We had 19 wonderful days here in St. Lucia and it was great to get home everyday to our own space- thoroughly enjoyed the house- we did our own cooking every night with lots of great local produce.
The dogs we were not that keen on and it would be nice to see them actually belong to someone as they are thin and wormy especially the pups. No one takes control for them, they belong to the neighbourhood. Captain Bob was our local guide. He was great, informative and helpful, other than that we just did and experienced the island on our own or looked online- did all the tourist things available. The roads can be challenging, especially track down private beach where we spent a lot of time also, need 4*4 to get back up though, which you can get from Marcus’ car rental. We loved it here- hope to be back soon. Thanks, Marcus for a great stay. You’re a great host. As a note; if you buy crates of beer, keep your receipt so you can get your refund on the crate when you return it. Supermarkets in Soufriere; there’s a few up Castries way. Places to visit: - Volcano+ mud baths – Sulphur falls - Superman falls - Diamond Botanical Gardens and Falls - Pigeon Island - Sugar Beach- snorkelling - Rainforest tree top tour -Wendy& Martin Lord New Zealand We have really enjoyed Marcus’ hospitality and this great house with amazing architecture.
We would like to share our experience in the island in hope it maybe helpful for future visitors. We had a car (jeep 4*4). So in many of our sites, it is a must. The nicest beaches in our tastes were: Anse Chastnet Resort, limited chair umbrellas $33US for the day, no entrance fee. Beach close to parking. 5min. walk. Very nice diving shop. Ti Kaye Resort, nice and quietest beach around, chairs for rent $6 each, US$10 per person entrance fees. But redeemable at Bar & Restaurant. You can skip the fee by parking before the gate and walking a trail to the beach, watch for electric post. They show the entrance to the trail. Sugar Beach Resort (out south of Soufriere) By far the nicest place, plenty of free chairs to enjoy, on the right side of the beach. Parking is a bit far from the beach, so here is the trick, at the second gate, ask for a lift to the site with your check, they will bring you back for free and you save the hike up (which can be steep for some). Snorkelling is great. Pigeon Island Nice historic site, 10thcentury ruins, with a nice beach and restaurant. Jambo De Bois, nice snorkelling on site beach way quieter than Reduit Beach. Divine is fantastic, best we had Piton walk which started at Anse Chastnet and Les loon rock 60’ max which you make from Ti Kaye, often site offers the dive. But they are far from site, which means long boat ride, to rock is 2min. boat from Ti Kaye, since you dive, site is free access. Often highlights we enjoyed, Sulphur Springs and volcano, Tet Paul hike. Fantastic views, waterfalls warm water, on the way to Sugar Beach. If adventurous, ask Marcus for guide and arrangements to Grande Anse for turtle watch at beach on the other side of island, full day trip. Best restaurant with views:
Quebec, Canada We’ve been here for nearly 3 weeks and feel so at home we don’t want to leave! Marcus, his family and friends are all so friendly and helpful. In fact, everyone in St. Lucia is always so willing to help, always so warm and quick to laugh- it’s very infectious!! Renting a car is indispensable and I’ve fallen in love with the little 4*4 we rented from Marcus… think I’ll pack it in my check-in bag!!
