Sapphire 4: Reviews From Those Who’ve Lived, Shopped, Explored & Dined in St. Lucia

​Janus was very welcoming and friendly. he showed us around and let us know we could contact him any time- which is very helpful.

We are on our honeymoon and have been island-hopping, and some of the places we were previously in were a little more rustic; so, coming here was a relief.

Day #1 – We hang out at Marigot bay just north of here before we checked in. They have many restaurants/ bars right on the water in the bay, they also have many local foods & drink huts. We took a water taxi from the parking lot to the middle of the bay where everything fun is going on, it was $5 each for the water taxi.

Across the bay, they had a paddle boarding, snorkeling, kayaking, food, shops, drinks and the hobiecut, which is what we did. 

We had a guide take us out and sail around the bay for 1 hr , he and his dad runs the water shops cosmos were so wonderful , friendly and fair. They weren’t about up charging but more about giving us a great experience. Dolan then took us over to his friends hut & we got great fish.

After checking in with Janus we headed into town & went grocery shopping @ erolines, they have a wide variety of items and it was clean and safe. We then went out for dinner @ petit peak near the water. We liked it because we could park our rental and watch it .the restaurant was clean and inviting. 


Day #2 – We got up at 5:30am and headed for millet which is the east side of St Lucia. We went to the millet bird sanctuary to see the St Lucia parrot, and other birds (we are bird watch lovers) , we seek out rare and new birds. However, normally I would tell you all places and people associated with bird watching are wonderful and so nice. This place wasn’t great. They charged us $150 Ec for 2for a 3-hr. hike through their grounds, looking for birds and their parrot. it was a mandatory guided hike with a guy name Alfred, who barely spoke English and didn’t really care about the birds. He just wanted to get his money and move on.  

Mud baths

We drove to volcano drive up that is a guide tour and they close @ 5pm. So, we decided to do the mud baths. It was $10us for per person. It was a blast. you walk down, change and cover yourself in mud and then soak in Sulphur hot water 100 F and it was so relaxing. Your skin is very soft after. They have showers after to clean off. The mud baths are open until 11pm.

Dinner

We made sure to have dinner in the daylight and we went to Michaels @ jen mwen . they were wonderful, friendly, inviting and fast. They have burgers, chicken, seafood and pizza. We ordered the pizza (12 inch ) Hawaiian and were very happy.

Day # 3 – Scuba diving with AA divers, ask for Chester then check out.

Had a wonderful time while we were here !! we will come back and stay with janus. Thank you for all the recommendations in this book! 

Danielle & Stephen

​Soufriere is such a cute little town with lots to do!! We enjoyed this apartment the couple of days of exploring.

Hike Pitit Piton - Super challenging and its more like rock climbing but go with an experience guide and they’ll help out a lot. It rained on us to it made it even more of a challenge, but the views are incredible. Our guide’s name was Ashley (AKA- walking tree) Contact- 758  721- 0949. To book they were great to work with and even took us to the Sulphur Springs afterwards! (us$170 for 2 of us)

Sulphur Springs & Drive-In Volcano – super interesting and it helps to know the info behind it.

Torille Waterfall - we walked from our apartment and it was quite a hike. But we wanted to save on taxi rides. The cold water felt good after our walk though! (us$3 each)

New Jerusalem Waterfall - really close to Torille waterfall so went there at the same trip. We thought it was a must. Its tucked away in the rainforest  and not a lot of bus and tour groups go there so at times it was only us two; also the warm mineral baths felt amazing!! (US$4 each)

Gens Mwen: Super affordable and great food down by the ocean, chicken roti was amazing.
De Belle View- mole of local cuisine with that feel aswell. Still very reasonable and second story of a building by the ocean. I liked the vibes, it was probably our favorite local place for food.
Maries: we ate here after going to the Botanical Gardens. It was good with local food style. Its buffet styles so US$15 per person and the food was pretty good for buffet.

Pier 28 : Very clean and neat inside. Get their potato wedges instead of their fries : delicious reasonable price and good food!

We wish we had some more time here in Soufriere to explore as there is so much to do. The Lucians were very friendly even if they hussle you to buy things. Just say you’re not interested and they will back off.

Everyone is willing t help you find something if you are lost. St. Lucia and their people are beautiful. We had an amazing trip.

Shout-out to Janus for being a great most and always being available

Thanks for everything
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Mark & Shelby

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This town (Soufriere) has tons of little Gems – Be a pirate and explore. We rented a car (highly recommended) To explore the ins-and-outs. 

