Saint Lucia: A playground for families

“I bet it’s Piton Lime!” “No, it’s definitely going tobe Sugar Lady this morning.” “Or what about Papillon We haven’t seen hersince Tuesday!”

Guessing which brightly coloured tuk tuk would collect usfrom our secluded hideaway each morning and take us down the steep, windingpathways through the lush rainforest to breakfast, always ensured my childrenand I started our day with a smile. Then again, it’s impossible not to smilethe moment you wake up and remember you’re in the sunny paradise of SaintLucia.

The fun mode of transport, which collected us from ourcolonial-style suites complete with four-poster beds and plunge pools, andferried us around the hillside resort, was just one of the many features andactivities that thrilled and delighted my children (and us big kids) during aweek-long stay at Viceroy’s Sugar Beach Resort with Kuoni.

Now, I’ve stayed in some of the most beautiful hotels andlocations in the world, but none quite so geographically perfect as this.Nestled between the Unesco-listed Gros and Petit Pitons, the Caribbean island’siconic rainforest-clad mountains that rise like arrowheads out of theazure-blue sea, the view delivers over and over again.

And it was this rich landscape that underpinned what turnedout to be so much more than just a standard beach break in the Caribbean.

CHOCOLATE GALORE

We continually hear how customers want authentic holidayexperiences – to get under the skin of a country, and maybe learn a new skill,while spending quality family time in luxurious surroundings. Saint Lucia, andSugar Beach Resort, tick all the boxes.

When we first received our itinerary for our family getaway,the fact that chocolate featured so highly on the agenda meant the tripinstantly scored a thumbs up from my kids: eight-year-old Marijke and bigbrother Tom, 11.

And the experience itself certainly proved a winner. Wespent one afternoon out of the Caribbean heat in the stainless-steel cool ofthe Sugar Beach kitchens for the resort’s Chef Owen Experience. We learned howto temper molten chocolate, shape and decorate it, and then eat it, of course –surely as close to heaven as it gets for kids!

Contrast this rather sticky and messy, albeit delicious,experience with a trip to the tranquil Sugar Beach Rainforest Spa – a networkof wooden treatment rooms on stilts, connected by bridges over a babblingstream. Here, I opt for a deep tissue back massage. The children sample thefull body chocolate wraps – and emerge giggling from the shadows, with yetanother new experience under their belts.

But it was a trip to the Rabot Estate cocoa plantation thatput everything into context.

Bought in 2006 by the Hotel Chocolat brand, the estate isjust a 10 minute-drive from our home from home and offers visitors a chance tolearn not only about the history of cocoa production on the island, but also anethical model of sustainable cocoa production.

Guests can plant cocoa trees, dine in the Boucan restaurantor join the one hour interactive ‘Bean-to-Bar’ experience, as we did.

We were led through the plantation by ourstraight-talking guide, Merle, to a trestle table with a dozen settings laidout with pestles, mortars and ingredients.

“You’ve heard the expression ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ Well it does here,” began our no-nonsense teacher, as she cracked open a cocoapod and made us suck a slimy white bean from inside. Strange, but notaltogether unpleasant, unlike tasting the raw cocoa nibs (chocolate in itspurest form) before any butter or sugar is added – a tad on the bitter side formy tastebuds.

We soon discover making chocolate is not for thefaint-hearted: about 40 minutes of pounding dried cocoa beans – and sweating –later, and we were all exhausted. But we each left, proudly clutching our veryown bar of chocolate, made on site from the fruit of the land. Huge fun – and agreat education for the kids.

ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND

A short drive away lie the Soufrière sulphur springs, whichbring Saint Lucia’s volcanic landscape to life, as visitors bathe in the warmmineral pools and cover their skin in the smelly sludge. I can’t say my skinfelt that much softer after the experience, but it had us all in hysterics.Advise your customers to wear old swimwear, though – the grey stains don’t comeout!

For the more adventurous client, suggest a trip to MourneCoubaril, again just a short drive from Sugar Beach. Here, you can spend themorning zip-lining through the rainforest canopy and the afternoon trekking byhorseback across its rocky floor.

The series of eight high-wires connecting enormous banyontrees deliver the adrenaline-fuelled buzz many kids desire. It’s also one ofthe best ways to see the island – with some spectacular views as you zip alongat height. By about line five or six, the guides had the children testing outwho could scream the loudest, and then the ultimate thrill: ziplining upsidedown.

The horse riding sounded an altogether much gentler affair,but be warned, these horses aren’t riding-school ponies. I was allocated theguide’s own stallion – and was soon warned in no uncertain terms to keep himaway
from the two mares in the group “for my own good”. I didn’t need telling twice.

Safely back at Sugar Beach, the children enjoyed banana-boatrides, air hockey, a movie night, a themed party, hot chocolate andmarshmallows, and an ‘It’s a Knockout’-style Family Olympics (pictured,above), complete with sack and egg-and-spoon races. Who says luxuriousCaribbean resorts such as this are only for honeymooners

And while the kids played with their new gang of friends,the parents sat back and relaxed on the beach with passion fruit mojitos inhand, enjoyed elaborate sushi in the Cane Club, and fine dining on theplantation-house style terrace of The Great Room restaurant overlooking thebay.

The last day of the trip pushed us all outside our comfortzone with an afternoon of ‘snuba’ – a combination of snorkelling and scuba.

After a briefing by instructor MacGyver, who taught us thehand signals for different fish and marine life, including a shark (cuepanic-attack – luckily he was joking), we donned our flippers, weight belts andmasks.

Then, in groups of four, we headed out into the bay rightbelow the Gros Piton, each clinging on to the corner of a raft containing ouroxygen. Unlike scuba, which can require training and certificates, anyone cangive snuba a go, allowing them to dive up to 20 metres while tethered bythe rubber oxygen pipe. It’s like scuba on a lead – a brilliant and safeintroduction to the sport. And we weren’t disappointed with our firstexperience, spotting parrot fish, trumpet fish, sea urchins, eels and evena seahorse.

As experiential holidays go, our Kuoni trip to Saint Luciahad it all. We tried new things, had great fun and made lasting memories, allin the lap of laid-back, understated luxury, with the most personal andfriendly of service. Oh, and of course, there was lots
of chocolate. You can’t ask for much more than that.