St. Lucia Villa Rental - 2012 Jazz Line up Announced

The line up for the annual Jazz Festival has been announced and it promises to be another winner.  Star billing goes to Lionel Richie on the Sunday evening at Pigeon Island.

Other stars in the line up include, so far;

• Hugh Masekela, again on Sunday at Pigeon Island
• Kirk Franklin, Keri Hilson  and Alison Marquis Nonet on Saturday again at Pigeon Island
• Gipsy Kings and Ziggy Marley on Friday night again at Pigeon Island
• Joshua Redman, Ronald “Boo” Hinkson, Mario Canonge and Luther François at the Gaiety on the Wednesday and Thursday nights

We expect this line up will be added to in the coming months.

For those of you who do not recall Lionel Richie co-wrote  ”We are the World” with Michael Jackson back in 1985.  Music to move the world and in May the man will be moving St Lucia. Get your tickets before they sell out.  If you want hear something to move you then follow these links to hear this wonder tune which sold over 20million copies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcwblvqir-s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne7fPpxAnuM

It was awarded numerous honors—including three Grammy Award, one American Music Award and a People’s Choice Award.  If only for this achievement its worth coming to see St Lucia to see this legend.

If you book Akasha, St Lucia’s best villa rental for your vacation and to indulge in this music fest don’t forget the villa is only a 5 minute drive from Pigeon Island, where all the main artists will be performing.  When you sit in the audience you can see Akasha on the hill behind the main stage

The event has also signed a deal with Digicel who will be the main sponsors for the next three years.  The year of the Dragon has certainly got of to great start! So book your St Lucia Vacation the Akasha way and get to enjoy this music fest on your doorstep.

St Lucia has so much more than just beaches and sunshine – its where so many people want to vacation or move to.  Think about all that sunshine and constant vitamin D – no winter syndrome here.

Living Abroad approached Akasha last year and asked if we would be happy to feature in their magazine – as ever we are always happy to be featured in quality publications. Check out the magazine on Page 51.

So if you have ever dreamed about vacationing or living in paradise then this publication is for you.

Here, in St Lucia you can enjoy the rain forest, mountains, volcano and waterfalls – plus your normal paradise features like clear blue sea, golden sunsets and sunshine every day.  Oh don’t forget the local wildlife – truly amazing.

Here the climate is so good anyone can grow everything, mother nature gives it all to you on a plate.  No wonder the Arawak tribes came here.

So as you can see your Caribbean vacation in St Lucia can lead to a new way of life – what you might find in paradise.

Just announced that State-owned Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL),  is moving to widen its airlift influence on Caricom travel when it launches a daily service to St Lucia out of Port of Spain in two weeks.

This is great as this is a direct flight and will therefore mean no flying to Barbados to switch flights.  The flights are scheduled to start from Friday February 10, will be operated by the airline’s new state-of-the-art ATR-72-600 turbo prop aircraft with a 68-seat capacity.

The flight will depart Piarco International at 1.45 pm arriving at the George F Charles airport in Castries at 2.50 pm.

Following a half-hour turnaround, the return flight (BW 435) will depart St Lucia at 3.25 pm arriving in Trinidad at 4.30 pm.

Now that’s what you call a win for all concerned.  So now folks from Trinidad will find it easier to come on vacation in St Lucia and of course St Lucian folk get to visit their friends for the weekend without wasting time in the terminal in Barbados.  What is not clear is what the fares will be but lets hope that they are reasonable.

For guests from further a field this means that they can now enjoy more of the Caribbean as it improves their ability to move around when they visit the Caribbean – many tourists like to visit more than one location on their vacation.

Akasha in St Lucia has teamed up with FACE to face – Day Spa to offer its guests the very best of Spa treatments in the villa.  The treatments and consultation will be delivered by St Lucia’s most renowned Spa Treatment specialist.  In fact the owner of FACE is a consultant to many of the leading resorts in St Lucia and the UK.

F.A.C.E. to face Day Spa is situated in the heart of Rodney Bay Marina, Saint Lucia.
Tracey Farrin, the owner, is a independent consultant with over 26 years experience in the spa and well being industry.  Tracey has the expertise and vast knowledge to enable you to trust that the treatment will be first class.

The variety of what treatments you can enjoy goes from a Full Body Scrub to The Reef Wrap to Waxing to a Foot Massage – so you name it, Tracy, and her team can handle it.  You just need to chill.

Akasha lets you book any treatment before arrival, you can enjoy the treatment in the privacy of the villa, any of its terraces or by the pool side.  You can get a flavor of what it might be like if you watch the video on our home page.  Now that’s what you call chilling Caribbean style.  So when you Rent a Villa in St Lucia your in safe hands at Akasha.  Feel free to include these Spa treatments as part of your inclusive holiday in St Lucia – Akasha style.

