We picked this resort because we did not want a 'sandals' type experience. Nothing wrong with that, but not our travel style. If you want to do nothing, be waited on, eat fresh,consistently well prepared seafood, fresh fruit beverages and quiet--this is your place! You can choose to be really active and do personal training, yoga, windsurfing, mountain biking, hiking etc...we did alot of that too--but you rise and go to bed with the sun--enjoy the refreshing water, the awesome snorkeling and RELAX!

For our honeymoon, we went to Anse Chastanet as part of the ying and yang package, spending 4 nights here and 3 nights further up the mountain in Jade Mountain. We had pre booked a deluxe hillside room and I couldn't believe it when we arrived, the view from our massive room terrace was unbelievable... a panoramic view of the Pitons and the Sea/Beach. Definately worth spending that bit extra for a hillside deluxe. From the moment we arrived the staff couldn't do enough for you, on arrival offering a refreshing peppermint cooling cloth and a non alcoholic cocktail! We had prepaid for the all inclusive package so suspected that certain drinks or food would be compromised as it is in some all inclusive resorts, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I drank Pimms, Canadian Club, Prosecco, cocktails, etc all included in the package! The only thing not included was the champagne. And the food...it was absolutely delicious. No buffets in sight, lovely restaurants (a treehouse restaurant, a beach grill, an indian influenced restaurant and a veggie restaurant) where me and my new husband could sit in the most romantic setting beside the sea or up the mountain having a meal for 2. The staff are locals, the overall feel of the hotel (colour scheme/decor/furniture etc) is very St. Lucian so you feel like you're actually experiencing St. Lucia. Couldn't stop smiling all honeymoon. There's no pool but the hotel is set on its own private beach which is great to go for a swim. After our 4 nights we then went up to our suite in Jade Mountain (which is still part of Anse Chastanet) which was even more unbelievable. We had a large infinity pool in our suite, had our own butler service and had the perfect honeymoon. Definately worth a visit.

We have just returned from Anse Chastanet, disappointed quite frankly. We planned a short trip to visit AC with a view to having our wedding there next year. It all began very well being met at the airport by their representative and quickly being taken to our transport. The journey is fine until you reach the last two miles of very bumpy road. It's ok, but for a hotel of this standard I would expect this to have been repaired by the management. Also on arrival you are greeted with a drink and some cold towels, also very good. Then came our first issue, that the package we had discussed over email (which is very efficient before the holiday) had not been booked correctly. What became a common theme was that none of the staff took ownership of an issue. Every query we had was met with the same response "I can't help you with that, you need to speak with so and so", mostly the person that could help was not available. Every other Carribean hotel I have stayed at has been excellent with any query - as I would expect spending this kind of money.

We were then taken to our room. The room is ok, but just ok. We had a nice sea view and it was relatively clean with reasonable furniture. The slats mentioned on other reviews are very tiresome having to close and open 20 heavy slats every time you want privacy or some air flow or light (the lights are also very dim). We had one ceiling fan and one portable fan, that was it. Air conditioning would have been a big help. I see other reviews mentioning no TV and phone. I am fine with no TV as it is meant to be a relaxing get away from it all location, but no phone? that is strange. I have never stayed in a hotel without a phone. Being a long way from the reception this seems very odd. Also no room service is strange for a four star hotel. That is even more accentuated when there is a fridge with no typical mini bar contents. We also had a power cut and water failure which I know is not the hotel's fault but makes it very difficult when the room is badly lit as well.

We then went to the beach which is actually very nice. The sand is volcanic so not the picture perfect white powder sand but this should not be a surprise to anyone going to St Lucia and the water was beautiful. One fact we later became aware of was that the beach is public and anyone from the Island has the right to use it. This is fine with other guests but we were followed by a local street seller from the town through the hotel and onto the beach where he found us and sat himself down forcing us to buy his handmade products at ridiculous prices. We were surprised by this as everyone has to come through security - and every time we walked in or out were checked by the security. However, some random guy with a bag full of products seemed to have no problems getting through. When we alerted security we found out very quickly there is nothing they can do! So as a warning, if you visit Anse Chastanet, I would take extra care as to what you leave on the beach and if you go into the town be extra careful about what you tell anyone. On top of this the Hotel has some people on the beach selling products who are also very pushy and will hassle you every day and try to be your best friend, probably the best thing is to buy something on day one and then they will ignore you completely (as they did with us). Also, if you do want to buy something haggle very hard, our price was dropped by 70%.

Those were the bad things but there are lots of positives as well. The food in all of the restaurants is really excellent with a very good choice and everything seems very fresh. The staff in the restaurants are the best in the hotel I would say. The food is also very accessible in terms of when you can eat and where the restaurants are. There is also a very good choice of tasty vegetarian dishes to choose from. There are also some good choices of cocktails and other alcoholic drinks.

The turndown service is efficient and the room staff were very friendly and efficient.
Also, the beach staff were generally good although sometimes difficult to find someone.

We did not stay in Jade Mountain but from comments of other guests at the hotel and the other reviews it sounds as though this is much better than Anse Chastanet. If you are going for a wedding or honeymoon I would recommend just staying there. As I said we went to look at the hotel to potentially have our wedding there but changed our minds within 3 or 4 hours of our arrival. For the price, it was just not up to the standard I would expect.

Overall, it was a good holiday, not worth the money and in need of improvement to justify the star rating.

The luxuriant tropical vegetation, the distant roll of the ocean waves, the intriguing sounds of the forest - I was beguiled by them all at this exceptional hotel in its remarkable location on a hillside a few miles outside laid-back Soufrière. So much so that I've now made 4 visits and I can't wait to make that 5.
So what if there's no TV in the room, no air conditioning: it's pretty sad if we can't dispense with such things on holiday. Me, I'd much sooner be cooled by a tropical breeze than a machine. And TV almost inevitably means CNN or similar (enough said).
I love the rustic design of the hillside rooms and the use of local fabrics and tropical wood to vibrant effect. No corporate feel to this hotel, thank heaven.
I don't miss a swimming pool either, when the ocean is so close. OK, there are a fair few steps to negotiate (good exercise!) but there's also transport laid on for those who wish it. The beach is excellent; plenty of shady umbrellas, very friendly beach staff (in fact the attitude of the staff throughout the hotel is something I've always appreciated) and a good restaurant/bar too. I thoroughly recommend walking over to Anse Mamin Plantation and taking the informative - and moving - tour. Not forgetting the snorkelling excursion with the hotel boat to the Pitons - a must.
Evenings are relaxing; on this most recent visit I thought the food was the best I'd had at Anse Chastenet.
What would I change if it were mine? Hardly anything at all. This hotel has got it pretty much right, in my view.