Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort is no newcomer to St. Lucia.
In fact, the resort opened in 1990.
The resort is not showing its age in the slightest, having modernized and renovated over the years.
Villa units form the centerpiece of the 60-acre property, nestled on hillsides that rise from the beach.
Mark Ozawa
"We have 330 villa rooms and will start on a $33 million beachfront villa expansion project that will add 28 luxury two-and three-bedroom villas," said Mark Ozawa, managing director.
Windjammer has a number of time-share villa units interspersed among regular guest units. When the units are not owner-occupied, they are placed in the resort inventory.
The resort is investing $9 million in a renovation of 19 existing beach villas.
The resort recently completed a beach expansion program that added 4,000 tons of sand, three in-water hammocks and more than 30 coconut palm trees and 30 frontal palms. New tiki huts replaced older versions, and sea turtle amber-colored safe lights were installed on the beach to prevent the baby turtles from being confused by bright lights after hatching.
Windjammer's biggest news for 2015, according to Ozawa, is the new 5,300-square-foot Atelier Spa and the 2,700-square-foot gym, both set to debut in May.
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• A treasure trove of artisans awaits guests each Thursday at Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort where a small art event takes place in the lobby. Guests are free to browse, purchase and set up appointments at various studios on the island.
• Resort entertainment includes limbo contests, fire-eating performances, Caribbean dance classes with local bands, abs classes and tennis clinics.
• Off-site tours could include a day trip to Pigeon Island National Park; Rodney Bay's restaurants, shops and the new Dive St. Lucia facility; Diamond Botanical Gardens; or the Mount Soufriere Drive-In Volcano.
• The Pitons, St. Lucia's iconic landmark, has a four-mile hiking trail up Gros Piton, which is less strenuous than Petit Piton.
The spa will feature six treatment rooms, separate locker and steam rooms, an outdoor spa pool and an array of spa products.
The gym will include an exercise studio, Cybex equipment and an outdoor yoga deck.
The spa and the gym will each be housed in stand-alone buildings.
Where the old gym stood could be turned into what Ozawa described as a "cool coffee shop."
Under consideration is the possibility of Windjammer going the all-inclusive route.
The resort does offer what it describes as a "premium all-inclusive" plan that has proven very popular with guests, Ozawa said.
Every guest on the all-inclusive program is assigned an ambassador, much like a concierge, who is there to help out with spa appointments, tour reservations and general information.
Those who select the room-only plan tend to dine at the resort most nights, according to Ozawa.
"With five restaurants, there are enough choices," he said.
The U.S. is the largest market for Windjammer, followed by the U.K. and Canada.
"The numbers in all our markets have grown consistently, with a heavy percentage of bookings coming from travel agents and tour operators," Ozawa said.
Windjammer launched its agent specialist program in 2013 that offers incentives once the online program is completed.
While the resort has a family focus and activities geared to that segment, "St. Lucia has great cachet in the wedding market, and couples and bridal parties love Windjammer's villa factor," Ozawa said.
The resort's policy is its one-wedding-a-day guarantee.
"We find this to be a huge selling point as the bride and groom really want their day in the sun without another couple in sight," Ozawa said.