St Lucia - Final Thoughts & Resort Contrasts

To conclude the posts on my time in St Lucia I wanted to provide some contrasts between the resorts we stayed at and give a couple of final thoughts. I had a lovely time at all of the resorts, and as an adventurous tourist, these highlights might be of benefit to someone of a similar ethic. These scores are entirely personal and really, just for fun!

Location: Jalousie = 10 / Crystals = 8 / Rendevous = 7
Resort (facilities / rooms / aesthetic): Jalousie = 10 / Rendevous =10 / Crystals = 8
Scuba diving / snorkelling: Jalousie = 10 / Rendevous = 6 / Crystals = NA
Activity programmes: Rendevous = 10 / Jalousie = 9 / Crystals = NA
Range of complimentary facilities: Rendevous = 10 / Jalousie = 7 / Crystals = NA
Food and drink: Jalousie = 10 / Rendevous = 8 / Crystals = 3
Staff: Rendevous = 9 / Crystals = 8 / Jalousie = 8
Cleanliness: Jalousie = 10 / Rendevous = 10 / Crystals = 7
Wifi / internet access: Jalousie = 10 / Rendevous = 3 / Crystals = NA
Value for money: Rendevous = 10 / Crystals = 8 / Jalousie = 8

I would visit all three resorts again and my husband is certain we will be going back to Rendevous again in the next 18 months. The Jalousie has the wow factor and Crystals is a great place for creative people, however, its bohemian flare would be too much for those who prefer perfect surroundings.



I also wanted to mention the islands flora in this final post on St Lucia (for now), if one takes their time and uses an inquisitive eye, a treasure trove of gems lay scattered throughout the island.





All the resorts I stayed at and visited have embraced their botanical opportunities, with some glorious results.







I was gutted to hear how some people and businesses had been affected by the recent Hurricane Tomas, but my contacts at the Tourist Board have told me that they recovered quickly and now it is business as usual. For anyone who wants a magical honeymoon, luxurious adventure holiday or to simply sit in a hammock and admire the scenery, then St Lucia is a must.

Resorts in St Lucia - Crystals

Located a mere 10 miles away from Rendevous, it took us over an hour to drive to Crystals! The road snakes through rainforest and hills, and in some places is in awful condition. However, in my mind this adds to the adventure and the views along the way were stunning.

The sun set around 18.30 and it was quick to get very dark (no lighting along the roads), we found the track that led us to Crystals, and were extremely surprised by its awful condition. It is not a good introduction.

Crystals has a bohemian-chic feel to it; a small number of quirky cottages make up the development, all of which have fantastic views of the Pitons. Artistically decorated inside and out, it is a colourful, interesting and stimulating, yet a relaxing place to rest your head. The owner Monica is a mine of information and so very helpful, an eccentric lady who makes a mean rum punch!



There is no activity programme at Crystals, however, we hired a 4x4 (essential for getting about in St Lucia) from Benny at Red Tiger and explored! The town of Soufrière lies at the bottom of the valley between Crystals and the glorious Pitons, and visiting it was our first excursion out.





Soufrière is a small coastal town; as with many other urban centres on the island, it is poor and most of the people live a simple life. As with many other urban centres across the globe, they have their fair share of problems with drugs. Upon my first visit in to town, it was visible straight away, we came across quite a few hustlers and were frequently approached in the car. I'm not going to lie, it was scary to begin with. But as we needed to get supplies (breakfast only at Crystals,but every cottage has full kitchen facilities), we had to go in nearly every day. By the end of our stay on the island the apprehension had gone and we were fine about going in to town.

The first breakfast we had a Crystals was devine! A mix of sweet breads with cinnamon and coconut, locally grown, fresh papaya, banana, banana bread and omelette. Pity there was no coffee to wash it down with because although we had a machine in our cottage, it had small bugs in it - so we never used it. Unfortunatley after the first breakfast, standards slipped, as did the time it was served, so each day there was a little disappointment.

One thing that never disapointed was Monica's artistic flair, I loved the way she had adorned the property with aesthetic delights. No corner left untouched and I was especially keen on the tree house bar....



