We are so excited to share our travel diary for Saint Lucia! This was such a special trip for us because it was for our 10 year anniversary! I'm gonna get a little sappy here because 10 years?!? Time has flown by and went so slow at the same time, we still can't believe we've been together since we were teenagers but when you know, you know :) We are each others best friend and favorite travel partner (when one of us has a valid passport ;) - more on that in a min!) & for us this is definitely on the top of our travels thus far!

For us it was super special too because it was someplace we haven't been yet! We love to explore, hang out on the beach and immerse ourselves in the places we stay, and in Saint Lucia you definitely do that! What we loved most was there is SO much to do! You can have ample relaxation time and active time - which if you are anything like us - its the perfect mix. If you follow us (@jpluskgetaway) or my personal account (@keiamclean) on Instagram, you probably saw that we are still living through our photos of this trip ;P sorry we ain't sorry about that lol! We will still be sharing plentyyyy of photo overload for you though! Now let's get into this trip!

First lets share the most amazing beginning to our trip (insert sarcastic eye roll here). If you are looking to travel anywhere out of the country I would highly recommend getting a new passport if it expires any time soon! The day before we left we had some trouble getting Jimmy checked in for our flight but talked to our airline in both the US and Saint Lucia as was reassured everything would be fine. Well you know when you have a feeling that somethings just off, it was lol! That morning we got to the check in gate and couldn't get on our flight because Jimmy's passport was off 3 days of the expiration limit... exactly what you want to hear before this trip you've been waiting for lol! Long story short we had a choice of either canceling or shortening our trip - which neither was going to happen lol! After some playing some hardball we were able to renew his passport and leave the next day, YAY! After all of that it was smooth sailing the entire trip! Even though it was a crappy experience, it reaffirmed our mantra that no matter what, things always work out exactly the way they should!

Now let's get onto our trip! After a long and windy drive through Soufriere to our hotel we had arrived! We highly recommend not renting a car because the roads are definitely for people who are used to living there. We stayed at Sugar Beach Viceroy and truthfully I can only say AMAZING things about the staff there! We were shown so much kindness over our whole stay! Before we get into more of the resort, I would love to extend a huge thank you to Molly, Theresa, Swame, Mackenzie, Curtis, and Denver at the resort! You guys were awesome and made our trip even better! THANK YOU!

The resort is incredible and so quiet. We love smaller hotels that still have a lot going on and Sugar Beach has all of that! You can just wander around the grounds which are incredible because you are basically in the heart of the rainforest. There is so much lush greenery all around you, its hard to feel like you're on this planet! Sugar Beach is named for the beach at the base of the resort and its a gorgeous beach - trust me we spent nearly every day there ;) It sits between the Piton mountains and is a slice of heaven on earth literally! To get around the resort you're on the cutest little carts all around and they pick up right at your doorstep! Yep, one of the best parts is you are dropped off upon arriving to your room and anytime you need to go anywhere they pick you up there too! A little tip if you didn't rent a car and you need a driver, request Eli or "hardwork" as they like to call him there ;) He's awesome and took care of us almost every time we left Sugar Beach.

The rooms at Sugar Beach are perfection! You have the most photo worthy bed that is so relaxing and were still wishing we were waking up in every morning, sigh. The thing thats the best about the rooms is that every room has a little pool off of it. Its so nice to be able to go relax on your own little deck and just enjoy!

A highlight of Sugar Beach is definitely The Rainforest Spa. It truly is other worldly and a must see! Its like being in the jungle book with all of its little huts that treatments take place in. If you're a couple traveling there, take part in the couples hut because the little pool you get to relax in after is perfection! If you didn't see our little video of the spa you can see it here! :)

The food at Sugar Beach is so good too! We ventured out for dinner most nights but did enjoy a few nights at the hotel too. The Great Room is FABULOUS (get the cod) and the menu is so delicious! One night had dinner here and then enjoyed a cocktail in the sitting area off the restaurant and listened to the live music they had. It was such a relaxing night! Jimmy planned a surprise on our last night with a beach dinner and we got to pick our favorites from The Great Room's menu which was so fun! Definitely a treat if you are celebrating! Other than that for breakfast most days we ate at the Terrace restaurant. They have everything there, but for sure get the quinoa oatmeal with almond milk - so delish!

