u/TreehouseStLucia

The summer and early fall seasons are known for being much slower on the island with some places closing for months such as September or having reduced hours or days of being opened, but this season we’ve seen some exciting openings and offerings that upcoming guests might want to put on their list of hit spots to check out.

First up is the newly launched Spice of Asia Restaurant in Rodney Bay. For many years we’ve had the popular Spice of India Restaurant in RB but this new offering will introduce a much wider collection of tasty Asian dishes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Db38ExxnT00/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

You’ll find this restaurant at the popular Baywalk Mall. Here you’ll be able to the experience the flavors of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, complemented by Caribbean influences. This new spot will likely become a big hit for guests staying in the area.

In Soufriere, the owners at the Anse Chastanet Resort have launched the new Puppy Cafe at sister beach—Anse Mamin. Mamin is arguably one of the most romantic, scenic, and intimate beaches on the entire island. For anyone staying in the area this beach shouldn’t be missed. We always tell our guests this and we’ve never had any guests disagree with us on this insider recommendation. Never!

For years, the AC resort has cooked up some of the best hamburgers on the island at Mamin at their hidden gem outpost on the beach but now the Puppy Cafe brings a whole new twist. Here you can dine at the outdoor cafe and mingle with puppies and dogs that are being offered for adaptions. This very clever idea was created by the team that operate the HelpPaws animal shelter in Soufriere.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db4Oa1TNvGx/?igsh=MWIwcjZlanVxem8zZA==

The very cool thing is that 100% of the profits will go to helping with adaptions at the shelter. And if you have a little extra time during your stay in Soufriere, we highly recommend you check out the HelpPaws shelter near the Diamond Botanical Gardens.

If you are feeling social and want to have a good time on a Friday, make sure to check out the recently launched Soirée at the Treetops Restaurant at Crystals in the Soufriere foothills. It’s held from 4-7, before dinner is served at the restaurant, and this event offers guests a chance to mingle, enjoy small plates, try out some craft cocktails, checkout the amazing views, do a little dancing with the DJ music, and enjoy the cool owner’s Monica and Martin’s special Lucian hospitality:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWW7UV4ErpL/?igsh=Z2dwbDBkNjBheW4w

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZX7-4pJwEB/?igsh=MWUydXM2Yjl6cG5kZQ==

It’s impossible to come here and not have a great time.

Insider’s Tip: If you are a real champagne lover, you can find some of the best Champagnes on the island here. Just ask.

Looking for a fabulous brunch option with stunning views? The popular Mango Tree Restaurant at Stonefield Resort in Soufriere has launched a Sunday brunch featuring some of the best mimosas you can find on the island. The brunch offerings are very unique and include such tasty treats as breakfast tacos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbLsYqgnH4m/?img_index=1&igsh=aWVvcW0wN3RpaTVj

Where can you get the best milkshakes in all of St. Lucia?

Hint: It's not Soufriere, or Castries, or even Rodney Bay.

Ding, ding ... It's Cocoa St. Lucie tucked away in the hills above the fishing village oF Canaries. Known for its excellent chocolate and chocolate making workshops, they custom make some of the best milkshakes you could possibly have anywhere using the freshies of top shelf ingredients like almond milk, cashew milk, and some of the best chocolate nibs.

If you are staying in an area such as Soufriere, it's worth driving up to Canaries just to have one. Warning: You'll get addicted and want to come back for more!

This place also is one of the top paces to dine for lunch (they are only open for lunch) on the island. The menu is quite unique but a good blend of some local dishes and others with a twist. Good prices also.

During one trip, we were so motivated to share one of these delights with our friends in Soufriere that we ordered one, saved in in a special cooler bottle, and recreated it at our villa.

That's St. Lucia at its best ...

https://preview.redd.it/lw2rhq7who8h1.jpg?width=2052&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad476751e017f08e09d2fa9b374bc88d0a42c8dc

^(We all keep hearing about AI “this and that“ and how all this ‘great‘ earth moving tech is going to transform platforms such as Airbnb, Google, etc., etc. but obviously this is not reality. Even when it comes to the supposedly “smart“ Airbnb messaging system (you know the one that seems to watch over all the communications and filters out lots of unwanted or not allowed messages) I’m sometimes amazed at how primitive the systems can be.)

