HUMMINGBIRD VILLA - CHARMING HILLSIDE VILLA WITH GREAT VIEWS

My husband and our two boys (aged 11 and 14) arrived on an afternoon flight from the UK, reaching the house by taxi as night fell (ask for Desir - he and his son are the best taxi drivers on the island!). So we unpacked a few things and fell into bed... we were completely unprepared for the most staggering view the next morning when we opened the jalousie windows of the master bedroom and stepped out onto our own romantic balcony. We lay in the hammock and watched the sun come up on Christmas Eve.

The master bedroom is stunning and has a very large en suite with his and hers sinks, as well as a shower, lots of storage for your holiday clothes and a safe. Downstairs the kitchen is beautiful, with marble surfaces and all the mod cons you need including picnic gear and cool boxes if you are heading off exploring for the day.

The sitting room has cable, DVD, music players. There is all kinds of lighting which you can adjust to suit your mood.

The other two (huge) double bedrooms each have their own bathroom (one is en suite, the other a footstep across the hall) and come with lots of storage also. One is a double bed and the other has twins.

The swimming pool area is so picturesque - you can lie on your sun bed and spot hummingbirds darting in the bougainvillea whilst you relax.

When you lock up and leave (for the day, or retiring to bed at night) there is a state of the art alarm system so you have no need to worry. We accidentally set it off on the first day (opening a door when we had it on) and we had a call within a minute from the security company, when we had to sheepishly explain our mistake!

We recommend you hire a jeep. The nearest beach is Smugglers' Cove, literally 4-5 minutes by jeep. Parking is free everywhere as far as we could make out. You can get very quickly to things like horse-riding, Segways, Reduit Beach and great fun & banana boats - and for the more sophisticated among us, the Cliff at Cap restaurant, the Spa at Bodysport, the golf course.

Everywhere on the island is only a day trip away. For example, we drove down to Sugar Beach (the resort between the Pitons) and had a wonderful lunch, and lay on the beach with the celebs afterwards (all beaches are open to the public). Marigot Bay is about 45-60 mins away, and by day it's great for kayaking - with access to the Roseau River - and by night, Desir will drive you to Rainforest Hideaway, an amazing restaurant you access by boat.

The perfect villa - the perfect holiday.

This villa is neatly tucked away on the north of the island in Cap Estate, and as you sit on the balcony and look down on the rest of the island, you realize why the French and the British fought over St. Lucia for so long. The view is absolutely spectacular, as was promised in the listing, and the pool is neatly tucked away behind a lush tapestry of flowers if you prefer quiet. In addition to the dinner table, there is also a breakfast nook, so you can enjoy shade or sun. There is also a hammock which can be hung on the second or first floor balconies which makes the lounging experience second to none.

The three bedrooms are all quite large, and all have their own bathrooms, which is nice if you've brought three couples on vacation. The kitchen is massive if you like to cook, or you can ask the wonderful housekeeper Greta to cook breakfast for you on the days that she cleans. Both she and Benis take great pride in maintaining the condition of the villa, and it makes your experience much sweeter.

Make sure you get directions to get to the villa before you get to the island. Honestly, it's not hard to find once you've driven there (only 3 turns from just about anywhere on the island) but there are no addresses on the island. This was a shock to me when I tried to use GPS to get to the villa. On that note, you really need a rental car for this property; you could take cabs everywhere, but it will be much cheaper to get a rental. Also, US visitors, be warned that St. Lucian's drive on the wrong side of the street, so you'll have to get used to that. It's a short drive (maybe 15 minutes) to Rodney Bay if you want to kick it, and the villa itself is totally isolated from everything, so you can enjoy silence in the evenings.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this villa, but I will conclude by saying that, if you stay here, you will enjoy yourself.

" We spent two wonderful weeks in your villa in St. Lucia. We were very impressed by the beauty of the garden; the house is very comfortable and well cared for by Greta! We recommend your villa for a wonderful vacation, where you can have a wonderful view."
Biagio
Italy