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Villa Caribbean Dream is a very friendly and inexpensive getaway set in a delightful house at the very southern tip of St Lucia, the more natural side of the island. Set on the hillside on the Moule à Chique peninsular with a magnificent view, there are four double rooms, an apartment and a pretty self-contained cottage, but however you visit, the German owner Brigitte, is always in the background to look after you. She offers a very welcoming atmosphere in a classic Caribbean setting of verandas, brightly coloured balustrades, gingerbread filigree and hammocks and a cracking view.
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KEY FEATURES
| Fantastic St Lucia Guest House, St Lucia rentals by owner, 4 guest rooms, 1 studio apartment and a Creole Cottage with kitchenette, very friendly German owner, and dog. WiFi. Great value, cheap Caribbean vacation. |
STYLE
| Pretty traditional Creole style with verdant tropical gardens. St Lucia off the beaten path |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Perfect for solo travellers or couples looking for a retreat with massage, complementary therapy and homeopathy available. |
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Villa Caribbean Dream sits in lovely tropical gardens at the top of a hill at the very southern tip of St Lucia. From its hillside setting it looks out onto the Caribbean Sea and the whole southern area of the island, along the coast and then into the mountainous heartland of St Lucia. In the background are the tops of the two Pitons.
The house is modern but it has a classic Caribbean atmosphere, brightly painted in pink, lilac and yellow, with shingle roofs and pretty gingerbread trim, all set in fantastic greenery. There is a huge veranda, where you can spend your day lounging and sunbathing. But most important is the fact that Villa Caribbean Dream is a home that has been converted into a guest house, and you feel this the moment that you walk into the door. You are made welcome by Brigitte Maronie, from Germany and you can make the place your home.
You enter the main house through the huge family living room. There is a large wicker three seater sofa and three armchairs around a glass topped rattan coffee table, and then there is a two seater sofa and a reclining chair. There is a library of books and cds, a stereo and cable television to keep you entertained and the room is decorated with personal belongings including photos of the family/couple and their dog. To one side there is a communal kitchen for guests and next to it a dining table with five chairs facing the garden.
The other way to the front of the living room you walk out onto a lovely and very large terraced area. There is a large dining table with 10 seats, a second round terrace table withan umbrella and plenty of places that you can take it easy - four wooden sun loungers made of tropical hardwood and two sit-in hammocks – all surrounded by a beautiful fringe of pot plants, ferns, palms and banana trees. And of course it also has a fantastic view, straight out to sea and along the coast.
There are a number of different options for accommodation at Villa Caribbean Dream. To one side of the main house through the communal guest area there are four regular rooms, set in their own wing with a separate entrance, though guests are very much a part of the activity of the house if they want to be. To the rear of the main house is a self-contained apartment upstairs and set on its own in the garden within a very pretty Caribbean cottage. If anything the Creole Cottage, another self-contained unit, is even prettier than the main house. It has a double pitched roof that reaches out over a wooden veranda and brightly painted balustrade. (For detailed descriptions, see below.)
Villa Caribbean Dream is quite remote for St Lucia. It is the north of the island that is developed with the big hotels and restaurants. However, there are several extremely good things about the southern end. First it is very close to the international airport Hewanorra (if you fly in from another Caribbean island, make sure to fly into this airport, otherwise you may end up over an hour’s drive away, in Castries) and second it has excellent windsurfing and kitesurfing at Anse de Sables. Also, Brigitte has spent a lifetime in the travel trade and so she understands well what guests are looking for and from her extensive knowledge of the island she can give the very best advice. |
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Beach & Swimming
Villa Caribbean Dream is not on the beach, but the beaches in this southern area of St Lucia have white sand. The nearest and coincidentally the most active beach in the area is Anse de Sables, a long stretch of white excellent sand and shallow water which has a couple of beach bars and of course excellent wind and kite-surfing facilities. It is a three kilometre ride away from Villa Caribbean Dream, near the end of the runway on the other side of the peninsular, so you will need to go by vehicle (7 minutes). Brigitte runs a shuttle to the beach once a day (US$5 one-way/US$8 return, per person). For the fit and active, it will take 25 minutes to walk to Anse de Sables |
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Sports & Recreation
The main sport available in this area is windsurfing and kitesurfing, and Anse de Sables, with its constant onshore winds, is one of the best places in the whole of the Caribbean for the sport. There are two watersports shops there that hire out the equipment and instruction is available for beginners.
