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Other Info
Recipes
Is housekeeping and cook service included?
How about grocery shopping?
Your rental does include all cooking and housekeeping.
Christy Holder is our manager as well our chef par excellence at
the house.
Christy generally is responsible for lunch and dinner, while
Martina manages the housekeeping and breakfast responsibilities.
Once your reservation is confirmed, we
will send you more details on how you can arrange for groceries
to be stocked at cost for
your arrival. Although Christy and Martina do handle all the cooking
and housekeeping, once you have settled in for a day or so, you
will be responsible for obtaining groceries and beverages of your
choice. Christy can go with you to shop or do your shopping for
you, but this is not a "normal" part of her job, so an
extra gratuity would be expected, especially to cover her transportation
as she does not have a vehicle.
All linens are included in your rental, including pool and beach
towels. Les Chaudieres also comes stocked with paper supplies (napkins,
toilet paper, paper towels), salt, pepper, basic spices, and condiments.
You might consider bringing special goodies that you love and which
may not be available on the island, such as certain crackers, hors
d'oeuvres, gourmet cheese, better wines, etc.
Be sure to ask the staff about the fruits
and vegetables available locally. Depending on the season, some
are available for free from
our own backyard, including mangos, coconuts, oranges, limes, grapefruit,
bananas and avocados. The Anse Galet plantation below the house
may have some items if our backyard is "out of season".
Some fruits and vegetables are available in the nearby village
of Anse la Raye. Ask any of the staff about availability of local
fresh fruit and vegetables and staples.
Much of the fresh seafood goes directly to the hotels, but you
can usually get an Anse la Raye fisherman to deliver the catch
of the day right to the villa. Ask Paul or Christy to arrange for
fresh fish or listen for the conch horn blow in the village. Some
of our favorites are flying fish, tuna and lobster. If you feel
adventurous, ask for conch or octopus. Land crabs from the valley
are turned into delicious stuffed crabs by Christie. If you are
courageous, go on the crab hunt yourself with Paul! We recommend
Julian's Supermarket, a fairly well stocked grocery store just
north of the airport at Castries. But stop at the open air market
for your fresh vegetables and fruits, fresh herbs, pottery, baskets
and souvenirs. Wine and spirits are sold at the grocery stores.
What other amenities are available at Les Chaudieres?
The Stereo System
The stereo system is installed in the sideboard in the main room. Three speakers deliver beautiful sound everywhere in the Big Room. Additional outdoor speakers bring music poolside. The stereo accommodates compact discs and the setting at Les Chaudieres creates a perfect atmosphere to truly enjoy your favorite music, so don't forget to bring your favorite CDs. Please use care when operating the system, and be sure to turn the volume down when turning the unit on or off.
Kitchen Amenities
Newly renovated in late 1999, the kitchen is complete with a large
refrigerator and freezer, double sinks, and stove. All utensils
and cookware are provided for your use, including juicer, blender,
ice cream maker and microwave. The kitchen and baths rely on both
a solar hot water system and an electric backup heater.
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What electrical
supply is available?
The electrical current throughout the house is 220 volt A.C.
- 50 Hz
Although wall sockets look familiar, DO NOT plug in American
appliances without a voltage reducing adapter
or transformer or they will
be ruined. The island's electric supply is very "dirty" therefore
we do not recommend plugging in sensitive electronic equipment
like laptop computers without surge suppression. There are two
110 volt A.C. (US) sockets located in the dining area and in the
kitchen. DO NOT use the plug for the stereo for any reason. It
is a special low wattage circuit for the stereo only and will be
harmed by any other use.
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How private is the villa?
We have no close neighbors at all which
makes the house very private. Christy leaves after she serves
and cleans up dinner (but you
can certainly send her home earlier if you'd like). Martina
prepares breakfast and does housekeeping and usually leaves by
lunchtime.
Paul, our caretaker, lives on a separate floor of the house.
He can take you on many day trips, hikes, boat rides, etc.,
acting as a tour guide, but will disappear at night. All of the
staff
can be as obsequious or as social as you like. They generally
take their clues from you, but feel free to let them know your
preferences.
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Tell us more about the nearest beaches…
The beach just below the house, Anse Galet, is usually deserted.
It is best in the morning or the early afternoon as the sun goes
down behind the ridge later in the afternoon, but some people might
actually prefer that. Tevas or water sandals might also be good
here as it is somewhat rocky in spots. If you are fairly limber
you can clamor down the many steps (132?) off the pool terrace.
Down is easy, coming back up earns you a rum and a dip in the pool!
Taking pool floats is enjoyable and Anse Galet has some of the
best snorkeling on the island. You can also drive around to it
if you don't want to use the steps.
Anse Couchon is a nearby beach which used to be uninhabited, but
alas now has a small hotel, Ti Kaye. It is still a very pretty
sandy beach with good snorkeling and gentle waves.
"
Pig Bay" just north of Anse La Raye is also a good beach -
Martina, Paul or Christy can tell you exactly how to get there
by car.
These are the closest beaches to the villa. Of course there are
many others on the island. Most of the larger resort hotels are
up near or above Castries. Anse Chastanet in Soufriere has a nice
beach and a restaurant. There is a small beach and a nice lunch
spot at Marigot Bay, as well as a small grocery store for essentials.
You will need to bring your own snorkeling and dive equipment.
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And what about dive operations?
Anse Chastanet (Hotel) has a good dive program. There is also
a dive operation at Marigot Bay.
What about money and valuables?
St. Lucia uses Eastern Caribbean (EC). $1.00 US equals approximately
$2.70 EC.