^(Here‘s a very recent case study:)

^(I just received the following message through the messaging system. I was away from my desktop so immediately responded to the message by an email reply (as that is how I received it), by sending the message “No thank you.” Of course, Airbnb‘s system has some kind of bug whereby sometimes if you respond to messages by email they will go through and sometimes they will not. (You just never know.) This is unlike Vrbo’s platform, btw, where messages always go through like clockwork. Anyway, because my message didn’t go through I was then bugged by Airbnb’s messaging statement to respond to the “guest request” to keep my “good response status,” which meant I had to spend more time on this matter, log in, and then reply to the original request which I consider to be an outright spam/solicitation:)

“I’m a travel creator visiting St. Lucia June (xyz) as part of a 3-island Caribbean itinerary featuring St. Lucia, Dominica, and Guadeloupe.
While researching places to stay, I came across your property and was immediately drawn to it. I noticed most travelers and creators tend to focus on the larger resorts, but I’d love to showcase a different side of St. Lucia by highlighting unique villas and locally hosted stays.

I create travel content focused on itineraries, hidden gems, and authentic experiences and currently have an audience of 20k+ on both IG and TikTok. My recent Guatemala travel series has generated over 1M views and continues to grow.
I’d love to explore a collaboration and feature your property in my upcoming St. Lucia content. In exchange for a hosted stay, I’d create content highlighting the property, views, amenities, and overall experience, including a dedicated reel and inclusion in my St. Lucia “Steal My Itinerary” video.
Feel free to check out my IG (@xyz) to get a better sense of the type of content I create and how I showcase destinations and accommodations.
Please let me know if this is something you’d be interested in discussing. Thank you for your time and consideration!”

I blocked out a few things for personal reasons but I was surprised Airbnb lets messages like this through the system and then the system bugs me to respond. Obviously, no intelligent software “eyes” are looking at this.

Opportunists like this always seem to know how to prey on hosts—when things are slower, business is down, etc. From my experience, when they start coming out of the woodwork is when you know the economy is shifting—a sign of the times.

What I find interesting is that there really isn’t a good way to report solicitations like this through the Airbnb messaging system. The canned reporting options are very lame and don’t really apply at all.

What do you do as a host when you get requests (spams) like this?

We're looking for a good and reliable independent operator to maintain our swimming pool in the mid Scottsdale area. Pool is in good shape so just need a service to keep it all running nice. We've had bad luck with a few previous operators so looking for someone reliable with fair pricing for basic service. Any leads?

Guests to the Soufriere area are always asking about what's on tap for nighttime entertainment for the area. Here's a new offering by our friends at the Treetop Restaurant (at the Crystals boutique villa resort in the Soufriere foothills). It's just a short drive up into Colombette in the Soufriere foothills from Soufriere town and certainly a world apart when it comes to the views, the fun vibes, and god food and drinks. Always an excellent place for a special dinner out, you can now go earlier on Friday and enjoy small plates, unique cocktails, and music. We've also heard that a Sunday brunch feature might be coming in the future. 

https://preview.redd.it/jnqhoua49n7h1.jpg?width=1097&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e53e539c4c91b7fb1bba415935c2217642988e6

Guests to the Soufriere area are always asking about what's on tap for nighttime entertainment for the area. Here's a new offering by our friends at the Treetop Restaurant (at the Crystals boutique villa resort in the Soufriere foothills). It's just a short drive up into Colombette in the Soufriere foothills from Soufriere town and certainly a world apart when it comes to the views, the fun vibes, and god food and drinks. Always an excellent place for a special dinner out, you can now go earlier on Friday and enjoy small plates, unique cocktails, and music. We've also heard that a Sunday brunch feature might be coming in the future. 

https://preview.redd.it/gmuylb354n7h1.jpg?width=1097&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad51e59760d0fa92f7ce45b4c617be37fb65197b