There is also good walking around Balenbouche, just a little farther along the coast (close to Choiseuil) and in the Soufrière area. There are also some hikes on the Atlantic coast, including Morne la Combe, Descartiers and the Eastern Nature Trail between Dennery and Micoud.
If you would like to be pampered or use your stay to restore your vitality, Villa Caribbean Dream offers acupuncture, reflexology, Reiki and healing massage, as well as homeopathy. |
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Staff
Villa Caribbean Dream is owned and run by Brigitte Maronie assisted by her excellent cook / housekeeper, Noelita. |
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The Rooms
The Guest Rooms in the Main House
The four guest rooms in the main house have their own entrance and are separated slightly from the owners’ living space (though of course you are quite welcome to spend time there). There are three bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs. They all have roughly the same layout, with a double bed (one has a set of twins pushed together to make a king) with hanging mosquito net, ceiling fans, cupboards and bedside tables. The downstairs bedroom has a queen-size bed, hanging fan and large open cupboards. They are decorated with local art and have very bright bedspreads to go with the colourful theme of the house.
Each of the rooms has their own fridge/freezer but there is also a small communal kitchen with another fridge/freezer, a gas oven, double sink and plenty of cups and saucers, toaster and hurricane lamps, a bread maker. The bedrooms share bathrooms (one downstairs and one upstairs). The bathroom upstairs has a bath, shower, loo and basin. Downstairs there is a shower cubicle, loo, scales and a basin.
The four rooms also have their own communal seating area with a large sofa. Here you will find information on where to go and what to do in the area by way of St. Lucia island tours. There are also magazines, a stereo, television, some spare standing fans. From here you walk straight out onto a balcony which looks out over the garden to the sea. There is a clothesline and a barbecue.
Rainbow Apartment
Rainbow apartment is a self-contained one-bedroom apartment upstairs in a separate cottage. It is large, with a shingle roof, and has excellent views over the rest of the property and beyond to the coastline and sea. You approach through a small balcony where there are two wicker chairs and then you walk into an open plan room with king size bed in the corner with hanging mosquito net and standing fans. There is no air conditioning in the room but there is plenty of breeze with louvred windows. By the bed is a rattan, glass-topped coffee table, small television, bookshelf, cable television and stereo, covered by a drape. The kitchen is open plan. It is equipped with a large fridge/freezer, coffee machine, toaster, an oven with four gas rings, a large sink and plenty of plates and cutlery for the two people in the room. On the other side of the room, the small bathroom has a large stand-in shower. Above the basin is a colourful carved wood mirror with dolphins painted around the edge.
Creole House
The creole house is a free-standing cottage in classic Caribbean style, brightly coloured, fringed with pretty gingerbread and wrapped around with a wide l-shaped wrap veranda. Here you will find a table and chairs for eating outside, loungers and rattan chairs. A tree is growing through the veranda and a full length hammock is attached to it. There are delightful views through the gardens across to the Caribbean Sea. The property makes for a perfect St Lucia private rental opportunity.
