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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Bathrooms | 2 |
| Sleeps | 6 |
| Villa | |
| Suitability |
|---|
| No Pets |
| No Smoking |
| Not Suitable for Elderly |
| FlipKey traveler rating |
| 14 reviews |
| Stayed here? Write a review. |
Get the real scoop!
All reviews are written by verified travelers
Details
| Rental type | Villa |
| Minimum Stay | 5 nights |
| Bedrooms | 3 Total |
| Bathrooms | 2 Total |
| Sleeps | 6 |
| Suitability |
Pet friendlyNo Smoking allowedNo Suitable for childrenAsk Suitable for the elderlyNo Wheelchair accessibleNo |
| Theme | Adventure, Wilderness, Other, Away from it all, Mountain, Tropical |
Description from the owner
Villa Pitons Retreat is built high on the hillside directly between the famous twin peaks of the Pitons Mountains. The house was once the private residence of the remarkable American interior designer, architect and yachtsman, John DiPol, who in the 1960s put down roots in St. Lucia and went on to build the world-famous Ladera Resort. This villa commands amazing architecture and attention to detail, as well as a picture-postcard view of the Pitons. It is not far from a beautiful beach located just down the hillside.
Amenities
Location
Villa Pitons Retreat World Heritage Site
Soufriere, Saint Lucia
(Property location is approximate) ?
What's Nearby:
Additional Location Information
There are a few places on earth where a single house, the work of a gifted and original spirit, captures and expresses its surroundings so perfectly that it seems almost to have emerged right out of the landscape itself.
Villa Pitons Retreat is one of those rare homes. Built high on a hilly knoll near the village of Morne La Croix, the house was once the private residence of the remarkable American interior designer, architect and yachtsman John DiPol, who in the 1960s put down roots in St. Lucia and went on to build the world-famous Ladera Resort between St. Lucia's landmark Pitons with its awesome open design and "infinity" pool. Villa Pitons Retreat carries the open design concept to amazing effect in complete privacy...discretely served by a dedicated staff of two.
The house makes the absolute most of its awesome natural surroundings. Every suite is open to view the emerald bay of Anse des Pitons- a World Heritage Site. Outside, with its low roofs and louvered folding doors along the frontage, it has the subtly lit, yet imposing privacy, of an old French plantation villa. In fact, it's built onto an old mill.
Inside, the light of the Caribbean plays among deep recesses shaped by the gray granite of St. Lucia's volcanic geology and cedar woodwork from the island's ancient rain forest. All of which is brightened by the genius of traditional Italian tile masons. Each floor is a visual masterpiece, where earth-red clay squares lay the ground for stunning original inlays - a coat of arms, the Southern Cross, a giant octopus crowning a seaworld shower. The tiles continue to inspire and amaze outside, where the pool terrace is emblazoned with a comet trailing through stars.
The villa's Old World and Caribbean nuances come together in the kitchen, where blue-green tiled counters, breadfruit-wood cabinets, rustic surfaces and stained-glass windows add visual flavor to its impressive modern appointments, including double-door fridge, and a full-size commercial range fit for the most discriminating culinary creations.
The master bedroom suite has its own tub and shower (crowned by the magnificent octopus mosaic), twin ceramic sinks and dressing room. Two guest bedrooms share an adjoining bathroom with a large tiled walk-in shower.
