Jade Mountain

Jade Mountain raised the bar for us at another level. Its breathtaking beauty, genious art and the love given to every corner of it trully touched us. Its cuisine, atmosphere, comfort, care and attention by each staff member made our stay trully wonderful. Simply perfect.

Jade Mountain in St Lucia is dramatic, peaceful and intensely romantic. In fact, it is probably unlike anywhere else I have stayed in 30 years of luxury travel journalism. Arrival Getting to St Lucia from the UK takes around eight and a half hours with British Airways, the only direct flight available, as sadly Virgin Atlantic no longer fly directly to St Lucia. Once you have cleared customs and collected your luggage, the journey from the airport takes around an hour and is wonderfully scenic and rural. Because of the roads, traffic and, particularly, the very rough final few miles, I would strongly recommend letting the hotel organise your transfer. It is considerably more comfortable and, in my view, much safer. If you want to arrive in style, however, Jade Mountain also offers a helicopter transfer. It is surprisingly reasonable and takes just six minutes. When you arrive, you are greeted by a Majordomo, Jade Mountain’s wonderfully grand name for your personal butler. The Sanctuaries There is something very important to understand about Jade Mountain: there are no rooms, they are all called sanctuaries. Every sanctuary comes with a fully stocked fridge, and there are always special snacks waiting for you. You are also given a dedicated mobile phone, so whenever you need anything, you simply press a button and your Major-domo will arrange it. Breakfast in bed, restaurant reservations and spa appointments, nothing is ever too much trouble. From the moment you arrive, the service sets the tone for the entire stay. At this point I should explain, all sanctuaries are completely open to the elements. There are no external walls, no windows and no air conditioning, so wild creatures can quite literally fly in and out. Fortunately, the bed is surrounded by a mosquito net, which keeps the more unwelcome visitors away. It sounds unusual, but trust me the experience is worth every penny. I have never slept anywhere else quite like it in the world and the view when you wake up in the morning is simply beyond words. Plus you also get a pillow menu. You can choose from traditional to goose-down, cooling, orthopaedic, bamboo, full-body cooling and even a maternity or babymoon pillow. It is the sort of detail that perfectly sums up Jade Mountain: everything has been thought about. At night you will soon become accustomed to the frogs singing and the cricket chirping and in the morning, especially daybreak, you will likewise become accustomed to the birds beginning their morning chorus. In fact, we became so attached to the sounds of the jungle that, when since we returned home, we downloaded a recording and played it on our mobile phone in our own bedroom every night. You can choose from five different types of sanctuary. The Sky Sanctuary does not have a private pool, but you still get the extraordinary open-air concept and spectacular views. The Star Sanctuaries have smaller pools with wonderful views, while the Moon Sanctuaries are slightly larger and feature long pools. Then there is the Sun Sanctuary, these are some of the largest, with huge pools, but it’s the Galaxy Sanctuary, where we stayed, which quite literally takes your breath away the moment you walk through the door. It is, without question, the ultimate hotel room I have ever stayed in, and trust me, I have stayed in more than 3,000 hotels around the world, so I know a good room. The Galaxy has a full wrap around infinity pool, a sun deck, a bubble bath, a walk-in shower, your own wine fridge and extraordinary views of the world famous Pitons. Breakfast can be taken in your sanctuary and delivered by your Major Domo, or you can head to the Jade Club for an à la carte breakfast on the roof terrace. Beaches and Dining With the accommodation so closely connected to the landscape, the beaches are a natural extension of the experience. There are two local beaches within walking distance, if you are reasonably able-bodied: Anse Chastanet and Anse Mamin. However, if you just want to take things easy, then there is also a shuttle that runs back and forth whenever you want it. The sea is crystal clear and snorkelling is an absolute must. If you are a diver, welcome to paradise. The beaches are pristine, as you would expect, and I particularly love the little straw umbrellas rather than the more traditional modern canopies. Dining on the beach is excellent. There is an Indian restaurant and a Jungle Grill right on the sand. Try the watermelon gazpacho, its delicious. The hotel takes its food extremely seriously. Much of what arrives on your plate comes from Jade Mountain’s own Emerald Farm, including local beef from cattle raised in the nearby fields. If you ask nicely, they can arrange to take you to see where they grow their vegetables and fruit, its also where you can meet Martin, the Farm manager, who will show you around the farm. Jade Mountain also have their own micro-brewery, producing some excellent craft ales, ask Martin nicely and he will allow you a sample or two. For me, though, the highlight of the beach food had to be the Angus beef burger at Anse Mamin beach grill. I do not think I have ever eaten anything quite like it — particularly when it comes with the local banana ketchup. It is an absolute must-try. In the evening, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining. The restaurant views are all spectacular, whether you are down on the beach or high up on the mountain. The resort offers far more than beautiful scenery and exceptional food, however. There is also an impressive range of activities and experiences to enjoy. Activities and Experiences Your Major Domo can unpack your luggage, iron your clothes and organise romantic torchlit dinners on the beach. You can take a sunset jazzy cruise or charter the hotel’s own 55-foot catamaran, Jade Serenity. The yacht comes with its own crew, who will cook for you, sail you around the coast and take you out to watch the sunset and if you are lucky, like we were, dolphins will swim alongside the boat. There is a gorgeous spa, with a wonderful range of treatments, which will chill you out even more, if that’s possible, and every evening there is some form of live entertainment. We witnessed some amazing fire dancing and the bands that played nightly were top class acts. For the more active, there is windsurfing, kayaking and a couple of small Hobie Cats on the beach. You can play tennis, take a guided nature walk or join beach yoga, which is held almost every day. One of the highlights for us was the Jade Mountain chocolate class, where we learnt how to make local chocolate prepared in-house and then got to take home our own chocolate bars. The plantation walk is another experience worth doing, while more adventurous guests can head out to the jungle bike centre for some two wheeled off-road adventures. After so many memorable experiences, the final impression is one of complete tranquillity and outstanding personal attention. Final Verdict We spent a week here, and it was one of the most peaceful and intimate experiences we have ever had. Jade Mountain is on another level and I can honestly say, it is the best resort I have ever stayed at, anywhere in the world, and after over 3,000 hotels, that is quite a statement. Somehow, no words can really do Jade Mountain Resort justice, you simply must go and experience it for yourself, you wont be disappointed….