Recommendations 

Sugar Beach 
Anse Mamin
Mud Bath
Botanical Gardens
Toraille Waterfalls
Pitons Hike 
Soufriere Beach 

Food: 

Petit Peaks $$$$
Zaka’s Art Café For Coffee $ 
Pier 28  - Burgers/Wings $$
Peaks Café. – Pizza $$
Orlando’s  -  Fine Dining $$$$
Fedos
Ti Take  - Café $ 
Good Restaurant – Starts with a “Valh” just before getting into sapphire – Sports Bar. 


We had a fantastic time here! Find a local grocery store and grab your supplies  - bread, beer, wine, snakcs. 


Nightlife Is dormant, so enjoy the beautiful balcony and the views. 


Janus is a great host – very welcoming, and helpful. Ask him anything and he’ll recommend you the best options. 


Enjoy your time, relax, take it all in – you’re on island time now! 


Thanks, Janus  - This was lovely 


MCKENZIE + JAY ​

​We would like to thank janus and his team for their hospitality. They were able to make our vacation happen! What a beautiful island with beautiful scenery and the friendliest of people. 

This book was a great guide to help us pick out things to do and places to eat. We really loved Zaka’s for coffee, Pier 28 for affordable and delicious food. If you visit pigeon island  - get some food at The Firstly Parrot!! 

Thank you Janus for making our dream vacation come true. We can’t wait to come back. We would recommend your villas any day! 

Jen and Julian 

​Jules & Emily (Nov. 12-17)
Atlanta GA

We were here for a very short stay. We got a rental car at UVF airport and didn’t arrive until about 6pm. It was dark by the time we arrived so we stayed in and cooked, drank wine and planned our next day.

Day 2- please note that if you plan to do attractions start early as tour groups arrive and can make your wait longer. We started our first activity at 9:30 and it worked out perfectly. We were ahead of the crowds.

1. Morne Coubaril Historical Adventure Park- ziplining (us$75pp) only 8 zip lines, it wasn’t my bf’s first time and he thought it was awesome. I’ve gone before and I thought it was kind of pricey for the amount of Ziplines and quality. We did have fun together though, and guides were very nice and informative.

2. Sulphur Springs, drive-In volcano – HOT mud baths (us$15pp) combo for both volcano tour (20 mins), short but interesting if you like hearing about nature stuff. Mud baths is a must- very relaxing – HOT

3. Torille Waterfall- us$3 pp, not a long walk but very refreshing cold water. Quick stop, maybe spend 30 minutes there – worth it!!

4. Tet Paul Nature Trail – 45minutes (us$1-pp) opted out of guide. Amazing views. This is a must a huge photo op session.

All of the attractions are very easy to find/drive to if you rented a car like we did. We had a great jam packed day! We don’t have any food suggestions because we cooked a lot of our food
Remember to start early. The crowds started showing up right after we were done at each attraction.
HAVE FUN!!

Ps- hummingbird beach is beautiful and close. We went there because we only had a day and a half but we discovered that’s all we would’ve needed anyways
Everything is close by (within 15 minutes drive.
Make sure you have cash. ATM’s are in town.

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Many thanks to Janus- Fantastic apartment, amazing views. Fresh bread brought one morning and ice tray we managed to break replaces with deluxe version the same morning

Everything is doable but we do recommend hire a car to make getting about easier.

We found the easiest route to town was right out of apartment. Immediately left down the hill until you reach the cross road then right pas the playing field then left just past primary school, then left right at the Fire station. Depending on where you’re going 20 minute walk to town.

2 supermarkets in town. We thought Eroline had a much wider range than Allain.

Everyone very friendly. And anyone trying to sell you something will stop if you just say you’re not interested, never been pestered.

Zaka’s in town does amazing coffee, doesn’t do food, in theory but did us a couple of omelettes and toasts they were delicious

We ate at The Humminbird, very quiet but great views and excellent food. Foods of most of the resorts are very pricey.

Drive to Anse Chastanet is a challenge but possible. We managed in a little Chevrolet, first sedan is the safest. Road is very bumpy.

Snorkeling at Anse Chastanet- good. We found the reef to the left the best. Worth a walk to Anse Mamin. Walk along the beach to your right and Anse Mamin is signposted. 10 minute walk along dirt road. Ignore any sign saying resort guests only etc. All beaches in St. Lucia are Public Acess. Anse Mamin is Beautiful. Snorkel is good but not as many fish. We did see an octopus, and a snake eel.

Other things:

Diamond Botanical Gardens- Beautiful. Get there say before 10am to miss the crowds which would spoil the peacefulness.

Sulphur Springs- tour up to Volcano interesting. Worth doing. Mud baths excellent, but does get busy.

