Driving through the lush, mountainous landscape on the South Western coast of St Lucia means navigating twisty hills, passing hillside forests and acres of valleys, banana palms and beaches.
One of those twisty hills on this Windward island leads to the newly reopened Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina, where incidentally, Dr Dolittle was filmed.
Check-in is at the top of a hill at a marble-clad open-sided reception where a flurry of team members take your bags, offer cold towels and a drink before leading you to your room. The path leads to 127 rooms that are built into the mountainside and seem to cascade downwards towards the kidney-shaped pool and marina.
The property enjoyed some fame in the 1950s when stars such as Ava Gardner could be seen in the Hurricane Hole bar.
This has been replaced with the Rum Cave with décor reminiscent of a cellar. There are hundreds of rums, and at a guest tasting ,I particularly enjoyed three: the Chairman's Reserve, Admiral Rodney and 1931.
The restaurant, The Grill at 14o61o, is at the highest point of the resort where meals can be taken indoors but I preferred the al fresco experience under the starry night sky.
Accommodation comprises balconied suites that are cool and shady thanks to teak wood floors, shutters and doors. This proved to be a pleasure when escaping the tropical sun at its hottest.
The king-sized four poster beds are cleverly dressed with mosquito nets to look pretty. The black-tiled bathrooms are mostly wet rooms with pizza-sized shower heads and of course, aromatic toiletries.
The spa area, though quaintly compact, offers a sensational menu of treatments. Their signature massage is based on moon cycles and lasts around 120 minutes.
The harbour and marina are beautiful and reached with a short stroll across a bridge and a walkway that passes the sometimes extravagant yachts.
The path continues to a pretty development of shops and restaurants including a Masala Bay an Indian restaurant with lovely spicy fish dishes. In the evening, the marina is lit up and as the colours shimmer in the harbour water, its easy to get lost in the romance of the scene.
There is no beach and so to feel the soft sand between my toes so I took advantage of the 15-minute speedboat shuttle that the hotel provides, to Anse Cochon beach. They throw in the towels and a snorkel so I could bathe on the beach or explore the sea before catching the shuttle back.
