My wife and I stayed at Martin and Joanna's Piton Vista Villa in April and we were very pleased. I'm pretty cautious on where I stay in foreign countries but Piton Vista Villa will have you settling in pretty quickly. It's got a spectacular view of one of the pitons and has all of the amenities you need to be comfortable. I met Martin and Joanna at the airport and followed him back to the residence. I highly recommend meeting him at the airport because you won't find it otherwise. St. Lucia basically has one main road everyone uses so getting lost isn't a total worry, unless you go to Castries. So once you know where it's located you won't drive past it. I also recommend renting an SUV as the roads can be windy and sometimes very steep.
Martin showed us the apartment the first day and we barely saw him after this. He was kind enough to give us our privacy but he was always available if needed. There are brochures laid out on the table with info on daily excursions and there is wifi included. It's not the most powerful signal but it got the job done no complaints. We saved tons of money shacking up there; if you visit you'll see the island is expensive. The best beaches are only 15-20 minutes away and there are some amazing resorts with spectacular views only 5-10 minutes away. Nature walks and hiking trails are also only a few minutes away. It's perfectly situated to do all of the fun and interesting things in or around Soufriere. The island is a rain forest paradise and I found the southern part of the island (where the apartment is located) much more interesting and beautiful than the north. Martin also gave us good info on great snorkeling beaches or very quiet beaches. If you want a quiet place to rest your head and good privacy as well than this is the place. Thanks to Martin and Joanna for such a pleasant experience.
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We stayed at this villa for three nights. It was a great location for our outings, including visits to the town of Soufriere, Tet Paul Nature Trail, Sugar Beach, Anse Mamin Beach and the restaurant at Ladera Resort. We found the rental to be as we expected based on its description and photos. It is well-kept, clean and secure, with room for all four of us (two adults, two teens). Martin was a gracious host, meeting us at the airport to show us the way and to give us a tour before we settled in. We didn't see him much after that. But he and his wife were easily available, as they live in the upstairs apartment. The bed in the smaller bedroom wasn't large enough for our kids to share, so a portable bed was provided at no additional charge. The equipment in the kitchen was sufficient for making basic meals. The house is near a main road. During our stay, we heard typical neighborhood sounds: people driving by, neighbors going about their business, dogs barking -- nothing we considered out of the ordinary. The best part, by far, was the beautiful view from the veranda. The sunsets over Gros Piton and the Caribbean are not to be missed. If you're looking for reasonably priced place from which to explore the areas in and around Soufriere, this villa is an excellent choice.
My husband and I traveled to St Lucia in January and one of the highlights of our trip had to be Piton Vista Villa Apartment!
I'll start with the service. We found Piton Vista Villa on Trip Advisor. I sent an inquiry and heard back immediately from Martin. Booking was easy and Martin sent a detailed email before we arrived of what we would need to know. You will want to rent a car. We were kind of terrified, but the roads are in decent shape and the drivers in St. Lucia are courteous. Martin met us at the airport and guided us back to the apartment. We saw Martin and his family once during our stay. We had a question, went up and knocked, and they were more than helpful. Other than that, we didn't see them until we checked out. It was wonderful having the privacy, and reassuring knowing they were there if we needed them.
Now, the best part about this apartment: The view!! We tried to make it back from our excursions each evening to catch the sunset from the porch. The porch is huge and covered. It rains multiple times a day for a minute or two, and we never had to leave the porch! Looking out over Gros Pitons and the Caribbean was breathtaking. The main bedroom is right off the porch, so has the same view from the two windows. I'd post pictures, but there are already pictures of the view and I know no picture will do it justice.
The apartment itself was clean, comfortable and had everything we needed to have a nice stay. The kitchen was well equipped and the bed was cozy. We were there in January, but didn't need to turn on the A/C with the breeze from the windows.
Is this the right place for you? If you're the type of person that wants a van to pick you up at the airport, drop you at a resort that will make all of your meals and you never have to leave the beach, that's A-Okay, but this is not the place for you. If you fall more on the independent side of travelling and like to make your own itinerary, this place is perfect.
Recommendations:
*This apartment is a short drive from Soufriere, where I highly recommend you find Fedo's. It's back in a neighborhood, but if you ask enough people you'll find it. Authentic food, cheap, and delicious!! We were kicking ourselves that we didn't find this earlier in our trip.
*If you have a car, drive over to Anse Chastanet. A quiet, beautiful, relaxing beach. Sugar beach is nice too.
*Visiting the hot springs, waterfall, and volcano are all offered through different group tour packages on the island. The apartment is so close to all of these things, go on your own. It's cheaper and you don't feel like cattle being herded in and out of these sites. Our group had about 40 people and we regretted signing up. Nice sites, but group tours can make them lose their luster.
*Pigeon Island - gives you a chance to see the north end of the island and see some history. There's a great pub in the ruins on the island.
*Marigot Bay - We had dinner at the Rainforest Hideaway. It was good, but you should visit Marigot Bay for the mangroves, docked yachts, and the atmosphere. We ended up renting a sunset cruise from Sugar bay to Marigot bay for our Rainforest Hideaway reservation. We used Eco-Dive St. Lucia and they were very responsive and reasonably priced.
*Gros Piton - We hiked Gros Piton. It was challenging, the view was okay, the best part was the beer at the end! And being able to sit on the porch at Piton Vista Villa and look out over the mountain we conquered :)
Beyond that, we could have lived on that porch. Thanks to Martin and Joanna for the hospitality and for sharing their beautiful apartment!!
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Staying with Martin and Joanna is a treat. The villa is perfect for four adults or a small family. One could not ask for kinder or more accommodating hosts. The villa is localed amongst the locals, not right in the hectic city, so one gets a true taste of the island. Only a ten to fifteen minute easy drive to Soufriere. A great location for many of the nearby sites, restaurants, and resorts. The rate is very reasonable. It doesn't get any better. Having a car made it very easy for us to travel to any place on the island. Views are spectacular. We had a fabulous two weeks.
How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
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How easy was it to book the property? | How easy was key pickup/access to the property? |
Overall condition of the property | Bedding & mattresses |
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Other facilities & amenities | Service |
Friends getaway |