Rooms

There are 7 bedrooms in total, all bright and simple in decor; white walls and floors are lifted by candy-striped sofas and turquoise balustrades, quirky road signs, and joyfully unminimalist shelves of books, DVDs, games and beach pebbles. 3 are downstairs and 4 upstairs, so the house works fine if you just need 3-4 rooms (at reduced rates).

Downstairs, bedroom 1 - the master suite - is an absolute sanctuary, with a kingsize 4-poster, a large ensuite dressing room with bath and shower, and a sundowning terrace that look out at the Pitons and Caribbean Sea. Bedroom 2 also has a traditional West Indian kingsize 4-poster and a louvered door leading out to a shady arbour. The shower room next door is shared with Bedroom 4 - a children’s room kitted out with bunk beds, a cot, a playpen, a colourful mural and heaps of much-loved traditional toys in the cupboards.

Up from the living room is Bedroom 3 - this has 2 large antique single beds and an ensuite shower bathroom. Built like a rookery into the eaves, Bedroom 5 is a mezzanine room with a sloping ceiling and white curtains for walls. With a small double and a single bed, it’s perfect for 2 or (at a push) 3 children, or a couple and young child. There are also 2 newer bedrooms which we haven't seen, both double-bedded, one of them with a single sofa-bed. Crucially, there are mozzie nets in all bedrooms, and A/C in 6 of them.

Features include:

• Fan
• In-room treatments available
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

The chef has a reputation as the best home-cook in Soufriere, and we think it’s richly deserved. Arrive to a simple welcoming meal - perhaps jerk chicken with a green fig salad, and lime pie for afters. There's a more formal table inside, or dine outside on the terrace accompanied by grackles and bananaquits (colourful finches).

Fresh drinks bring it home you’re in the tropics: tamarind and soursop juice, rum punch (of course), or cocoa tea - a supremely indulgent local drink made with milk, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves as well as freshly ground cocoa.

You can cook for yourself after that (there’s a full kitchen with a proper batterie de cuisine including a juicer, blender and BBQ), or ask to prepare your meals from your own ingredients (in our view, definitely the best option). Breakfast and lunch can be served at a time to suit you; supper is prepared during the day then left ready for you to heat up or have cold later. Suggestions include callaloo soup with island bread, barbequed snapper, green mango salad, pepperpot, coconut shrimp and St Lucian fishcakes.

A shopping pack can be supplied to get you started (extra charge). If you’re happy to do your own shopping for everything else, Soufriere has 2 small supermarkets, a fruit and veg market, a bakery and a weekly fish market. Or make up a list and ask staff to collect groceries (there's a 15% charge on top of cost of groceries).

There are various restaurants at Anse Chastenet beach a short drive away, and a few in Soufriere.

Features include:

• Barbecue
• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Dishwasher
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• In-house cook
• Kids' meals
• Lunch by arrangement
• Microwave
• Shopping service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Head down to the sandy beach of Anse Chastenet - St. Lucia's loveliest, and just a 10-15 minute drive away; Hummingbird and Jalousie beaches also have safe swimming (but be prepared to pay for parasols and sunloungers)
  
  
• Go diving or snorkelling - the coral reefs here offer some of the best diving in the Caribbean, and Anse Chastenet resort has a 5-star PADI dive centre
  
  
• Explore charming Soufriere - the old French capital of St Lucia, now a photogenic and sleepy fishing town with ancient wooden houses, colourful fishing boats and lovely Botanical Gardens nearby (look out for wax roses, lobsterclaws, chenille plants and cats’ whiskers!)
  
  
• Visit St Lucia's famous 'drive-in' volcano and sulphur springs to enjoy a mud wrap (dark swimwear is advised!)
  
  
• Bike hire, Piton guides and island tours can be arranged, as can whale watching trips (ask about recent sightings before you book)
  
  
• Back at the house, book the next-door tennis court (small charge), then jump in the pool or relax on the sunny terrace, with its amazing Piton views
  
  
• The steep garden’s a perfect place for hide and seek, and there’s a ‘Tarzan’ swing for dare-devils
  
  
• If the weather turns, there are games, DVDs, books and toys

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Hiking
• Plantlife / flora
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Scuba diving courses
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Waterskiing
• Whale watching
• Windsurfing

Kids

This is beyond doubt the best villa we’ve found in St Lucia for kids of all ages (and their parents!)

It's got a fantastic garden, plenty of toys, books and baby kit, and there are several family beaches nearby. Warning: there will be tears on departure.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

There's a bunk room for kids, a twin room and a couple of rooms which have a single sofa-bed alongside the double.

Cots Available

Distances:

• Airport: 40 minutes
• Hospital: 50 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Bananaquit House is set on a hillside, 1.5km outside Soufriere on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. It's a 10-minute drive from Anse Chastanet beach, 45 minutes from the international airport and an hour from the domestic airport.

By Air
Hewanorra International (30km) is where you'll land, unless you fly from a different Caribbean island, in which case you'll jet into George F L Charles. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports. Unless included in your airfare, there is a departure tax; check how much it is before you spend all your money!

From the Airport
You can ask for an airport transfer - see Rates - but most people hire a car for their stay (a Jeep is definitely advised). Or you can jump in a taxi - the fare’s around US$60 from Hewanorra.

By Car
For car hire, see our car rental recommendations. You will need to obtain a temporary St Lucia driver’s licence purchased from the Immigration Office upon arrival at the airport or at the car-rental kiosks when you pick up your car. In addition you have to be over 25 years old and show a valid driver’s licence from home. Note that the road from town to the villa is unpaved and a 4WD vehicle is needed.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to St Lucia and getting around