Location Type Away from it all, Mountain, Tropical
Rates
Rates shown in $ USD (change)
| Date | Weeknight | Weekend Night | Weekly | Monthly | Minimum Stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate Summary | $309 - $742 | $309 - $742 | $2,163 | $0 | 5 nights |
| Nov. 27 2012 - Dec. 20 2012 2 People: |
$339 | $339 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Nov. 27 2012 - Dec. 20 2012 4-6 people |
$537 | $537 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Dec. 21 2012 - Jan. 4 2013 2 people |
$558 | $558 | - | - | 7 nights |
| Dec. 21 2012 - Jan. 4 2013 4-6 people |
$742 | $742 | - | - | 7 nights |
| Jan. 5 2013 - Apr. 15 2013 2 People |
$505 | $505 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Can't find rates for your travel dates? Contact the owner | |||||
| Jan. 5 2013 - Apr. 15 2013 4-6 people |
$693 | $693 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Apr. 16 2013 - May. 31 2013 2 people |
$372 | $372 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Apr. 16 2013 - May. 31 2013 4-6 people |
$570 | $570 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Jun. 1 2013 - Dec. 20 2013 2 people |
$339 | $339 | - | - | 5 nights |
| Jun. 1 2013 - Dec. 20 2013 4-6 people |
$537 | $537 | - | - | 5 nights |
| All Other Dates | $309 | $309 | $2,163 | - | 5 nights |
| View all 11 Rate Periods | |||||
Additional notes from owner
Taxes, fees and security deposits may apply.
Rate listed above is base on 2 people.
Please inquire for rates for more than 2 people.
Availability
AvailableUnavailable Last updated: April 02, 2013 ◀▶
What Past Guests Are Saying
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DonkeyKeeper
Berkshire, EnglandStunning Location and View
Left on 02/08/2013 for a stay in January 2013
We have a preference for renting properties for a holiday rather than staying in hotels. It suits how we like to holiday with a mixture of relaxing in private and exploring a location. We chose Villa Pitons based on the Tripadvisor reviews and the agent's website. This property is a "high end" and expensive rental so, not surprisingly, we had very high expectations. Below are our opinions - some things that we thought could be better, might not matter to others but are listed here to help people make an informed choice.
The location was first class with an outstanding view (see pictures). The furnishings were somewhat tired and the property would benefit from some refurbishment and updating.
Specifically,
Positives: Excellent pool. Just the right size and perfectly situated on the property. The gardens were well maintained and beautiful. We saw hummingbirds every morning and fireflies at night. The local property management team were very friendly and responsive. Kitchen was well equiped although having to turn gas supply on and off outside after every use was somewhat tedious. Good broadband speed for times when you still need to be in contact with the world.
Areas for Improvement: Many of the furnishings are in need of replacement. The property is showing its age - bedroom ceiling fan not working, dirty lampshades, discoloured mirror, bathrooms in need of modernisation, sun loungers and seating old fahioned and of poor quality for the up-market nature of the property. The audiovisual entertainment was very poor quality (I would rate that aspect 1 out of 5!) for the type of property (TV in cupboard wherby you had to prop doors open with chairs to view it, Dvds were all copies and most did not play properly - hardly high quality!!). There is no TV coverage in Soufrière and satelite TV is not provided.
The villa had a housekeeper and a garden/maintenance man. They were both very friendly and very willing to help. The hours kept were irregular and not to the timings given in the information pack. This meant that the garden/pool was maintained and then the house later in the day. This resulted in many days when we were not given much privacy and always had somebody at the property. It would have been far better for all maintenance/cleaning to happen at the same time. Similarly, a lot of work preparing for the owners visit was being undertaken - again this resulted in no privacy for long periods.
The villa is well off the beaten track and a rental 4x4 is worthwhile. Soufrière is about 30 minutes drive away along country roads ... watch out for potholes, cows, goats and chickens on the road! It can get quite windy and the power goes off when trees hit the powerlines - we had 3 powercuts whilst there. This results in no water to the property as water is pumped in.
Another important thing to remember is to get groceries on the way from the airport or via the agent as nothing is provided. This includes water to drink as the tap water is not recommended - we only found this out when we arrived and had to boil water until we could shop the following morning.
In summary, an out-of-this-world location with one of the best views ever. It could have been better if the furnishings were updated. -
cdana64
60766Paradise!
