MAP OF CASTRIES - http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/sl/csmap.shtml
OFFICIAL WEBSITE - http://www.stlucianow.ca/?src=orgRedirection
St. Lucia is known for its lush and beautiful rainforest interior and natural delights. Most ships will dock in Castries, which is the capital. There are two different piers where your ship could dock – Pointe Seraphine (north pier) and La Place Carenage (south pier). They are right across the bay from each other. There is some shopping in Castries, but it is a bit of a walk to get there and not the caliber of shopping that you can find on other islands. There is a large duty-free complex as part of the Pointe Seraphine cruise terminal where you can hunt for crafts and souvenirs.
A visit to St. Lucia would not be complete without heading down the coast to the Soufrière area, where you will find most of the island’s natural attractions. The drive down the coast takes a little over an hour and the roads are often steep and twisty, so if you are prone to motion sickness, you may want to stop periodically to have a break or take medication/ginger in advance. You can also arrange a tour that will take you down the coast by boat so you don’t have to deal with the roads.
If you travel anywhere by cab, some drivers will try to convince you not to go to a certain spot and tell you that they have a much better place. They may have arrangements with resorts where they will get a referral fee if they take someone there. Just be aware of this technique and, if you are set on going somewhere, be firm and insist that they take you where you want to go.
Crime is on the rise in the Caribbean and St. Lucia is experiencing this unfortunate element as well. Common sense practices apply here, as on other islands. Be aware of your surrounding, don’t wander around alone or in less populated areas, leave your jewelry on the ship, and take only the cash you will need for the day. Expensive cameras are always a draw for thieves, as well. They would be fine on an organized tour, but I would not wander around with the camera in town or at the beaches. I am not trying to scare or discourage visitors with these warnings as we have been to St. Lucia several times and have never encountered one problem. It is one of our favorite islands!!
NOTE: A hurricane in the fall of 2010 had a major impact on the infrastructure in St. Lucia. There were landslides and some roads washed out as well as damage to many homes on the island. Things are starting to get back to normal on the island and main access roads have been repaired so you should not have much to worry about as most tour operations will avoid areas where problems still exist!
The Pitons – St. Lucia is best known for the world-famous Pitons located near Soufrière on the southwest coast of the island. The twin peaks were formed by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. Gros Piton measures 2,619 ft high and Petit Piton comes in at 2,461 ft. If you are particularly energetic, you can hike up Gros Piton, but be prepared for a long and strenuous hike. There will be a fee for park access and for a guide to accompany you on your hike. Jalousie Plantation is located between the Pitons (see more info below). The snorkeling is great in the waters at the base of Petit Piton.
Warm waterfall/hot mineral pool – this is one of my favorite stops on the island. It contains a small waterfall and hot mineral pool reached by a short hike in the rainforest. The waterfall is warm and fed by both cold mountain water and hot volcanic water and makes for a delightful experience as you can swim in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. An even more enjoyable soak can be found a few feet away in the hot mineral pool aka “fountain of youth”. The minerals in the water and the heat combine to make you feel years younger. Your muscles and joints feel amazingly supple and your skin feels baby soft!! Note: the minerals in the water can fade bright colors in your swimsuit so wear something that you won’t be concerned about fading!!
EXCURSION TOURS & ACTIVITIES
Aerial Tram Tours – see Rainforest Aerial Trams under “Tour Guides/Companies”. They also offer a zipline tour.
ATV Tours - http://www.atvstlucia.com/ or http://www.islandatvtours.com/
Diving/snorkeling – http://www.divefairhelen.com/ – offers scuba, snorkel and kayak tours.
Golf - You can arrange your own golf excursion or check the Serenity Tours website (see info under “Tour Guides/Companies”) as they offer a golf tour package as well.
Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa – http://www.sandals.com/main/lucia/lu-home.cfm - 9 holes - it is about a 15 minute cab ride, to the southwest, from the pier. Visitors have commented that this is the place to go for golf, but not the beach. The surf is often very choppy and the beach at the Sandals Grande is better for sunning and swimming.