If you go off property for dinner we HIGHLY recommend Balenbouche Estate! Thank you to Natasha from @jetset.away for recommending this to me! Side note reallll quick - Natasha is SUCH a sweetheart and you should totally go follow her on insta and check out her site to see her amazing travels! Back to Balenbouche, this is a MUST SEE while in Saint Lucia if you are a foodie and love nature. Its about a 30 min drive from Sugar Beach but totally worth it! Balenbouche is an old plantation house that sits on 70 acres of land that the family still grows all their food on today. There is a private beach and ruins of an old sugar mill. They serve dinner most nights and if you're a foodie - this is place for you! When we arrived Anitjana (shes the chef & an amazing jewelry crafter!) & her mom Uta welcome you with fresh juice that you can drink while exploring the property. Once you have explored, its time for dinner! Now this was our most favorite dinner because the food and atmosphere were amazing but Jimmy had contacted them prior to let them know we were celebrating our anniversary and they offered to have our favorite flowers on the table and music playing throughout the night - it was the most amazing touch and made that night so special! Back to the food - the cocktails are delish and so fresh! All the food is local and grown right on property and if you know me, that made the meal the best! They had a selection of soups, an AMAZING salad, a fresh seafood platter with local vegetable sides - OMG SOOOOO GOOD! - and ended our night with some coconut mango sorbet. We cannot rave enough about how amazing this meal was - I want to tell you this was our favorite meal on the whole island but honestly it was our favorite meal in entirety. It was just so clean and Anitjana puts so much care and pride into the cooking which makes it just that much better! She also made us a heart shaped chocolate cake for a second desert, can you believe that?! I want to thank her and her family for making a perfect night for us <3 If you visit tell them Jimmy & Keia sent you :)

There are tons of other restaurants around but the other one on the top of our list is Boucan! Its about a 7 min drive from Sugar Beach which is super nice! We were so pumped to try this place because everything on the menu had cocoa in it somehow - which come on, chocolate for dinner hell yeah! The night we ended up going ended up being their barbecue night and we were bummed because we didn't know beforehand, it was still good but its the chef's night off so you don't have access to the regular menu. After hearing on our hike that we HAD to go back for the regular menu, we went back the next night we am SO glad we did! If you're drinking, make sure to get a cocktail with cocoa in it! The Gin breakfast martini is ahhhhmazing! Everything we got was insanely good but the white chocolate potatoes were the best! Since you're here do yourself a favor and just order desert too - the chocolate mouse is crazy and so is the molten cake - were pretty sure we licked the plate clean, and I'm not ashamed!

Now let's get into things to do! There is SO much to do in Saint Lucia and we already have a list for the next time we go back! We love relaxing but love getting our adventure on too! The first thing we did there was hike Superman Falls which was really interesting! You treck through the rainforest a bit until you get to the falls which are so cool! While you're there you put volcanic mud all over your body which makes you superrr soft! It was the softest our skin has ever felt! Our guide was Wayne and he was AMAZING! He was incredibly knowledgeable about all the indigenous plants and their medicinal uses after his grandmother taught him. I was in awe of the plant materials there that help and in some cases cure diseases and conditions 100% naturally that we have here in the states. It was so cool to see all the different uses for everything! The coolest thing about Wayne was he was 43 and honestly looked 18 - we are not kidding we couldn't believe it! He was telling us how he makes almost everything he eats and drinks at home and only uses coconut oil for his skin, which he makes himself too! He even gave us some for our skin after the waterfall which was so sweet! So go there and make sure you get him as your guide!

The other excursion we did was hiking Gros Piton! There are two Piton Mountains - Gros Piton and Petit Piton. Gros Piton is the one most people do and Petit is for more experienced hikers. After hiking Angels Landing in ice at Zion National Park last year, we didn't think we could do a hike that would test us like that did! We were so wrong lol! The morning of our hike had been raining and even though you can still hike its a bit slippery. All in all its a strenuous hike up the mountain and you need TONS of water - like two BIG water bottles per person, no joke! - and make sure you wear clothes you aren't afraid to get muddy. Even without rain you will get some dirt on you! The hike is guided and you can do a group one or private. We did a private hike and truthfully we were so happy we decided to do that because you go up before the morning rush. Its a very narrow path so navigating behind people can be a little difficult. The guides are awesome though and basically run up the trail - sometimes twice a day! The top is stunning and you're basically at what feels like eye level with the clouds. Bring a snack and enjoy the view :) Going down is roughhhh though! Just take it slow and you'll be great! Its totally worth it!

After the Gros Piton hike head over to the Sulfur Spring and soaking your muscles. We went the day after our hike and as soon as we sat in the spring you could already feel my body relaxing. Let me tell you we were soooo sore the next day! After you soak for a while you will put the same volcanic mud on your body and let it dry and then rinse it off. The sulfur and mud are both amazing for the body and if you have sunburn or mosquito bites, it will do wonders!

Thats about everything we did! It was by far one of the best trips, and if you were thinking about Saint Lucia - GO! Its an amazing place with some really cool people that are so proud and excited to share their home with you! Make sure you take your bug spray and enjoy! ;)

GETAWAY GUIDE - SAINT LUCIA - J+K GETAWAY