Morning light pours through the rainforest canopy, splashing golden leaf patterns across our table at Anse Chastanet’s Treehouse restaurant. Open on all sides, the dining room feels like a lookout suspended in the forest, with bullfinches and grackles flitting in and out, unperturbed by guests plating extras at the buffet: bread, fresh tropical fruit, parfait and my new favorite, St. Lucian cocoa tea. I savor zucchini fritters crisped to perfection and a side of cashew cheese, scallions and tangy pickled salad. My partner orders poached eggs that come so artfully plated atop a bed of lentils and paprika yogurt it feels like sacrilege to disturb them.

With the exception of fending off the occasional cheeky bird eyeing my mango, I can’t imagine feeling more relaxed. My wallet is in my room, and there’s a day of all-inclusive food, drink, diving and entertainment ahead of us. No budgets or micro decisions, just freedom. All that’s left to do is live in the moment. The only regret I have is that I am not able to stay longer. Still, a week of luxury resort time is nothing to complain about.

I smile at Stephen and ask if he’s ready for another gorgeous dive in the marine park below.

Where Convenience Meets Adventure

It’s easy to sink into the comfort of sprawling breakfast buffets and evening rum tastings, but for divers, the all-inclusive model is about so much more. It’s about having everything from daily boat dives and tanks to weights, gear rental and even nitrox rolled into one seamless experience. Of course, this can vary dramatically depending on the resort.

At Anse Chastanet, diving feels like an extension of the resort’s immersive, eco-conscious ethos. The on-site dive center, Scuba St. Lucia, offers up to three boat dives a day plus guided shore and night dives on the house reef. Nitrox is available, and the focus is small-group, conservation-minded diving right in the heart of the Soufriere Marine Management Area.

By contrast, Sandals Regency La Toc offers diving as part of its polished, large-scale luxury experience. The dive boat is off site but just a quick shuttle ride away in the bustling hub of downtown Castries. Certified guests can do up to two dives per day aboard the resort’s own fleet of Newton dive boats, with all dive gear included in the cost. It’s efficient, high-touch and geared toward couples who want adventure alongside romance.

Over eight days, I experienced the best of both worlds: Anse Chastanet’s slow, nature-soaked charm and Sandals’ all-access elegance. I came away with a deeper appreciation for what all-inclusives can offer when done well.

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Anse Chastanet

In the Jungle With a View

Perched atop a hill, Anse Chastanet is surrounded on all sides by 600 acres of lush tropical forest that rings with birdsong from dawn to dusk. At night, the cicadas, crickets and frogs take over, conducting their own melodic orchestra. It reminds me, strangely, of being in a safari camp in Africa, a feeling certainly helped by the design of our room.

We hadn’t expected the premium hillside suite, but on-site manager Jonathan Jn. Baptiste tells us upgrades like this happen when availability allows. The room opens fully to the elements, its fourth wall replaced by a stretch of wooden louvered shutters framing the steel-gray ocean and the Pitons, St. Lucia’s iconic volcanic spires. Even on moonless nights, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is visible, silhouetted against a star-studded sky. We fall asleep beneath a gauzy mosquito net, lulled by the sounds of the forest. There’s no air conditioning, but we don’t miss it. With a ceiling fan and three standing fans, we stay perfectly comfortable even in the humid St. Lucian summer.

Though “open air” living might not be for everyone, for nature-loving, adventurous or bohemian types, it’s an experience that’s hard to beat. As owner and executive director Karolin Troubetzkoy says, “Anse Chastanet resonates most with curious, mindful travelers—those seeking more than a cookie-cutter beach vacation.”

Indeed, there’s nothing cookie cutter about this resort, which was designed by Karolin’s late husband, architect Nick Troubetzkoy, also the visionary behind Jade Mountain, an even more luxurious resort that rises above Anse Chastanet.

Karolin tells me she and Nick envisioned their properties blending harmoniously into the island’s natural and cultural surroundings. “Rather than imposing luxury, we aimed to celebrate St. Lucia’s beauty, heritage and authenticity, offering our guests a deeply immersive experience that feels both grounded and elevated.”

That intention lives in the hand-carved wood found throughout, the madras textiles, the staff’s traditional attire, the produce grown at the resort’s Emerald Estate and even the walk to the dive shop, a path that flows with the mountain and is dotted with art from all over the world.

That same philosophy extends to how guests spend their time. Without ever leaving the property, they can hike forest trails, explore 18th-century plantation ruins, mountain bike through jungle, sail the coastline or snorkel just off the beach. Guided nature walks, yoga, bird-watching, farm-to-table meals, and even live jazz sunset cruises round out a stay that feels rooted in place and richly layered with experience.

For travelers drawn to stillness, nature and cultural connection, there’s nothing quite like it.

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Close, Quiet, Captivating

It doesn’t matter that I’m a PADI instructor with a 20-pound underwater camera, every diver begins their vacation with a checkout dive at the house reef.

It’s a smart tactic. Our dive guide, Bradley Joseph, a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer himself, quickly gauges everyone’s comfort in the water. After a quick mask flood and regulator recovery, we begin our dive, passing over seagrass beds and into reefs teeming with juvenile fish, and even a bold posse of squid out in the daylight. Though the house reef is popular with snorkelers and shore divers, it’s rich with life. We spot arrow crabs, lobsters, butterflyfish, banded shrimp, parrotfish, yellowtail snapper, spotted drum and even a seahorse curling shyly below us.

