Have you ever visited a magical place? Well I think I found one…an architect didn’t design Jade Mountain in St Lucia…A brilliant magician wove a wonderful tapestry, infused the foundations with happiness, he filled a place full of smiles and created a palace of dreams…
….because you see the rooms at Jade Mountain were created rather differently to your average hotel room…there is no fourth wall…
…so that you’re at one with nature…in a sanctuary among the stars…
But let’s get back down to earth and let me start the story for the beginning…We flew directly from Gatwick and after a comfortable eight hour flight, Mr Silver and I arrived at Hewanorra airport not feeling too shabby. Having taken off at 10am, we landed on the island at 3pm their time meaning we still felt awake and bright, ready to enjoy the afternoon.
Though the island is only 27 miles long it can take a while to get from place to place as there is only one road that winds through the island, our journey to the hotel was one hour long but beautifully scenic. We admired the emerald hills and the stunning twin peaks of the majestic Pitons, passing through the town on Soufriere spotting rum shacks and local shops and the smiling faces of the locals. Finally, we got to the foot of what can only be described as a narrow dirt road which the driver preceded to make his way along as the car shuddered and shook up the rather precarious path.
On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by our ‘Major Domo’ who would be our personal butler throughout our stay. Actually as the butler was available 24 hours, we were allocated with three who would ensure that all our needs were met at all times and were constantly contactable via a mobile phone. Teddy, our first butler, handed us a refreshing cocktail and later told us that he’d received his training at the British Guild of Butlers, which would explain why service was totally impeccable but relaxed and friendly.
Teddy welcomed us into our home for the next few days, these beautiful spaces aren’t known as rooms but ‘Sanctuaries.’ Perfect romantic hideaways for two away from any worries, cares or problems. There are 24 sanctuaries at Jade Mountain with 15ft high ceilings, and no fourth wall so the infinity pool blends into the room, allowing you to feel as if you’re sleeping outside under the stars. It’s glamping but in the most luxurious way possible. 
Our room was JC1, a Galaxy Sanctuary and the highest category of room at Jade Mountain with the best panoramic views in the hotel, a floor space of around 2,000 square feet and an infinity pool of 900 square feet. The names of the room categories follow the celestial themes including Sun, Moon and Star, all of which possess infinity pools in varying sizes, and also the Sky suites which don’t have pools but have large jacuzzi tubs instead.
Teddy gave us an orientation of sanctuary showing us our living area and deck…
… as we still slightly struggled to comprehend how incredible the room was. The gorgeous living areas are made with hardwood floors using over twenty different species of wood all cultivated in a sustainable way. Engineers and technicians visited the rainforests of Guyana to personally choose which trees to use. The level of detail in this room is incredible even down to the tiles in the pool. Every room has a different colour pool, from red to iridescent shades of green and blue that sparkle as the sun hits them.
The rough concrete and quarried stone gave the living space a beautiful organic touch and further added to that indoor / outdoor natural feel.
The fabrics used were vibrant and tropical; perfect for setting the colourful Caribbean tones! Each suite is completely different either in colour, layout, shape and furnishing so every guest has a totally unique experience.
Now if all this wasn’t wonderful enough already, would you believe that this place was all-inclusive! Mr S and I had booked on to the Total Romance package which meant all our food, drink and some activities were already taken care of. Teddy showed us our fridge stocked with drinks and we already had a bottle of champagne on ice, another bottle of prosecco in the fridge plus our fruit platter to get started on.
Everyday a bento box is delivered to your room as standard but you can also order afternoon tea and any other snacks that you need. Plus the room has full tea and coffee making facilities, though your butler will of course prepare any hot drinks for you as required. 
The bathroom was to the side of the room and up small flight of stairs with a double sink, shower and gorgeous jacuzzi bath looking with a view to the stars. 
All Molten Brown amenities of course.
Now though the room is completely open, it’s totally private – making it perfect for honeymooners, though I do warn you the loo isn’t behind a private door so be prepared to dispense with any coyness.
As soon as Teddy left, as you can imagine that bottle of champagne was cracked open, and we donned our swimwear to get our first experience of that fantastic pool. I’d read in some reviews the pool was almost to cold to use, but I’d disagree with that, the water was crisp and fresh on our skin in the Caribbean heat and just what we needed after our journey. Golden hour was just setting in and cast pretty dappled shadows on the coral walls and the sun kissed the sea and mountain tops as we finished our bubbles and nibbled on delicious mango, fresh melon and the hotel’s own homemade chocolates.
With darkness falling we got changed and headed up to Jade Mountain Club, the hotel’s restaurant, for our first taste of Jade Cuisine. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is the main restaurant for guests of Jade Mountain though all the restaurants of the sister hotel, Anse Chastanet can also be sampled on the all inclusive package.
Even in the dark of the night we could take in the stunning view of the Pitons which are the back drop of every setting at Jade Mountain…
And we toasted the magical moment with a crisp glass of bubbles and big smiles! We loved the food at The Jade Mountain Club and ate there for most of our meals during our stay, ingredients are seasonal and many are plucked from Jade Mountain’s own nearby garden, the Emerald Farm. The menu changes daily and a fresh bread selection is prepared everyday served with flavoured home made butter or fragrant olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 
The ‘Jade Cuisine’ was created by James Beard award-winning chef, Allen Susser, and is a fusion of modern European cuisine with Caribbean influences. Highlights of our first meal were these mussels with delicious sauce, which I happily dunked my bread in, and this perfectly cooked rare tuna.
I’ve got so much more to tell about the food at Jade Mountain but desserts were a real highlight particularly as the hotel features it’s very own chocolate factory! There is a dessert of the day plus a whole chocolate menu! See I told you, this place was magical…Mr S plumped for a chocolate mousse cake where I reverted to childhood ordering two massive chocolate chip cookies, the size of my hands which came with a tall glass of milk…
Thoroughly satisfied by the delicious Jade Cuisine we headed back to our room where we were not only greeted by romantic swan shaped towels, rose petals and a Shakespearean sonnet but there was also a huge slab of chocolate cake – though we both agreed to share that tomorrow!
I haven’t even scratched the surface of this magical hotel high on a mountain overlooking the Pitons but there are plenty more of our Jade Mountain adventures to come.