Crystals was a great platform from which to reach Anse Chastanet beach, well-known for it's amazing snorkelling and scuba diving opportunities. More on that later.

I enjoyed Crystals, and chatting away in the tree house with Monica; the location is amazing and it's decoration appealed to the hippy in me.

For more information on Crystals check out: http://www.stluciacrystals.com/

To hire a car through Red Tiger check out: http://www.stluciajeeprentals.com/

St Lucia & The Time of My Life!!

Becoming a commissioned writer has it's ups and downs! Starting out on a new path is always exciting, but what about the old paths? The Blogs, the Twitter postings, the attention to photo galleries and the million other daily tasks?!

I'm going to make a conscious effort to write more on me! I have so much to share!!

For example, my recent stay in St Lucia; AM-AZ-ING! I have stacks of notes and photos to share with you here and as I stayed in three different resorts during my trip, I can provide adventure enthusiasts with a precious insight about life on the island.



I'm chumping at the bit to get this stuff online; but have deadlines :( So bear with me chaps and I will be back in full force over the next two weeks.

Ciao for now :)

An Introduction to the Coastrider Readers

The ball is rolling again! Please use this link to see my first of many features for The Coastrider, a local paper here on the Costa Blanca. I'm really excited about the move and already have a few articles for them to print. I'll be bringing you the best of earth, air and sea experiences on the Costa and beyond throughout the year!

http://www.coastrider.net/main/features/spec-features/7500-an-introduction-to-my-costa-adventures.html

I've also been offered writing work through the UK's biggest adventure sports holidays provider and look forward to providing a unique insight in to adventure tourism in this area. More info to follow soon.... :)

Vista Verde Trails & the Sierra de Espuna

I must write a little something about todays adventure prior to the article I am having published in 2 weeks. I have had a fab day. I spent most of it with a lovely group of people, being led around part of the Sierra de Espuna by Paul from Vista Verde Trails. Paul is a good guide and gave us some great tips of safety and he and his partner, Alison, are a wealth of both local and general knowledge. The other guys in the group were all lovely too and my friend / rep surprised me with her sky-high fitness levels - she puts it down to Mamberry, the goji berry and super / nuclear fruit supplement she has been taking for a couple of years.
We walked for 5 hours and I would normally be crippled after that kind of walk (especially as my knee popped out of place last week), but this was the first major walk attended using my nordic poles. I don't want to jinx things but I am feeling surprisingly pain free, lets hope it's not a different story tomorrow :)
It was a shame that the visibility was not so good, but it just means I will have to go back another time - it was just so lovely and I can't wait to take my fiance.

Air Experiences Across the Costa Blanca

Here is the next edition to my activity summary of 2009 - air experiences on the Costa Blanca.

As usual it's an article for the Round Town News so if you follow this link you'll be able to read all about it.

http://www.roundtownnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21781&Itemid=31

I've just enrolled on a journalism course so am looking foward to my personal professional development in 2010, it's going to be an exciting journey filled with fun and adventure and I will be taking you with me at every step of the way.

I hope everyone that reads this has a happy, healthy and prosperous year in 2010.

Warmest wishes, Anna :)

Numero Uno Blog

Hello everyone!!
I am so excited to be starting this blog! This will be the first time I have had one so please bear with me while I iron out the creases :)
I hope to bring you a fabulous array of adventures and experiences over the coming days / weeks / months and years!
Costa Adventures is such a fabulous business and I am proud to be the Founder. Not only do I get do loads of really cool activities, but I get to see my clients, friends and family do them too. I bring people together in a fun and safe way and when I get to share those moments with them, it makes me feel very priviledged.
The Costa Blanca has huge potential as far as activity holidays go and although the area is not know for this aspect right now; I hope to be one of the people that changes it's current stereotype.
I have met and worked with some excellent schools, instructors, professionals and companies since starting Costa Adventures. Together we bring people (ex-pats, tourists, colleagues and companies) a superior standard to services.
I will be linking up my images, films and other interesting bits to this blog that I hope everyone benefits from.
For now, hasta luego and I will write again soon.
Have a cracking weekend.
Anna :)