Serrana Villa: Reviews From Those Who’ve Lived, Shopped, Explored & Dined in St. Lucia

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 

Prelude: I researched resorts and Sandals to commit to our destination but after thought- this villa seemed the way to go! So glad we decided to book this villa with our amazing host@

Host: Janus. He probably is the most personable, sincere and caking person. He treats you like you’re his only guests and makes himself available at al times to cater to whatever you need

Transportation: We rented a car since we got this villa which i'm glad we did. After meeting people at different excursion sites. They all regret paying for shuttle/taxi (so expensive). However, the roads are not the most pleasant and driving without directions/wifi/road signs can be quite tricky. For our first night we got a personal driver from Janus who showed us the ropes on how to drive in town and showed us to a local restaurant “Hummingbird” Great vibes and service. If you are going to get a personal driver book through here, personalize and catering to your day.

Day 1: drove from the airport (got a lil lost acclimating to the local roads) but janus waited for us and met us up to make sure we were okay and taken care of. He recommended to take us personally and went to Hummingbird a local restaurant with romantic vibes.

Day 2: we made breakfast and enjoyed the amazing views. Headed to Tet Paul Nature Trail (if you don’t want a strenuous hike but straight to the point with a view, this is your hike) This was the best views (even with the Gros Piton Hike, we went the next day) after we went to the volcano and sulphur springs mud baths ($5 more for an added tour) After we went to the hidden waterfall and hot pool spot. After we headed back to town to enjoy local food/drinks and watch the sun set

Day 3: After another breakfast with a view, we went to Hike Gros Piton Mountain. Challenging but doable. Pack light but with enough water. Running shoes are fine but I recommend hiking shoes/ shoes you can get dirty but with grip. In the rain it can get slippery. After, we headed to sugar beach to cool out and relax our muscles. Important” instead of going through the main gain, continue driving to the pitons and sugar beach will be at the end (avoid $50 entrance fee) Once you pack at the top, walk down the hill and around to the right towards the resort beach (they are public but you cant use the chairs/umbrella unless you pay $100) try the pizza and burgers at the restaurant and save the receipt  if you want a ride back up. Snorkeling was great (saw all sorts of fish, sea snakes, sea worms, eels Beautiful and harmless.

Day 4: after breakfast , we visited Castries (fit=rst for me). Flea or food market. Great to get souvenirs  and see the local produce. After we headed to Rodney Bay where they had the splash Island waterpark, local food/drinks and jetskies the our person chef Ramsey cooked us an amazing meal (best meal this trip) so nice as well (Janus Dad)

Tips-Buy repellent at all times

Try local foods

Rent own car to experience all of St. Lucia on your own time

Carry enough cash

Locals will come to you and go out of their way to help you (this is how they get money )

There’s a local market in town

Recommend booking Chef Ramsey at least once!

E.C $2.67=-U.S $1.00

Colorado
Megan & Colby Mar. 16- 20

Honeymoon

Day 1: We arrived and has a great time settling in and meeting with Janus! Afterwards we went to dinner at Aspara- such good food!!! We then spent the rest of the night drinking wine and hanging out in the pool and watching the stars. 
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Aspara -8/10

Day 2- today we had planned to go on a tour trip including the sulphur springs but our ride was 40 minutes late (just book these tours through Janus, its way better) so we changed our plans and went to Sugar Beach for a half day.

Its been a beautiful beach with Pina Coladas. A little bit after lunch time we headed back to the villa and get ready for sunset catamaran cruise through Mystic Man Tours. This was amazing, one of the best things we’ve done.

They played great music, were generous with drinks and snacks, were very friendly. Afterwards we walk over to dinner at Pitit Peak on the pier. It was good but lots of persistent panhandlers over there in this area

Sugar beach – 9.5/1-       Catamara-10/10               Piti Peak -6/10

Day 3 - After booking a tour with Janus on day 2, we were excited to go on this customized tour.

First stop was an estate where we learned about making chocolate and how sugar cane and coconuts are harvested- so cool!!! Next we went on a walk to overlook Tet Paul- one of the highlights of the trip- great views.

