Following top-to-toe renovation to the tune of $10 million, Windjammer Landing has finally reopened its 60-acre hillside estate along St Lucia’s northern coast. Cue a sigh of relief from the army of families accustomed to shoring up their broods here for two weeks while they check into the spa. Whitewashed villas scatter the jungle-clad slopes, their terracotta roofs reminiscent of an Andalusian village, and the resort itself tips down to meet a long, secluded strip of golden sand with an inviting, protected lagoon beyond it. While the resort does not occupy the same league as Sugar Beach or Jade Mountain, its elevated take on a Caribbean resort is just the ticket if a raft of activities is on the agenda, or, indeed, if children are in tow. Windjammer’s 4-12 Children’s club is legendary (mostly for its 10pm closing time, buying parents with tots ample time for an extra spa treatment, or those with children, the odd night of sundowners and supper at the swanky seafood and steak joint Upper Deck). Most restaurants here are refreshingly casual and child-friendly, with Papa Don’s the Italian supper spot up in the hills, and the restaurants and bars dotting the beachfront serving up easy-going pizzas, salads and small Creole-inspired bites.
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Price: Doubles from £399
Body Holiday
Body Holiday is the sort of health retreat where cocktails and green juices sit side-by-side, with a laid-back Caribbean spirit and spa and fitness facilities in an impressive league. Guests over the age of 16 are free to ditch the gym sessions and Olympian-led beach boot camps for essential oil foot massages, facials and afternoon snoozes along the beach, courtesy of this St Lucian resort’s refreshing approach to the definition of wellbeing. Positioned on the northern tip of the island, with its vast stretch of bone-white sand, Body Holiday feels cast adrift from the rest of the island (despite Rodney Bay Village being a short 10-minute drive away). Interiors don’t veer too far into old-world mahogany and swirly-legged fruit tables territory, and the open-air clubhouse and large main pool are magnets for most guests. A daily programme of activities and classes, from fencing and sailing to cycling, all make the most of the tropical, sun-drenched setting and reward well-exercised guests with exotic fruit smoothies, hearty salads and sushi at the Wellness Café or steamed mussels, Peking duck, and Thai curry at pan-Asian TAO. Unusually for a health retreat but in old-world Caribbean style, afternoon teas take centre stage, and buffet breakfasts leave no culinary or dietary stone unturned, with hot egg dishes to order and vegan options aplenty.
Address: Body Holiday, Cariblue Beach, Cap Estate, St. Lucia, West Indies, St Lucia
Price: Doubles from £500 (all inclusive)