Left on 03/09/2012 for a stay in February 2012
We had never rented a house before so this was a new experience for us. We will definitely do it again! The house is very comfortable and is located in such a beautiful spot. Mary, the housekeeper, cooked us two wonderful dinners while we there. Her brother Greg, who is the groundskeeper, was there immediately to fix the water when a roaming calf stepped on the main water line and broke it leaving us without running water. Ms. William, the house manager, was kind enough to come and let us follow her to Soufriere in our rental car so that we would not get lost. There are very few road signs so that was a huge help. Everyone we encountered were very nice and helpful!
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Stephen C
Mount PearlVilla Pitons Retreat - Fantastic
Left on 02/28/2012 for a stay in February 2012
The wife and I recently returned from 10 (not nearly long enough) wonderful days in St. Lucia. From the moment we arrived everything was fantastic. For the first 5 days, we stayed at Villa Pitons Retreat. Although it was overcast and raining when we arrived, we were floored by the awesome view and location. It literally sits at the base of the Gros Piton. The two house attendants were very friendly, though we asked them not to come back so we could have more privacy. The house was fantastic, the pool was wonderful (all be it a little cold), and the view was totally amazing. I think I took 50 pictures from the bedroom balcony overlooking Pitons Bay alone. They had a Bose stereo and flat screen with quite an extensive movie selection, but we didn't watch any. If you have a vehicle, the town of Soufriere was about 15 - 20 minutes away, and was quite an interesting drive. You can get groceries there, and the stores are quite well stocked. There are also two or three smaller grocery stores closer than that, but they are more like convenience stores and don't really carry meats and vegetables. If you don't have a vehicle, get your taxi to stop at a store on the way, and get enough provisions for your stay. There were only two drawbacks I had with the place. The first was the wind. St. Lucia is a windy place in general, but for whatever reason, the wind seemed to be stronger where we were. It might have been the geography of the location made it that way. Not a complaint really, just something to note. Second, was that we only had sun from about 10 in the morning till about 3 in the afternoon, when it would go behind the Gros Piton. I would imagine in another month or so, this wont be a problem as you start to come out of winter and the sun gets a bit higher in the sky. Other than those two items and the darn crickets, the place was fantastic, and even those items were not enough to detract from the 5 out of 5 rating. I would highly recommend the place, and I would definitely go back again.
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Inderpal51
Virginia Beach, VirginiaMost Beautiful Place I have ever stayed ...
Left on 05/19/2011 for a stay in October 2010
The Villa was magnificent ... views - architecture - location - service people! We absolutely loved it .. went to celebrate 15 years together. We went to the Beach and Scuba Diving right down at the bottom of the hill at the resort every day and enjoyed our wonderful home in the evening. Mary cooked excellent meals for us and Greg answered our touring questions. We were there the week before the Hurricane and then got stranded another week until the wonderful property manager rescued us and took us to the airport... the property is remote and we cherish our memories of the views, the food and the villagers who live nearby. Driving on the Steeep and narrow roads did a number on my nerves .. but I came back a braver woman !!!
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007EXPERT
Upstate NYEven more beautiful in person!
Left on 01/06/2011 for a stay in December 2010
From the moment we walked in the door...breathtaking & private! We took our two children with us (We visited St. Lucia 17 years ago before having children) We could not wait to experience St Lucia with children this time.
This Villa was perfect for hanging out pool side, Bbq's, and reading. Jalousie Plantation beach is only a 5 min. ride down the mountain. Soufriere's market is aprox. 20 minutes away. The Villa has an amazing high end gas stove for those who love to cook (we did). If your up for some adventure...take a water taxi from the beach, take a drive to the the Diamond Falls, or drive to Marigot Bay (bring a flashlight just in case you need better eyes late at night). ...or just kick back and watch a movie at the Villa. They have a full dvd collection that will make anyone happy. I hear they will soon have internet and cable soon too. They even had a pool table. I enjoyed teaching my kids how to play (even though it was difficult to concentrate with the beautiful vista..ha). If you have the opportunity to stay here for the New Year. You must go to Jalousie Plantation beach. They had an amazing foreworks display that you would not expect. A must do...eat at Lisa's (bar/restaurant) ontop of the hill just before you decend toward the rum factory and Marigot Bay. She makes a killer Pina Colada & traditional Lucian meal. She was the sweetest person. She let my children play with her two dogs (Rascal & One). She even gave my kids hand made necklaces, hugs, and smiles. She made our day!
