjammer Landing is worth archery. The government of Saint Lucia is to be applauded for its proactive and rigorous approach to ‘saving lives and livelihoods’ through tourism – a difficult task when your main tourism markets are the infested US and UK of Covid. We are screened, sanitized and temperature checked more times in our first 10 minutes at Windjammer check-in than when leaving Gatwick. And the tourism industry doesn’t just roll out currencies, throughout our stay on the island tourists are kept in one “bubble” and locals in another and the two have never met.

The resort

Since independent travel options, such as car rental or public transport, are effectively prohibited, choosing the right resort becomes paramount. Fortunately, Windjammer covers all the essentials – and then some. It’s huge, with most of the pools and restaurants wrapped around its own beach, but we didn’t feel like we were one of the hundreds of rooms since our villa was one of the dozen that s ‘stretched out over the rainforest hill.

We could let the school kids bicker on the waterfront and escape to our own plunge pool and patio for the sunset and feel millions of miles away from them – and even further away from the daily updates of the London Covid case.

Bedroom

Our hillside villa has kept the resort theme, the Spanish colonial plantation meets the whitewashed Mediterranean stucco. Interiors are tiled, airy, and heavy on modern conveniences, with a palette of white, gray, coral, and turquoise and attractive enough that local birds come inside for a peek. We were heading in the opposite direction, from morning coffees to evening cocktails, parked on the wraparound balcony with views beyond the pool and passing ships, catamarans and even Martinique when towering cumulonimbus clouds rolled in. clear of the horizon.

The food

I tested the (totally unfounded) medical theory that you can sweat jet lag like you can have a fever indulging in all the Caribbean, Creole, and Cajun dishes on the menu at Windjammer’s Jammer’s and Upper Deck restaurants. Not sure if it worked, but it was a pleasure to try it. Highlights included the slowly cooked goat curry roti, local seafood jambalaya, perfectly spiced Cajun kingfish, and Saint Lucia bouillabaisse.

Since tourists cannot currently cook their own meals in Saint Lucia for stays of less than 14 days and restaurant meals are limited to a few restaurants only on certain days of the week, it is essential that your accommodation offers adventurous local dishes while offering variety and staples. to please gourmets. The Windjammer, for the most part, succeeds. I slept soundly after each indulgent meal, but the mighty rum punch may have been the deciding factor.

Where to go

The Pitons are a national symbol for the island nation and a Unesco World Heritage Site to boot, so scaling those lush granite inches spouting out of the Caribbean Sea remains the number one item on the bucket list. Independent trips outside of your resort are limited to day trips with verified tour guides (since my stay fully vaccinated travelers can now rent cars and travel independently). Make no mistake, this national park walk isn’t a park walk, with hamstring-hammering steps and slippery rocks to climb en route to the top.

The midway lookout offers the best view of the mountain’s sister, Petit Piton, topped by a rainbow and a necklace of superyachts lapping in the blue.

A much more relaxed day trip is the ‘tout bagay’, which means ‘a bit of everything’. It’s a boat trip to the west side of the island that will mix snorkeling and swimming stops (Windjammer’s house beach is dull for waves) with a visit to the Sulfur Springs Mud Baths in Soufriere.

Ask about

The Windjammer Spa Signature Massage: 90 minutes including a local coffee bean and cocoa scrub (surely a waste of St. Lucia’s main export) that leaves you perfectly clubbed and smelling like chic coffee. And the freshly harvested coconuts in the relaxation room were a nice touch.

One more thing

When you end up having cabin fever after staying at WINdjammer (and, even with five-star hotels, it can happen), venture into the incredible Robinson Crusoe vibe of the Naked Beach Bar and Kitchen. Fisherman, where you can park on daybeds for hours alternating between swimming and ceviche, tanning and mai-tais.

Should know: Rooms at Windjammer Landing start at US $ 266 per night with Villas starting at US $ 448 on a B&B basis. British Airways offers daily direct flights to Saint Lucia. Travel and entry requirements are subject to change, so stay up to date at www.stlucia.org/en/covid-19/