December 29th- January 3rd- Serrana Villa

Day 1: Dec. 29th

Arriver, went to the grocery Store for food, drinks and snacks. Decided to go to Pier 28 (local restaurant) for drinks. They have good fries and excellent jerk wings, we also grabbed their spicy wings too, but preferred the jerk, hands down.

Pier-28 – 8/10 – jerk wings – yummy

Day 2:Dec. 30th ‘’2020 almost over’’

Started the morning going to ATM Machine in town then to Zakas for a local cup of coffee $8ec. They grow and grind their own coffee, very good.

Wanted to visit the beach, was told only options because of Covid was Hummingbird and Magretoute beach. We chose magretoute, it was decent not great. Beach chairs and umbrellas $10isd each plus food. Spent 4 hours there. Bill $56USD plus tip.

For dinner we visited Orlando’s restaurant In town for his tatsing menu. Authentic Caribbean Cuisine was amazing. Orlando is a genuine poison who provides excellent service.

Orlando (whatsapp) +1 758 784 6211

Instagram: @Orlandos.stl

Day 3: Dec. 31st 2020 (last day of 2020 😊)

Covid restrictions at Better beaches ☹ Being told the better beached were not an option for us :Sugar Beach and Anse Chastanet. We decided to leave Soufriere for the day to visit Rodney Bay in the north. We thought since it is New Years Eve there would be  more to do.

Trip to Rodney Bay takes 1 hour 30 minutes with no traffic. Costs $70usd or $190ecd

Rodney Bay : Found out about Kendele (taxi) from the host. Kendele has a nice car. There is a duty free liquor store at the mall across from KFC near Dominos pizza. The owner/ Manger is a jerk but the liquor is 50% cheaper than the wine store across the street.

For dinner we booked a restaurant at Big Chef Steak House in Rodney Bay near shopping mall. Restaurant was very nice. Recommend reservations. Steaks service was excellent. Wine list is lacking for having such fine cuts of meat.

Kendele (Rodney Bay Taxi) - +1 758 584 8744- 10/10

Duty free liquor store prices 10/10- service 1/10

Big Chef Steak House – 9/10- need better wines to accompany steaks

END OF 2020

Day 4: January 1st 2021

Rodney Bay St. Lucia 

Decided to go to Reduit Beach while in Rodney Bay. Nice beach, chairs and umbrellas only $10ec each. Must bring towels!! Restaurants near by, not a plush beach, very chill and relaxing. Waves kinda aggressive. And another option is Pigeon Island Beach , stopped by there also, very nice, more restaurant options.

My friends suggested Dukes place in Rodney Bay for local fish and lobster. Only open on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10:30pm because of Covid.

That night we stayed near a local pizzeria. SO we decided to stop by the Italian restaurant. The owner is amazing, very knowledgeable and he had many recommendations, many places to go and things to do.

Rodney Bay recommendations

KeeBEees Restaurant – 9/10

Reduit Beach- 8.5/10

Dukes Place- 9/10 

Key Largo’s Italian – 9.5/10

We were also recommended to try the Naked fisherman (Cap Maison) @thenakedfishermanstlucia
Live Music and band also DJ.

Day 5: January 2nd 2021

Rodney Bay to Soufriere.

While in Soufriere we met another couple, so we decided to split a fishing carter. We asked our driver Kendele to bring us back to Soufriere. Kendele charged US$70.00 plus tip. We stopped on our way down at the look out point and sites. Trip took 2 hours because of the 3-4 stops which was totally worth it.

Rented a fishing charter  from David & Marcus. Unfortunately we do not have more details as the other couple booked while at the docks in Soufriere. We did see Mystic Man Boat. 

IG- @mystic_man_tours

Confirmed with my wife, David works for Mystic Man tours so you can reach out to him there.

The fishing is Amazing! David knows exactly what to do to help you and catch fish. We caught 2 barracudas  1 3lbs and the other 40 lbs, we caught the fish within the first hour. So we went further offshore where they caught a bisser fish ei. blue malin.

The fishing hour is great! Because you are able to see the shoreline, beaches and Pitons from the boat. So peaceful and beautiful. While my friend and I fish, our wives drank rum and beer and enjoyed the views. Sometimes for everyone.

The fish was take to stonefield hotelwhere our friends were staying and their chef agreed to clean and prepare them. We had dinner at Mango Tree. They didn’t charge for the fish so we paid for drinks and sides total bill $100ec.

Kendele’s taxi ride  from Rodney bay to Soufriere- 10/10

Fishing Charter coast if St. Lucia -100/10

Once in a lifetime

Day 6: Sunday Jan. 3rd 20201 – Last Day at Serrana Villa 

So we have another week in St. Lucia mot likely we will stop writing in Serrana Guest book and Write in Sargas Guest book. You noticed that we have not gone to Sulphur springs, botanical gardens, waterfalls, hotel chocolat (dinner) or many other activities in the area. Today we plan to relax, maybe fly the drone and prepare to change villas

We sincerely hope our notes help you. So far we have loved our visit. Thank you Janus, Ramiah, Jordan and the countless drivers that have taken us around. Enjoy your trip and relax, the people of St. Lucia are so amazing. Definitely planning to return to St. Lucia in the future.

Thank you for reading!!
​
Peace, love and Happiness in 2021
IG- @iam_tdiddy
@shes_tripping

​Janus stayed in frequent communication with me on both AirBNB and phone messenger for a booking that I made at his beautiful Saba villa in St. Lucia. 

Unfortunately, the St. Lucian government, despite inspecting Saba's property, failed to turn over an approval notice in time for our trip, so I had to re-book a different AirBnB. 

Janus was very communicative throughout this situation and was extremely understanding of my approaching travel dates, and provided a full refund without any questions. 