Our experience at Jade Mountain is one that no words can truly explain. The beauty of the resort is one of a kind, but the hospitality was 10 stars! When we first arrived, we were greeted by an amazing Major Domo who let us know that we had been upgraded from a Star Sanctuary to a Sun Sanctuary. It was such an exciting way to start our trip, and the views from our room were absolutely stunning. We were later connected with our designated Major Domo, Al, who was great! He provided us with everything we needed and even had dinner reservations already made for us for our first night. He had our first couple of days loosely planned out so we could make sure we experienced everything the resort had to offer, while still letting us enjoy our trip at our own pace. The food everywhere we ate was amazing. And please don’t skip out on the beach restaurants at Anse Chastanet — those ended up being some of our favorite meals! We loved being able to spend time down at the beach and then come back up to the privacy and incredible views of Jade Mountain. When I say the staff goes above and beyond, I mean it. During our stay, I ended up needing medical attention and was already dreading trying to figure out how I was going to coordinate everything once I flew home. Our Major Domo put me in contact with their telehealth doctor, and I was able to have a prescription delivered directly to me. It was moments like that when I realized just how amazing their customer service really is. Being away from home and needing medical care could have been incredibly stressful, and they made it so easy for me. We truly have nothing negative to say about Jade Mountain. The views, comfort of the rooms, service, food and drinks all exceeded our expectations. More than anything, it was the people and all of the little touches that made the experience so special. I truly hope we can make it back to Jade Mountain one day. This trip will always be unforgettable to us!

Our stay at Jade Mountain was truly exceptional. From the incredible views to the service, food, and people, this was easily a five-star experience. Sergio, the restaurant manager, did an outstanding job, and Al, our butler, was amazing. He went above and beyond throughout our stay, even arranging a room upgrade for us, which made an already incredible experience even more memorable. His attention to detail and genuine hospitality really stood out. A special thank-you to Serene and Nelson for the wonderful yoga experiences. They were both fantastic and added something unique to our stay. The food was another highlight. Much of it is sourced from local farms, and you can genuinely taste the difference. The combination of fresh tropical ingredients and St. Lucia's volcanic soil creates flavors that are truly unique to the island. What impressed us just as much was the local community. Everywhere we went, people were warm, friendly, and genuinely happy to welcome visitors. Jade Mountain delivers everything you would expect from a world-class resort: spectacular views, outstanding food, exceptional service, and wonderful people. I highly recommend both Jade Mountain and St. Lucia. We had an unforgettable experience and would absolutely return.

You won’t find a more magical resort in the Carribean, and we’ve been to a few. Jade Mountain is top notch!