When we venture out via boat, the sites are no farther than five minutes away. I find it near impossible to pick a favorite as each one is vibrant, colorful and fishy. Bradley’s favorite is Coral Garden 2, a site dived less frequently due to current but one that is known for having pristine sponges, vivid reef and surprise visitors.

“Any dive site that has a lot of color is one of my favorites,” says Bradley. “And at Coral Garden 2 you tend to see unexpected things: bigger marine life like turtles, eagle rays, green moray eels and nurse sharks.”

Beyond the reef, Scuba St. Lucia earns my trust with thoughtful touches: towed dive flags on every dive, gas checks, tidy topside setup, gear lockers, drying racks and a proper photographer’s table with rinse basins. Callistus Jackson, the shop manager, even helps coordinate our dive schedule and a night dive as well. It’s the first time I see a sculptured slipper lobster, and the first time I am able to capture an in-focus photo of a tiny transparent Pederson cleaner shrimp, its bright purple markings the only thing that keeps me from losing sight of it.

Sandals Regency La Toc

Poolside and Polished

Perched on a dramatic 220-acre hillside that spills down toward a secluded crescent of beach, Sandals Regency La Toc feels both expansive and intimate. With manicured gardens, Mediterranean architecture and cliffside views, it’s a resort designed for couples and honeymooners who want every detail handled before they even think to ask.

That sense of ease is especially present thanks to our butler service. When we arrive at our Rondoval Villa, our butler, Christian, greets us with Champagne and a calm, personalized orientation. He points out the plunge pool steps from our bed, the outdoor shower and the fully stocked bar. He even offers to unpack our bags, and hands us a phone to reach him anytime. “Text or call,” he says, “even if you just want a snack.” Though I’m usually fiercely independent, Christian’s calm and friendly approach makes it easy to let go and settle into genuine relaxation.

While many guests do enjoy diving, the atmosphere leans toward romance and relaxation. Think spa treatments, swim-up pool bars, private beach dinners and long afternoons with nowhere else to be.

One day, Stephen and I head out with JJ’s Speed Boat Tour, a music-filled cruise along St. Lucia’s coast. We snorkel off Anse Chastanet, soak in the Sulphur Springs, rinse off at Toraille Waterfall, and then stop at Marigot Bay for a traditional creole buffet that might be one of the best meals I’ve had on the island, thanks in large part to a dish comprising fried and seasoned eggplant.

By the time we return to the resort, the hillside glows with late light and everything feels still. We text Christian and let him know he doesn’t need to pick us up for dinner—our favorite restaurant, Buccan, a cultural and communal eating experience—is just steps away. Rum in hand, we slip into our private plunge pool and start talking about booking a couples massage.

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Scenic and Structured

Our first dive takes us far from the resort to one of the island’s most iconic sites: Superman’s Flight. It’s a breathtaking place to start, almost too good. The reef is vibrant and expansive, covered in red sea fans, towering barrel sponges and dense schools of amethyst-purple creole wrasse that swirl so thick I feel the urge to part them just to see ahead. There’s little current today, but our guide tells us that’s rare. “Normally you’re flying like Superman, just without the cape,” he says with a grin.

Diving at Sandals suits those who want to do it without dedicating their whole trip to it (though that too is possible). Certified guests get two guided dives per day, plus rental gear. Unlike resorts with onsite launches, Sandals’ main dive operation is based in Castries, requiring a short van transfer. Though this does make for earlier starts and longer boat rides, it also grants access to a wider range of sites, including those less frequented by resorts, farther south.

On our final day, we dive two wrecks: the Vicky B, a 286-foot cargo ship sunk in 2018 with a striking propeller and a forklift tucked into the hold, and the Lesleen M, a 165-foot freighter sunk in 1986, now blanketed in marine life. Later, we explore Rosemond’s Trench, a shallow but spectacular site with a trench that begins in less than 10 feet of water and extends 30 feet out to where it intersects with another trench. For divers with good buoyancy, there are swim-throughs and lava tubes to be explored too, as well as coral pinnacles and barrel sponges so large they shelter even marine life such as turtles.

The dive boats are well-staffed and run smoothly. With guests from all three Sandals resorts—La Toc, Grande St. Lucian, and Halcyon Beach—the vibe feels social but easygoing. It’s ideal for couples and newer divers, or anyone who wants reef time in the morning and rum punch by the pool in the afternoon.

Related Reading: Sea Turtles Will Dance for Food

What All-Inclusive Actually Gets You

All-inclusive isn’t a budget hack, and it’s not just about diving, eating and repeating. It’s an intentional decision to make vacations easier. If, like me, you work long hours, and often on deadline, the best thing to do is to cut out and kick back rather than dive yourself to exhaustion.

And despite the stereotypes, neither of the two resorts I stayed at was a booze-fueled blur. In fact, I barely drank, though I did become a repeat customer of Sandals’ strawberry slushies (which I requested, to the staff’s confusion, without the rum).

The real takeaway? When done well, all-inclusives don’t limit your travel. They free you from the mental math of meals, transfers and gear, and let you sink more fully into your surroundings, whether that’s on a hill in a rainforest, or by the pool with an ocean view. I’d say you can officially call me a convert.