Helicopter Tours - http://www.stluciahelicopters.com/
Horseback Riding – there are several outfits on St. Lucia. One of the best reviewed is Atlantic Shores which is located about an hour’s drive down the coast, near Soufrière (758 454 8668 or 758 484 9769). Trim’s National Riding Academy is located nearer to Castries in Cas-en-Bas (phone 758 450 8273 or 758 450 0637 (24 hr)). Both get good reviews from past visitors. Neither company currently has a website so contact them by phone to get pricing and tour options.
Whale Watching Tours – http://www.hackshaws.com/ or http://www.captmikes.com/
Zipline/canopy tours – see Palm Services Treetop Canopy Tour and Adventure Course under “Tour Guides/Companies” below.
BEACHES
Having been to St. Lucia several times, I would say that this is not really one of the top beach stops for those who love Caribbean beaches. Since St. Lucia is a volcanic island, the sand on the beaches is not your typical soft, white sand. Some spots have brought in the sand to satisfy the tourist trade. All beaches on St. Lucia are public and free to access and public property runs up to the ‘high-water’ mark. As on other islands, there are often resorts along the beaches but be aware that you cannot use their loungers or facilities unless you buy a day pass. If you choose to take a cab to the beach, negotiate with your cab driver in advance for the fare and only pay on your return to the pier. Below, I have listed the beaches most often mentioned on the discussion boards:
Reduit Beach – one of the most popular beaches on the island, it is located about a 15-20 minute ride from the pier, depending on traffic. It is also sometimes referred to as Rodney Bay, which is the name of the resort area where it is located. Cab fare is estimated at about $25 each way for 4 people or a full van will run around $6pp each way. The beach is quite popular with cruisers so is often crowded, especially if there are several ships in port. There are several bars, restaurants, jet-ski rentals and banana boat rides, etc. Some reviewers have mentioned that the beach can be dirty at times, but we did not see any of that when we were there. Two lounge chairs and an umbrella will cost you about $15. There are lots of vendors on the beach so if that bothers you, I would recommend another stop. Spinnaker’s Restaurant, on the beach, gets good reviews if you want to grab something to eat.
Malabar Beach aka Rendezvous Beach – located to the north of Castries near the small airplane airport (you can see the planes landing from the pier area). It is one of the closer beaches to the pier and takes about 5-7 minute by cab. Cab fare should cost around $10 each way – total for the cab, not per person. You can also buy a day pass for the Rendezvous Resort located at this beach (see info under “Resort Day Passes” below).
Choc Beach – is another beach located close to the pier. It is about a 10 minute ride from Castries and will cost about $12 each way for a cab (total cost). You can also catch a local bus/van and pay between $1- $1.50 each way (see Local Bus info below). Choc is the beach that locals frequent on the weekends and it is very quiet throughout the week. There is only one beach bar (The Wharf) and not a lot of other amenities. The Wharf has some lounge chairs for rent ($10 for 2) but no umbrellas. You can pull your chair under a palm for shade. There have been some rumblings about safety on this beach but I have searched and can’t find any details on specific incidents. Many visitors have been there and had no problems, but it could be that a few have run into issues.
LOCAL BUS - If you are not intimidated by a little adventure, you can take a local bus (van) to Choc Beach and save a good amount of money as fares generally run around a couple of dollars, depending on your destination. From Pointe Seraphine, you will need to walk for about 5-7 minutes to find the bus stand next to the local electric company (LUCELEC). When you see a bus with the yellow sticker ‘Route 1A’, you will need to flag it down and let the driver know that you want to go to Choc Beach. If you opt to go to Reduit, the cost will be slightly higher. The bus stop at Choc is directly across from The Wharf and you can flag down a bus/van to return to port.
Pigeon Island – see info under “Attractions/Sights” above
Anse Cochon – this spot is known as one of the best snorkel spots on the island. You can snorkel right off the beach. Anse Cochon is located about ¾ of the way down the coast towards Soufrière. You can take a cab there, but your best bet is likely to visit the beach as part of a tour (see options under “Tour Guides/Companies” below) or arrange a day pass with Ti Kaye Resort (see info under “Resort Day Passes”) which is located on this beach.
