By Bevan Springer, Marketplace Excellence

SOUFRIERE, St. Lucia (July 6, 2013) – One of the world’s leading travel magazines confirmed that the southern town of Soufrière in St. Lucia is home to the top two resorts in the Caribbean.

Travel + Leisure (T+L) magazine reports that the super luxurious Jade Mountain resort and its elegant sister property, Anse Chastanet, are the number one and number two hotels in the Caribbean region respectively, and number 14 and 21 in the world.

The accolades were headlined with the release of the Travel+Leisure’s World’s Best Awards readers’ survey which reveals which hotels deliver the most extraordinary experiences.

For T+L’s 18th annual poll, the magazine asked its discerning readers to cast their votes for the hotels, destinations, and companies which define the very best in travel.

The result? One of the most robust lists developed in the travel industry.

“You can set standards for a hotel operation, but the standards need to be carried out by a team that wholeheartedly embraces them and has the ambition to excel in everything they do,” remarked Karolin Troubetzkoy, the resorts’ executive director of marketing and operations.

Mrs. Troubetzkoy, who along with her husband Nick will accept the award at an upcoming presentation dinner in New York, congratulated her St. Lucia team for playing an integral part in Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet’s success throughout the years: “We not only want to meet guest expectations with our service – we also want to exceed them every step of the way. Our wonderful team not only shares this philosophy but they also walk the talk.”

Mr. Troubetzkoy, architect and developer of Jade Mountain, created one of the world’s most unique and most sustainable resorts. The bold design features individual bridges leading to huge doors carved by local artisans from trees hand-picked and sustainably cut from Guyana’s rainforests. No two rooms are alike and all contain exquisite infinity pool sanctuaries with tiles molded from recycled glass and rugged stoned-faced columns reaching towards the sky.

A defining architectural touch, however, is the fact all rooms have only three walls. Instead of a fourth wall guests are treated to stunning, uninterrupted views of the iconic Piton mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the glimmering Caribbean Sea.

The resort is committed to enhancing local culture and maintains an active team of wood carvers, stone workers, painters, and other artisans drawn from the surrounding communities.

Jade Mountain’s sanctuaries are intelligently designed as grand sweeping spaces, where bedroom, living room and a private infinity pool form platforms which appear to float out into nature.

And, for those discerning travelers seeking responsible and sustainable properties – almost everything in the resort has either been recycled or sustainably produced.

Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best List will be published in the August issue.

Daily rates at Jade Mountain start at US$995 this summer for travel until October 31. Daily rates at Anse Chastanet for the same period start at US$345. Rates, are subject to 8% tax and 10% service charge.

For reservations call 1 800 223-1108 or contact the resorts directly at + 1 758 459-6100.

For more information, visit www.jademountain.com and www.ansechastanet.com