Next we went to the Sulphur Springs, our tour guide was amazing and took photos of us while we were there. We then drove to Torille waterfall to wash off the Sulphur mud masks and see the falls. Last trip was lunch at Fedos- amazing food!

It was mid afternoon when we returned to the villa, so we hang out by the pool for a few hours until Chef Ramsey made us creole fish for dinner, it was an amazing experience- highly recommend

Estate- 7/10        Tet Paul-10/10 Sulphur Springs -9/10     Chef Ramsey-10/10         Wterfall-7.5/10
Fedos-9/10

Day 4 - Today we woke up and went to Mango Tree for breakfast. We loved this Restaurant. A phenomenal view and great food service. Then we went to Sugar Beach again. This time we rented a chair with umbrella and stayed for most of the day. This was amazing. Afterwards we headed back to the villa where we got ready for dinner at Boucan.

​We loved watching the sunset and having our fair share of chocolate. We spent the rest of the evening drinking wine at the villa and preparing to leave

Mango tree-10/10 Sugar               Beach-10/10 with umbrella          Boucam- 9/10

Day 5 - the plan for today is to go Mango Tree for Breakfast one last time before heading to the airport. We had an amazing time and are sad to go.

Thank you Janus!!

Tips: do Sulphur Springs before you get sunburns

Download google map app if driving yourself

Take advantage of Janus’s Service/tours

We are here during the covid-19 outbreak just before the resorts shut down. As a result  most activities and restaurants we eat at were quite empty. This was both unsettling and very very cool, romantic and private 😊 

Popular mentions

• Aspara
• Sulphur Springs
• Sugar Beach
• Mystic Man Tours
• Pitit Peak
• Tet Paul
• Torille waterfall
• Fedos
• Chef Ramsey
• Mango Tree
• Boucan
• Janus’s Service/tours 

Dave & Anna’s honeymoon (March 1-8)

Escaping the unusual warmth of Nebraska to finally celebrate our marriage back to reality of life, here soon does not sound fun.

Serena Villa has been amazing – exactly what we needed, spent countless hours in or around the pool with rum and an amazing view of the pitons. When we did venture out into Soufriere (highly recommend jermal took very good care of us. He was able to drive everywhere for us that we needed to go.

He also provided some hookups for after fun adventures – went deep sea fishing and he was able to sell us some filleted local catch.

The first day we did the ‘’tourist’’ thing and got a tour of Soufriere, along with the botanical garden, diamond waterfalls, Sulphur springs, etc. whole day was great and jermal showed off his art and photography skills! Ate at hummingbird resort for a late dinner- very good cocktails and foods for a reasonable price! it’s a nice walk to.

After we got the tourist washed off us, we decided to try some other local favorites, we hiked Gros piton – fun time with a great guide (Luciano) and a village dog to meet us at the top of the mountain. It’s a nice way to contribute to the local small village near the base of gros piton. Plus, we got the same bonus Rastafari lectures from Luciano .

Did the bean to bar at hotel chocolat.  Also, worth it. Got to make
Our very own chocolate bar, while getting the history on chocolate.

The cocktails here were expensive but incredible! of course we spent
Time at the beaches, too. Anse Chastnet had good cocktails and a amazing view. Food was good there too.

Nice black sand with a lot of cool nature to see. Snorkeled there! and make the journey to Anse Manin. Saw some cool wildlife in the river. Here picking off fish, crab standoff (red crab vs blue crab) and a dive bombing pelican. you can’t make this stuff up!

Directions on paying for chairs and umbrella was unclear, employee was rude to us about it. Otherwise good experience.

Sugar beach was great too. white sand and lots of little crabs. Crazy experience and not worth it at all., $ 100 per person just to show up and have a chair. cocktails were bad hire too! How do you mess up a margarita? spent 3 nights at the beach bar, each of the first 2 nights a local came over to us and chat for 1 hr.! made new friends with Garran & porgy. the third night we had a grill out on the beach. it was great. Plus, only $2us for a piton now that’s a good deal. Jerk chicken wings from Karan’s were Killer! try it out, seriously good stuff.

