My husband and I booked a five night stay at Petit Byahaut in January of 2006 to relax before we started new (and very stressful) jobs. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

As another reviewer wrote, when you arrive at the airport, you are greeted by Robert, the taxi driver. Robert then takes you to a dock where you will meet the boat operator, who takes you around the cliffs to the resort. "Boat" is a little generous--it was actually a little dinghy, barely more than a lifeboat with a motor! I was glad that I was wearing sandals, because my feet got completely soaked (and my luggage got a little wet, also).

As we pulled up to the resot in Sunset, it almost looked like there was nothing there! But soon we saw the rustic reception area and the dogs running along the beach to greet us. We were welcomed with a drink and a lively hostess. She chatted with us for a while and then showed us to our little cabin.

The room was very rustic--it almost looked like grecian ruins in one section! But I thought it was rather charming. I loved walking back through the thick overgrowth to get to it. Although we didn't have much of a view, we could still see plenty of greenery and snippets of ocean.

We then proceeded to do virtually nothing for our entire stay. We played scrabble and napped and read books and laid around on the beach, jumping in to the water from time to time to cool off. We did take on escorted hike with Robert, the taxi driver, which was lovely (despite a mid-hike rainstorm). It's clear, however, that St. Lucia is a very economically depressed island--there was very little do outside the resort.

The absolute best part about our stay was the food!!! We had reuested vegan meals, and they were glad to oblige. They didn't know what that meant until we explained it (no meat, no dairy), so we were nervous about how it would go. But the things the chef came up with were so inventive and flavorful! I've eaten in vegan specialty restaurants all over the place and NEVER had food that was so consistently fresh and innovative. It was so generous of them to even agree to make vegan meals for us. That they went out of their way to make DELICIOUS meals made our trip incredibly special.

The reason I give them four-stars is that the cabins are just a little too rustic. I think they could do with a little more luxury--nothing special, just some nicer decorations and linens. All in all, though, the experience was relaxing and secluded, and the service was wonderful.

Food was good. Staff very friendly and helpful, and the location itself was peaceful. The suites were very private, but in my view, in need of serious updating - we thought they were shabby. Just by way of example, the mosquito nets had large holes.

You need to understand that if there is no sun, there is no power, and we had none the whole time we were there. So yes, this does mean candles and cold showers! There were also problems with the water supply, which, in fairness, were fixed quickly, but nonetheless, irritating.

We also had concerns over safety because there are no proper steps or hand rails to the suites. There are just stones that become extremely slippery and dangerous in the wet, and some of them were loose too.

Bearing in mind the above, and we were prepared for "basic" facilities, it felt very expensive.

My husband and I spent three days and nights at Petit Byahaut while on
our honeymoon last summer, the second week in June to be exact. We were looking for peaceful, quiet, environmentally and socially conscious,
beautiful place to stay with a number of activities at our fingertips
but nothing regimented. It fit the bill perfectly, meeting every expectation. While we anticipated being blown away by the location and feel of the place, what really made it special and put it over the top was the hospitality we received.

We were greeted at the airport by Robert, Petit Byahaut's sole taxi and
guide service. Since you can only reach Petit Byahaut by boat - while
its on the main land it is located in a secluded cove - Robert brought
us to a dock where we were greeted by Brian. Brian runs Petit Byahaut
with his wife Nicole. They have two small children and two island dogs;
all of whom were great company while we were there. The dogs walked us to our bungalow every evening and came to greet us every morning. Since we were missing our dog it was a huge treat.

Once we landed on Petit Byahaut's beach, Brian gave us a tour of the
grounds, showed us our bungalow, and took our order for dinner. The
grounds were beautiful: a mix of gardens, grassy clearings, and forest.
Our bungalow was a simple tent structure on a platform. It was attached to a covered deck with two hammocks. Adjacent to our tent was an outdoor bathroom. When I say outdoors, I mean outdoors. The sink, toilet, and shower are surrounded by the forest, made private by curved wall of 8’ tall palm branches.

For 2 of the three nights we were the only ones there (June is during the off season). It was incredible to have the entire place to ourselves. Had there been other people there, I can only imagine that you would feel similar as the bungalows (there are only 5) were spread out far from one another, tucked into trees and little spaces created by the careful and well-planned landscape design. Even if it was a full house, there wouldn't be many people with which you would have to share this paradise.

The beach was delightful. We brought our books to read while sitting on
the beach but ended up watching the little sand crabs and plotting our
permanent escape to the Caribbean instead. The snorkeling just steps into the warm water was great. One afternoon Brian took us to a ship wreck which was a great place to snorkel as well. Neither of us were divers but Brian can take you diving too, as there was a hut full of diving equipment and some gear for sale.

The food was the best we experienced on our entire trip, which also
included St. Lucia, Bequia, and Mustique (for a day trip). At all of
these other islands, we ate at some of the most highly recommended
restaurants and nothing came close to the food here. Chuckie, the local
chef, made amazing local dishes with fresh ingredients that often came
right from the property. The fruit platter we were served every morning was beautiful (and different every time) and the dinners were out of this world. The night Chuckie was off, Brian cooked. Brain, who was a chef in his former life, also pulled out the stops for some Caribbean via Colorado flavors. He also makes a very mean rum punch.

One day we decided to go hike the volcano, Soufriere. Brain made the
arrangements for us. It seemed like the only option was to get a guide
to take us there. While typically we would never have opted for a
guide if we had the choice, we were thrilled in the end. Two of Robert's
guides, Elvis and Elroy accompanied us. They shared a lot with us about
the island's history and culture. While they were very informative and helpful, what made them really great was that they treated us more like their own quests than tourists. Elroy was incredibly knowledgeable
about plants and the ecology of the mountain. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with these two. They were so proud of their country and seemed genuinely excited to share a little piece of it with us.

In short, this one of the most enjoyable places we have ever stayed. If you go in the summer, be sure to bring lots of bug spray.

I just returned from a brief stay at Petit Byahaut, with my family. We loved it.

I won't write an elaborate description, because I believe their website describes the property fairly and accurately. Our sleeping area was a roofed platform, with an enclosed, screened sleeping area and an open sitting area. Bathrooms and showers are open-air, but there's plenty of privacy -- the units are spaced far apart on the grounds.

The grounds are forested, but nicely landscaped -- it doesn't feel like rampant jungle overrunning everything, nor does it feel overly manicured. They own right up to the ridgeline all around, so nothing else is visible.

The beach is a sweet semicirle of tan sand with a few hammocks slung under shade trees -- easy and comfortable for children, and, for the scuba-inclined, very nice 90' wall dives within an easy swim from shore.

The food is excellent -- west indian style using local ingredients, some grown right on the property, prepared with a deft hand and presented in a way that reflects a refined first-world sensibility.
Chucky, the chef, has worked for several major resorts in the Caribbean, and, while I was there, he won an award in a contest. The manager is the former executive chef of an award winning restaurant in the US.

When I first started researching the place, I was a bit daunted by the price. But when I considered the quality of the meals that were included, and the fact that they don't nickel and dime you for extras, I thought it ended up being very good value. You may be sleeping on a platform in the woods, but it feels like a high-end, luxury experience, with a lot of personal attention.

The place is not for everyone. You need to read their website (which describes the property accurately and fairly, in my opinion) and figure out if it's for you. To my taste, it's an ideal mix of primitive nature and luxury. People who want a sealed, air-conditioned room and who freak out at the sight of a little lizard will be miserable.