St Lucia Airbnb vs. Resorts: Why Travelers Are Ditching the Crowds in Favor of Private Properties

I won’t lie, the resorts are beautiful to look at.  But when I finally get the chance to get away from the chaos that is everyday life, crowds are absolutely the last thing I want to contend with.

​St. Lucia is an island known as much for its flashy resorts as for its natural beauty.  I’m on vacation in a tropical paradise.  I don’t want to stand in line to get a beverage or splash around in a pool that has a hundred other people in it- I want to lie on a float, cold drink in hand, and hear nothing but the sounds of St. Lucia all around me.  On that note, I bring up something that millions of global travelers and hundreds of St. Lucia visitors thought of before me- Airbnb. 

​The very first time I used Airbnb for my St. Lucia vacation rental I knew I was never staying at another resort again.

​When you think of using a St. Lucia villa owned by someone else, you might picture what it was like that time you stayed with that friend of a friend back in college.  Someone else’s stuff in all the drawers, unfamiliar family photos, and just a general sense that you were imposing on someone else’s property.  Let me tell you-a good St. Lucia Airbnb is enough to get that image out of your memory forever.  So what is it really like?  A good Airbnb in St. Lucia is essentially just like being at home- you know, if your home had an infinity pool overlooking the water and the Piton Mountains and everything in it was still exactly as it was when it was new.   It’s basically your chance to live your dream life.  And the best part?  Not only do you have the pool to yourself, but a St. Lucia Airbnb rental is actually cheaper than a resort.  An entire vacation home for less than the price of a room in a resort overrun by other travelers?  Sign me up!​

​​It’s not just the pool.  It’s not just the views, either.  We are talking prime real estate.  My last St. Lucia Airbnb was a Soufriere vacation rental so close to the Pitons that I could practically hit them with a rock.  Here I was in a completely private villa, yet I could reach every Soufriere attraction, restaurant, and shop within minutes.  Not to mention the villa offered the option of a private chef in case I didn’t want to avail myself of what had to be the nicest kitchen I’ve ever seen.  Private owners care about the little stuff, too.  My villa had a computer for me to use (Wi-Fi included), a lovely television, and don’t get me started on the rain shower.  Frankly, the owner is lucky that I am not still in it.  Everything that makes MY house feel like home was there.  Soft towels?  Check.  Dishes and silverware?  Check.  Coffee pot?  Big check.  Blender for when I feel like the only thing that would make my island escape feel more authentic is a cold pina colada?  Check again.

It isn’t that St. Lucia resorts are bad, per se.  It is just that St. Lucia Airbnb rentals are better.  I deal with crowds and strangers every day in my real life.  I don’t need to do it in my vacation life, too.  When I want to get away from my cares, the best way to do it is to go somewhere that everything is done on my schedule.  I eat when I want, drink when I want, and enjoy activities on my own watch.  With a St. Lucia vacation Airbnb, I get the experience I dreamed of and not one that is planned for me.

The 3 Coolest Airbnbs in St. Lucia to Book for Your Next Trip

Honeymooning At Serrana Villa - You Won't Believe This is An Airbnb

Whatever lodging choice you make, it is always important to listen to what the insiders have to say.