Really going to miss this place; the chorus of roosters. friendly locals and super helpful and fun hosts! Thank you janus we had a great time and we hope to come back soon!

DAY 1 – Chilled in the pool, went to Erolines supermarket, ate at FEDOS!! (very good and great price) for lunch and the mango tree for dinner (not worth the price, save your money) 

DAY 2 – Made breakfast then went to sugar beach which offers free parking a little far but for $100 you get closer parking with shuttle to and from the beach. those $100 you can use towards food and drinks at the resort. also chair rentals are $50 for two chairs all day. After we came back, chilled at the pool and made dinner.

DAY 3 – Went in the pool after making breakfast then got ready to leave, went to diamond botanical gardens which was $7 per person, after we went to Anse Chastnet beach (black sand beach) drive was a little risky. 

Entrance is free but if you want chairs you have to pay $12 a chair and $12 per umbrella, we had lunch there as well was so so good! Came back home, chilled at the pool, made dinner and watched Netflix!

DAY 4- pack up and go home .

Back to NEW YORK 
Follow me @ raqirosa

Amazing Airbnb - Thank you so much for having us Janus ! 

Kiefer , kylie and Raquel

Erica & Ryan
Jan. 4th -11th 2020
Honeymoon 

First off, let us just say how amazing accommodating, hospitable and friendly Janus is! He made us feel so welcomed and made our stay exceptional. Thank you so much Janus.

Day 1: Arrived in St. Lucia around3pm on Saturday and took the winding and bumpy roads to the villa. Eek! We are from Indiana, so the roads are nothing but flat and I get pretty car sick! Lol. We stopped at the market on the way to the villa and stoked up on some snacks food and water. The market was pricier than we thought so we didn’t purchase a lot. Janus met us at the villa and was so welcoming. He recommended Pitit Peak that evening for dinner which was good but had a lot of bones in the fish to pick out- took too long to pick through it but still had great flavor!

Day 2: we ate at the Hummingbird Restaurant  (20 minute walk) for lunch and dinner- it was delicious! We has the club sandwich for lunch (it was okay) and for dinner we had pesto pasta which was wonderful. After lunch we headed to the Botanical Gardems. This place is very pretty, we would definitely recommend. They close early on Sundays (3pm) and we got there around 2pm which honestly worked out better for us- there was nobody there- it was very peaceful and allowed for many photo opportunities. – US$7PP.
Hummingbird Restaurant, Pitit Peak & Botanical Gardens.

Day 3:Headed to Sugar Beach at 10:00am for fun & sun. U.S $50.00 per person for drinks/food voucher to gain entry to the beach. You have an option to lay down beach towels (free) or rent beach chairs with umbrella for U.S $50.00pp. We decided to buy the beach chairs because YOLO on your Honeymoon. The drinks are pretty large for the price you pay (at least for what we got- Pina-Colada) $12. Ryan enjoyed the burger (me , not so much) but the margarita pizza was pretty good. Not sure where we ordered from, we just ordered from our chair. The beach was really nice and had great views . We definitely recommend. Just because, it can be pricey. After a long day at the beach we really just wanted to stay at the villa so we messaged Janus to see if the private chef Ramsey has any availability for the evening. He did! Ramsey Showed up around 7:00pm and cooked for us the grilled seafood carlic lime butter sauce. It was soo good. OMG highly recommend. Even if its just for one time, try Ramsey

• Sugar Beach-9/10
• Chef Ramsey-10/10

Day 4:Went to Anse Chastanet Beach around 11am and left around 1:pm. We were not impressed especially compared to Sugar Beach. Small section of beach for visitors and got very crowded arounf=d 12pm. Once 12pm hit, you could barely get into the ocean, there were so many boats. The food was okay but we spent a lot more than we anticipated to. Too expensive, so we came back early and chilled out arounf the pool at the villa- so relaxing. We ended the evening at the Hummingbird restaurant (yes again) and it was amazing yet again. Ryan go the Penne Verde and I got the Tuna (catch of the day) with lemon butter sauce- OMG sooo good!

