My wife and I just spent eight lovely days at Crystals for our honeymoon. Because I didn't care where we would travel, she did all the research, narrowed it down to a few destinations, then we let airfare dictate our ultimate choice โ St. Having chosen St. Lucia, my wife began researching lodging options. However, we love indulging in as much luxury and pampering as our budget permits so when she found Crystals, we were immediately hooked.
Crystals is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Monica and Martin Charles. Their generosity and welcoming spirit made us feel as though we were visiting friends we just hadn't seen in a long while.
In addition to their warm greeting, we were greeted by Storm and Sasha, their small dogs, and a cat whose name I've forgotten. The arrival and registration process was comprised entirely of chatting about random matters - and nothing to do with paperwork - in the open-air bar and sipping wine and rum punch. Then we were shown our cottage, the Calabash. Though I believe all cottages have the same amenities, they are different sizes and each Though I believe all cottages have the same amenities, they are different sizes and each has a different layout and interior design.
My guess is that all visitors choose a cottage based on their aesthetic preferences. So for us, having our own private pool and terrace that looked on the Pitons were charming but what really sold us on The Calabash was the interior.
Monica furnished this cottage in ornately carved wooden pieces and decorated them in deep reds and orange silk, organza and cottons. The bed, the extremely comfortable bed, and the divan were covered by mosquito netting beautiful enough to belie their utilitarian function. The photos on their website are accurate representations of the reality. What is not apparent from the photos is that every day, fresh flowers appear somewhere in the room โ whether in the bathroom with fresh towels, on the bed after it's made, with the fresh-cooked breakfast or in the huge urn in the corner The beauty and charm of Crystals is that even though it is ideal for a honeymoon or a destination wedding, it is also perfect for the traveler who needs a bit of space and solitude, is reasonably self-reliant and does not need to be catered to or entertained at all hours of the day.
