Villas in Saint Lucia: Private Pools, Piton Views and Staff

What counts as a villa in Saint Lucia?

A villa in Saint Lucia is a self-contained home or resort residence with its own bedrooms, living space and, usually, a private pool or plunge pool. It comes in two forms: a villa inside a hotel estate, with restaurants and staff close by, or an independent house let through an owner or agent.

The difference decides how much help you get. A resort villa has its own front door, a terrace and often a pool, while a restaurant, a spa and a reception desk sit a short walk or buggy ride away. An independent villa is a house on its own plot, often with a housekeeper and sometimes a cook, where you arrange more for yourself. Our guide to private villas and VIP stays covers the independent end of the market, including estates that let whole houses with a dedicated team.

This page concentrates on resort villas, because they are the easiest to book from the UK and the easiest to get right first time. Several of the island's best-known properties are built almost entirely from villas and suites, so the range is wide, from a plunge pool on a hillside above Soufrière to a three-bedroom house on a bluff in the far north.

Which resorts offer villas?

Five properties are worth knowing. Stonefield Villa Resort stands in the hills above Soufrière on a former lime and cocoa plantation, and it is adults only. Its own website describes seventeen individually styled villas, each with a private plunge pool, plus a clifftop pool shared by all guests. A farm-to-table restaurant serves the estate, a shuttle runs to the beaches at Sugar Beach and Malgretoute, and a cooked breakfast comes with every stay. Villas range from one-bedroom units to a five-bedroom house.

Windjammer Landing is the family choice on the northwest coast, at Labrelotte Bay. Its villas step up a hillside above the sea: hilltop pool villas with two, three or four bedrooms, a collection of larger manors, and the Ocean Point residences. The resort sells a premium all-inclusive plan and lists in-villa dining around the clock, and its children's club takes ages four to twelve.

Ladera is built on a ridge between Gros Piton and Petit Piton, and it describes itself as the only resort inside the World Heritage Site. Alongside its suites it offers private villa options, including Villa La Fleur, which suit couples who want the view above everything else. The resort is Green Globe certified, and its restaurant and bars sit about a thousand feet above the sea, so the evenings are as much about the view as the food.

Sugar Beach, in the Val des Pitons, mixes beachfront bungalows, villas and the Sugar Mill Rooms, which have private terraces, plunge pools and walled gardens. Cap Maison, on the north coast above Smugglers Cove, offers two and three bedroom villas, many with a private pool and some with a roof terrace. Its larger villas sleep six or eight, and the three-bedroom villa has a separate living and dining room. It sells all-inclusive rates, which suits a group that wants one bill and no arithmetic.

Who suits a villa, and who should book a room instead?

A villa suits anyone who wants privacy and space more than company. Couples on a honeymoon use the pool as a second living room. Families with young children like the extra doors between sleeping and eating, and the fact that nobody has to be quiet at eight in the evening. Groups of friends or three generations of one family can share a house and still have their own bedrooms and bathrooms. If you are planning a honeymoon in Saint Lucia, a villa gives you a private place to celebrate without a dining room watching.

A hotel room suits a different mood. If you like a bar with people in it, a dive centre on the beach and a restaurant you can walk to in sandals, a villa on a hillside can feel remote, especially on a short trip. Most resort villas sit up a slope, which means steps, and anyone who finds stairs tiring should ask exactly how many lie between the bedroom, the pool and the car.

Length of stay matters too. A villa makes the most sense for a week or more, when you have time to settle in, swim before breakfast and get to know the area. For three or four nights, a suite with services on the doorstep is usually the easier choice.

Chefs, housekeepers and drivers: what staff should you expect?

Staff vary more than anything else between villas, so ask rather than assume. In a resort villa, housekeeping and dining come from the hotel. Windjammer Landing lists in-villa dining around the clock, and Stonefield will bring dishes from its restaurant to your villa for a small delivery fee. Cap Maison's three-bedroom villas include room service, and its all-inclusive rates cover dining at its two restaurants.

Independent villas lean on a small team. A housekeeper is common, a cook is often available, and a driver can usually be arranged. Cooks may shop in local markets for you if you give a list in advance, and they will often cook Creole dishes you would struggle to find in a restaurant. Our getting around guide explains why a local driver is so useful on winding roads, and our money and tipping guide sets out how gratuities are usually handled.

Make sure you know what is included before you arrive. Some hosts include a cook's wages but not groceries, others include a transfer but not fuel for a boat day. A short written list of what is covered avoids awkward conversations at the end of the week.

