After planning this trip for almost 2 years, I cannot believe our time at Serrana Villa is over already. Honestly what sold us on St. Lucia is this Villa! We wanted to go somewhere with great beaches, tropical jungle + plenty adventure. St. Lucia perfectly has all of that + Serrana was the perfect place to call home while we explored this incredible island.


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• Day 1: We landed around 2:30pm + picked up our rental car. Best decision we made! Having a rental car lets you explore the island on your own time. My husband had a blast driving our little 4 x 4 Suzuki. It takes a day or two to get used to driving on the left side of the road + navigating the tight, winding roads, but once you get a hang of it you’ll feel like a Rockstar. We stopped at the Massy Supermarket + food to stock the villa. The villa is well stocked with pots, pans, plates, silver wear and cups. We enjoyed breakfast every morning out on the Patio. After a detour through Soufriere (we miss a turn) we arrived at Serrana Villa around 5:00pm. Janus greeted us and made us feel at home right away. We were tired after a long day of traveling so we grabbed dinner at Ruby’s. The pizza was delicious and the rum punch set the mood for the trip. The owner was so friendly and ensured we enjoyed our meal.

 

• Day 2: We were greeted in the morning with fresh bread which was perfect with breakfast. We packed up our beach stuff and set off to Anse Chastanet. The snorkeling here was wonderful but we spent most of our day at smaller more private beach Anse Mamin. We paid $22 USD for 2 beach chairs and enjoyed our time relaxing in the sun. We ate lunch right here at the beach bar. Coconut Ceviche and the burgers were very good! Try the banana Ketchup it was delicious! For dinner we ate at Boucan by Hotel Chocolat. We made a reservation for 6:00pm and practically had the place to ourselves! The food was amazing but kind of pricey. We shared an entrée and dessert. We had a cocktail for about 41.00 USD. The view was worth it though. Plus, we were surprised with snacks and bread! It was overall a fantastic experience.

 

• Day 3: I woke up nice and early to hike Gros Piton. But my husband wanted to sleep inn. So, I enjoyed the view on the patio until he was ready. We paid $50 USD per person and were assigned to a guide right after we parked. Thankfully he was so kind and patient because the hike up kicked my butt! It’s no joke. We both are 25 and in good shape but I’m telling you this hike was hard! It took us just under 2 hours to get to the top and about 1.5 hours to get back down. We started at 11am but thankfully it was a cooler day! Since we started so late everyone was heading down while we hiked up. We enjoyed the view at the top all to ourselves! The view was nice but nothing spectacular. Our guide said the trail was too slippery to take us to the north (where we could view Petit Piton) because of the rain earlier so we were disappointed. It’s cool to say, “we did it” but I’ll never do it again. On the way back to the villa we got stopped in Soufriere by the carnival celebration that was going on. We enjoyed the music and watched the local dance in the streets.  It was a blast. We ate dinner at Mango Tree. We did not have reservation but they seated us right away. The view of Petit Piton was amazing. On Sundays they have a tapas menu so we enjoyed a few apps, desserts and drinks for $65 USD. Great food, live music and the service was top notch!

 

• Day 4: My favorite day! We started our day at Sugar Beach. We had an appointment at 2:00pm at the spa so we had no problem taking the shuttle. We parked in the guest parking Lott and took the shuttle. The shuttle took us to the beach free off charge! If you get there early enough you can get free beach chairs on the visitor's side of the beach or you can pay the $50 USD to use a resort chair + umbrella. This beach is right between the pitons so the view Is to die for! The snorkeling here is amazing. We had a blast swimming with the fishes and loved the corals and structure. Our couples massage and facial at the rainforest spa was heavenly Our private tree hut had a pool that we enjoyed after our treatment. We were served champagne and chocolate! We felt like royalty. Well worth the money! After a quick shower back at the villa, we went to Jade Mountain for dinner. This place was incredible! I’ve never seen anything like it. The view, the food, the service, the atmosphere, the architecture was all breath taking! Spent the money, make the reservation and enjoy it! It’s a once in a lifetime experience! My husband enjoyed a cigar on the roof top after dinner. It was such an amazing day.