Saint Lucia nominated for the “World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination” Nerdin St. Rose, VP, Marketing & Sales, Saint Lucia Tourist Board and Graham Cookie, President & Founder, World Travel Awards

St Lucia does it again – it won the award of the leading Honeymoon Destination in the Caribbean at the prestigious America’s Travel awards ceremony. A press release by the Tourist Board was issued.

Saint Lucia accepted the award for “Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination” at the 2011 Caribbean & The America’s Awards Ceremony on October 19^th, travel and tourism’s biggest night of the year. This is Saint Lucia’s ninth win since 2002. Hosted in Montego Bay, Jamaica at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort and Private Island, the event, now in its 18^th year, was established for the purpose of recognizing and celebrating achievements in all areas of the world’s travel and tourism industry. As the winner of this regional award, Saint Lucia is also nominated for the “World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination,” to be announced at the World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Final in Doha, Qatar in December.

“We are thrilled to be accepting this award for St Lucia” said Nerdin St Rose, St Lucia Tourist Board VP of Sales and Marketing.  ”We have worked hard to maintain our leadership position as the most romantic destination in the Caribbean and 2012 is poised additional growth”.

For those looking for luxury, paradise and service then Akasha offers you the honeymoon of a lifetime and a Caribbean Vacation like no other.  You can make it all inclusive or just the run of the mill luxury, either way you know where to come for the honeymoon that you will not forget.

Our honeymoon offering, like the wedding package is bespoke – you can chose from massages, zip lining, diving, romantic cruises and much more.  One thing you can be sure of is that it will be what you want and not what the crowd ordered.

Akasha Luxury Villa Rental is pleased that honeymoons like St Lucia Vacations are getting the recognition they deserve.

Akasha has only been available for luxury villa rental for the last 10 months and has done well but like the rest of global economy St Lucia tourism has suffered from the recession over the last few years.   However, according to some experts things are looking up and will help St Lucia recover.   This is the message from leading lights in the industry.  Below is an article sent out by Caribbean 360.  Italics are our comments.

LONDON, United Kingdom, Monday November 8, 2010 – Three experts on tourism trends in the United Kingdom and Europe have painted an optimistic picture of the British market for the Caribbean tourism sector in 2011, despite challenges such as the Air Passenger Duty (APD) which saw another increase take effect this month.  APD is such an imposition on holiday makers and has a negative impact for small businesses like Akasha luxury villa rentals.

A panel of media and industry practitioners concluded that the worst is over for the global economy and that the Caribbean region can look forward to an improved performance next year.

“The global recovery has begun,” John Taker, the purchasing director for Virgin Holidays told dozens of Caribbean tourism ministers, directors and private and public sector officials gathered at the London offices of the Daily Telegraph for the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) European Marketing Forum.  Many of our high end clientèle fly Virgin who have increased flight to St Lucia.

Taker added that there was a clear opportunity to grow the family travel market for the Caribbean, pointing out that price was a more important consideration for consumers booking a Caribbean holiday than it was for holidays to destinations like the United States.  Families are well come to Akasha St Lucia’s most exclusive villa rental with so much to do at Akasha.

While admitting that the APD “is a punishment that the Caribbean will have to live with for a very long time”, Graham Boynton, the Daily Telegraph’s travel editor, said there was hope for the region.

“While ultra long-haul is still suffering from the effects of the recession, medium long-haul is seeing recovery (and) the Caribbean is doing relatively well when compared to (other regions). The Caribbean is doing better than Australia…it is doing better than South Africa,” Boynton told delegates.  By adding to the quality of the St Lucia product Akasha villa rental is doing its bit to increase the appeal of St Lucia to a bigger market.  We believe that St Lucia will over take Barbados in the long term as a destination of choice.

However, he advised, there was a need for Caribbean destinations, individually and collectively, to communicate the realities of the region in a more dynamic manner.

Meanwhile, Daniel Pearce, editor of the travel trade magazine, TTG, unveiled exclusive research which painted a confident picture from British travel agents. The research revealed that two out three agents felt the reputation of the Caribbean had increased in the past year, and half the travel agents surveyed said they expected sales to the Caribbean to increase in 2011.  We at Akasha villa rental are seeing more and more interest from our UK agents.

This year’s CTO European Marketing Forum has as its theme: “2011, A Year of Opportunity or Threat?” The annual event is held as a precursor to the tourism trade show, World Travel Market (WTM).

If you check out the rest of our website you will see a lot of information about the island and how we work with our local contacts to personalise your holiday in paradise when you stay at Akasha St Lucia luxury villa rental.

Akasha Saint Lucia luxury villa rental offers all its guest the opportunity to book a variety of activities prior to the arrival. This means guests have more time to relax and do what they came to do – vacation, and not spend time arranging things.