The staff. Mary aka Granny is the housekeeper (and cook if you request). She is wonderful! She made homemade bread for us without us asking. She knew the market was closed and volunteered to make it (and it was the best bread I ever had). Her brother is Gregg (who is the gardener/pool/maintenance). Very nice man who drops what he is doing if we needed something. Feb Williams is the Villas manager (she works for the Villa Owners). In all my years (vast travels all over the world)..I have not meet a manager more professional, kind, and dedicated. The Villa owners are lucky to have her. She truly puts her renters & owners first. It was a pleasure having her assist us.
Neat info. about Villa. It was built and designed by the same architech that build the famous Ladera resort. It's simply stuning! The tile work throughout the Villa is unmatched and pretty. Everything about this Villa was carefully designed...right down to the bottle opener on the wall. Gorgeous everywhere! We will come back. The people of St Lucia and it's beauty are why we visited. -
Kala
Tulsa, OK USAWonderful Relaxing Stay
Left on 06/18/2010 for a stay in May 2010
We stayed at the Villa Des Pitons for six nights. We had an amazing time. The view is unbelievable -the best we found on the island. It is a very relaxing place to stay and we spent a lot of time at the house just enjoying the view. Mary, the housekeeper, made the trip very enjoyable. She and her daughter cooked for us on two separate nights. The food was great and they were a joy to talk to - they told us a lot about life on St Lucia. The beaches in this area are good for snorkeling and the water is crystal clear. We highly recommend staying at the Villa Des Pitons and would love to return in the future with our family.
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polcanuck
Toronto, Canada& Warsaw, PolandVilla des Pitons, A Place to Remember Fondly
Left on 06/29/2009 for a stay in March 2008
Our family of three, including our teenage son, spent enchanted moments at Villa des Pitons. We loved the vistas it offers & enjoyed the house. In fact, we've fallen for the place head over heels, and it's forever etched in our memories. Say Villa des Pitons and I immediately see the beautiful bay the house overlooks and Gros Piton looming in the distance. I can hear birds announcing a new day and smell the cooking of our housekeeper. And I can feel a longing to visit again.....
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S & P
Toronto, CanadaHeaven on earth
Left on 06/22/2009 for a stay in November 2008
My husband and I found this place to be magical. We've stayed at the Villa twice now and would recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind a little of the outdoors coming in. You are so high up in the mountains and exposed to pretty much all that nature has to offer. Once in awhile we'd see the odd lizard or creepy crawly in the rooms, but aside from that, it was jaw dropping. The sounds that the night have to offer are from out of this world.
There was a small road behind the villa that led to a cocoa plantation that was like nothing we'd ever seen. Not sure if we were allowed to pick the cocoa pods, but we picked a few and were baffled at how amazing the white pulpy covering around the cocoa beans tasted. Apparently it's a delicacy among the Lucian children. We felt like Adam and Eve in this enchanted garden. Definitely one of the highlights.
The villa was so peaceful and charming. The view from the master bedroom was second to none. We are the type of people who value our privacy, so we asked the staff not to come around unless we needed them for something. They were very friendly and obliging. It seems that when most people visit St. Lucia they flock to the north and VERY touristy part of the island. If you want to really experience St. Lucia, rent a private home or villa. Unless you want to vacation like the the rest of the lemmings that go all inclusive, sitting their buts on the crowded beach eating and drinking the week away, the north is for you.
Oprah said it best, when she stated that the Pitons were one of the 5 places in the world to see before you die.
