Travel Posh

St. Lucia is a popular holiday destination in the West Indies which attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year. For this fall season, which is expected to attract 50,000 visitors, the island has spruced up its resorts and hotels and increased its connectivity with the introduction of JetBlue flights. The airline has launched direct flights from New York on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Also, the American Airlines is also offering tickets to the island at just $150 each way.

St. Lucia’s three main hotels are under renovation right now, while one resort is under the third phase of its construction and another one will be opening in February next year. Let’s have a look at the ongoing changes in the hotel scene on the island:

• Cap Maison: This hill resort lies above the Smuggler’s Cove beach in Cap Estate. It used to be a sugar plantation and has now been turned into a 1,500 acre hill resort. The resort has the Atlantic ocean on one side while the Caribbean Sea provides another breathtaking view on the other. The hotel is renovating it private Villas all through September and the renovations will be completed by October 10th, 2009.

• Discovery at Marigot Bay: The Discovery resort is another popular resort in St. Lucia. It is going under a complete remodelling to provide a more intimate environment. The resort is importing 800 tons of white sand from Barbuda to improve its beach. The resort also plans to start a beach club and add two more restaurants to its property. The renovations have started on September 1 and the resort will reopen on October 31st, 2009.

• Rendezvous: This is a romantic, couples-only resort with intimate and tranquil settings. Rendezvous is undergoing a $12 million dollar renovation to improve the property’s look, feel and experience. This resort started the Rendezvous closed August 9 and will re-open on October 18, 2009.

• The Landings, a Rock Resort: The Landings, a Rock Resort is under the third out of four phases of its apartments by 2010. Sixty-five new apartments will be completed in this new phase.

• Saint Lucia will have a new hotel named Hotel Chocolat. It is expected to bring new experiences and attractions to the island. Lying on Rabot Estate on West Coast of the island, this hotel will be offering guests a chocolate making experience. The hotel will be connected with a cocoa plantation and will also offer bird watching, hiking and guided Fruit Safari Tours. Hotel Chocolat will open for business in February 2010.

For more information about the island of Saint Lucia, call 1 800 456 3984, or visit www.saintlucianow.com.