EC dollars are best for use anywhere on the island. Travelers
checks, credit cards, and US currency can be used but not quite
as widely,
nor with the best exchange rate. You can trade in some US dollars
at the bank in the airport upon arrival to get through the first
few days, and on your first trip to Castries exchange your US
for EC at one of the banks, keeping in mind that they close for
lunch
at noon. Bring your passport into town if you will be cashing
travelers checks. While theft is not an enormous problem on the
island or
at Les Chaudieres, it is not unheard of, and it is best to remove
any temptation. While at the house keep all valuables including
cash, travelers checks, airline tickets, passports, etc., in
the wall safe. Life at Les Chaudieres tends to be casual, so
bring
your costume jewelry instead of family heirlooms. The safe combination
will be forwarded to you upon confirmation of your reservation.
Be sure to reserve approximately $20 EC cash per person for your
airport exit tariff.
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Check In and Check Out:
In order to best allow the staff to prepare for your visit and
to respect the stay of guests just vacating the house and of
those following you, we ask that you respect the following arrival
and
departure times:
Check In time not prior to 2 p.m.
Check Out time, no later than noon.
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Tell me some options
for day trips and sightseeing…
Paul, Les Chaudieres' caretaker, is a guide par excellence, although
being a tour guide is not necessarily part of his job description,
and an extra gratuity is earned. Guiding certain day trips is
his forte (those marked with * can be guided by Paul):
-
We almost insist you try the dugout boat day trip. Bring your
snorkeling gear. And pack a picnic, or enjoy lunch at Anse
Chastanet.*
- There are several waterfall hikes to
choose from…Canaries,
Soufriere, …*
- The rainforest hike.*
- Mountain Bike rentals at Anse Chastanet.
- Horseback riding at
_____ south of Soufriere.
- The Sulphur Pits south of Soufriere
- a "walk-in" volcano!
- The Diamond Botanical gardens
and historic French baths in Soufriere.
- Historic distillery behind
Anse La Raye*
- Friday night Jump Up - in Anse La Raye.*
- Heritage Tourism 451-6058,
451-6220, 451-6967
- Tours with the St. Lucia National Trust, 453-7656
- Sailing charters,
out of Marigot Bay
- Leatherback turtles, call Jan Sparks 452-8100
- Maria Islands
Nature Reserve and Fregate Island.
Dining Out:
On a trip to Soufriere we would recommend lunching at Dasheene
with a gorgeous view of the Pitons and a delicious menu.
Other than Dasheene, and perhaps a lunch at Marigot, the best restaurant
is at Les Chaudieres with Christy and Martina's cooking. Although
there are some great restaurants on the islands, people constantly
tell us they prefer to just dine at home with Christy.
Shopping:
- The open air market in Castries - best for fresh produce and
some handmade crafts.
- Point Seraphine in Castries has many
duty free shops.
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Transportation:
Your rental does not include air or ground transportation.
Airports:
The George Charles Airport in Castries is certainly the closest
airport to the villa (about 20-30 minutes). And the Hewanorra
Airport in Vieux Fort is about a 1.5 hours drive. But this can
be deceiving, as it does depend on which airline is most convenient
to you in other ways. For example, we can fly USAir nonstop from
Philly, but it goes into Hewanorra and then you have the longer
drive. Or, we can fly American Airlines but it has a stop and
a change of planes in Puerto Rico, although that flight arrives
in Castries. So, it all depends on your preference. Once your
reservation is confirmed, we will send you driving instructions
on how to reach the villa from either airport. A passport, original
birth certificate, or notarized birth certificate are required
to enter the country, but be sure to double check these requirements
with your travel agent or airline prior to departure.
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Ground:
For ground transportation on the island there are basically three
choices: rent a car and drive yourself, use taxis, or rent a car
and use taxis to supplement. Almost all of our visitors rent a
car just to have the convenience of a car on hand, to run to the
store, nearby beaches, etc. Taxis are not readily available once
you are at the villa and require some advance planning if you are
going to rely on them, so that option does not allow for spontaneous
trips. Some larger parties use both taxis and rental cars - taxis
to get extra people and luggage back and forth to the airport,
but also rent a car for their own use at the house. Cars on St.
Lucia are not as large as American cars and do not hold more than
5 people usually, and they have smaller trunks or luggage compartments.
For car rentals we recommend Drive-A-Matic which has cars and
great four-wheel drive vehicles, similar to Troopers. They can
be reached at 1-758-452-0544 or check out http://www.drivestlucia.com.
They will need to know which airport you will be coming in to,
as well as the airline, flight number, date and time. Be sure to
let them know you are staying at Les Chaudieres. Almost all of
the other large car rental firms (Avis, Budget, Hertz) can also
be found at either airport. Gasoline is available in nearby Anse
la Raye or Cul de Sac Valley.
Christy can assist in arranging taxi service as needed. Airport
transfers by taxi are approximately $30 from Vigie and approximately
$60 U.S. from Hewanorra, not including gratuities, depending on
# of people. Be sure to confirm the price in advance.
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The telephone number at Les Chaudieres is 758-451-4228. Calls may
be directly dialed from the States to the house. On outbound calls
from Les Chaudieres please use a credit card or calling card. A
passport, original birth certificate, or notarized birth certificate
are required to enter the country. Double check these requirements
with your travel agent prior to departure.
Be sure to add your name, experiences and suggestions to the guest
book. And after your visit, we encourage you to write us with your
suggestions and discoveries which will help us provide the best
Caribbean experience we can to other visitors or your return visit.
Contact Information
For additional information on Les Chaudieres or to check availability
contact:
Grapetree, LLC.
901 Mt. Lebanon Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
Phone 302-656-5660, Fax 302-655-0914
Email: info@leschaudieres.com
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Christy and Martina's favorite recipies:
"These are some of the recipes that we enjoy making
at Les Chaudieres and we'd like to share them with you. Click on
the links to
open the recipe." Christy & Martina
Please visit again for more recipes!
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