• Anse Chastanet -5/10

Day 5: went to sugar beach again and relax and enjoy the sun. Stayed on the beach for 8 hours and ate there. Not much of the day other than sugar beach but we really enjoyed ourselves!

Day 6: Had a later start to our morning due to the heavy rains. First headed to the Tet Paul Nature Trail which we would highly recommend. Great views and only U.S $10.00 per person. Took about 45 minutes to hike the trail and it was not bad at all. After the trail we headed to the Sulphur Springs & Mud Baths. It was a really cool experience just to do something unique like that. However I would recommend getting there pretty early as we were stuck there with all the cruise ship passengers so it was really crowded. Lastly we went to the torille waterfall which was a neat experience and we enjoyed the waterfall since we’ve never seen one in person before plus it was only us$3pp. Again try to go early as a lot of cruise ship people were there.. All in all, we had a very eventful day. For dinner we went to the Hummingbird Restaurant (like always haha) once again it was amazing. We continue to go there because they have a pretty big menu with decent prices and it is delicious !
Tet Paul Nature Trail -10/10

• Sulphur Springs -7/1- (wish it was less crowded)
• Toille waterfall-8/10 (very crowded, go early)

Day 7: Janus was very thoughtful and had mangoes dropped off for us in the morning. We once again went to Sugar Beach and has a nice relaxing day of sunshine. We also went snorkeling (us$12pp which we highly recommend) all in all another great day! Went to Hummingbird again for dinner (yes again)

• Sugar Beach snorkeling -8/10

Day 8: This is our last day, we are so sad to be leaving. We had a wonderful honeymoon and would not have wanted to spend it on any other island or villa.

We hope to come back again some other time
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Thanks again to Janus and his great hospitality and welcoming arms. Was very helpful and knowledgeable with info and things to do on the island. We also wanted to thank all the amazing drivers that made our trip so amazing. Thank you.
Erica & Ryan

​The Johnsons- Honeymoon
Oct. 4th – Oct. 10th

1st day- Janus arranged for one of his drivers to pick us up at the airport and take us to the local supermarket. We spent more money than expected but overall it was needed.

Later that night another one of his drivers came to pick us up late at night to take us to a local pizza place on the beach. (I totally forgot the name) but the beach was absolutely beautiful, the pizza was great and the beer (Piton ) was great too!! His driver was so  nice and helpful.

2nd Day- We woke up to Janus letting us know that one of his drivers will be dropping off some fresh local bread. The bread was delicious. We went for another swim in the gorgeous infinity pool. Later we went on an ATV tour with Island ATV.

One of the tour guides (Maxwell) picked and dropped us off/up. The tour was absolutely amazing. The tour lasted a little over three hours. Maxwell was beyond amazing and knowledgeable . I could go on and on about how great the tour was and having Maxwell show us around. A must do!!! US$200 for myself & my husband.

3rd day- we recovered from air jet lag and stayed in until the late afternoon. We walked down to the local beach in town (hummingbird beach) we enjoyed a veg pizza and enjoyed the local beer (piton). We talked  with locals, swam in the ocean. @ Hummingbird beach we grabbed one gift for Family @ the local shop.


4th day- Janus had his son drop off some local Mangoes in the morning. The gesture and Mangoes were amazing. My husband and I went back into town and spent a lot more time hanging out at hummingbird beach. It was thanks giving day for them.

5th day- we went into the town of Castries and hang around Rodney Bay, we enjoyed lunch at their café on the beach. The locals were very welcoming.


6th day- in the morning and afternoon we enjoyed hours at the Botanical Gardens. We paid us$4 per person which includes entrance fee and private bath.

After the gardens we went to  Marie’s (right next to the Botanical Gardens) and loved all their creole food from their buffet us$15pp, Later that night we had chef Ramsey come over and all I can say is he is worth every penny and moore. You must give him a try one or a few days that you’re here!!

7th day- check-out day, we relaxed by the pool and then headed to the airport.     

