The Cottages @ NATURE'S PARADISE: Amazing Views, Paradise Pool, EcoLux

The main problem with Nature’s Paradise is that TripAdvisor.com will not let you rate higher than five stars. This place was truly wonderful and stunning at highly affordable prices.

We found the “off the beaten path” style to be the perfect arena for relaxing, adventure, romance, and cultural exploration. Nature Dave’s knowledge of the culture and history of St. Lucia, suggestions for exploration, and Eco-tours provided a welcome respite from the resort style vacation and hoards of other tourists.

We stayed in the Banana Cottage for a few nights, then the Coconut room for a night. Both were roomy enough for two, and provided ample need. The temperature in the rooms was comfortable with a nice cross breeze coming off the Caribbean Sea. If you are a light sleeper, I might recommend earplugs as the night-time brings out a symphony of tree frogs, but it is a pleasant song to fall asleep to.

It is worth mentioning that the sunset from the pool was uniquely different each and every evening we were there, so it would be smart to plan to see them daily.

Both Dave and Wanda were highly accommodating to some last minute plans, and provided all sorts of help. We had a wedding on St. Lucia and Dave and Wanda went out of their way to ensure everything happened smoothly, an act of kindness that we will never forget.

Room Tip: There is a small private beach at the bottom of the hill. We saw four other people there during our trip. Nature's Paradise does not have a "fitness center", it has a pool and a volcanic island to hike, run, or bike.

There is absolutely no place like Nature’s Paradise and no better hosts than Dave and Wanda. We heard about this tropical oasis from friends of ours who had gone in May and had absolutely glowing reviews about the beautiful property, their hosts and the island in general. We pulled the trigger and booked in June for a December vacation. It was so wonderful, we didn’t want to leave- and that is very much an understatement.

Natures’ Paradise is above an beyond anything you would expect from a typical bed and breakfast scenario. The houses are perfectly situated on a cliff above Marigot Bay, so you have incredible views of the Caribbean Ocean from both the cottages and the pool area. From nearly nothing, Wanda has built amazing tropical gardens that mimic the island’s rainforest and botanical gardens. It’s worth going just to see her work and meet the extraordinary gardener, Lyon, that helps her maintain it all. The cottages are spacious and comfortable with important details like cold beer and water in the fridge and a hairdryer that is better than my own. The grounds are so beautiful and calming, it is tempting to spend all day there- staring at the ocean and listening to the palms rustle in the wind.

Having said that, Dave and Wanda will inspire you to get out and explore even if you are determined to plant yourself on your backside for the day. With a decade of residency under their belts, they know the island VERY well and can point you in the direction of the most interesting and amazing spots on the island. If you go with Dave on his Eco-tour (which we did), you will find yourself in a rejuvenating mineral bath, having a gourmet lunch with breath-taking views and seeing the most beautiful plants and picturesque waterfall. We learned so much about the island’s history and culture from Dave that we felt right at home by the 3rd day of our trip.

Our stay at Nature’s Paradise was both relaxing and adventurous. There are so many wonderful things to experience in St. Lucia and we wouldn’t have known about half of them if it wasn’t for Dave and Wanda. They are truly interested in their guests getting the very most out of their stay on the island. Morning breakfast conversations provided an opportunity to ask questions and throw around ideas of things to do and beaches to visit- this is a personal touch that you just don’t get from a large resort. We highly recommend Nature’s Paradise, so much that we are planning another trip!

Romance and adventure were exactly what we were looking for in our honeymoon and that is exactly what we found at Nature's Paradise. Dave and Wanda are wonderful hosts and made us feel so welcome and at ease. Their suggestions of things to do and explore, based on their deep knowledge of the island and their excitement to find out about us and our interests, helped to make our trip so memorable! Every morning we woke up to the beautiful view from our cottage and a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, bread, cheese, juice, and coffee/tea. We loved chatting with Dave and Wanda over breakfast and making our plans for the day. It never seemed like they were in a rush to leave or be anywhere else and it felt like they were truly there for us, their guests.

The cottage was simple, but had everything we needed for an unencumbered getaway. We loved being able to make our own lunches in the full kitchen and have some snacks available that we stocked from the local grocery store (about 15 mins away by car). The front porch was so relaxing to sit on and we loved starting and ending our day by looking out over the beautiful gardens and the Caribbean.

The location is great too. It is on the end of a ridge line overlooking the ocean, so it gets great breezes and did not get too hot while we were there. It was a short trip down the ridge to Marigot Bay, which has many good restaurants right on the water at various price points and all food was really good.

We would highly recommend renting a car as it makes it much easier to get around. The ridge where Nature's Paradise is located is more remote than some of the more touristy destinations (which is what we loved about it!!). Dave showed us a secluded bay near the resort where we went swimming and snorkeling and were the only ones there. It was quite romantic!

One of our favorite days on the island was the day that Dave took us on a tour down the east coast of the island. He drove so we could take pictures and take in the sites. The spots he selected for us to see were incredible and we really appreciated his knowledge of each place. Our other favorite day was our scuba diving adventure, which was led by Dive Fair Helen in Marigot Bay. They are awesome and the underwater sites were breathtaking. We would highly recommend both of these excursions.

Overall, we had an amazing time staying at Nature's Paradise! Thank you Dave and Wanda for making it an incredibly special honeymoon!