Up to this point little man had done a bit of traveling to visit family in the US and the UK. How would it all pan out with no family and familiar surroundings to fall back on? Did it matter with a setting like this?
First of all, let me say, just because your kid is under the 2 year 'lap-child' age does NOT necessarily mean it's a good idea to fly with them in your lap. We learned this the hard way. Little man isn't so little. He's actually very tall for his age. If you've got a live-wired big baby on your hands you may want to reconsider the lap-child idea and read my tips on flying with baby.
Exhausted, we arrived in St. Lucia after a short (but long) 4 hour flight. What happened upon checkin at Sugar Beach made up for the rough journey. An upgrade to a Beach Bungalow. We knew something was up when the gate guard told our driver to drop us at Bungalow 5. Hubby and I kept quiet hoping it wasn't a mistake.
After having seen the whole resort I strongly recommend splurging on the bungalow (easy for me to say huh?). Private plunge pool, easy beach access, kitchen, butler, etc. Perfect for a couple with kids.
Sugar Beach is every idyllic beachy postcard you've ever seen, wrapped up in a secluded, gorgeous bay tucked between the two Pitons. It is a great alternative to the adults-only Jade Mountain resort.
A few of the things you can do with and without baby at Sugar Beach:
- Treetop Rainforest Spa -
Hands down the most amazing spa setting I've encountered.
- Pool -
Little man loves swimming. The pool was excellent.
- Beach -
Swim, snorkel, kayak are all options from the beach.
- SCUBA -
"You for scuba?" Hubby loves SCUBA diving. I'm far too claustrophobic for it. He rates St. Lucia diving as good, relative to places like Maldives, Mauritius, Thailand, ect.
- Eat -
We ate mostly at the resort because of little man's early bedtime. It forced us to learn how to eat out with little man who had, up to this point, eaten at very few restaurants in a high chair. We came home pros!
- Sightsee -
Okay, don't shame me (you know I hate mommy shaming), but we broke down and hired the resort babysitter so we could go out for an afternoon of sightseeing. St. Lucia is home to the world's only drive in volcano. We also saw the botanical gardens where Romancing the Stone was filmed and hiked up Tet Paul Trail to see an amazing view of the Pitons. I was nervously checking my cell reception the whole time...
Pitfalls?
The food probably should have been better considering the resort standard and the pool-side service was lacking, but we were pleasantly surprised at how well they catered to babies and families without seeming like a Disney resort.
Conclusion?
For those times when you want to splurge, luxury travel is possible with kids. You just have to adjust your expectations and itinerary. Trade off with each other so you can still enjoy the things you love, e.g. hubby SCUBAs while I hang with little man and vice versa for my spa afternoon. Choosing the right hotel/resort is key. Do they have cribs? Do they have high chairs? Are there things you can do with your baby?
At the end of the day it doesn't matter where you go; it's about making great memories. And that is exactly what we did.