​Day 1: Arrived at Serrana Villa & Janus greeted us, giving us a tour of the beautiful villa. I will go ahead and say right now, he has been the best AirBnb host we have ever had, very attentive and responsive and super sweet! We knew instantly that he would have taken care of us. Chilled out and enjoyed the views, watched some Netflix and prepared for our week in St. Lucia!

​Day 2: went to Anse Chastanet $10 per chair rental. $10 to rent snorkel gear and had a great bar tender Dave, served us drinks all day long. We snorkeled, beautiful snorkeling in that area, layed out, swam and had the best time. Truly a beautiful beach and surrounded by gorgeous scenery. The restaurant had great food (order the burger with pineapple, avocado, cheese) it was delicious. The drive up was a bit rough, but the views are amazing. We met simon says on the beach who we booked 2 hours with. He was great but make sure you know what you’re paying for!

​Day 3 went exploring and driving through marigot bay. Had lunch at Doolittle & chilled at the beach. On the way we stopped at a bar for some rum punch & sherly’s ‘’Genesis’’ drink (infused with local ganja) pretty good! Marigot Bay was absolutely beautiful! (where Pirate of the Caribbean and the original Doolittles was filmed) we were pretty beat when we got home and called Janus asking if anyone delivers Pizza. He had someone deliver Pizza and some drinks. He will take care of you!!

Day 4: Simon Says tour of the Sulphur Springs (amazing ) The Botanica Gardens (where romance in the stone was filmed- absolutely beautiful) & to rinse off the mud bath (from your face) in the waterfall. We had a blast! The waterfall was amazing! (Torille). Dinner at Hummingbird resort restaurant. Delicious. It is a must!
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Day 5- Simon Says tour for snorkeling. He took us on a fisherman’s boat! LOL but hey we had a blast. Went to Anse Mamin, relaxed on the beach. Then took the boat to Sugar Beach where we snorkeled. It was beautiful! Simon then took us to eat local food at his Niece’s restaurant. Was delicious.

Day 6: Reef fishing with Mystic Man tours. Had a blast with David and Ansel. They made sure to help us catch something. Lol . 3 hours is $80.00 per person. They took us between the Pitons and to Anse Chastanet waters. We went to eat lunch at Boucan at Hotel Chocolat. Words cannot describe the views from tis restaurant which is absolutely stunning. This place is a must! Chocolate infused dips, food, drinks everything. I must come back to this slice of heaven! Pounty’s pizza for dinner- YUM!
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Day 7: Drove p to Castries to go the market. Definitely wait to buy your Souvenir here. You can haggle it all. Definitely happy we stayed on our side of the island. Couldn’t wait to go back as the city of Castries was kind of rough. Had Chef Ramsey cook at the villa. He I incredible. And we only wish we could have him cook for us more.

We are headed home on Friday and were just in heaven in our week @ Paradise. St. Lucia is just incredible. The most beautiful island I have ever visited. You can pick the local fruit rum punch. Everywhere you turn, luscious beautiful scenery. Anse delicious local cuisine. We hope to be back soon.

Thank you Janus for your beautiful villa, hospitality. We will never forget our time here! 
Love- Trey& Christina Bowman & Ronie & Beth Hunt

​Erin & Collin
Oct. 19- 28, 2019
Honeymoon!!
From: Michigan 

Day 1:

We were greeted at the airport by one of Janus’s drivers. He was so nice and knowledgeable  about thw island. He Stopped at the local supermarket and we packed up some food and beers. After we made our way to the villa. 

​Along the way our driver stopped at his favorite bar for our honeymoon drink!! When we arrived at the villa Janus greeted us and gave us a tour of the villa. We stayed in for the night and watched Netflix

Day 2: We planned to have a lazy day and relaxed at the villa all day. In the morning we walked into town for some things we forgot to get at the supermarket. While we were walking our driver from yesterday saw us and drove us the rest of the way. We are planning on walking to town to get some fresh fruit from the locals. The rest of the day we laid by the pool and had drinks.