Pool, view and position: how to choose

Start with the view. In the south, around Soufrière, villas look at the Pitons or the Caribbean Sea, and the scenery is dramatic enough that guests often cancel plans to stay put. The coast road is winding, so a villa here puts you a good drive from the long beaches of the north. In the north, around Rodney Bay and Cap Estate, villas face sunsets and the neighbouring island of Martinique, with restaurants, shops and a marina a short drive away.

Then look at the pool. A plunge pool is a deep, small pool built for cooling off, with room for two or three people to sit and talk. A full pool allows lengths and games, which matters if you have children. Ask whether the pool is heated, whether it is fenced, and how much shade the terrace gets by mid-afternoon, because the sun is strong. Shade is often the thing guests miss most.

Finally, consider the sea. Several villa resorts do not have a beach at the door, and a shuttle or a short drive takes you to the sand. That is not a drawback if you prefer your own pool, but you should know before you book. If you want the Pitons up close, read our guide to the Pitons before choosing your base.

Small practical details shape how comfortable a villa feels. Insects are a fact of tropical life, so look for screens, mosquito nets and fans, which Stonefield lists in its villas, and bring repellent. Showers pass quickly in the wetter months, but a covered terrace lets you stay outside while they do. On a hillside, ask about noise from neighbouring villas and from the restaurant, and about lighting along the paths at night, because the stairs between your villa and the pool can be steep and dark.

What is included, and what should you ask before you book?

Villa prices can look very different from one resort to the next because the plans are not built the same way. Some villas are sold room only, some with breakfast, and some on an all-inclusive plan. Stonefield includes a cooked breakfast, with other meals charged at its restaurant. Windjammer Landing sells a premium all-inclusive plan that adds à la carte dining across several restaurants, premium spirits and motorised water sports, with some specialty items carrying a supplement. Cap Maison sells all-inclusive rates that cover food and drink at its restaurants, though private venues and tours are charged separately.

Work out what you will really spend rather than comparing headline rates. A villa on a room-only plan costs less up front, but a family of four eating three meals a day in restaurants can spend a great deal more than the difference. An all-inclusive plan removes that arithmetic and makes sense if you plan to stay on the property. If you plan to be out exploring most days, a plan with breakfast and a few dinners may suit you better.

Also ask about taxes and service charges, which are often added to the rate you see first, and about gratuities for villa staff, which may be included or left to you. Ask what the property charges for transfers, for use of a kitchen, and for laundry. None of these figures is unusual, but they add up, and a clear written quote from the property is worth having before you confirm.

Good villa hosts answer the practical questions quickly and clearly, and slow or vague answers tell you something too. These are the ones worth putting in writing.

• Who meets you at the airport, and is the transfer included?
• Which meals, drinks and services are included, and which cost extra?
• How many steps lie between the bedrooms, the pool and the parking area?
• Is the pool fenced, heated and shaded, and how deep is it?
• Is there air conditioning or only fans, and how reliable is the wifi?
• Where is the nearest shop or restaurant, and can groceries be delivered?
• What is the cancellation policy, and what happens during bad weather?
• Is there a minimum stay for your dates?

Planning a villa stay from the UK

Flights from London run directly to Saint Lucia and take about eight and a half hours. Most visitors land at Hewanorra International Airport in the south and transfer by road, which takes roughly an hour to Soufrière and longer to the north, while smaller regional flights use the airport near Castries. Our getting here guide sets out the options and explains what to expect on arrival.

The drier months, roughly December to May, are the busiest, and the best villas fill early, so book several months ahead for Christmas, February and Easter. The wetter months bring heavier showers but also lower prices and a green landscape. The best time to visit guide explains the seasons in more detail.

To compare villa resorts with the full range of hotels, start at our hotels in Saint Lucia page, where each property has its own guide. Confirm current villa types, rates and policies with the property before you pay a deposit, because they change from year to year.

Choosing between the styles of stay

This is one way into our wider guide to St Lucia hotels. If you are still undecided, read the pages on luxury hotels in St Lucia, all inclusive resorts in St Lucia and family resorts in St Lucia before you commit, because the right area and the right style matter as much as the hotel itself.

Once you have a shortlist, turn it into holidays to St Lucia by checking the best time to visit St Lucia, flights to St Lucia and our St Lucia itineraries. Couples can read about a honeymoon in St Lucia too.

Questions travellers ask