 

• Day 5: Slept in! woke up to more bread at the front door. Today we went to Tet Paul Nature Trail. Paid $10 USD per person and spent about 45 minutes walking about the beautiful trail. They let us go without a guide. The view here was a 100x better than the view at the top of Gros Piton + the hike was way easier. This is a must do! On the way back to the Villa we stopped at Diamonds Botanical Gardens. We paid $14 USD for both of us to get in. We spent about an hour taking in the beauty of all the plants and the waterfall. We enjoyed sunset on the patio at the villa, the we ended up at Ruby’s again for dinner. We tried to go to Orlando’s but it was closed…

 

• Day 6: Today we pack up and leave this amazing villa. We are headed to Marigot Bay for the last half of our trip. We are excited to explore more of St. Lucia, but we are also sad to be leaving Serrana Villa.

Janus is an incredible host! We feel like we’ve known him forever. He was so welcoming and friendly plus his Villa is a little slice of heaven! 

Our Tips: 

- Rent a car from Janus. He gives you a cooler plus a cellphone with your rental. We rented from another company and wished we had a cooler.

- If hiking Gros Piton, make sure you have 1.5L of water per person. The guides will check to make sure you have enough before they bring you up + you will want it! Plus, we also recommend freezing a bottle of water the night before and leaving it in the car while you hike, that way you’ll have cool water waiting for you when done! 

- Try Piton Beer, it’s worth it.

Thank you, Janus, for making our time in Soufriere so amazing. We cannot wait to come back someday!

                              Corbin + Alyssa Mattson
                               Minnesota 

Kelsey & Brian

June 25- July 10 

Must Do’s

Activities: (in no particular order)

• -Hike Gros Piton ($50.00 pp)
• -Snorkel @ Anse Chastanet beach via Scuba St. Lucia. Do the 1 hour Guided tour, they take you to trou diale (‘’devil’s hole’’) ($85 total for 2 + rental equipement)- we went 2pm instead of 10 am and it was just us another couple and our guide
• Soufriere tour by Janus was great to knock out some of the local ‘’must -see’’ attractions. Jamal was our guide. He was cool!
• Pigeon Island (north- gros islet) is an awesome hike/history site. If you have a means to get there
• Sugar Beach – pricier than Anse Chastanet/mamin but worth it ($50.00 pp chairs and we did food and drinks voucher as well because why not?) the voucher got us waitered beach service for food and drinks. We went to Sugar Beach a 2nd time during our stay, It is by far the best beach service we’ve found. We even snorkeled at Sugar Beach but its not as good as the one we did before
• Chocolate tour at Hotel Chocolat-informative / fun. Great Guide(monique) Plant a tree and make your own chocolate bar.

Food (again no particular order

• Chef Ramsey (private chef @ villa) Banana bbq tuna- WOW!!
• Spice of India in rodney Bay area
• Zaka’s smoothies (walkable, cheap)
• Jungle grill @ Anse Mamin- good for beachy lunch
• Mango tree- beautiful at sunset reasonable $$$
• Boucan- excellent cocktails, delicious meals (bfast & dinner), atmosphere +++ views!!
• Sugar Beach bayside restaurant- on beach so great view, good food, little pricey, lunch & dinner 
• Apsara @ Anse Mamin- good food, average atmosphere, sluggish service

​Over all – Boucan & Sugar Beach were much friendlier/more accepting of non resort guest than Anse chastanet/mamin!

Over all great stay here! Don’t be afraid to walk and ask people questions. Local are very friendly and want to share their island with you.

Thanks Janus
Brian & Kelsey

Rachel & Nate    6/20-6/25
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6/20 – Thursday

Arrived around 5:00pm. Janus came to greet us and gave a tour of the villa. It so happened we arrived on a Holiday so no stores were open. But Janus was kind enough to bring us some eggs, juice and Mac & Cheese. Once we got settled we walked down to the Soufriere Ocean front. We found one open restaurant. Gem Mwen- enjoyed 2 Pitons and a very cheesy pizza for E.C $45. We’re totally in love with the villa. The view is spectacular.

