St. Lucia Wetlands Guest house. A hidden gem.

 

 

 

I have arrived at properties where the sign has read “Beware of the dog” or perhaps even “Careful, children in the driveway“. But THIS was a first for my wife and me. And it turns out that after dark St Lucia belongs to these lumbering juggernauts. They come out of the nearby estuary and forage in the reeds and in a variety of gardens in the town. I am certain that there are residents who stumble out of the local pubs and are confronted by them. Can you imagine the stories that they told the next day? Especially before this was a common occurrence. Unfortunately despite me searching for them, I was unable to spot them in the streets.

 

 

I cannot be the only guest who ducked EVERY time I drove under this. But, suffice to say that it was high enough to allow even the largest SUV into the parking area.

 

 

This was hidden in the foliage outside the front door that leads into the lounge/bar are that also doubles as a reception area.

 

 

A hidden gem that we found on the internet in St Lucia. The St Lucia Wetlands Guest House was a gem. In all the years that I have been a travel writer, I have yet to be disappointed by the accommodation that I have been hosted at when it has been chosen at random off ‘the net’. This property was no exception.

 

I should imagine that in pre-COVID-19 times this area would be teeming with guests sharing stories or enjoying a drink and a meal. But we live in different times, and many of us have become insular even when we are away. Preferring to spend time in our room or out on the beach rather than sharing a space with other travellers. But, going forward, that might well remain the new norm. Sad but true?

 

 

This was our accommodation, with the majority of the room being taken up by this very comfortable bed. There was ample cupboard space on the far wall and there was a desk/dressing table that I was able to utilize as an ‘office’. The tea/coffee station was also put to VERY good use from early in the morning to late at night when I finished up with my various social media postings of the day.

 

 

A huge shower, and although our bathroom did not have a bath, there are rooms that do. Check when you book as to what rooms are available.

 

 

This comfortable seating area on our private balcony that overlooked a lunch tropical garden made us think that we were on an island, rather than in a small town on the KZN North Coast!

 

 

And it had one of the best breakfasts that we have enjoyed at any similar property. And it was only fruit platter and baked goods, there was a variety of hot-breakfast options on offer being here for four days gave us the opportunity to try several of them.

 

 

 

It is usually my wife that takes the plunge and tries out the swimming facilities, but being June, it was still too chilly to don a bathing suit and review it. Suffice to say that we both admired it from afar.

 

 

I suppose we could have spent all of our time cloistered in the guest house, but we decided to use it as a base as we explored the activities and amenities close by. This was a trip that we did on the estuary one afternoon.

 

 

The beauty of the floating flowers belies what lurks underneath the cloudy water.

 

 

If you stare to the abyss(or into the ‘dead’ onyx coloured eyes of a basking Nile Crocodile) then the abyss looks back. This species can be found in numbers along the banks and given the proximity to St Lucia central shopping area, it is a wonder they, like the hippo, are not found out and about looking for a meal.

 

 

Some of the MANY hippos can be found in this stretch of water. It is well-documented that this species are responsible for more deaths on the African continent than all of the Big5 combined.

 

 

That being said there is currently research underway to prove that it is both hippo AND crocs. But. as yet, this is still in the anecdotal phase.

 

 

The guest house does not do dinner, but the BEST fish and chips were to be found at this hole-in-wall off the forecourt of a petrol station in the main street. Certainly NOT fast food and I have a sneaky suspicion that locals take preference over visitors when it comes to service. Put that aside, and take a deep breath and enjoy the ambience that it exudes.

If you have the time, pop into the fishing tackle shop next door or you can ( if the lockdown regulations allow) visit the bar in the rear of the shop. A proper old-school, small-town type of establishment.

 

 

Remember the baked goods that I mentioned earlier? The date loaf that was served at breakfast one ended up in a ‘padkos blikkie’ when we took a drive to Cape Vidal.

 

 

This is my wife’s happy place. A long expanse of beach to walk along and the warm Indian Ocen to frolic in should the walking get to be too much. Cape Vidal is really with a visit. But take food and drink with you as there was nothing on sale when we were there.

 

 

The sunsets happen suddenly in this part of the world. Gone in 6 minutes!

 

 

Clicking on the logo will take you to their website where you can discover all the current specials that are available to both local and international travellers. And if you book direct, rather than through an online booking portal, you will get a benefit from that as well. Highly recommended for so many reasons. From food to accommodation to hospitality, we could not have asked for more. Well, perhaps a hippo in the garden after dark would have been interesting.