An ideal setting for couples' retreats
Save to my Account
Mother Nature apparently created St Lucia for romance. The picturesque island is wrapped in dreamy scenery, alluring scents, and melodic sounds. A perfumed rainforest covers the mountainous interior, and pillow-soft white sand lines the coast. World famous mountains, the Twin Pitons, soar from the warm, clear Caribbean Sea on the southwest shore. In the north, the idyllic Pigeon Point National Park features flowering gardens and the preserved ruins of a historical fort.
Tie the Knot
Getting married in Saint Lucia is fairly easy. You can apply for a marriage license as soon as you arrive on the island. While there’s no waiting period or residency requirement, a same-day license costs 204 USD, while the non-expedited 2-day fee is 127 USD. Both the bride and groom will be asked for several types of documentation, including passports and birth certificates. If either the bride or groom is divorced, widowed, or under the age of 18, additional certificates are required.
Many of the hotels on the island have consultants, special settings, and wedding packages for couples getting married. You also can consider getting married on a public beach or deep in the rainforest. If you share a hobby or interest, think about mingling your pastime into the ceremony and getting married on horseback or underwater.
Public Sites for Private Moments
The World Travel Awards repeatedly honors St. Lucia as The Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination. The island deserves the distinction and takes pride in promoting the reputation.
Marigot Bay cuts deep into the island mid-way down the western coast. It is characteristically Caribbean with boats anchored offshore and palm trees swaying along the oceanfront. Shashamané Experience and Bateau Mygo are based at Marigot and arrange a variety of island tour by boat. Most romantic: a sunset cruise with champagne. Restaurant picks: Masala (Indian fusion) and Rum Cave, both overlooking the water at Marigot Bay Resort and Marina.
Anse Chastanet Beach, located within the protected Soufriere Marine Management Area, is considered the island’s best site for snorkeling and diving. The outfitter Scuba St Lucia is set up on the beach and gives scheduling preference to guests at Anse Chastanet Resort and Jade Mountain Resort. However, anyone can snorkel or dive from the shore without a guide and sign up for a boat excursion on a space-available basis. Most romantic: a guided night snorkel for two. Restaurant pick: Trou au Diable for lunch and The Treehouse for dinner; both overlook the beach at Anse Chastanet Resort.
Pigeon Point National Park is a prominent landmark with its own wedding club. Couples enjoy visiting the grounds, even if they don’t plan to marry there. Stroll through the gardens and sit on top of a canon at Fort Rodney to look across the ocean toward Martinique. Most romantic: walking barefoot on the small secluded beach. Restaurant pick: Jambe de Bois is inside the park, grab a seat on the waterside porch.
Sulphur Springs Park has several amazing geological attractions including the famous drive-in volcano. But the most romantic are the hot water mineral pools. The Black Water pool is just over 100of/ 38oc and gets its dark color from heavy minerals that are said to have therapeutic benefits. Most couples prefer to soak in the Pool of Love where the mineral water is clear and comes from the ground at a pleasant 88o f/31o c. Most romantic: a mud bath using volcanic sulfur-rich sludge. Restaurant pick: Boucan at Hotel Chocolat on the Rabot cocoa plantation.
===> See the RELATED links below to explore local itineraries.
Super Romantic Resorts and Restaurants
Many of the resorts on St Lucia specialize in providing unique experiences for their adult guests. Wedding planners and honeymoon consultants coordinate the details and offer advice so that couples can relax and enjoy their time on the island. Baby-moons and early-moons recently have become popular and the consultants are equally keen to organize these getaways, as well.
Jade Mountain is likely the most expensive and luxurious resort on the island. It is decidedly the most innovative and secluded. Nearby sister resort, Anse Chastenet, shares the same peaceful beach and view of the Pitons but is much more affordable. Both will arrange a private dinner for two. Anse Chastanet serves romantic meals amid the colonial plantation ruins that still stand the resort’s property. Jade Mountain goes a step beyond by delivering a gourmet meal to the couples’ suite.
The Villa at Paradise Ridge, part of the Ladera Resort, is a spectacular location for a wedding and the staff consultant arranges every detail. Couples go directly from the ceremony overlooking the Pitons to their suite, which is priced in the splurge range, but worth it. Dasheene, the onsite restaurant, is open-air and high on the mountainside with fantastic views of the Pitons. Plan to be there for sunset.
Ti Kaye Resort & Spa is a secluded, luxuriously rustic place where couples can hide out in a private cottage overlooking the sea and beach at Anse Cochon. For a mid-priced resort, the onsite Kai Manje Restaurant serves surprisingly gourmet meals and the award-winning Ti Kave wine cellar is the largest on the island. Several wedding and honeymoon packages are available and fully coordinated by the friendly staff.
East Winds is a small boutique resort that offers a complimentary team of experts to help couples plan their wedding or honeymoon. The all-inclusive plan allows guests to check in, enjoy fine food and wines, and lounge beside the sea on a secluded white-sand beach. You’re left on your own to walk the property, mix your own drinks at the pool, and nap or read under a shade tree. Kids over the age of 8 are allowed to stay at the resort, but not many do. The property is secluded and quiet, and couples easily find space to be alone.