6/21- Friday

We got up this morning and headed to The Tet Paul Nature Trail. We heard it was beautiful but it really was breathtaking . We got a view of the Piton Mountains and also a panoramic view of the farmlands across the island. Our guide lisa was very knowledgeable  and let us take our time to appreciate the view. After we took the car back to the villa and went by foot to Fedos. Both of us got the fish of the day (tuna) and fries. The staff was friendly the fish was okay. From there we decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens. It was pleasant. The variety of plants was impressive. You know it’s a botanical Gardens, haha. We had the falls to ourselves it was really nice to enjoy a moment together. Heads up- someone will be waiting for you at the exit to sell you beads. We then walked to town and stopped at Erolines for groceries and then headed back to the villa for the rest of the day. After so much waling we were very ready to relax by the pool.

6/22- Saturday

We got up early and drove to Anse Chastanet. When we arrived at 8:00am, no one was there, really. Perfect time to snorkel. We rented snorkel gears for US$12 each for 1 hour. Swam around the roped-in portion, it was super cool. I tried to count all the different kinds of fish I saw but I couldn’t there were so many. After snorkeling we walked over to Anse Mamin and rented 2 chairs. Anse mamin was more peaceful and offered more space. 2 chairs were us$12 each, they were just chairs not under a cabana. Apparently to sit under a cabana was more but we chose 2 chairs and sat under the shade. It was perfect. Around 2 pm we walked back to Anse chastanet and ate at the restaurant there. It was really good and prices weren’t bad. After that we went back to the villa and chill. Th around dinner time we walk back to town. Walked by Orlandos and it looked pretty dead. We ended up at the Hummingbird beach resort and it was also not busy at all. We were sat right away. Hence we were still pretty full from lunch. We just got 2 cocktails. King fish fritters, a salad and finally chocolate rum cake with ice-cream, came to about $59.00. Food was good! Later that evening we both realized we’d gotten sun burns on our backs from snorkeling, we thought since it was so early in the morning we didn’t need sunscreen. Not the case. Lesson learned.

6.23- Sunday 

today we had planned on hiking the Gros Piton but we woke up to heavy rain outside, since it didn’t seem like it would stop we decided to try the hike tomorrow instead. Also apparently today and tomorrow was Carnival. There was a lot of loud music coming from town started like 6:00am. HAHA! We drove over to the Sulphur Springs to check it out. It was pretty cool. We just did the tour and skipped the mud baths. It smelled so bad. Our guide said rain actually makes the smell worse. Since it was raining so hard we gave up trying to do anything else and headed back to the villa. On the concrete road heading back to the villa I accidentally drove into one of the drains and got the car stuck. Woopps. We called Janus and he was there in minutes. He got some group to pull the car out. He told us it happens to everyone but I think he was just trying to makes us feel better. Haha! For dinner we went over to Boucan, our reservation was from 6:00pm which was perfect. We got to appreciate the gracious view before the sun set. Like others have said the food was amazing . I think the best thing we ate was the scallop appetizers, it wasn’t as expensive as I thought either.

6/24- Monday 

today the weather was perfect again. So we went to Gros Piton. Got there about 8:00amPaid the us$50.00 each and set off with our guide. Definitely got extra water at the refreshment stand. You will sweat a lot. Get some Pitons to. I regretted not getting once we got to the top. Our guide wasn’t overly talkative but she was nice and didn’t rush us. We took plenty of time at each of the rest stops on the way, it was definitely gets hard right before you reach the halfway mark. You will climb 2 stone staircases. Heads up this is pretty much what the entire second half is like. In the end it was very rewarding and we’re glad we did it. We’re also very glad we didn’t do it in the rain. Honestly we think it would have sucked. We got back to the villa around midday and relaxed by the pool. For dinner we walked back to Hummingbird. On the way we got caught up in the carnival parade. It looked like lots of fun. Lots of people dancing in costumes (and one embarrassing drunk white guy. Ooff) Dinner was good again, this time we tried the enterees. The shrimp in coconut sauce was amazing. This was our last day, leaving tomorrow morning. Everything has been great. We’re sad to leave.

​Thanks for everything Janus.

June 17- we arrived at 2:30pm from the airport and went to Massy’s Grocery store straight away. We rented a car service through Janus and he was so friendly and helpful to point us to things to do during our stay. Janus met us and he was also so friendly and made us feel at home here at Serrana Villa. It was cloudy and rainy so we stayed in and made dinner at home. 


