Farsighted Fly Girl

St. Lucia is an island that epitomizes the idea of paradise. From striking views of the Pitons twin peaks to lush rain forests and surreal beaches, this island overflows with natural beauty. So I guess I should have been prepared when I arrived in the village of Soufriere at Anse Chastanet Resort  and was greeted with a three walled room that showcased the vistas up close. I'll do a post about my room later but non-stop gazing out at that stunning landscape made me think that I had absorbed all the perfection possible. I was so wrong. After hopping a water taxi to Anse Mamin, about 10 minutes north of Anse Chastanet, my mouth dropped. A tiny black sand beach surrounded with cerulean waves and only a handful of people unfolded before me. It looked like a Gauguin painting, it was so unspoiled and tranquil. An open air kitchen served up what was reported to be "the world's best burger," to be enjoyed under palapas with views of the sea. I ordered the fish burger ...

Maybe it's my love of drama but I love volcanoes. It's no coincidence that most of my favorite places sport a lava-spewing peak or two. After the Pitons, La Soufriere drive-in volcano tops the list as St. Lucia’s most recognizable landmark. It’s also the smelliest, with the strong, rotten-egg scent of sulfur wafting over the area for miles. An active volcano with bubbling gases and seething sulfur pools, La Soufriere allows visitors to drive up to a few 100 feet of the crater and then walk through a fault in the substratum rock on a guided tour. It’s a fascinating display, especially Gabriel’s Hole, the place in a steaming fissure where a tour guide sunk into the boiling mud in 1985. He survived with second degree burns but now all of the vents are fenced off. One of the essential activities at La Soufriere is a dip in the gurgling hot sulfur baths. The warm, muddy sulfur deposits are reputed to help arthritis, eczema and instantly soothe mosquito bites. After days lolling aro...

Dasheen plants, also called taro, cocoyam or eddo, grow all over the Caribbean region. A starchy tuber that tastes more flavorful than a potato, dasheen is a staple in most Caribbean diets. The Ladera Resort is located on the hills of a former dasheen plantation, which is how its noted restaurant got its name. If you can't manage to stay at the lovely Ladera, eating at Dasheene is a must. Overlooking the twin-peaked, Piton mountains and surrounded by the Caribbean sea with lush vegetation and flowers everywhere, Dasheene is worth the view alone. The food however, is the real star attraction. Renowned Executive Chef Orlando Satchell describes his nouvelle Caribbean cuisine as not overly spicy, well-seasoned, with English and French influences. He also calls it sex on a plate, which is exactly how I think of it. The colors, flavors and spices meld together to create the most tantalizing spectacles that it looks like food porn. London-born with Jamaican heritage, Orlando focuses on pl...

Tropical paradise is an overused term but St. Lucia truly personifies the concept. The tiny island isn't called the Helen of the West Indies for nothing. Helen of Troy's legendary beauty inspired wars but the gorgeous St. Lucia landscape inspires a hypnotic daze. There's jaw-dropping beauty everywhere you turn, from the twin peaks of the Pitons, to the lush rain forests and the cobalt blue waters. Ladera eco resort in Soufriere embraces all this natural beauty. The 32 rooms of the resort display only 3 walls, so that the stunning views of mountain ridges and the Pitons are never obscured. There are no TVs, phones or radios on Ladera. The only sounds you hear are of tree frogs and splashing waves. The Pitons hover over the entire resort, offering panoramic views from every room's angle. Ladera feels like a luxury tree house, where you can gaze out at treetops and vegetation constantly. All of Ladera's materials, including wood, stonework, terracotta tiles and decor a...

As if jaw-dropping tropical beauty wasn't enough, St. Lucia also offers one of nature's most important treasures--chocolate! Several cocoa plantations dot the lush southern part of the island. I toured Fond Doux Estate, a locally owned organic cocoa plantation in Soufriere, where I witnessed the cocoarena dance. After the cocoa beans have dried, workers jump into a basin and dance on hundreds of beans. They swivel their hips and toss up their heels better than any of the "Macarena" girls. Besides entertainment, the dance polishes the beans and removes any blemishes. The beans are placed in a drying bin and left to roast in the sun for 2-3 weeks. That's after the initial drying and fermentation period of 5-6 weeks. Only a small percentage of the beans make the cut to be shipped to Hershey's chocolate company in Pennsylvania. Before they are dried and polished,cocoa beans are nestled in cocoa pods, covered in a custard-like substance. I sampled ...