Elegant Villa Located on the Gros Piton, World Heritage Site

My wife and I along with my brother and sister in law stayed here the week of Feb 20th 2016. This was my wife's and my second trip to St. Lucia. The first impression walking thru the front door and thru the house is WOW at each and every step. Mary and Pius were so helpful and answered any question and were very accommodating. So some basics you should consider when visiting.

1) DO NOT RENT A CAR! the roads are very dangerous even for the experienced driver

2) Print out your confirmation regarding the house as you will need it going thru customs. There is no WIFI in customs if you're thinking of just bringing up the website (was a huge delay for us until resolved)

3) Consider stopping on the way from the airport to the house for sundries like munchies and liquor as there is nothing in the house and yes Mary will make you a dinner upon your arrival which is wonderful.

4) The market shops in Soufriere are European style meaning that the grocery market is mostly "dry goods" and vegetables, you may want to go to the butcher for meats, bakery for bread and such, Fish Market for seafood. Pius can help guide you.

5) Sugar Beach is great (snorkeling some of the best on the island) however when Pius drops you off you will need to go to he far side of the beach for chairs as the resort there will want to charge you $50 per chair otherwise (rip-off). Also Blaze who sells fruit there is where you want to get your fresh fruit (amazing). There are some other amazing beaches (look at Fort Vieux area or North side).

6) Sulfur Springs Volcano is a nice trip but bring a bathing suit that you do not mind getting ruined as you cannot rinse the stink out of it and will need to toss.

7) Botanical Gardens are amazing. There's a fellow there that has an incredible herb garden that he gave us handfuls of a multitude of local herbs and we paid $5 for. All of which we used in cooking several chicken and fish dishes.

8) You must ask Mary to make her famous fish cakes. You will need dried salt fish, flour, hot sauce, parsley, rice, salt, pepper. These are to die for!

9) The gardens around the house have an amazing assortment of fresh fruit like lemons and grapefruit and oranges as well as fresh herbs.

10) No real issue with bugs as the breeze thru the house is constant and there is mosquito netting, but bring bug spray with Deet just in case.

In Summary, loved the house, the island and the people and we would certainly come back again.

All the best Scott & JoAnn

This was truly a unique villa! The view can't get any better. The villa is a work of art - really beautiful wood and unique design. As already mentioned by another review, the pictures on the website do not adequately represent it. Since one side of the house was open to the elements, we quickly learned to keep the lights as dim as possible at night, so that we limited the number of bugs that were attracted to the lights. This limited our reading or game playing after dark, however star gazing is amazing. I am one that seems to attract mosquitoes and no-see-ums and I had my share of bites, despite the netting around the bed, but my husband did not get many. As others mentioned, there are bats, lizards and frogs that come and go, but they did not bother us. Due to all the sounds of nature, we didn't always have a good night sleep, however we would not have changed our decision on renting this villa. Mary and Pius (housekeeper and caretaker) were very welcoming and helpful. Both are careful to stay out of the way of guests if you are still at the villa when they are there to do their work. Mary kept the villa tidy and cooked for us several times. We recommend that you have her cook early in your stay so that you have the opportunity to ask her a second time. Pius went with us to the fish market to buy fish. He takes guest regularly, so ask if you are wanting to cook (or ask Mary to cook) fresh fish. Pius was also helpful with suggestions for our snorkeling trip (hire Chester at the dive shop), restaurants, and directions. Since we rented a car, we did not have Pius drive us anywhere. Having rented villas on other islands we are experienced with driving on roads that are unpaved, rocky and potholed to get to a more remote location. We were fine driving our Suzuki Jimny 4x4 and taking it slower than those living on the island. However, the one lane road off the main road to the villa made me a bit nervous at times. We felt safe at all times while at the villa despite the openness. We highly recommend renting this villa as long as you aren't one to scream every time you see a bug! We had a very relaxing stay.

A certain adventuresome traveler will love this place. The view is fantastic. Wonderful. Great. The location is very rural, up the side of a small mountain, almost inaccessible, down a severely pot-holed road, and quite a far distance from the beach. Having said that, this place is great. It did take some getting used to that one entire side of the house is open to the elements--bats, lizards, and bugs come and go. (Bugs were not bad, though.) Mary and Pius, the caretaker and driver, were great. They know everyone in the area and they are your single greatest assurance that no one will mess with your stuff while you are away. Yes, I was a bit leery of leaving expensive electronics out on the counter with realistically no way to lock them away, but we had no problems. In this rural part of the island, you will see lots of birds. Roosters in the area will announce themselves early in the morning. Dogs will bark. If, in other words, you tend to like resorts, maybe this is not for you. On the other hand, if you like to submerge yourself in the local culture and slow down the pace of your life, this is for you. The actual house was very well maintained, and Mary kept everything spic and span. Pius was always available to drive us, which, given the condition of roads on the island, I strongly recommend.

It's hard to explain the beauty of this place until you experience it for yourself but I will try my best to convince you that this house is better than you could imagine.

In my option, the pictures on the website barely do this place justice. You need a series of panorama pictures to begin capturing the house. Hands down, this house sits on arguably one of the best views on the entire island. When I show people pictures of the place on my phone, its the same reaction each time - "That does not look real."

The house was designed by a true craftsman. The villa provides a luxurious opportunity to experience the beauty of the St. Lucian rain-forest. It is a perfect place to spend your honeymoon (this is what we did!) or a vacation with your family or friends.

I cannot speak for the entire year, but during our visit (early October) we experienced little to no bugs. I have been to many rain-forests in the world and the St. Lucian rain-forest was very surprising with how few bugs we experienced.

You are minutes away from one of the best beaches (if not the best) on the island. You are also very close to all of the major attractions on the island to see, cutting down on travel time and increasing awesome vacation time.

The house is very secure. The small village a few minutes down the road below the villa is full of warm and genuine people. You will be in good hands with Mary and Pius. They are both nice and will make you feel at home.

If you are still unsure about the villa. Don't be shy and contact the owner, David. He is nice and will tell you more about the place and the island.

Have a fun trip!

The photos barely are able to do justice to this jaw-dropping and totally stunning house. The lookout tower provides some of the best Piton views on the whole island and the three-sided house affords cool breezes and unrestricted ocean views. The house is a short drive or walk from Jalousie's lovely Sugar Beach and hop away from the trailhead of Gros Piton nature trail. The staff, Mary and Pious, we're incredibly kind, making our stay as enjoyable as possible. There are a wealth of daytime activities to take advantage of, as well as swishy dining options within a short drive.

We rented the house with two other couples but in the future would probably just rent for a total of 4 people. One bedroom is a bit of a pass through, which is probably great for families and children, but a little less than optimal for couples. That said, we still had a blast!

With permission, we hosted our rehearsal dinner at the house, welcoming 20+ guests to enjoy the beauty of Maison and take part in a fun filled feast. The house and staff were generous and accomodating to the extreme and the event was a total success.

The swinging chairs and poolside lounging inspire relaxation and the open concept kitchen made shared cooking responsibilities a joy. The sound system is also great, so don't forget to pack some music!

The weather was perfect, bugs were not a factor, and every day waking up in Maison was a thrill. The only thing I would caution is that if you have mobility or vision issues, this is probably not the house for you. The steps and numerous and uneven, challenging during the day and increasingly tricky at night.

Overall, an awesome, epic time, we hope to return again! A+!