June 18th – We got up early 7:30am and headed out to Tet Paul Nature Trail. So beautiful. We decided against hiking the Gros Piton for this and was not disappointed. Amazing view and much less work. It took about 45 minutes total and we stopped to take pictures many times along the way. We got a guide and he taught us about common plants and things about the island.

Next stop was the Diamond Botanical Gardens, we were there about 1 hour and a half (they open at 10:00am. We showed up early but they graciously let us in and we had the place to ourselves. Beautiful plants and hummingbirds and Lizards to see in the gardens and waterfall was really cool to see too. We got caught in 10 minutes rainstorm.

Must say if you like nature they have mineral baths there to get in but decided we didn’t want to be wet the rest of our morning. We then headed to Fedos because we were hungry and it was switched to lunch by 10:30am. We both got burgers and it was so good. Best burgers we’ve had and we’re from the U.S.

We got a ride back to the villa to hangout at the pool and play cards. We made a reservation at 6:00pm for Dasheen @ Ladera. The view was breathtaking between the two Pitons and we watched the sun set. We spent and $200 total for 4 drinks and our meals. Absolutely amazing food. Amazing view 100% worth it! I got the catch of the day. Mahi-mahi and Cody got Sirloin and Lamb and appetizers .

We leave the villa tomorrow. We cant wait to return for longer next time. We loved this place, the food, the culture and our experience here. Janus is an amazing host.

Cant wait for next time!

Mike & Mindy                    June 13- 17 2019 (Michigan USA)
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We booked our stay here over a year ago. At the time I felt it must be good because it was booked pretty solid for almost a full year. Leading up to the trip though. I felt like it was too good to be true especially since the price was uneatable. About a week before our stay I had discovered that a friend of mine had stayed there 3 years ago. She made me feel so much better about my first Airbnb Anxieties, so I was back to being excited.

Day 1- flew in from Atlanta which was a 5 hour flight. The landing was a little rough but we made it. We got our rental car and we realized that even with google map navigating in St. Lucia can be confusing. Somehow we totally missed the suggest grocery store but we knew we could survive without going there. Mike seemed to enjoy the challenge of driving in St. Lucia. I on the other hand was a nervous passenger! I think the thing that freaked me out the most was those darn Frenches on the side of the road. We finally made it to the villa and were greeted right away by Janus. He was so kind, he even had one of his drivers take us to the grocery store.

​He told us of a local restaurant to go to that evening where we could watch The Basket Ball championship game. The restaurant was okay but similar to any sports bar in the U.S. We believe this bar was formally Ruby’s. By the way, directions SAY ‘’turn @ Ruby’s’’ – there is No Ruby’s! We were a little shocked that evening as to how early the sun sets. Early Sunset. Long day of travel = early bed time 😊 

Day 2- So relaxing to wake up and enjoy my coffee in paradise. We read the journal and did our research to determine our plans for the day. On our agenda: The Tet Paul Nature trail. The Sulphur Springs and dinner at Dasheene. 

Tet Paul Nature Trail: Perfect trail for non-hikers! The view was amazing over and over along with beautiful plant life. Perfect amount of time and surprisingly not as hot as we expected. Lots of rainforest shade and always a nice breeze. 

Sulphur Springs- easy to find, not far off the main road. We expected it to stink but the smell was intense. Way beyond the smell of rotten eggs. We had the guided tour of the springs which was very informative. Totally explained the whole ‘’drive through volcano’’ thing which really made us watch the landscape around the villa in a different light. Nice to know the vendors were the least pushy that weve experienced compared to Mexico & Jamaica. We had plenty of time to visit other places but we decided to chill in the pool before our 6:00pm dinner reservation. By the way the smell of the Sulphur Srping really cling to our skin and hair and was very difficult to get rid of!

Dinner @ Dasheene- the view wa stunning. It was cloudy and rainy so we didn’t see the sunset but that’s ok. We had drinks in the bar area then moved to the dining area for dinner. Honestly I felt the view where we had drinks was better than where we had dinner. So if you don’t have reservations you can eat from the full menu in the bar area. Dinner and drinks were roughly US$150. My husband felt like hotel guests were treated better than us (but honestly for what they pay they should)

Day 3- Today, we decided to make the adventurous trek to Anse Chastanet. Take the trip. Don’t get scared of the road conditions. We were able to take some spectacular pictures of Soufriere from this trip. Some of most Breathtaking by far.

