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

Maggie and I had an amazing stay here at Sapphire! We are two college kids from St. Louis, Missouri, USA, so everything was a budget for us. Janus helped us stay within our means while here, so shout out to him! (also, we had no car) 

Okay we had Jermal (he’s our fav) pick us up in Castries and basically had a tour guide for the ride down. We stopped at the grocery store and picked us all the goods we needed (Massy is where you go). Jermal hooked us up with the coconut candy so we snagged 3 for $10 EC before arriving to Sapphire. We did not eat out often because Maggie is a phenomenal cook, but we do have some suggestions! 

- Petit Peak- over on the coast, more toward the mountain, 25 mins walk. We had a few cocktails which came around $36 US. The staff were nice and friendly, and we loved watching the boats coming in and out. 

- Humming Bird- We stopped in after a day with Chester. Peter was our Bartender, he was lovely!  This place was a little more pricey, but the drinks and food was exquisite! We ended up getting another round, so four drinks plus two lunch meals for roughly $75 US + TIP. Meal was large so we took left overs. 

- Ti Tak- small little café, sweet bartenders, incredible drinks. Food was good to the menu is small, 2 drinks and 2 sandwiches. $31 US + Tip.

Adventures

Keep in mind Mags and I walked pretty much everywhere!

- [ Scuba with Chester] Amazing experience. Mags was already certified, so I figured I’d get my certification while I was here. Chester is a wonderful human, great energy and extremely knowledgeable of the reefs. I seat here now, open water certified and it’s all thanks to him. $65 US a dive, price drops if you take more. I suggest at least doing two. The reefs are gorgeous, Chester will also teach you about them. Action Adventure Sports by Humming Bird Resort. 

- [ Toraille Waterfall] 23- 30-minute walk from the apartment. It’s like 47 US for a dip in the waterfall. It’s just cool + picturesque 

- [ Diamond Gardens] 20-25 minutes’ walk. Flowers are out of the world!! The garden is set up nicely and they teach you a lot about the garden and beauty within. Theirs a beautiful Sulphur waterfall! 

- [Sugar Beach] We read a lot about it so we figured we’d check it out! We paid $50 US pp which sounds ridiculous but that’s a credit toward food and drinks (which are both out of this world) Didn’t sit by the beach in the fancy chairs by the beach because apparently, they charge $50 US FOR A DAMN CHAIR!! Wil. You do have access to their infinity pool as well, it's gorgeous for it seats at the base of petit piton. Recommend it for the day. 

- [Gros Piton] Beautiful, adventurous and strenuous. Mags and I are 23, so this wasn’t the most wild thing we’ve climbed, but with the added heat, it’s not easy! Be prepared for a 2 hour climb up and 2 hour climb down. Bring all the water and snacks needed (lots of water). You can do it if you put your mind to it it’s a great climb! Highly recommend.

P.S. Do this one before hoping on Petit Piton which is more difficult. 

Summary:

Most beautiful topography that even if you do nothing you still feel like you’re in Sapphire! Janus is a wonderful host, anything you need don’t hesitate to ask. Scuba dive with Chester you won’t be disappointed.

​Climb Gros Piton if you are able to ( it's not easy bring lots of water). Go to Massy for your groceries (Bounty rum is the local rum). Buy coconuts, eat the mangoes. Get a cocktail at Ti Tak.

​Locals are very kind, don’t be afraid to ask for help! Stay on the left side of the road, and lastly leave free. Cheers! 

Maggie + Taylor

​After spending the first 3 days of our trip at the Serrana Villa ( one of Janus’ other lovely Airbnbs), Sapphire 4, has been a great home base for the rest of our stay on St. Lucia. It’s been the perfect honeymoon getaway! 

Monday June 11: 

We spent the late morning (early afternoon at the Morne Coubaril for Zip lining and Buffet lunch. $$75.00 each for zip-lining and $15.00 each for lunch. (We booked online and ended up paying $10.00 extra for a service charge, so we recommend waiting to book till you arrive in person). Zip-lining was fun with great guides. There were 8 lines, and weren’t too high, for those afraid of heights. Because our zip-lining lasted 10:30-11:15, and lunch didn’t begin till 12:00, we had to wait for a while on nearby benches. We would book zip-lining closer to lunchtime, now that we know their timeline! After, I tried their freshly homemade coconut candy (made right next to the souvenir shop) and bought a bag for $2.00 (I think). It was delicious! Lunch was great, too!! 

Tuesday June 12: Anse Mamin/Mango Tree Dinner

One of our favorite days! We rented a car, so my husband braved the drive to Anse Chastanet/Anse Mamin. We’d heard the road was awful. It was bumpy (similar to the roads to get up here to Sapphire), and the first bit was narrow and steep, but doesn’t last too long. The destination makes it totally worth it! Free parking at the entrance to Anse Chastanet (Jade Mountain’s beach). 

We didn’t stay at Anse Chastanet, but walked the way to the right side of the beach and followed the dirt road for about 5 minutes to arrive at Anse Mamin. 

Beautiful beach! Not crowded 😊 you can pay for beach chairs, but we just used our towels on the sand. The burger place on the beach was great lunch! My husband really liked his crispy chicken burger and I was really impressed with their vegetarian burger! 

Later, in the evening, we left Sapphire 4 to have dinner at The Mango Tree restaurant (Located at Stonefield Resort). Make a reservation ahead of time! the restaurant opens at 6:30, but we arrived around 5:45 to watch the sunset – the view of Petit Piton and Caribbean sea from the restaurant is gorgeous! The staff were so lovely and welcoming. 

Dinner was wonderful! We shared the coconut cheesecake for dessert. Oh my goodness, so good! 

Wednesday June 13: Sugar Beach

Today we drove to sugar beach. We parked in the dirt lot just outside the main entrance/gate to the resort and walked down the (steep) hill to the beach. Took about 20 mins to walk down. 

The beach was beautiful and since we arrived a little before 10am, it wasn’t crowed. We caved and splurged on comfy beach chairs for $50.00 USD each – you can pay the resort C Card. We enjoyed our time there! Brought our own snacks so we wouldn’t have to spend more money. If you buy chairs and/or food/drinks you qualify to get a shuttle ride back to the top of the hill (worth it!!). 

Thursday June 14: Tet Paul Nature Trail & Mud Baths

A short drive away, the Tet Paul Nature Trail is a short hike (45 ish minutes ata very slow pace and stopping to take pictures) with gorgeous views. Entrance fee was $10.00 USD/person. Beautiful plants, butterflies, and 360 degree view from the top of the trail. Back in Soufriere, we found a souvenir shop just a few stores north of the first Caribbean international bank on Bridge street. The souvenir shop had widest selection and best prices we’ve seen! (For example; hats were $10.00 USD compared to all other tourist attraction shops where they were $20.00 USD). Very nice owner as well. at 4:30, we arrived at the Sulphur springs for a mud bath/tour. For the Mud Bath, we had the whole spot to ourselves! The only thing was that no one told us that tours stop at 5pm, so by the time we were done with the baths/rinsed off (wear dark swimsuits so they don’t stain), all workers were heading home. The supervisor just told us to bring our tickets back in the morning to redeem our tour, so it worked out!

Friday June 15: Sulphur Springs Tours 

Our last day ☹ we just got back from our 25 minute Sulphur springs tour, where we learned about the volcano/caldera. The tour was informative, and you get to see the crater, but the tour itself wasn’t necessary. 

Time to pack up and head back to the airport. We’ve loved our week in paradise! Thank you, Janus, for your hospitality and for running the best Airbnb’s!! Can’t wait to come back to St. Lucia 

Justin & Emily