Nov. 3: We arranged for a driver to take us to the botanical Gardens this morning. I did not realize how close to the villa it was. It would have been fine to walk. The driver went above and beyond. He walked the gardens with us. Taking our pictures for us and telling us about the local plants. We went right when they opened and we were the only ones there for a bit. After our driver took us to town to get some beer and snacks. We laid around the pool till 4pm and a driver came and picked us up to take us to Jade Mountain for dinner. Jade mountain is incredible.

​The view o f the Pitons and Sunset was stunning. The hospitality at the Jade Mountain was by  far the best ive ever experienced . Paired with the amazing views and delicious food it was a 10/10. After dinner my husband enjoyed a cigar on the terrace. I messaged our driver we were ready to be picked up and we made our way to the front entrance gate. Dinner at Jade Mountain was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so glad we got to do it.

Day 4: Went to Sugar Beach today. We had a driver pick us up at 11:00am, spent around 4 hours there. We ended up renting 2 lounge chairs for us$50 each. We are both beach bums when it comes to being on the beach, we lay out more then we are in the water so it was worth it. We had lunch at restaurant on the beach. 7.5/10. When we got back to the villa our wedding photos were waiting for us in our email. We spent the rest of the night looking at our amazing pictures and relaxed.

Day 5:This morning it was raining so we made breakfast and once the rain was done we walked into town. After exploring town for a bit and stopped to get groceries, we hiked back to the villa. We hand by the pool till dinner. We were planning on walking to town for dinner but it started raining. Janus was kind enough to send a driver to give us a ride. We ate at pier 28, it was really good and they have an awesome drink menu. We recommend “ankles in the air” we paid $70ec for 2 meals and 4 drinks

Day 6: Beach day at Anse Chastanet. We walked to Anse Mamin and rented 2 chairs at $60 us. This came with an umbrella & 2 bottles of water and lemonade. We ordered lunch and the burgers were delicious. If  you go to Anse Mamin, get the burger. It was cloudy and rain on and off, we left at 3:30pm. I was surpised at how empty the beach  was, it was nice but we prefer Sugar Beach 

Day 7: Rainforest spa! I cannot put into words how amazing this was. The spa at Sugar beach is a must do! We had a couples massage and then had lunch in our bungalow . After we went to the beach.

Day 8 & 9 – we relaxed at the villa and ventured into town enjoying  the views and pool.

Day 10 : check out day  ☹ 

We enjoyed every minutes of our stay here and we cannot thank Janus and his team enough for making our stay even more amazing. Thank you Janus for your Beautiful home and hospitality.

Erin & Collin Butchart

Darin & Julie Harden                       Nov.2- 8 2019
25th wedding anniversary

Day 1. - Arrived in St. Lucia late afternoon. Driver greeted us by Kendell who provided our rental car, took us to the grocery store and then to Serrana Villa! Janus met us at the house and took us down to Pitit Peak for a wonderful fish dinner.

Day 2. -Took a water taxi by Johnny- boy to Sugar Beach for a day of Maximum chill. Johnny dropped us off at the dock and provided snorkel gear for the day. We got free chairs on the public side, enjoyed fresh fruit cocktails (2 for us$15) and had fish tenders delivered to us from a restaurant in Soufriere. Chef Ramsey came to the villa that night and made us amazing fish dinners – wonderful!!!

Day 3- This day we made the trek to Anse Mamin. What a drive!!! We rented 2 chairs with lovely shade and enjoy fresh banana daiquiris along with amazing jungle burger. After a quick shower we went off to Jade Mountain for dinner. After drinks the manager took us on a brief tour pf the property. Amazing. Later we had complementary champagne and appetizers at the roof top bar while watching the sun set. Dinner was 3 courses right in front the most gorgeous view of the Pitons. Dinner was Spectacular. This is a must do!! Such beautiful resort and amazing views. Expensive but worth it!!

Day 4.- We had a reservation for the couples escape at the rainforest spa at sugar beach- we arrived early and has some drinks at the bar. Then a shuttle to the amazing jungle hut spa! Highly recommend this experience we felt incredibly spoiled by our treatments followed by Champagne and chocolate in our private hut with natural hot shower. Later we headed back to the beach for lunch of conch fritters and beach time. Dinner was left overs from our amazing chef Ramsey!