Bocean Villa has so much space and the architecture is so imaginative. We’ve had fun watching the completion of the pool. We self-catered a lot but enjoyed Agnes’ home cooking at the Golden Apple Restaurant and our lunch at Martha’s Tables. Not forgetting our Banana Coladas at A. Chas. We visited most of the local highlights, but particularly liked Tet Paul trail for its spectacular views and the New Jerusalem Mineral Baths (out at Soufriere in the Toraille Waterfall road) for a mineral bath overlooking a beautifully maintained tropical valley. The plantation behind Anse Mamon is also a magical place! But dining and snorkelling are really our thing, so I am highly recommend all the beautiful dive spots in this marine reserve area. The time spent on Anse Chastnet beach were fantastic and made for a fine diving experience. Anse Chastnet, Jalousie (Sugar Beach) and Anse Cochon (Ti Kaye Resort) are all good snorkelling areas, but my favourite is the north end of Soufriere Beach. A little spot away from locals, the soft and hard corals and sponges on the drop off are stunning (snorkel under the cliff out towards Bat Cave) has generally good visibility and is teeming with life. We were glad to have made a trip round the island just to see the wild Atlantic east, but never made it ‘up north’. Still it’s good to leave something for next time, isn’t it? Thanks Marcus…hope to see you and your family again. The sooner the better… -Sheelay +Roger Oh, and for total tranquillity, it’s well worth making the effort to get down to the private beach. You’re most likely to have it entirely to yourself and great for snorkelling on a calm day! Saw a small Ray on my first visit, plus a flounder and a Lion Fish. Pink plantation house (Definitely have lunch here- atmosphere and the views were incredible!)8/11/2019
We had an amazing time here at Bocean Villa! St. Lucia is full of beautiful views and friendly people that you really can’t go wrong with what you do but some of our favourite spots were:
• Tet Paulnature trail • Toraille Waterfall • Sugar Beach • Anse Chastnet Beach (Great for snorkelling) • Pink plantation house (Definitely have lunch here- atmosphere and the views were incredible!) • There’s a small art café in Soufriere, we came upon near the gas station where we stopped for coffee almost everyday (they have delicious smoothies too) I recommend the “wicked smoothie”. • Mango Tree Restaurant- fantastic views and great food. The house is in the perfect location! You can rent a car from Marcus and easily get to the North and South of the island. We loved that it was away from the city and we could enjoy the peaceful views from our balcony. We loved the people in Canaries and Soufriere- everyone was so friendly and welcoming! Marcus was a fantastic host and checked up on us throughout our stay to make sure everything was running smoothly. We can not wait to come back to St. Lucia! Thank you so much Marcus for your hospitality and your beautiful home! We will definitely be back! -Adan + Stephanie 4 of us stayed here for one week and it was amazing! The views are breath taking and the AC in the bedrooms was much appreciated. The secluded beach nearby was awesome, it was nice to stay in a town that isn’t that busy (like Castries). We rented a car from Marcus and it was such a good decision!
We were able to explore the island on our own and it was so fun. Some of the activities we did were: • Mud bath at Sulphur Springs • Pigeon Island and Reduit Beach • Snorkelling at Anse Chasnet and Sugar Beach • Affordable lunch at de Belle View • Ziplining at Tree Top Adventure (Dennery) • Pricey but delicious dinner at Orlando’s • Piton waterfall • Ti Kaye Resort Marcus was a wonderful host and replied to our questions/ concerns right away. Also, the mama dog that lives here had four tiny puppies that were around all the time, they were so cute!! Thank you so much, Marcus for this experience! Our stay at Marcus’ home was short (1 day) but still a relaxing stop on our trip across St. Lucia. We also used Marcus’ car rental service- decent price, efficient and very convenient.
While at his home, we visited the small town nearby (about a 10min walk down). We met a local named “Johnny Be Good” who took us around for a quick tour- he didn’t ask for money upfront, but we gave some anyway for the time and effort. Aside from Marcus’ home, around St. Lucia, we enjoyed Pigeon Island. You pay a small fee to hike up but it’s worth it. We also spent time in Gros Islet and Rodney Bay. We highly recommend Seagrapes Restaurant. It’s new but amazing creole food by the beach. We also enjoyed Rainforest Hideaway- a secluded Restaurant across Marigot Bay. Make sure to enjoy the amazing views from Marcus’ home. The sunset is breath taking and the breeze is nice a nice respite from the heat. The open layout of the home adds to the airy feeling. Ps. There are two doggies. They are definitely curious but don’t bother/ disturb at all. -Best: Farhana & Roel We took his suggestions to have a meal at the Golden Apple. It was delicious, and she is a delight!8/11/2019
We absolutely loved our stay at Marcus’ hill top villa! The place was beautiful- spacious- even better than the pictures. We loved the balconies and the views overlooking the water.