Things to know- 1. The staff never made us feel like intruders. 2. The beach was far smaller than I expected even though I saw pictures and videos on Youtube of the area. 3. The snorkeling far exceeded our expectations. Mike had a great time with his go pro. Was excited to see a cattle fish that was changing colors. Lots of fish. We were hoping to see more coral but not the case here.
Anse Mamin- Yes the burgers were amazing. Drinks were great – strong. Get the drink in the coconut- delicious. Walk on the beach behind the rocks as it is totally secluded. Beach wise I liked Anse Chastanet Better (felt more tropical) but both had very few people. Ess than 15 people on either Beaches.

Also good to know it rained far less at the beach than at the villa. We were still full from the burgers well into the evening. We ended up not going out and just snacked back here. Very low key and relaxing until… I had a bat fly really low,  (like almost touched my head low!) while we were in the pool. Then we were in the house with the doors open. Guess who took a detour through the house? THE BAT!!! OMG!!! Thank goodness he quickly found his way  out!

Day 4- Its Sunday and it appears that most of the city is closed on Sundays. So having said that we decided to go back to the beach today. This time we asked at the dive shop where to snorkel. Go to the left of the dive shop up the stairs and down the side walk. There is a ladder to get into the water. This is a great spot to see lots of fish. We hired the private chef for dinner. We order the d=grilled seafood in garlic lime butter sauce. Chef Ramsey, former chef at Anse Chastanet. The food was amazing. The portions were extremely filling. I only ate half of my dinner. This was the best meal we’ve had in a very long time.

Day 5- getting ready to return to our reality. Life here has been great. We hope to return with our family 😊 

Thanks Janus, this has been our best Vacation to date! 
Mike & Mindy

Evelyn & Veah
Sat June 1st- Sun June 9
 
Day 1: We missed our flight in  DFW :( it was crazy. I only mentioned this unfortunate event to brag on our Super Host Janus!

Day 2: Since we ended up arriving on Sunday, all the grocery stores were closed, so we couldn’t go buy anything. Janus Brought us Milk, orange juice, eggs and arranged for Janus to bring us a pizza, water and sodas for dinner. Woah, we were so thankful!!! Id like to specially mention or give a shout out to Eric with Islander cars/ St. Lucia Car rental. He was so patient giving us directions to Serrana, but we still managed to get lost.

​LOL. Janus came to our rescue quickly. We enjoyed dinner by the pool and read through Journal to better plan our week. We quickly realize we should make reservation for almost everything and sometimes weeks in advance. Hopefully you set a travel notice with your bank or have a lot of cash (tip the people that help you)

Day 3- We had a quick breakfast. We drove to Sugar Beach Resort. Just go back to the main road, take a left and it was up the road to the right. We paid U.S $50.00 per person for a voucher. This basically gave us a $100 credit for lunch and drinks on the beach. Great food (pizza yumm) and frozen daiquery (sp)- Very good. The view is phenomenal, set tight between the Pitons. You have an option to the right for free chairs but we went left. U.S $50.00 per chair with a free towel each. Personal umbrella table. Well worth it for us. Leah snorkeled and loved it. Lots of different fish, lion fish, lobsters, crabs, octopus, jellyfish, scorpion fish etc. By the end of our day. We still had money from our voucher so we order dinner, came home to Serrana to chill and sleep. Zzzzzzzzz

Day 4-Breakfast here. Janus brought us Mangoes Yesterday and bread. Nice addition. We drove to Tet Paul trail. Paid us$10.00 pp for admission and tour guide. Very easy hike. I feel like any level of fitness could do this hike. Also very short. Then off to Spiderman waterfall. Few minutes down the road. U.S$15 pp but so worth it. Wayne was our guide and another man both very sweet and knowledgeable . Wayne took fruit from every tree for us to try. Had homemade banana bread, juice etc. So Tasty. Once you get to the waterfall, you take pictures, cover with mud from the volcano then wash off in the waterfall (this is optional) This hike is a bit more strenuous but totally doable. We of course went back to Sugar Beach after. Just too perfect!!