Torille waterfall- small but good value. Can stand underneath falls, got there before 9:30am and we were alone which was great.

All in all – beautiful apartment. Thank you Janus.

Would suggest a car for ease of getting around.

Everyone very friendly.

Get to places early to avoid crowds

July 21- 26
Grey & Amy. USA

Honeymooners

We had a great time here in Soufriere for the second half of our honeymoon in St. Lucia. (First half was in Marigot Bay)

Overall Recommendations:

Activities:

Diamond Botanical Gardens & Waterfall – Beautiful- walking distance from here
Soufriere Beach by Humming Bird Resort- walking distance, lovely beach and water feels great and refreshing, we went 3x


Snorkeling at Sugar Beach – incredible, so many fish, feel like swimming in an aquarium. Took a water taxi there for us$40 so didn’t have to pay an entrance fee.
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Gros Piton Hike- guide sets an easy steady pace, so not so hard if you are in shape, but coming down can be a bit tricky so we were a bit sore the next day, but worth it, great view and accomplishment hiking in a rainforest.


Sulphur Springs  & mud baths- felt great after the Gros Piton hike relaxing, great for skin.

Food:

Fedos – affordable, good food, close

Gens Mwen- along water front, very good and affordable- saltfish and fids and chicken roti, cheap.

Pier 28 – great wings – cheap

Belle Vue-great calalou soup and fish fries but pricey for more entrees

Zaka’s – great coffee and smoothies

Mango tree-was our spurge – buffet ($50 per person) was incredibly delicious with an outstanding view of the Pitit Piton

Street foods – fun to try! Fried bakes, sandwiches

Bakery on the street down to the beach- great bread and scones
Bought candies and fruits, peanut bottle types. Treats from a lady at I think it was called carneys bar on the way down to the beach (buy fruit from the street)
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Thank you Janus and your team for a great stay! You all were very helpful with rides and reservations! Very friendly and helpful team we had an awesome time. Thank you!


Greg & Amy Larson

Day 1- we arrived to Soufriere on Saturday June 8th and around 4:00pm. We unpacked and reviewed this book for recommendations. We ventured off to walk around Soufriere to find something to eat! We heard Pier 28 was good so we decided to try it out ! the food was very good. We both ate for $28EC for 2 meals 1 soda. Very affordable.

​We were told that everywhere closes down on  Sundays so we went to the local Supermarket and bought some groceries for Sunday so we could cook instead. After we bought groceries. We walked back to Sapphire 4. This is about a mile walk- took us 15-20 minutes to walk to Pier 28 and grocery store.

Day 2- Woke up and decided to check out Zaka’s as Ryan loves coffee, so we gave it a try! We ordered Iced coffees. The coffee was strong! But great! They make their coffee right there straight from the beans. The only bad thing was we drank this on an empty stomach – bad idea for me! At that point I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before and I began to feel sick. I was also dehydrated. Drink tons of water! But I felt lightheaded and thought I was going to pass out. Then I started to feel tingling in my hands face and legs. I thought I was going to black out, So to make a very long story short with the gracious help of Janus I ended up at the Soufriere hospital because at that point we weren’t sure what was wrong with me. Janus Arranged 2 drivers to take us and they were both speedy and helpful. One of Janus driver even stayed at the hospital with us! We were very impressed with Janus and his staff! When we arrived, they took my vitals to see how I was doing , then the doctor came in to talk with us. There was only 1 other person there so we were thankful it wasn’t busy. The doctor was from Cuba and was very helpful. Apparently all my vitals were good so he started asking a lot of Questions. He ended up giving me medication for the headache and stomach pains! After a while I was feeling a lot better! Expecting to pay a fortune the total was $60EC! Which in reality was $23US! Amazing. So all in all I had a panic attack which caused the tingling and heat exhaustion has been the main culprit of my bad health today. I was so worn out that I ended up needing some medical attention but I was thankful it was there when I needed it.

Day 3 – Monday- after yesterday we thought we should take it slow and easy, also we found out that today was a holiday. Called it Wheat Monday. Many people here are Catholic and this was a Catholic Holiday. Happens Every Monday once a year. The day after Pentecostal Sunday. So a lot of stores and restaurants were closed again. But we decided to try Pitit Peak For Breakfast. It was very good! We both ate for like $50EC, 2 meals and 2 bottles water so not bad. We hang around the area for a while. They have a walk way by the ocean and many stores and restaurants in that area.

There’s a harbor there as well! Very pretty. There will be quite a few people coming up to you to sell necklaces, bracelets etc! so be aware of that! People are very friendly but we had to pace ourselves not to spend to much as we were running out on small bills and change fast sometimes.