Moreover, once on the island, Janus stayed in touch with me and connected me with a friend of his who gave my friend and I a boat tour that we liked so much, that we did it twice!

We plan on staying at the Saba villa - based on how beautiful it looks and how helpful Janus was without even meeting him or staying there - when we return to St. Lucia in the future.

While Airbnb is the go-to name in vacation rentals, there are a number of avenues you can use to list your St. Lucia vacation property in order to maximize exposure and ensure more bookings. 

If you are considering listing your rentals on multiple channels, there are a number of things you must take into consideration. 

​While there are benefits to listing on more than one site, it is imperative that you understand the challenges as well as how to mitigate them.

​While there are countless sites and platforms that allow you to list your St. Lucia rental, it is important to find the ones best suited to your needs. 

​Things to consider include popularity, rating, exposure, pricing models, and the ability for top notch hosts to see their properties rise to the top of the listings.

Here are the three listing platforms that prove the most lucrative and beneficial for St. Lucia rental property owners.

Without a doubt, Airbnb is the top vacation rental website in the world right now.  As a household name around the globe, failure to list your property on Airbnb can present you with a massive missed opportunity. 

With over 7 million listings and a relatively low commission charge, Airbnb offers the perfect combination of exposure for St. Lucia rental properties and trustworthiness for potential renters. 

​In short, if you want to maximize your St. Lucia vacation property, Airbnb should be at the top of your list.

While HomeAway might not have the traction that Airbnb has gained in the rental market, it still caters to over 70 million global travelers every month, making it worth your consideration. 

While HomeAway doesn’t allow shared rooms or private rooms within larger properties, it is ideal for owners looking to rent out an entire apartment or vacation home. 

​The commission for hosts using HomeAway is double what is paid via Airbnb, but an annual subscription plan can help reduce per-booking charges.

Last up, we have Booking.com.  While this avenue is geared more towards the hotel crowd, vacation rentals make up almost half of searches. 

​Catering to more than 430 million travelers every month, Booking.com is a great way to boost exposure, though it is worth noting that per-booking commissions range from 10% to 25%.

With such a variance in commissions and rules, you may be wondering why you should list your property on more than one site. 

The answer is pretty straightforward- more exposure equals more bookings.  While you don’t want the headache of listing on every rental website in the market (more on that in the next section), listing through the most popular avenues is a great way to make sure that your property gets the exposure you need. 

More marketing means more bookings, which in turn means a much greater cash flow. 

​Couple this with properties that offer great amenities and features, affordable prices, and proximity to the things travelers want to see (Sulphur Springs, the Pitons, Anse Chastanet, Hummingbird Soufriere Beach Park, Botanical Gardens, Airport, Marigot Bay, etc), and multiple listings can propel your vacation rental to the top in no time.

While listing your St. Lucia rental villa on multiple platforms is a great way to achieve more bookings, it isn’t as simple as setting up multiple profiles and watching the money roll in. 

Acclimating to each platform, managing communications on all platforms, and managing prices along with setting up each profile can be very time consuming.  There is also a significant risk of double bookings, which can harm your reputation. 

Thankfully, vacation rental software can help you automate much of this process, synchronizing all of your listings in one easy to understand interface. 

​There are programs on the market that offer benefits like a single inbox for all platforms, channel managers, and seamless integration with all of the channels listed in this article.

In short, while setting up multiple listings across platforms can be time consuming and a bit of work, when properly implemented it can also be quite lucrative. 

Every top-rated platform is a potential income stream, and your property can benefit greatly by utilizing the best options. 

​Whether you own a quaint apartment near the Castries Market or a luxury villa near Sugar Beach, taking the time to get your St. Lucia vacation rental the most possible exposure benefits you while also bringing more travel money to businesses across the island.

St. Lucia is a beautiful island with lodging options to suit any traveler.  From lush villas to hotels, resorts, and more, it can be overwhelming trying to find the perfect accommodation to suit your needs. 

​If you are looking for an accommodation that is budget friendly without sacrificing the amenities that really matter, there is simply no better option than Our St. Lucia Villa Apartments. 

The brainchild of Airbnb Superhost Janus, these apartments are a perfect choice for business and leisure travelers alike, and here we will look at the top ten reasons why budget travelers in the know book Sapphire by Janus every time they visit.

The Reviews to Back It All Up

Any company can show great photos and make big claims about their property, especially when you have to cross the ocean to check it out for yourself.  With Janus, however, you never need to worry.  As one of the top and most highly reviewed and sought-after hosts in the Caribbean, all you need to do is read the glowing reviews of his company and of Sapphire Villa Apartments to know that you’ve made the right choice.

In short, if you are looking for the perfect accommodation for your trip to St. Lucia but don’t want to blow a big chunk of your travel budget, the beautiful and well-equipped Sapphire Villa Apartments is easily the best value for your money and the perfect place to call home during your visit.

​Being in the thick of Covid-19 for the past couple of months does not mean amazing things are not  happening everyday around us. Here is one example of those truly amazing things.
​ 
 A rare bird laid 2 eggs right at the front door “In a clay flower pot” at one of my villas. Totally one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. 

​“Janus, We really appreciated everything you did for us to help make our honeymoon a great one! Communication was very easy, all of your drivers were so friendly and helpful, the villa was incredible and such an amazing value.

We really enjoyed getting to experience the local culture and getting a sneak peak at some of your future plans.

​We hope to be back soon! -Jacob & Kelsy” 

​"If you're looking for luxury & privacy with ultimate relaxation then don't bother anywhere but Saba. From as soon as you step in the huge mahogany door, Janus and his villa will have you feeling like royalty, this villa has a view like NO OTHER that you can enjoy day & night. Saba is the number one place to stay do not book anywhere else you won't regret it" - Delia