Tonight is out last night here. Tomorrow we’re off to Anse Chastanet to see the rest of our family and finish out the week
Lunch tomorrow @ Jade mountain

Janus, thank you for your kindness. Your home is beautiful and we hope to see you again.
All of our love

Evelyn & Veah
2019

Mandi & Jason    20th Anniversary     

We had been planning this trip for quite a while. I think we found Janus’ Airbnb almost two years ago. We looked at a lot of islands, cruises and other destinations but the charm of this place won.

After staying here a week I have to say we are truly sad to go. The beauty of St. Lucia and The Serrana Villa have a lot to do with that—but the people even more so. Everyone was very friendly and it was easy to just relax here.

Janus sets the stage by personally greeting his guests. He will tell you ‘’Tell me if you need anything’’ I believe he is very genuine in this. We called and asked where to get milk for our coffee… he personally delivered a carton within minutes. He has to be busy guy but his guest are obviously his priority.

Thank you Janus you and your team have made our 20th anniversary truly special. We will be back 
Ps. Please help us figure out the best way to come back with the kids. There are 4 of them. We wont book with anyone but Janus! 

Recommendations:

FOOD:

• Fedos: walkable from villa, cheap but good, feels very local
• Chef Ramsey” delivered right to you! Very friendly, favorite meal , little$$$$
• Pitit Peak: reasonable price and portions, on the water and view, chicken roti was great
• Anse Chastanet: on the beach, very pretty, great beef roti and club
• Anse Mamin: on the beach, feel secluded, great burger and drinks, drinks are a bit pricy
• Sugar Beach: good food but too expensive for what you get, great view and beach
• Go shopping and cook: great for villa days. A fun challenge to shop for what you can cook 😊

THINGS TO DO:

• Sulphur Springs- the geysers are okay but the mud baths were great
• Anse Mamin: they wont rent you a chair but we just used towels. Very pretty and some snorkeling by the rocks. Tried to go a second time but it was closed.
• Anse Chastanet: does not feel as secluded as Mamin…but still very pretty , snorkeling was great. Have to swim out a bit to get to reef
• Sugar Beach : gorgeous but a little silly on prices. $100 for a food voucher plus another for chairs. Would have been okay if food was better.
• Sunset Cruise: book through ‘’Mystic Man Tours’’ or Janus. Was very pleasant and they serve drinks and snacks. Besides the amazing sunset we were visited by several pod of Dolphins. Was quite the experience.

Villa dat: grab some drinks and east to make food and just hang out the pool is great and it is so quiet here
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Browse the books- lots of great tops throughout. Ask Janus and other locals for recommendations 
Google maps worked just fine for us to get around.

Kelsey & Parker (Richmond, VA)
 
We booked St. Lucia purely because of Janus’ home on Airbnb. We were not disappointed when we got here for our Honeymoon! The ride from the airport was arranged by him and so have all the rides we’ve gotten here. Makes it so easy and effortless. Full disclosure, we didn’t plan anything before we arrived here. We wanted to wing it and see what each day brought so here we go…

Night we flew in we got in at about 3pm so we spent a few hours at the place taking in the views before walking down to Valelse (previously Ruby’s). They have a very American Menu but everything we had was delicious. My burger was fresh. You could tell they make their own and my husband said it was the best cheese steak he had ever had. Dinner was awesome but the road back up the hill was intense. Get ready to sweat and get those legs burning!

Day 1- we decided we wanted to fully relax on our first day so we decided to go to Sugar Beach. Im a huge bachelor fan so I was excited to go to this place knowing so many of the contestants have vacationed here.

Must be good right. It was amazing. It’s a tad expensive but if you go early in the day it is worth it! $50.00 for each beach chair but they are covered and includes a towel each. They also have great restaurants where we had breakfast and lunch. Both take credit card . Amenities: pool, changing area, yard games, tennis court, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and stand up paddle boards.

Day 2- We read in this book that the botanical Gardens are close, so we ventured there. 20 minute walk- bring water. I recommend going earlier in the day, maybe 9/10 before all the tours start. There’s an awesome waterfall there as well as some gorgeous flowers! They have a cute souvenir shop there as well and restaurant.