Thumbs up to the Villa des Pitons. -
Ronpat
Shropshire, UKThe most heavenly retreat in the world
Left on 06/19/2009 for a stay in January 2009
We were warmly and kindly welcomed, and showed how
to make a special coffee & cocoa tea! All was
spotlessly clean & comfortable.The fridge had an
icemaker. All mod cons including dishwasher.
Bedrooms were superb, big and airy. Beautiful
breeze all the time, and the house was open and
cool with a huge living area that opened to the
outside. Pool small but adequate, exquisite and
unusual. Plenty of grassy space around the pool and
sunloungers. there is a large games room with
billiard table.The view was spectacular, up on a
hill, very private & secluded,but very remote- a
car is essential, and it is well placed to explore
the southern part of St. Lucia. We would not have
found it without meeting a taxi driver in Soufriere
who guided us. The only (small) criticism is that
the mosquito nets needed replacing or repairing.
Don't forget to arrive with basic supplies as the
nearest town is 20 minutes away!
It was every bit as entrancing, beautiful &
spectacular as the web site portrayed. We loved it! -
Lovey
Washington DCRestful Peace-filled Vacation
Left on 06/13/2009 for a stay in August 2008
The vacation was spectacular. The house was clean and well kept. We enjoyed relaxing evening by the pool. There are cool evening breezes and beautiful sunsets. We cooked our breakfast and dinner. We had the option (1) utilizing the driver service daily (2) utilizing the cook (3) using movies provided by the home owner. We cooked for ourselves, brought movies from home and brought an iPod/docking station.
To anyone considering staying here, they should understand that this is an open home. It is open to the environment and critters can come in! as well as weather related changes (heat, rain).
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Island Girl
Damascus, MarylandA Most Relaxing Stay
Left on 06/12/2009 for a stay in May 2009
Staying at the Villa was one of the highlights of our lives. We celebrated our 20th anniversary here and we were not disappointed. The villa is located on top of a 700? ridge at the southern more remote end of the island off a rustic road that goes thru a cocoa plantation on one ridge side and a small fishing town on the other. The first thing that amazes you about the villa is the view; the second thing is the view; and the last thing is the VIEW! The villa is situated smack in the middle of the two inspiring and towering St. Lucia pitons (mountains) where we spent hours sitting in and by our pool looking at them. We were greeted by Febornia the manger and she was great at letting us know everything about the villa and the surrounding area. The villa itself, which is surrounded by a landscaped lawn, beautiful flowers and palm trees, is wonderful with a 2nd floor master suite w/full bath, two 1st floor bedrooms w/shared full bath, full kitchen w/cooking and eating utensils, dining room, billiard room and great room. Every room had numerous colored tile mosaic sea animals and scenery embedded in the floors and walls and it was fantastic trying to find them all. Every room is decorated with beautiful, tasteful, well made and maintained furniture, artwork and decorations; it definitely was not tired old hotel furniture and decor. We loved being in a secluded and very private location with no phone, cable TV or internet, which we didn?t care about. What we did enjoy was reading our books while drinking wine and piton beer, eating cheese & fruit, and listening to our ipod tunes by the pool (oh and did I mention, admiring the view!) and watching movies at night. All the linen, towels and bedding were first rate and each bed had a well kept mosquito net and Mary, the housekeeper (she?s wonderful), kept the villa clean every day. The villa does not have air conditioning but the whole house can be opened up to let the constant cooling breeze sweep up the mountain side into the villa and while it was still warm (being in the tropics, duh) it was tolerable. We loved visiting one of the most picturesque beaches on the island, Jalousie, which was only a ? mile away from the villa and we drove to many restaurants and they all had great food.
There were some challenges to prepare for like: the mosquitoes but just bring a few cans of a good DET spray to keep the bites down to a minimum; general bugs and moths at night but just close all the lights off before you go to bed (we didn?t do this the 1st night and paid for it) to drastically reduce there number (Mary swept them all up the next day); very loud insect noises at night (in a rainforest, duh) but we brought ear plugs with us and slept like babies; remote area so you need to rent a car to get to other places (you have to wait for cabs and it can be expensive) but we did just fine driving on the wrong side of the road and finding our way around. If you are prepared, then it should keep these challenges to a minimum.
