St. Lucia is known as a lovers' getaway location, & sets perhaps the most picturesque scene for thousands of destination weddings & honeymoons each year. There is plenty of natural beauty to enjoy on this Caribbean island, but every traveler gets hungry, too. Fortunately, St. Lucia also has a range of fantastic restaurants to satisfy your appetite.
The first place you might want to look for fine dining is right within your resort. When you stay in a luxury hotel in the Caribbean, you usually have a range of options, from gourmet seafood dishes with local ingredients to international cuisine. However, there are several restaurants outside your resort you might want to check out as well. Try these three St. Lucia favorites during your upcoming vacation or honeymoon in the Caribbean:
For local flavor Sit on the deck overlooking Vigie Marina or nestled around a table in the cozy interior of The Coal Pot Restaurant in Castries, St. Lucia, for quintessential Lucian cuisine with a gourmet French kick. Chef Xavier, who moved to the island after living in the French Alps, Switzerland & England, describes the food as "simple, tasty, well presented with mainly local & some French flavors," but "not over the top. However, your feelings about the menu may be "over the top" when you taste dishes like the Coquille St. Jacques, a combination of scallops & baby shrimp in a mushroom cheese cause, or the many seafood options: Snapper, tuna, kingfish, dorado, barracuda, saltfish & greenfigs, & lobster are all served with a choice of lemon garlic, coconut curry, Creole, ginger or mushroom sauces.
The best buffet & brunch When you stay at Ladera, a luxury resort in Soufriere, you are treated to Dasheene's award-winning cuisine any time you like. However, even if you are staying somewhere nearby, you'll want to stop into this fabulous restaurant to enjoy its innovative menu & fantastic views. Chef Mark Atkinson's passion for sustainability & Lucian cuisine results in dishes like sweet potato & coconut soup, Caribbean lamb salad, Cajun Creole vegetable bakes & roast conch with pickled vegetables. Locals flock to this spot for its fabulous Thursday night buffet, but it's just as popular for its Sunday brunch, where visitors can dine while enjoying a St. Lucian Shak-Shak band,
Secluded rainforest dining Remote doesn't have to mean rustic – that's what Rainforest Hideaway, located in Castries, St. Lucia, proves. Take a ferry ride to this secluded spot in Marigot Bay & enjoy dockside dining around a glowing lagoon – only after being led to the bar for a complimentary glass of champagne, though. Both the open-air setting & the European-Caribbean fusion cuisine is guaranteed to delight visitors. Try dishes like salmon with black bean, coconut & clam broth over saffron garlic linguini, or chili-infused shrimp.