Day 3- Janus gave us a ride to Hummingbird beach. This is more of a local beach which was great. We got lunch there and then ran into a guy on the beach names Noah. He runs a water taxi that we wanted to take to Anse Chastanet. He not only took us there but took us two other places to snorkel for U.S $160.00. It was random but super fun to get a local to take us on the boat and see the island from the water and all the beautiful homes. The view of Jade Mountain Resort from here is Beautiful too. In the evening, we just had dinner back at the villa.

Day 4- We did a tour of the Sulphur Springs and waterfall. Hind sight- should have set this up with Janus because the driver for the company we used didn’t know how to get there. Once we were picked up we got to the waterfall/springs and it was amazing. The guide took pics covered in mud. The smell is special so prepare yourself but so worth it to see something this unique. Try to go early in the morning  before the crowds start to pile in. After the tour we had lunch at Fedos, per the drivers recommendation. It was good- more traditional cuisine in the heart of the town. Another evening relaxing at the villa and making dinner.

Day 5- Back to Sugar Beach because we liked it so much. Had lunch there as well. We got the seafood pizza which I would highly recommend.

Day 6- Piton Day- this is not a hike this is a climb and it was insanely hard. We made it 4/3 up and decided to save the rest of our energy for the journey  down. The view at the half way point is beautiful so even if you only made it there, consider it a win. It was US$50.00 per person, they also let you rent a backpack for U.S$5.00 if you didn’t bring one. Go at 7am before the sun comes out  to much towards the end it was becoming hard and was not pleasant.

After the Piton, we came back here and relaxed Before our wine cellar dinner at Ladera resort. We stumbled upon this online and boy they did not disappoint. When we got there, they were very welcoming, gave us drinks while we waited. The sunset and then lead us into the wine cellar where they had a single candlelight table and music playing. It was 7 courses each paired with wine. It was great for our last night/celebrating a special occasion. This was the most expensive thing we did. It was $438 with service charge and VAT but so, so worth it!


​Janus- thank you so much.

You’ve been amazing. You have such a beautiful country and we look forward to returning.
Things we wished we knew:

1.       10% tip is already included at most places
2.       Anytime you go out at night wear bug repellent 
3.       Download whatsapp t communicate with janus. Airbnb was a bit delayed
4.       Book dinner reservation as far in advance as you can. The resort restaurants fill up quick.
5.       I have a story hgilight on my Instagram of St. Lucia. Feel free to look at what we did @kelskeesee

Enjoy your vacation!!

We came to St. Lucia for a friend’s wedding at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian. During the wedding festivities we were staying at Sandals Halcyon Beach. For those of you wondering about the resort experience vs this- you made the right choice. Serrana villa has been more than we could have ever imagined and we have truly loved every moment. The resort wasn’t terrible but the food was bad. We rented a car and drove down to Soufriere. Crazy experience but I am now a driving pro.

Monday- we went to get a couples massage and spa treatment at kai belle spa at Jade Mountain. The spa is right on the beach and the prices were very reasonable for what you receive afterwards.

We walked right out to Anse Chastanet but decided to walk to Anse Mamin – maybe 5-10 minute walk.

There was a very small section for non-resort guests and the beach in that area was less than ideal so we walked back and paid $36usd for 2 nice chairs under a hut at Anse Chastanet.

You can eat in the restaurant and get drinks from the bar there aswell. The snorkeling was right there near the beach and $11 pp. The current can be somewhat strong but we were impressed by the number of fish we saw.

Dinner this night was at Hummingbird resort about 5 minutes away. The food was good and the view even better. Anse Mamin was really nice but I don’t know if it was just the specific lady I talked to or what, but she said we could only sit off the side near the volleyball court. The area there wasn’t great so we walked back. Hummingbird food was good (pork chop had nice heat but very buggy. Wear bug spray.

Tuesday - We started the day doing Tet Paul Nature Trail which was well worth the small entrance fee! The views were amazing and the hike was easy, maybe 40 minutes total. Do be sure to wear sneakers though! Afterwards we went to the Volcano. They make you get a tour guide but the short tour was very interesting. We stopped at the mud baths and Sulphur springs on the same property but only stayed  few minutes because it was insanely hot. Sitting in a pool, of hot water isn’t what we had in mind at the moment!

