The St. Lucia Post-Dispatch (November 10 – 16, 2021)
When our friend Jane asks, “Do you want to go…?” the answer is always, “YES!” and the experience never disappoints. After the last 18 months we would have gone anywhere, but we’re so grateful that our first real travel was with amazing friends to a place they’ve been telling us about for years. The BodyHoliday (TBH), St. Lucia. (www.thebodyholiday.com)
The fastest way to the resort is by helicopter or it’s a 1.5 – 2 hour car ride from the airport across the island. This was a birthday gift to Jane that we all got to enjoy.
It was a long travel day, but so worth it once we arrived.
This West Indies Island country is located in between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. They’re taking COVID very seriously here and the requirements for entry were strict. We didn’t receive our official Travel Authorization letter from the government until a few hours before we walked out the door, which was stressful, but it all worked out.
This was the view from our room on the first morning. Seriously.
On property, masks were required in common areas and guests readily complied. There were daily temperature checks before breakfast every day and for entry into the spa. In addition to the PCR test we had to take state side within five days of travel to St. Lucia, we had to also do a test at the hotel within 48 hours of departure back to the US. The resort handled it all and provided us with the paperwork required to travel home.
Most of the tourists who come to TBH are from the UK and Canada, so that explained the good behavior with these new travel norms. Everyone was just so grateful to be here and most of the people we met had visited multiple times.
It’s easy to understand why people come back here time and time again.
The TBH website says, “Give us your body for a week and we’ll give you back your mind” and they delivered on that promise. We slept, read, relaxed. We took a few hikes, Michael practiced for his Game of Thrones cameo, and we all spent a lot of time at the Ayurveda/wellness spa and in the rings of fun (the circle-shaped floats just a short swim offshore – even better with a cocktail in hand!!)
Thanks to Marlon for the fun adventure and these pics!
Deano turned this guy into a beast with the bow!
The beautiful spa!! Albertha, Donna, Beverly, Sharon, Jasmine – we are so grateful for the VIP care.
The food and the service were as spectacular as the scenery. We ate delicious meals served by a committed and gracious staff. We drank beautiful wines (thank you, Eric!) and we laughed a lot. (The Three Doshas in Ayurveda are Pitta, Kapha, and Vata … which does sound like “Pizza, Cat Fur, Batter” if your eyes are closed. It just does.)
Michael, Annie, Jeff and Jane on our last night.
Thanks to the random guy on the beach for this incredible iPhone photo tip!
It definitely took some planning and a small binder for the paperwork, but it was time for Team DearBurglar to mask up, get tested, and get back out in the world. Tourism makes so much of the world go ‘round and if you can even take a local trip to a nearby town to have a meal or spend a night, you’re helping to get the economy going again. Hearing stories of what life was like on St. Lucia during the lockdown when tourism was non-existent made us even more grateful to be able to travel again.
St. Lucia is the only country named after a woman and the motto is, “Let her inspire you.” She definitely did. We’re already planning our next adventure so stay tuned. Thanks for taking the time to read about this one.
