Brenna Without Borders

When planning our honeymoon, we wanted a unique experience. We wanted it to be an immersive and local trip. We didn’t want our trip to be like every other couple we knew that honeymooned in St.Lucia. I would say we successfully achieved that goal. If you want to do it a little differently than everyone else too, read on.

Where we Stayed: Tet Rouge Resort. If you are looking for an extremely local and remote experience, look no further. With just 6 spacious guest rooms, an infinity pool, and a small bar and restaurant, Tet Rouge is the definition of a private getaway. The drinks were strong and the food was fresh. We booked a honeymoon package, so every morning we received breakfast on our porch. Fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and eggs are made to your preference.

The downside of staying at Tet Rouge being so remote was that we had to take a taxi or shuttle every time we left the resort. We took a 20-30 minute taxi ride to get to every excursion we did.

We did a few excursions throughout our time on the island. I consider myself a pretty adventurous person. To my surprise, the excursions we did challenged me physically.

• Snorkeling – the majority of the snorkeling is done off of Sugar Beach because it’s the safest spot on the island. With the pitons being so large, debris often falls from the mountains into the ocean. Sugar Beach has a secure location roped off for guests. This was only my second time snorkeling, so I was very nervous. It was an amazing experience seeing all the beautiful fish and coral. I think next time I will be a lot less stressed and really be able to enjoy myself.

• Hiking the Piton. We definitely did not do enough research before setting out on this hike. You have to be at peak physical health and have very high endurance to be able to do this entire hike. The best way to describe this hike is for you to imagine nature’s Stairmaster made out of very tall rock scrambles that get more and more challenging as you go up. You will want to start early in the morning. Every group of hikers must have a guide with them. You do not need to keep pace with your guide. They do this every day, sometimes twice a day, and will encourage you to go faster than you are comfortable. My advice is to take your time and go at a comfortable pace. I made it to the halfway point and I am grateful to say the view is beautiful from there. I can say I hiked the Piton and it was truly a unique experience.
• Mudbaths – this was probably one of my favorite excursions. The mudbaths are like muddy hot tubs and are filled with mud from the local volcano. The mud is believed to have healing powers for all types of skin concerns. While this is very much a tourist trap, locals also visit the mudbaths so I did feel like it held some significance. You will be guided through the process when you are there. You first sit in the muddy natural hot tubs, then you get out and rub white gritty mud all over your body. This mud comes from inside the volcano. Then you take the black mud and can use it as body paint, it’s simply “just for fun” and “decorative”. This is usually what you see the pictures of. It makes for cute couple pictures. Side note: make sure to take a swimsuit you don’t care about getting dirty.

• Sunset Catamaran Cruise – this was an excursion offered specifically for the guests of Tet Rouge, though I am sure other accommodations offer something similar. The owners of the resort also owned the catamaran. The more guests that go on the tour, the cheaper it is per person. We split it with one other couple. Drinks were offered as we sailed around the island. We anchored to watch the sunset. Garrett chose to do some snorkeling during this time. While we watched the sunset a sea turtled popped his head out of the water. The boat crew cooked us a local meal to eat as we made our way back to the shore. This was my favorite excursion that we did in St.Lucia because it combined all my favorite things; boats, nature, and food.

• Tet Paul Hiking Trail – for a less challenging, but equally beautiful hike on the island, I suggest the Tet Paul Hiking Trail. I guide is optional and it is much less strenuous than hiking the Piton. The views are still spectacular and the trail loops around a garden so there is lots to look at and plenty of informational placks to read. It, unfortunately, rained when we did this hike. But we still got some great pictures.

• Explore Soufriere – Soufriere is a nearby town and also where a lot of the resorts are located around. If you want to have a local experience, walk around Soufriere and check out some of the stores and restaurants. We found a bakery, of course, called Purity Bakery. Our taxi driver also took us to a new restaurant that had just opened at the time called Our Toy. It had a great view and we got a huge local lunch for a very good price.

We had one experience that was truly unique and I am quite sure is not offered to all tourists. When speaking with the staff at our resort, we shared that we would like to do a waterfall hike. This local staff member suggested a hike and insisted it was amazing and we would love it. So we took their word and planned to go the next day early. I can’t even tell you the details of where we went or how we got there. All I know is that we were in the car for a very long time. Along the way, we picked up our guide who had to stop to sharpen his machete. *Gulp* Now I lived in the Caribbean long enough to know that. machetes are a common tool, often used to clear brush when walking or to cut down banana bunches when farming; BUTTT two men we did not know, driving us to the middle of nowhere and us not knowing where we were going… I really did think we were going to be killed a few times. Instead of hiking to our death, we set out on a challenging, yet doable hike through the rainforest. Our guide and our taxi driver came with us. We hiked up and down hills and across a rushing river 3 plus times. The end goal – a waterfall. A beautiful waterfall with no one there but us (and our guide and our taxi driver). It was a pretty cool experience. But then we were encouraged to begin the hike back, almost right away, and when we did, it began to rain. Not just rain, it poured, the entire hike across three rushing rivers and up and down muddy hills back to our car. It was an experience, to say the least. We didn’t die so that was definitely a win. And we have a story that I believe most people do not have from their honeymoon.

St.Lucia is truly beautiful and we had a great time exploring all the natural beauty. We did opt for a local experience and that made it a very memorable trip that we won’t be forgetting any time soon.