For lunch, we stopped at Fedos in Soufriere and the meal was both quick and utterly delicious. Dinner was at Boucan with friends. Make a reservation and they’ll sit you overlooking  the Pitons. It was expensive but one of the best meals we’ve had with chocolate incorporated creatively into every dish. They also had a good wine list. Great atmosphere.

Tet Paul - was just a really nice property. The views just kept getting better. We opted for no tour guide and we had the place to ourselves.

The Volcano was fine. Glad we did it. Not much else to say. Would’ve been better to do the springs in a colder climate.

Fedos was fantastic- I ordered creole chicken and Paige ordered chicken curry. I preferred hers she preferred mine. The sides were fantastic and local with tip, lunch was $19usd. Such a good value. Just walk its close.

Boucan was a resort spot. Loved how they incorporated chocolate. Very pricey. You are paying for the view, but it was good Very buggy, wear bug stray.

Wednesday - we started the day at the botanical gardens/diamond falls and it was beautiful! We did get a local tour guide which we were torn about but he was incredibly knowledgeable and in the end it was a good move. The falls were gorgeous .

Afterwards we drove to Sugar Beach. I’m sure its not for everyone but we loved it. We paid $#50.00 pp for the shuttle but it was in a form of a voucher you could use for food and drinks at the beach. It could be a very long walk otherwise, once you reach at the beach you can choose from the small free area of pay $50 per chair under a hut to sit with resort guests. We chose to pay and really enjoyed ourselves. It was incredibly quiet and relaxing and they brought food and drinks right to us, if you eat at the beach the shuttle back is free.

We were tired and got a private chef through Janus this night. Ramsey came and made Grilled seafood with garlic lime butter sauce. It was fantastic and totally hit the spot. He even plated it beautifully, served it to us outside and did the dishes while we ate. We talked to Ramsey a good bit while he was here and the whole experience was fantastic. Highly recommend.

I've read mixed reviews about Sugar beach. If you don’t want the food or chairs just take a water taxi. I wanted to eat there so it made sense to take the voucher. The food was not great but I enjoyed eating on the beach. We also looked at the free sitting and it also look depressing so pay the money and get the nice chairs. I thoroughly enjoyed the beach. Got some reading done, swam a bit and laid out comfortably. The Pitons over looking this beach made me realize this is why we all came to St. Lucia. Paradise.

Thank you Janus for the lovely place. Wish we could stay longer. Maybe next time will check out Sargas or Saba. Thanks also for hooking us up with a private chef with last minute notice. Your island is Beautiful. This was my first trip to the Caribbean and I get it now
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Evan & Paige

​Jake & Katie Honeymoon (Michigan USA)

We were lucky enough to find Serrana Villa for 3 days during our honeymoon. What an unbelievable experience and the views were picture perfect. Janus welcomed us when we arrived and gave us the home tour. We wished we could have stayed there longer but unfortunately the home is booked nearly every day anyways moving forward

We will 100% book back!! 

Trip highlight: from best to down

• Tet Paul Nature Trail- short walk/hike for best view on the south of island. Tour guide even pick a few Mangoes for us along the walk.
• Mango Tree Restaurant: buffet on Thursday night, food was hands down our favorite and we also has entertainment
• Gros Piton Hike- long hike for decent views. Bring beers to drink on top with tour guides!! Well worth it!
• Sulphur Springs – very fun experience and lot of fun photos to be taken
• New Jerusalem mineral baths- we were the only ones there and the baths were amazing. Small walk to baths.
• Boucan – another great meal. Must get the Yellow fin tuna main meal. They provided complimentary bread/dip to start, chocolate to end meal and chocolate shot before we left.
• Anse Mamin- expensive but jungle burger was amazing .
• Dasheene at ladera-great view for sunset and great food/service.
• Not the greatest experience but we read other reviews so we checked them out- Botanical Gardens and Diamond Falls
• Orlandos restaurant- So so experience and if we come back to Soufriere we will not do.

 
Janus Thank you for amazing hospitality! We also loved the mangoes you delivered on Day 2
Thank you
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Jake & Kate