They have fresh coconuts that they were selling for $2 ec. Worth it! They give a straw you can drink first and then after you drink it  they cut it open for you then you eat the inside! Later we walked to Diamond Botanical Gardens- which was amazing! This is where Diamond waterfall was also located ($14USD FOR 2) We didn’t use a guide, just walked in and explored This place is a mile walk from here not a bad walk. It was a very pretty day out! Dinner- for dinner we decided to spurge a little, we went to Mango Tree Restaurant.

All the drivers were on different parts of the island so janus came himself to drop us all the way to dinner. Again so thankful for Janus. He gave us rides and was always so happy to do it. I just appreciate that when there were no rides he came himself to take care of us. Mango tree was great, excellent food. Pricey but good quality food.

Day 4- Last day :( - we walked down to Fedo’s for Breakfast. Very affordable. I had an egg sandwich and Ryan had an egg & Ham sandwich $20ec. Alton Janus driver came to pick us up at Fedos to take us to Tet Paul Nature trail- this is a must! It was a 15 minute drive from Fedos. Tet Paul is a nature trail that allows you to hike to a lookout point between both Pitons. It was $20us to get in the trail (per couple) We went with a guide but you don’t have to have one. The guide gave us good information concerning the plants and took pictures for us. The trail is easy- moderate and can be done with or without a guide. The views were stunning at one point the Gros Piton was on our left and Pitit Piton was on our right. Pretty cool!

For dinner we stumbled upon this restaurant facing the ocean down the street from Pier 28. It was a pink colored restaurant with a flashing Pizza sign on the right side of it all (Gen’s Menu) was the name listed on Google map. Honestly our favorite place. Ryan had a bbq pizza and it was made from scratch and placed in a wood fired oven. So yummy! It had chicken a fries which was very good!  ($43ec) for 2 meals and 1 bottle water. Come here. Great food and fun outdoor atmosphere. They have breakfast too!

Overall Recs!

Eats:
1. Pier 28
2. Zaka’s for coffee
3. Pitit Peak
4. Mango Tree
5. Fedos
6. Gen’s mwen

Tourists (souvenir shops:

1. Lifestyle
2. Tik-Tak- nice & air-conditioned

Activities:

1. Diamond Botanical Gardens
2. Tet Paul Nature Trail
3. Sulphur Springs & Mud Baths
4. Ziplining
5. Sit out at beach front- harbor park (Soufriere)

And many more I’m Sure!
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Janus is an incredible host- the best! Such a visionary! We absolutely loved getting to know him, Check out his villas- They’re amazing! We loved our stay and would for sure stay again! 

Amazing time. Jamal was our go to guy to get us where we needed to go and he took some amazing photos at mud baths and rain fall

We did a private snorkeling trip off sugar beach. Sylvester our captain (758- 717-4126).  took us to 3 very nice spots and we enjoyed it so much we did it twice

Jamal got the  best guy for ATV’s. We had the best experience.

The dream Down in the town was excellent a cheap for a local cuisine. Its about a 20 minute walk  down to the town. Do it! We had a great time drinking @ whispers

Janus is Amazing

Two happy customers
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Thank you Many Blessings

Ada & Rosto April 2019

Tips from us 😊
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1.       New Jerusalem- Hot springs in the nature, more locals as tourist
We have been there in the evening.
 
2.       En Bas Saut Trail – Rainforest trail to the waterfall
Lots of stairs in the jungle 
According to the weather you should get really close to the trail
You don’t need a guide it is not mandatory
If there is an official employee the entrance fee should be U.S $10-15 per person (we didn’t meet one)
 
3.       Gros Piton hike –You should do it ,
Perfect views, you see Pitit Piton from there.
 
4.       Local Villages - we got lost and came to this part of the island
Perfect experience , chatting with locals
Saltibus , daban village
 
5.       Laborie Beach – really nice beach
 
6.       Sugar Beach -Go from a southern side in that case you don’t need to walk you can part your right by the beach
 
7.       Tet Paul Trail – Nice view, but trail is a strong werd 😉 
 
8.       Drive-in Volcano + Sulphur -  tip from employee- go there 5-7
Interesting but more tourist
9.       Martha’s Tables Restaurant – Incredibly good. Must try.
 
10.   Diamond botanical Gardens- nice, touristical 
 
11.   Market – buy fresh fruits from the market in the morning.
 
Enjoy your stay by Janus, the apartment is perfect, you'll have here everything you need and more.
You can part by hospital when exploring the town.