Marcus was (is) the perfect host. He was always available to answer any questions and to help with anything. From the first moment we arrived he made us feel at home. We took his suggestions to have a meal at the Golden Apple. It was delicious, and she is a delight! Like others in this book, we highly recommend her. We liked Ti Kaye- really good snorkelling- lovely beach and enjoyed having the $10us/pp entrance fee to take a break to sit and enjoy a cocktail and snacks. I read through this book often. We had been here a couple of days and had to laugh because the dogs wormed their way into our hearts and we named them Queenie (the brown female) and Buster (the younger light one). Would recommend this place to anyone- love St. Lucia! -Donna & Jack – Syracuse, New York. Thank you, Marcus for sharing your home. We spent the last night of our week stay here.
We stayed at La Haut Resort in Soufriere and we wish we could have enjoyed our vacation here instead. It was very nice and fun to read through the comments and re-cap our trip. This island is so much fun and have a lot of adventures. Us hiring a rental car from Marcus and to get around and explore was the best thing we had for the trip! Marigot Bay has breath taking views (25min north) and a fun variety of restaurant and bars of water taxi from Doo Littles was our favourite spot there. This house has the most accommodating necessities to feel comfortable and homey on the island. Thank you again, Marcus! Ya man blessed good vibes! -Patrick & Semy USA He grew up there at Chateau Bella and obviously loves the place and sharing it with others.8/11/2019
Some of our favourite
There is a food truck (white bus) in Soufriere that serves homecooked local food that is delicious and inexpensive. When you enter town coming from home, go around the bend (where there is a sign for Hummingbird Resort), past Whispers bar and over the bridge. Maybe an immediate right into the Sandy parking lot. The food truck is at the edge of the lot back towards Whispers Tet Paul was gorgeous and a fairly easy short hike. Worth the views. As other reviewers have said, Denver is a great guide. He grew up there at Chateau Bella and obviously loves the place and sharing it with others. The private beach here. We went nearly every day, but we had a 4WD. It is beautiful, never saw anyone else. Sun in the morning, shaded later in the day. Drive past the cell tower till you come to an abandoned building and park there. Walk down the stairs on the backside of the ruined building and viola-your own beach. Hope you enjoy as much as we did! -Ernie & Cindy, Gregory & Jacob March 10-17,2018
Mom from Virginia (Deborah) Daughter from California (Ariel) Son and daughter from Tennessee (Neil and Kristian) Don’t miss! • The Secret Beach (Anse Jambette) it has sea glass, decent snorkelling and beautiful sunsets; adorable hermit crabs; don’t let the rough road deter you, take it slow and you’ll be fine. • Ruby’s pizza- amazing pizza! Best rum punch too. Made by Tonya. • Ti Kaye- great snorkelling! Rough road as well, worth it; very relaxing and beautiful; free admission after 3pm. • Mud bath at drive-in volcano- probably very crowded, but only $5us/person, just to say you did it. • Tet Paul-easy trail with a lot of steps and spectacular view of both Pitons; charge is a bit steep, especially if you don’t want a guide (we didn’t) • Anse Chastnet Beach- chairs in shade are $11/chair, but great beach and snorkelling; pricey but delicious restaurant nearby, with drinks you can take back to the beach. • Massy store in Cul-De-Sac- stock up in food supplies for cooking and breakfast here at the villa. • Dive Fair Helen, out of Marigot Beach- US$5 to park, then grab the free red boat ferry ‘Liquid Sunshine’ across to the dive shop at the resort; boat ride likely will not start on time; two drops, a great lunch on the boat and you can see the villa and private beach from the boat! • Roadside diners- seriously, stop and have dinner at least in one of those so you can experience local grub and a lively game of cards or dominos. • Kendall- he is amazing! Hilarious and a sweetheart. We aren’t crazy about: • Horseback riding through Island Rortes at Sandals Grande; avoid at all costs. Ask Kendall for the right place to go. • Reduit Beach (pronounced red-we)- said to be the most favoured beach on the island but is very basic. Marcus, thank you for a lovely stay. I personally will be back with my boyfriend and friends in the future! -Ariel (Deborah, Neil and Krystal) |
BOCEAN VILLA JOURNALTips, Insights, & Things to do While at Bocean Villa.
|