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Photo by: Zach Stovall

Clinging to the lush hillside facing the Piton mountains, the patio bar at boutique resort Ladera offers — on an island brimming with magnificent vistas — a uniquely spectacular view. Behold the proud sister spires of the Pitons, the placid sea like a swath of sapphire satin, the valley of green to which AstroTurf aspires! And then behold a drink, and inspire yourself to something other than bad poetry.

T’cholit, named after the whistling frogs secreted within the surrounding rainforest, draws beneath its thatch roof an international crowd that thickens as the sun descends: sunburned, starry-eyed Americans, emerging at last from their
honeymoon cocoons; barefoot European hotel guests smugly satisfied with their choice of accommodations; and gussied-up folks from neighboring hotels, their envy almost palpable as they sip cocktails before supper at the resort’s acclaimed restaurant, Dasheene (make their signature cocktail).

Congenial barkeep Merton Gustave hosts the festivities, sharing the genuine smile and easy laugh that appear common to all Ladera’s staff as he serves rum-laced libations with lyrical names such as Lovely Lady, Angostini P and Banana Blessing. The intricately hand-carved wooden bar over which Gustave presides is encircled by intimate clusters of rattan chairs and squat cocktail tables fashioned from tree trunks. Prime tables at the bar’s edge are reserved for hotel guests, but no one will mind if you steal a (careful) perch on the mosaic-tile ledge a precipitous hundred feet above the thicket below.

Mellow Bob Marley tunes encourage a relaxed vibe, the air is honeyed with the scent of tropical blooms, and as shadows lengthen, conversation naturally shifts to the compelling Pitons vista. In the late-afternoon sun the monoliths glow emerald, at sunset they’re dramatically backlit, and by nightfall their imposing outlines are barely discernible against an inky scrim pierced with stars. It’s a stunning metamorphosis that never gets old, even if you witness it more than once — which, if you’re lucky, you will.

T’cholit Bar, Ladera, Soufrière, St. Lucia
758-459-6600; ladera.com