As you step inside, you come into a large open plan room with an exposed shingle ceiling, a queen-size bed with hanging mosquito net, two wooden bedside tables and standing fans. It is painted in creams and yellows shot through with strong blues and pinks and decorated with local wood-carvings. There is an open plan kitchen area with tiled tops, single sink, a portable electric stove, coffee machine, table mats, plenty of cups and saucers. Fridge and freezer, lots of cupboard space with nothing in them. There is a television, radio. There is a material divider into the bathroom, where there is a corner standing shower, loo, large mirror and enamel flowers painted on the tiles. |
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Dining
The deal at Villa Caribbean Dream is for accommodation only but breakfast and dinner are optional extras. Brigitte serves a European/Caribbean breakfast which includes local creole bread, fresh local fruits and vegetables, eggs, local jams, cheeses, German coffee and tea. For those that wish to cater for themselves, there are self-catering facilities in the two apartments and attached to all the rooms, so you can prepare your own simple meals if you wish. With a little advanced warning Brigitte is happy to fix you dinner aswell.
If you would like to eat out then Brigitte will recommend places to eat in Vieux Fort, which is a short drive away. There are supermarkets there so you can get all the provisions you need. |
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Children
Villa Caribbean Dream is more suited to adults but if families want to stay, only children over 6 years of age are accepted. The rooms are not large enough to accommodate an extra bed. The Rainbow Apartment is spacious but has a steep staircase. The Creole House is also spacious but all in all the owner prefers couples or singles. |
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Rates
| | 01 May- 31 Oct 2009 | 01 Nov- 30 Apr 2009-10 | 01 May- 31 Oct 2010 | | Double Room | 50 | 55 | 50 | | Single Room | 40 | 45 | 40 | | Rainbow Apartment Double | 85 | 90 | 85 | | Creole House Double | 85 | 90 | 85 | | Breakfast per person Dinner per person | 12 15-25 | 12 15-25 | 12 15-25 | All rates are quoted in US$ per night/room and include taxes. All rates subject to change without notice. |
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Special Packages
10 days or one week Salsa workshops available in the low season between May and October. Please contact Brigitte for further details. |
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Locality
The Moule-à-Chique peninsular sticks out of the southern end of St Lucia towards the north fo St Vincent. Close by is St Lucia’s second town, Vieux Fort. It is a fairly local town without much to attract tourists but has several little shops and boutiques, a few local eateries such as The Reef, Coco Beach, and Juliette’s Lodge. There is even a KFC. On Saturdays there is a big market in town, also during the week you can get local vegetables and fruits by the road or in the big supermarkets
Vieux Fort is quiet remote in St Lucia and there is not a huge amount in the immediate area. On the road to Soufrière there is a lovely place to visit, at Balenbouche Estate, where you can go walking and have a creole lunch or dinner in a traditional plantation setting (by prior arrangement). On the Atlantic coast there are also a number of walks and some plantation and gardens, including Mamiku Gardens near Praslin and Errard Plantation and Fond D’Or Historical Park in Dennery. |
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Meet & Greet
Villa Caribbean Dream is 8 minutes from Hewanorra Int. Airport and 1 hr from the small GFL Charles airport in Castries. Brigitte will meet guests at Hewanorra whenever possible and then transfer them (extra) to the property or will arrange taxis. The price of a one-way transfer from Hewanorra is US$12 for 2 persons, from GFLC it is US$70. For larger parties, please contact the owner using the links at the top of this page. |
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Getting Around
Villa Caribbean Dream is about 15-20 minutes walk from Vieux Fort and guests often walk to town. The drive takes about 5 minutes and it's about 2 km. If you wish to get around and visit the island, you will need to arrange your own transport. Vieux Fort has a minibus terminal, however, from where you can catch buses up both coasts, to Soufrière in the west and along the Atlantic coast on the road that eventually goes across the Barre de l’Isle (a mountain range) and on to Castries.
Hiring a car is the best option if you would like real independence and on St Lucia we recommend Cool Breeze Car/Jeep Rental, who are based in Soufrière, and Drive-A-Matic for your St Lucia car rental needs, both of whom will deliver to the villa and issue your St Lucian driving licence, price US$20 or EC$54. You can return it to either airport or they will collect it at a pre-arranged time on your departure day.
Be aware that in the winter season there can be a shortage of cars in St Lucia over the Jazz Festival and also at Christmas, so at these times you are advised to book well in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better. |
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