If you want to be alone and get away from it all; you want to enjoy the most fantastic view in the Caribbean while having a little adventure; you want a picturesque villa with great amenities; and you do not want the typical crowded resort atmosphere, then this is the place to stay. We will be going back with friends next time.
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dignash
Ferndale, MIBeautiful Location
Left on 06/12/2009 for a stay in November 2007
We had four nights at the Villa des Pitons and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The villa was very unique in architecture and style, like a cross between a Caribbean sugar plantation and British pub. Like other posters have said, get the taxi ride on arrival, very easy, and well worth the money; ask them to stop at the grocery store for some things for your first night as you might not want to leave once you arrive. The showers always had hot water and plenty of pressure, the bed was very comfortable, and the views were exceptional. The only negative we could find, and it was a major one, is that the pool was too cold to swim in! Granny, the housekeeper/cook was a real treat. We took her into Soufriere to shop for produce and groceries and it was one of the highlights of our stay. Make sure you put some insect repellant on your hands and elbows before bedtime, as I had stopped counting at one hundred mosquito bites on my hand that was touching the netting around the bed (no kidding, all the locals thought I had a disease)! We had Ben's Taxi Service deliver a car the following day and everything went smooth with that. We snorkeled at Jalousie (really, not that great), we had sunset cocktails at Ladera (very nice, but we preferred making our own and enjoying the intimate atmosphere of the villa), and we went to the volcano/hot springs (very smelly, but interesting enough). We checked out Anse Chastanet for diving, but never got back there though as they make you do a shore checkout dive first and ended up just waiting until our stay at Sandals were the diving was included. At Sandals we dived Superman's Flight at the Pitons and Fairyland at Anse Chastanet. The rotis in Soufriere were excellent (Mary knows the place, right next to the church)!
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Yuliana Garrison
Florida, USRomantic Gateway
Left on 06/12/2009 for a stay in May 2009
My husband and I had the most romantic, magical time in this villa. It was a great experience, very private and beautiful. The ride to the villa was scenic and we loved driving through the rain forest to get to the villa. Be sure to rent a 4x4 Jeep , so you can enjoy the jungle and surroundings to the fullest!
We would love to come back and stay for another week next year! -
Parkersofeagan
St. Paul, MNMost Beautiful Home on the Planet
Left on 06/11/2009 for a stay in March 2008
I saw this property while perusing vacation rentals many years ago and was so awed by the photos I saved it in my "favorites" even though we had no immediate plans to go to St. Lucia. Actually, this property inspired me to investigate St. Lucia as a vacation destination. When last year, we found it was available for our desired week, we immediately booked it. When we arrived, we were not disappointed in the least. Our mouths actually dropped as we walked out to the pool and saw the majestic Pitons greeting us. It truly is as beautiful as the pictures, if not more so. The attention to detail is unbelievable. The tiling is a work of art.
Our housekeeper, Mary, could not have been sweeter or more attentive. She will even cook for you upon request. The amenities are excellent- it is a great house to share with a few families, with a gourmet kitchen and outdoor bbq. There is a billiards room, and a huge selection of dvds, which helped because it rained every day for at least a while.
Downsides? Wind, rain and road access!!! It is difficult to get to and the roads in St.Lucia are challenging to say the least. This property is pretty remote. Don't plan on going out for meals regularly. In retrospect we wish we'd stocked up on food and been prepared to cook more. The town/shopping is NOT convenient and the nearby resort restaurants are very expensive.
Despite this, it remains the most beautiful place I have ever been or seen. People cannot believe the photos of our visit there. We saw a rainbow EVERY day out at sea!
Here 3 more rentals located nearby.
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