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Windward Ho
A West Indian resort with a difference:
St. Lucia's lovely Windjammer Landing
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Business New Haven
6/4/1995
By: Michael C. Bingham
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LABRELOTTE BAY, St. Lucia, W.I. - Izn the heady days of the 1920s, it was the Florida Land Grab. By the '40s, Havana had become the Sin City of the Western world. In the 1960s, the Bahamas became the playground of well-to-do Americans, symbolized by then-U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell's taxpayer-subsidized shenanigans on the island of Bimini.
Where did we go from there? Southbound to the Windward Islands of the West Indies, where tropical Edens like Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique have come to exercise a siren pull on sailors and vacationers from the Old and New Worlds.
Just 22 miles south of Martinique may be the most picture-perfect of these islands: St. Lucia, a 238-square-mile volcanic island dominated by a ridge of mountains running north to south broken by fertile valleys where bananas, coconuts and citrus fruits grow like cropsy (in fact, bananas are the island's leading export - “green gold” to St. Lucians).
Although St. Lucia's Atlantic coast, where sharp-edge cliffs plunge dramatically into crashing surf, offers more spectacular vistas, it is on the island's protected Caribbean coast that most resorts are sited. Traveling north from Vieux Fort along the west coast you come to the harbor town of Soufriere, in the shadow of the island's most notable topographical treasure: the twin peaks of Gros Piton and Petit Piton, rising nearly 1,000 from the harbor (naturally, Petit Piton is the larger of the two).
Still further north is the bustling port city of Castries (population 51,000), where every Saturday the open-air market offers sightseers a taste of native fare to eat and wear. The island's finest resorts line the coast north of Castries heading up to Rodney Bay. Above tranquil Labrelotte Bay may be St. Lucia's finest resort community: the postcard-pretty Windjammer Landing. For travelers from Europe and the States, it offers all the amenities of home, plus a well-thought-out program of social and recreational fare for the sporty or the sedate. Mix those ingredients with a loved one or two, and you'll find Windjammer to be as good as it gets.
Windjammer Landing was designed and built as a village on 55 mountainside acres offering perhaps the sweetest view of the Caribbean available in the Windward Islands. It was constructed in 1989 by the same firm that built Toronto's remarkable Skydome (home of baseball's Blue Jays).
Patterned after a Mediterranean village, Windjammer's guest quarters are one-, two- and three-bedroom villas with white adobe turrets and red tile roofs. Villas offer both deluxe (ocean view) and superior (no such luck) accommodations.
Brick paths traverse a landscape of lush landscaping, fragrant gardens, sparkling pools and waterfalls. Canopied, electric-powered six-seat shuttles ply the paths 24 hours a day for the convenience of guests (so steep is the mountainside that walking is, literally, quite awkward). This is where the first-class amenities begin: Simply dial the concierge desk from your villa, and “the Shut” (as one toddler called it) is there in a matter of seconds, day or night. In the words of Captain Reynaud in the movie Casablanca, it is very convenient.
Our two-bedroom villa was constructed on three levels. On the bottom was a bright, open bedroom with sitting area, full bath and a deck to the side. the middle floor housed a full kitchen, dining room and comfortably appointed living room (with TV and VCR for visitors with children. The second floor was surrounded by a wraparound deck with a private plunge pool on the side. Upstairs was the master bedroom and master bath with walk-in shower and all amenities. The king-sized bed looked out onto a third deck with a breathtaking panorama of the bay facing toward the sunset. For those who feel three decks means you're somehow slumming, a stairway from the third-floor deck leads up to a rooftop sun deck. In a word, spectacular.
Windjammer seems to get it just right in marrying stunning quarters offering plenty of privacy to moonstruck couples (the resort is justifiably popular with honeymooners, and the hosts will of course be delighted to arrange your wedding, if you'd like) with ample opportunities to dine, play and mingle with fellow guests.
The carte du jour, for example, provides a full plate of group and individual sports and recreation. The sheltered bay is perfect for such watersports as sailing, snorkeling, water skiing and kayaking (all complimentary) as well as scuba diving (extra fee). Two lighted tennis courts sport an unusual Astroturf surface (slow like clay, but the ball stays down as on grass) where a very capable pro holds forth with daily clinics and private lessons. A fitness center offers the most unforgettable views you'll ever see from a Stairmaster. And there are plenty of organized games and sports to join in day and evening. For those who can't find a way to entertain themselves, there is nightly entertainment in the common poolside areas.
That area abuts a 1,000-foot man-made beach covered with white sand imported from Barbuda (natural beaches on this volcanic isle sport a darker hue). Waiters travel to and fro from the beachside bar during the day to keep sunbathers relaxed and refreshed. Nearby are two large pools (one for tykes) and a large sunbathing area.
Active visitors can find plenty of calories to burn off here. Windjammer has four fine restaurants on site. The newest and most intriguing is Ernestine's, which offered sophisticated Caribbean cuisine, with an accent on fish and shellfish dishes, served by waitstaff in traditional island dress (entrées $13. 25 to $24.50 U.S.). More casual dining is offered right next door at the Conch & Bandshell, which serves up a mean burger as well as spicy island fare (entrées $6.25 to $13.25). The open-air Jammer's Bar & Grill overlooks the bay, offering seafood, grilled fish and meat dishes. Halfway up the hillside is Papa Don's, which serves fresh pasta and brick oven pizzas up to $12.25.
The northern coast of St. Lucia is home to some other don't-miss dining options. Our favorite was the Great House in Rodney Bay (a five-minute cab ride from Windjammer), where under-the-stars dining above the bay in a former Colonial mansion reduced us to unintelligible goo-goo noises by meal's end. Guidebooks will tell you that Castries' most popular restaurant is the oddly named Rain. Don't ask for it, though, because it's now known as Chez Paul, which serves pungent, authentic Caribbean fare in a rambling Victorian house evoking New Orleans' French Quarter. And there are others.
Did we mention kids? Windjammer is kid-friendly in a big way. There are daily structured activities - sports, the arts, sightseeing, crafts, games, even a “kiddie cocktail hour” - from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children four to 12 years of age, including lunch. However, the three-year-old who sometimes shadows us on our wanderings was warmly accommodated by a competent, caring staff of young women who spoke excellent English. Since most activities are on-site (a couple of short trips and hikes to neighboring resorts are planned each week), parents can pull Junior in and out of activities as they wish - or take the whole day to be joyously alone.
Babysitting is available for nighttime or other hours, and although the concierge would vastly prefer 24 hours' notice, they were able to accommodate us in a snap. The fee is $5 U.S. plus a transportation fee of $3 U.S.
Most flights originating in the U.S. connect to Hewanorra Airport at the southern tip of St. Lucia. From there it's just 32 miles to Windjammer Landing. But remember: As humorist/crank P.J. O'Rourke would say, what in civilized settings would be considered a road hazard, is in St. Lucia the road . Thus Hewanorra is a full 90 minutes by ground transportation (although the west coast highway is scheduled for completion later this year, which will reduce travel time from south to north by a third) - though for many, the scenery makes it well worth the pokey pace. From San Juan, the alternative is a flight to Vigie Airport in downtown Castries. From Vigie, Windjammer is a ten-minute cab ride.
Weekly packages at Windjammer (minimum seven-night stay) range from as little as $650 person (one bedroom, offseason) to $1,250 per person (three bedroom, in season, inclusive of all meals). Our conclusion? Worth every penny.
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