Does size matter for hotels? Yes, if you are staying at the luxury boutique hotel, Têt Rouge. With only six sea-view suites, personalisation is their unique selling point. Everyone is treated presidential and with the typical St Lucian charm.
Hotel
This family-run boutique property is situated on the rolling hills of Choiseul. It’s on the scenic western, Caribbean side of the island, so expect picture postcard-perfect views of the Caribbean Sea and striking views of Saint Lucia’s Gros Piton. On this side of the island, the weather is more temperate, the sea is that much calmer than the Atlantic side.
Choiseul is off the beaten track and more suburban than the touristic towns north of the island. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t convenient to get to major tourist attractions from the resort. Within 15 minutes, you can embark on the Gros Piton hike. Likewise, in that time, you can get to Hotel Chocolat’s Tree to Bar chocolate experience at Project Chocolat.
The resort oozes charm in abundance, from the exotic array of plants on the property, to the aesthetically pleasing infinity pool to the thatched roof outdoor restaurant. It isn’t the largest of properties, the reception room also doubles up as the gift shop and their back office. They’ve thoughtfully allocated most of their space to the villas to ensure guests enjoy a commodious experience.
Room
Their cavernous suite includes a sizeable terrace complete with a dining table and hammock and on a clear day, you can see the island of St Vincent. The towering ceiling is adorned with farmhouse wooden ceiling fans, while hardwood floors are made from exotic greenheart, purpleheart and jatoba. The queen-sized four-poster bed with mosquito nets along with the mahogany furniture adds a colonial style to proceedings.
There is a kitchenette with a spacious fridge stocked up with minibar essentials, although, the necessity for cookery in-suite is unlikely given the high-quality offering at their restaurant, Ti Coco. They can also be ultra-accommodating and serve you the full restaurant menu in the comfort of your suite. Housekeeping is offered daily, but they do tend to check with you during breakfast to ensure towels and bedding are not washed unnecessarily.
The bathroom includes double vanities and you’ll find luxury amenities in the form of The Ritual of Karma. There is both an indoor and an outdoor rain shower, I would highly recommend trying the outdoor shower with its exquisite, colourful tiling surrounded by natural vegetation and the welcoming, warm St Lucian air.
Food and drink
For a resort offering only six suites and only reachable on a dirt road, the restaurant is the surprise hidden gem of the resort. If you dig slightly deeper, you’ll discover one of the chefs previously worked at the renowned, Sugar Beach resort, whilst all three chefs trained under renowned executive chef, Juan Bochenski. He’ll be opening a world-class restaurant called Soley Kouche nearby.
The menu is a well-executed mix of local signature dishes and Western comfort food. The former highlights the riches from their shores including creole fish, which tended to be mahi-mahi or an ultra-fresh and tender, spicy octopus. Whilst the more European dishes included an indulgent garlic butter shrimp pasta and a rack of lamb with red wine jus that wouldn’t look out of place at a five-star hotel.
The drinks are served from their poolside bar, which you can swim up to in the infinity pool and nothing is ever too much for the talented bar staff. If you want an iced tea, which isn’t on their menu, they will be delighted to create one for you. They have piña colada imbued with tropical flavours such as banana or mango and it’s the perfect spot to enjoy the St Lucian sunset.
To do
Whilst they don’t have space for spa facilities, you can enjoy relaxing treatments in the comfort of your suite. They have romantic options such as couples Swedish massage and local options such as the banana leaf body wrap and scrub. They also offer pedicures and manicures.
A must-try activity is to hire the luxury 40 ft catamaran. There are great value packages that include sunset cruises where you can enjoy a barbecue on board as well as a snorkelling experience whilst admiring the breath-taking St Lucian coastline. They also have guided rainforest hiking tours which cater for all levels of difficulty. A particularly picturesque trail is to hike at En Bas Saut and swim at the pristine waterfall there.
Factbox
Têt Rouge offers suites from $290.95 per night.
Address: La Pointe, Choiseul, Soufriere, St Lucia
Phone: 1-758-487-5051
Website: tetrouge.com