Day 5- woke up to rain storm so we decided to stay In and rest.

Day 6-We thoroughly enjoyed touring Janus’s other villas. After our tour we headed back to Sugar beach. W went to the public side to buy some accessories for the kids- hats, t-shirts, necklaces and bracelets . The lady who has the shop some amazing bbq chicken. We some amazing burgers. The sunset over the water was so dramatic! What a great end to our anniversary trip!

Day 7: Lunch at Ladera to enjoy the view one last time before we fly out. Thank you Janus for a wonderful Vacation.

Chris & Sarah
Nov. 12- 19th, 2019

10 year anniversary and 38th birthday

10 years ago we honeymooned at a Sandals Resort. This year we came back to explore the Island and celebrate 10 years together. We have done a lot of traveling so our intent is always to rent a car ourselves without having a driver or travel on a tour bus.

So our first advise is to rent a car from Janus for your stay. It only takes a bit getting used to the roads or left hand drives.

Here are our highlights

1. Eat local foods: grill and chill- only locals here

• Martha’s Tables – off sugar beach road
• Fedos- try roti here – close by
• Chef Ramsey- private meal at villa 
• Debbie’s home made 

(We ate at the chocolate hotel for my birthday dinner at boucan restaurant too! Elegant food with chocolate infused dishes but small potions and expensive, great view of the Pitons).

2. Explore the island- we took the main road and drove the coast around the 2/3 of the island. Windy roads but incredible views.
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South East- found Sandy Beach- secluded beach where Caribbean and atlantic come together. If you have beach fantasies this is where they can come true. No one is on the beach. See through water and pretty view of some land masses near by.

North- Castries Gros Islet- loved reduit beach, lots of restaurants, pretty views but crowded. Umbrella and chairs only $10. We went on a Sunday. No cruise ships this day

Marigot Bay- Had drinks at Doolittle – watched the sunset

Tourist Activities

1. Sulphur Springs- tip : go between 9-10am. Before all the resorts vans drop off at 10am
2. Whale watch tour- Mystic Man- No whales but followed a big pod of dolphins for quite a while.
3. Tet Paul Nature Trail- easy trail- great views. (I am not a hiker so we did  not hike the pitons, so this trail is an option for people like me )
4. Torille waterfall- you can get in and go under the waterfall- crowded, maybe go early
5. Snorkel- Anse Chastanet- ok snorkeling- like I said we have travelled a lot so it was okay for us!

Need to know

1. E.c $2.75= us$1
2. Use google maps not iphone maps – before you leave villa put in your direction and then you are good to go.
3. Get groceries, we liked breakfast and must supper meals at villa and got wine for our private chef dinner!
4. Janus makes this villa the best. He is very attentive and quick on responding. He truly cares about his quests. Don’t hesitate to call him for anything. Go on Janus property tour, fun time with him!

Have fun! We loved our stay so much. Now back to our three kids at home
Blessings

Sarah & Chris

We truly enjoyed everything in St. Lucia, couldn’t be happier with the villa. 

We had everything we needed to get us by for the week. Janus as so amazing to us, treated us with a tour the first night to get an idea of the island layout, which made us so much more comfortable on where we were going! 

We suggest booking fishing trips with Mystic Man Tours, they put us on the fish and went above and beyond for us. 

Also suggest Snorkeling! We absolutely loved sugar beach! Not far from Anse Chastanet Beach! Snorkeling were to die for! We really didn’t do much other than that! We are so sad to be leaving, hope everyone enjoys their trip as much as we did

Love, 

The Deehers 

Mike & Sandy
Nov. 20 – 23rd 2019

We are in St. Lucia for 15 days. Our first part is just by hubbs and me! What a beautiful place this is!

Janus is so warm and friendly, he made us feel very welcomed! After renting our car we stopped at Massy’s for a few groceries. Be ready to spend bucks. The villa is so beautiful and Spacious.

The pool is amazing/views breathtaking. We have adult children arriving Saturday and we move onto our next place!

