One of the top beach resorts not only in St. Lucia, but in the entire Caribbean, the boutique Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort is located on 100 acres of rainforest on the site of an 18th century sugar plantation, among St. Lucia’s iconic Pitons (the island’s beautiful, mountainous volcanic spires that boast World Heritage Site status); the Aaa-rated resort welcomes families with children, but caters best to couples and honeymooners with a mostly relaxed atmosphere. Rates aren’t cheap, dining variety is just so-so, the swimming pool isn’t overly impressive for a resort of this caliber, and there isn’t much in the surrounding area in terms of shopping and dining (or nightlife); but the property offers a very nice white-sand beach with outstanding views of the Pitons, impeccable overall service, upscale on-site dining, chic bars with a professional rummelier on staff, an exceptional Rainforest Spa with bamboo massages and hot rock therapies (among many other unique treatments), a good kids club for ages 4-12 (“Sugar”), a separate club for teens (“Spice”), and top-notch rooms. Rooms come with private plunge pools, butler service, luxurious bath amenities by ROIL and Natura Bisse, clawfoot tubs, Nespresso coffee makers, large flat-screen TVs, four-poster beds with high thread count Egyptian cotton linens and romantic voile draping, and 24-hour room service; larger villa-style accommodations and beachfront bungalows are also available. Activities include excellent scuba diving (some of St. Lucia’s best dive spots are easily accessible), champagne sunset cruises, separate kids and adults movie nights, Caribbean BBQ nights with live music on Fridays, yoga classes, tennis, beach volleyball, hiking the Pitons, water skiing, tubing, banana boat rides, wakeboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, and snorkeling. Excursions such as ATV tours, ziplining, horseback riding, dolphin and whale watching, and deep sea fishing can also be arranged. There is an optional all-inclusive plan for $250 per adult per night (free for children 0-5, 50% of adult price for ages 6-12, and 75% of adult price for ages 13-16), but it doesn’t include all menu items.
Departure COVID-19 testing is available on-site. Antigen tests are provided complimentary for up to two guests when staying five nights or more (multi-bedroom villas/residences will receive two complimentary antigen tests per bedroom). Additional antigen tests cost $60 per test. PCR tests are available at $250 per person, per test. Guests staying a minimum of five nights or more that require PCR testing will receive a one-time $60 per person resort credit.