Everybody will try to convince you that you need a guide everywhere- this is not true- check it always before
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Have a nice holiday 😊

​Derek & Elissa (Boston, Ma, USA)

Booked Sapphire 4 for our honeymoon, we stayed 6 days and are now headed to a resort up north for the reminder of our trip. Some highlighted things we did during our time here.

1.       Mud Baths/Volcano- US$15PP for combo. We got a guide but she wasn’t the best, could potentially do without one but was more interesting to hear the details.

2.       Hummingbird beach/Soufriere Beach Park-great spot close by if you are looking for a beach for only a short period. You can stay all day if you like. There are just SO many great beaches!

3.       Sunset tour with mystic man- US$66PP, the best adventure experience we did during our time here. Stunning

4.       Mineral baths / Botanical Gardens- US$15PP, very beautiful, water was hot!

5.       Jade Mountain restaurant- went for a birthday lunch, amazing view. Splurge of course but this was our one ‘’Fancy meal here’’

6.       Anse Chastanet- took water taxi for US$50 and spent the day. Had lunch at the restaurant there. A bit over priced but drinks were delish.

7.       Janus taking us to Saba Villa. Speechless. We know where we will be booking next time!!!

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Lots of advice. Lock your door while driving, we had a man jump in the back seat attempted to give us unwanted directions and then asked for money – rude!

Overall, great stay! Thank you a million times Janus. You are an excellent Airbnb host ! 5 stars

Ice coffee @ Zaka’s

Valelse- staff is so nice!

Pier 28 – very yummy
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Pitit Peak- not our favorite but not bad.

​Robin and Heather from England
12th Feb - 1st March 2019

17 beautiful nights in St Lucia. Sapphire 4 has been a great place to stay and Janus is one in a million. Very keen to please and so friendly too.

We hired a car (from Janus' recommendation) and used it to see all of the island. The driving is interesting but the views are stunning.

In Soufriere we can recommend the following:

1. Lunch at Anse Chastenet. A total treat and well worth the cost. Book in advance. Public beach there too. Treetop restaurant at Jade Mountain has the best view on the island, and lovely food too!!

2. Boucan Restaurant at Hotel Chocolat, Rabot Estate. 70% liquid chocolate is delicious. Book the "from pod to bean" tour and get the chance to grate your own cocoa tree.

3. Zaka's Art Cafe. Owned by a very friendly couple. Mango smoothies and real coffee recommended as well as the interesting art work.

4. Watching both the sunrise and sunset from the balcony.

5.Refreshing rain showers which usually last for a short period.

6. Cheap decent lunches at Fedo's and Deja Vu. We enjoyed out trip north to Rodney Bay and also the cross island route to Dennery. Distances are short but take longer than you would imagine because of hills and bends.

Janus never sells anything so don't be taken in by anyone else. Deliveries of bread and fruit much appreciated.

P.S Tet Paul Trail is amazing at 8a.m.

​Lindsay & Jason. 15/1/19-23/1/19. Devon UK.

Very pleased with the apartment and Janus is a fantastic host, he was always prompt in responding to any questions we had.

Our Observations:

Anse Mamin was by far the best beach in Soufriere, quiet, clean and friendly. It's just a short walk along the coast from Anse Chastenet, which we found was crowded and resort staff rude. However we did go snorkeling here and it was beautiful. We got a water taxi over which cost $50 return including 2x snorkeling gear. 

Piton Falls- We decided to walk there from the apartment, it was lovely. Just walk to the Petit Peak restaurant and start walking along the beach edge heading towards the pitons, you pass residential side of town (where we were far less hassled than high st.) then onto a track that joined the main road to the falls. It took about 1/2 hour to get there. The falls cost $3 each. As we went around 9:30-10a.m. it wasn't crowded and at one point we were the only ones there. The fall was smaller than Toraille falls, but they were warmer, deeper and more picturesque. There was also a naturally hot pool/bath next to it which was unexpected. 
This was a great morning out!

Hummingbird Beach- Had a lovely day at the local beach, the water was clear and the beach was clean. Only downside was we didn't bring parasol and there wasn't much shade on the beach. 

Town Center - The supermarket sold everything we needed and the bakery does lovely cakes. There is a small bar painted blue and yellow opposite petrol station, near the pier which sells cheap drinks. The café called Dreams does a wonderful milkshake. Unfortunately we were stopped everyday by people wanting to sell us weed or offer us a boat taxi or tour. They were never nasty or rude, but it did get a bit tiresome. Our funniest moment was meeting the same guy twice, to which he then apologized - which was nice! 

We are off to Marigot Bay now for a week. So far it's been a lovely holiday.
Thanks again Janus!

Lindsay and Jason.