We went to Sugar beach for the day, rested, snorkel and swam. I even got sting by jelly fish, only hurt a bit lol

We also went to the Jade Resort. Loved it- rented beach chairs and chilled.

Nov. 23 – My 55th Birthday- on to our next pace.

Thank you Janus for a beautiful place to stay! It was a great adventure.
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Blessings

Sandi & Mike
Colorado USA

​​Aaron & Vanessa 
Sept. 15th – 22nd , 2019 
Yorkshire, United Kingdom

​We were picked up from the airport by one of Janus drivers called Malie. Who was really nice & friendly and really knowledgeable about where to go during our stay. Janus met us at the villa and is so welcoming and helpful and the villa is amazing.

​As it was Sunday, most shops here was closed so we’d researched and booked the Mango Tree Restaurant at the Stonefield resort. (about 5 minute drive) and Malie came and picked us up and dropped us back afterwards on a Sunday the Mango Tree has a pan steal band, who were great and he view of the ocean as we ate was amazing. Food was lovely and great cocktails.

Mango Tree had different “things” on during the week so worth checking & booking. Food prices were pretty reasonable. Euro $ 85 for 2 people with drinks 2x courses each

​Planned on having a lazy day today as the weather was a bit hit & miss with rain. Wandered into the town for smoothies at Zaka’s Art Café and went to the Supermarket. Spent the afternoon chilling and then Chef Ramsey came in the evening to cook us an amazing creole meal. So tasty & chef Ramsey is so nice & knowledgeable, highly recommend.

​Weather was pretty poor today with on & off rain but we didn’t let that stop us. We walked to the Botanical Gardens & Diamond falls in the morning. Took us about 20 minutes. Really lovely place & gorgeous plants. In the afternoon we were picked up and taken to Sulphur Springs which was a lot of fun and left our skin very smooth.

​Before our visit we’d booked dinner at Jade Montain and this didn’t disappoint. Its quite a steep drive to get there but is worth it. The views were amazing and the food was service was also spectacular. Pricey but as a one-off, so worth it!

​We were picked up early for the rainforest tour which was brilliant- pretty intese with a lot of steps, but our guide was great and so knowledgeable and we got to swim in the waterfall too! Because we finished the tour early, Ian our driver took us to the Nature trail which was Fantastic. The view of the Island & Pitons were amazing, we were then taken to lunch in a local restaurant in town which served proper creole meals- so tasty! We then spent the rest of the afternoon at the villa enjoying the pool, the view & Piton Beer!

​We wanted to go to Sugar Beach (Drone Footage) and Janus hooked us up with a water taxi ride from the front through one of his guides Jamal. $60 return for both of us which seems the standard price. However we had the whole boat to ourselves. It was an awesome trip, took us 15 minutes and the scenery was spectacular. Boat company called feel good boat tours.

Sugar Beach is just stunning. We paid $ 50 each for a shaded lounger & umbrella & towels. It also includes a few complimentary drinks & snacks and the staff were lovely & attentive. We had lunch here which was standard St. Lucia Pricing. We spent the day at the beach & loved it!

​We decided to enjoy another day at the villa. Today enjoying the sunshine & the pool. We’d picked up some food from the supermarket on our way back yesterday, so had everything we needed for a lazy villa day.

21st Sept.
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Weather was a little bit iffy in the morning. So we decided to stay By the villa but fambled into Soufriere for lunch at Pitit Peak, which was really nice. We then spent the afternoon in the sun by the pool.

​St. Lucia, the villa, Janus, Malie & Ian here all been fantastic. We’ve had such an amazing holiday & we’re so glad we picked Serrana Villa Airbnb & Janus to make our holiday so special.

Lazy morning at the villa. Nice. Sugar Beach afternoon. Took the shuttle, prepared to pay US$50.00 Per person fee but didn’t have to . Maybe being the slow season but we were told to simply present a receipt  from the restaurant & bar to the shuttle  on the return trip.

​Unfortunately no one asked to see a receipt. We enjoyed bbq pork ribs & an appetizer  trio at the beach restaurant . Snorkel here was very nice too. Comparable to Anse Chastanet.