Over the next few months we will be blogging about each of the activities in more detail to help you decide which activities are right for you perfect St Lucia vacation.

In this blog we expand on one of our favourite – the motor cruise on the Caribbean Sea. This can be a half or full day cruise in a 30ft motor boat which can easily accommodate 8 people. You are transported from the luxury villa down to Rodney Marina which is about 8 minute drive. Captain Tom will greet you at the dock and introduce you to your crew. After a short safety demonstration by the crew you set sail and you can decide where you want to cruise to.

Our favourite route is to sail past Pigeon Island – a national park and head north. This will bring you up to Cariblue beach from where you will see Akasha St Lucia luxury villa rental up on the hill. Here you can snorkel for a while and then head back south. Cruise past Reduit beach towards the Ti Kayi resort where there are some of the best diving and snorkelling on the island. Along the way you will see some of the more well known resorts – where the crowds go and some of the other villas on the island of St Lucia. Here you start to appreciate the beauty of the landscape and realise why St Lucia is called Helen of the Caribbean.

Sail past Soufrier, and wonder at the sheer scale of the Pitons. These are a UNESCO Heritage World Site. They rise up from the sea like two gigantic icebergs covered in lush green foliage. Once you see them you appreciate why they are so special. This is what makes St Lucia so different from any other Caribbean island – this is paradise for honeymooners and families alike.

Here we often see dolphins playing around the boat – Captain Tom seems have a sixth sense of where they hang out. He also knows where the all those inaccessible beaches are and is happy to anchor there while you just chill or set up a barbeque. For lunch there are numerous places you can choose from 4 star hotel to a local restaurant. Some of the beaches will be especially attractive to honeymooners who want privacy and romance.

If you fancy, take in a mud bath in the Sulphur springs and a walk around the Botanical gardens then we dock in Soufrier and a taxi will take you up to the springs and the gardens.

There is so much to choose from – and just to make it even more complicated we will put together a ‘hamper’ including some local beer and champagne for your party to take on this glorious day.
Akasha is always looking for ways to make your vacation experience what it should be – memorable for all the right reasons. Akasha St Lucia’s premier villa rental will make this a trip to remember.

Continue reading “Activities from St Lucia’s most Luxurious Villa” »

Akasha Saint Lucia luxury villa rental offers all its guest the opportunity to book a variety of activities prior to the arrival. This means guests have more time to relax and do what they came to do – vacation, and not spend time arranging things.

Over the next few months we will be blogging about each of the activities in more detail to help you decide which activities are right for you perfect St Lucia vacation.

In this blog we describe the Piton Hike, at the UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Caribbean coast. This is a trip for the more active of our guests – but you don’t have to be an athlete to complete it just able to walk up hill at a reasonable pace for a few hours. We think the downhill walk is more difficult, but what do we know. The hike is done at your pace but always with a guide – these are fully trained by the local authorities and know the right path to take.

From Akasha St Lucia luxury villa rental you will be driven (recommended) or you can drive yourself and we will provide you with directions to Gros Piton which is the larger of the two at 2620 feet above sea level. Petite Piton at 2460 feet above sea level can be hiked but is for the more adventurous and is more difficult due to its steepness. Both are volcanic plugs which rise up from the sea.

The drive takes about 40 minutes. On the way south from Akasha there will be some really fantastic views so bring your camera along. You will also pass through the town of Soufriere which is an old French settlement. It’s where they established their base when they first came to the island. The architecture is rather reminiscent of an old French town. There are also several local restaurants at which you can stop at and enjoy some local dishes. Fred – Akasha’s manager will be happy to provide some recommendations not only for the restaurants but also beaches you may want to take a break at. You can even sample some fresh local Cassava bread and if you are really lucky see the old snake charmer by the road side.

You will need to take ample water with you as you need to make sure you do not become dehydrated!

On arrival at Gros Piton you will be met by the local guides who will give you a briefing about the hike. Make sure you take some sturdy walking shoes – you can put your flip flops back on when you get back. Along the way the guide will show you where the most advantageous spots are for the golden moment for a picture. Always take the advice of the guides – there have been incidents in the past where a rescue helicopter has had to be called out when some tourists went up on their own and got lost.

The whole hike can take about 3 to 5 hours so it is possible to combine this trip with one of the other activities – e.g. sulphur hot springs (hot mud baths), botanical gardens or just a chill on a local beach – take a picnic along.

For the really adventurous and climbers amongst you there is Mount Gimie, which is the highest point in St Lucia at 3117 feet above sea level, and visible from Akasha’s look out level and terraces. This is definitely requires guides as the route is less easy to find and has denser foliage covering the path. A full day is required for this beautiful and tropical hike.

So if this happens to take your fancy then Akasha St Lucia luxury villa rental will be happy to arrange it for you – just ask when booking.