My significant other and two other couples wanted to take a tropical vacation. We had all done the all-inclusive resort type vacation and wanted something different. We decided on La Dauphine Estate, which is a large plantation house on the Southern portion of the island in Soufriere. I definitely recommend renting a car for this house. The beaches, town, restaurants, springs, and pitons, are all very close, but you do not want to be walking on the Saint Lucia roads because they are very windy and hilly. That concerned me at first, but they work with Austin at Coconut Car Rental and made the process very easy. Austin picked us up directly from the airport, stopped at the grocery store with us, provided the local drivers permit, and even picked the car up at the airport at the end of our stay. Antonia was so friendly and helpful. She gave us the best advice of what to do each day. She helped us book a boat trip, a hike up the pitons, and her brother even has a cab company if you want to go out at night and not drive. She is also able to cook delicious meals! Charles is the Estate Manager and gave us a wonderful history of the house and plantation. It was so interesting learn more about the Plantation and the products they grow. This house is perfect for larger groups, but is still affordable if you have less people. The new pool is very beautiful and the wrap around porch and hammock are perfect for reading in the morning. There are some really great restaurants just minutes from the Estate. Don't miss Anse Chasenet Beach and La Jalousie Beach. They are absolutely amazing. All in all, Saint Lucia is a beautiful island and Soufriere was a perfect mix of beauty and adventure. There is so much to do whether you just want a relaxing trip, or would like to mix in more active activities too.

We stayed at La Dauphine for 3 nights. Antonia and Charles provided the warmest of welcomes. Make sure to have Antonia prepare a meal for you...delicious. The Estate is very clean and has a fantastic new pool. Very quiet and relaxing. It makes for a great base of operations for visiting the Pitons and other great attractions in the Soufriere area. A car would be a good idea (included with Adventure package). Be sure to bring the food you will require as it is difficult, but not impossible, to find stores close by. Bug spray a good idea as well. Don't miss this one.

We stayed at Chateau Lafitte for four nights on the La Dauphine estate with our two children. It was a very unique experience to stay on a working cocoa plantation. The cottage was clean but rustic. The entire estate is yours to explore, including a short hiking trail and an explanation of how cocoa is grown. Antonia and Charles are very nice and friendly. We enjoyed our conversations with them and getting to know them. Antonia cooked us a lovely Creole meal that was tasty and much appreciated. We did not have a car but Anthony, Antonia's husband was our 'taxi' driver for the time of our stay and was very helpful. The new pool was lovely and enjoyable, as were all the lovely flowers. The estate is close to Ladera, Jalousie, Fond D'oux and Hotel Chocolat, where we had lovely meals.
Do take bug spray, we had many 'no see um' bites.
The bed was quite small but it was a very quiet night's sleep.

We stayed in the former overseer's house for only one night before climbing the nearby Gros Piton the next morning, and found it peaceful and charming, a wonderful antidote to the polished tourist accommodations near Rodney Bay in the north of the island. This place is the real thing, and totally unaffected by the hurricane that hit St. Lucia in October 2010.

I loved the brightness of the house, with its shutters and cross ventilation, sleeping with only a fan under a mosquito net. It has the best equipped kitchen I've ever seen in a housekeeping cottage. I walked the trails, picking up grapefruits for our breakfast from the lushly-producing trees. The articulate and pleasant young man who was the night watchman very unassumingly answered my questions on how cocoa production worked, and which trees were which--much better than the packaged tour experiences.

As we were starting out early for our climb, we brought our own breakfast and didn't taste Antonia's cooking or use her to arrange events, but can tell you that she is a very welcoming person.

Come here if you want absolute quiet and privacy, like to be on your own and/or with your family in a comfortable self-contained house, and want to get a feel of life in St. Lucia before tourists and air conditioning. Don't come if polish and every modern convenience is important to you eg lighting not great to read in bed, and furnishings are not plantation-trendy. Charming and good value.