RESORT DAY PASSES
Sandals Grande St. Lucian – located north of Castries, near Pigeon Island. A day pass usually runs around $100-$110 for 10am-6pm access. To get there by cab will take between 20-25 minutes and cost around $20 one way (total cab, not per person). According to past visitors, this resort appears to have the best beach of the three Sandals properties. You don’t have to book a day pass in advance, you can get a pass at the front desk on arrival.
Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa – http://www.sandals.com/main/lucia/lu-home.cfm - This resort is located 1.5 miles west of Castries and is about a 15 minute cab ride from the pier, due to traffic. Visitors have commented that this is the place to go for golf but not the beach. The surf is often very choppy and the beach at the Sandals Grande is better for sunning and swimming.
Ti Kaye Village - http://www.tikaye.com/dive-rates.php - this family resort is located at Anse Cochon (one of the best snorkel spots) about ¾ of the way down to Soufrière on the west coast. The day pass for Ti Kaye Village runs about $75pp for the day and includes boat transportation to and from the pier, lunch, 2 soft drinks/juice, use of their facilities and non-motorized water sports, as well as snorkel gear rental for the day. Be aware that if you go by car, the drive is about 45 minutes and the driveway into the resort is about one mile of very rough road.
Rendezvous Resort - http://www.theromanticholiday.com/Content/16.htm - this adult only boutique hotel/resort is located on Malabar Beach (aka Rendezvous Beach) about a 5-7 minute drive from the pier. Rendezvous offers a couple of different half-day passes. Their published rates are a ½ day pass from 8am-12pm which costs $40pp and includes drinks and use of the facilities and non-motorized water sports, but no lunch. There is another ½ day pass from 12pm – 6pm which costs $50 and includes lunch, drinks and use of the facilities and non-motorized water sports. I have seen reviews from people who were there from 10am-3pm so there may be some flexibility with the time frames, but you should clarify all of those details with the resort when you contact them. You should arrange for your day pass in advance. Serenity Tours also offers a package to Rendezvous as well.
Rex St. Lucian Resort – http://www.rexresorts.com/_caribbean/_stlucia/_stlucian/index.html - located on Reduit Beach, to the north of Castries. A day pass costs $59pp but make your arrangements in advance as they are not available all of the time.
Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa – http://www.baygardensbeachresort.com/ – also located on Reduit Beach. A day pass costs $50pp and includes a BBQ lunch and limited bar drinks.
Jalousie Beach Plantation - http://www.thejalousieplantation.com/ This resort is located at the south end of the island, past the town of Soufrière. The resort has brought in sand for the beach so it is definitely more appealing than some of the others. It takes a little over an hour to get there by cab, around 30 minutes by boat. A day pass costs $50pp adult ($35 for children) for use of amenities (except the pool), a lounger and $25 towards your food purchase. Your best bet for this spot is to visit as part of a tour so that you can also see some of the sights around Soufrière (ie: warm waterfall, drive-in volcano). We have been to Jalousie on 4 different occasions, but have never bought a day pass as you can access the beach for free. The resort no longer allows tour guides to pass through their resort to get to the beach so most tour operators have arranged for water taxis from the pier in Soufrière over to Jalousie Beach.TOUR GUIDES/COMPANIES
The following guides are the most popular and generally get great reviews from their clients. You should arrange for a tour in advance of your stop in St. Lucia. There are, obviously, other guides that you can hire but I am listing the ones that receive the most positive feedback on the discussion boards:
Herod Stanislas – http://herodsislandtours.com/ - we have personally toured with Herod on four different occasions and I cannot say enough about how fantastic he is. He is professional, knowledgeable, low-key and takes such good care of his guests! He offers an Island Delights tour that takes you to the most popular stops in the south of the island and he also has a Land and Sea tour that visits those same sights, but part of the tour is by boat and also includes lunch. Herod prefers smaller groups so he can give more personal service. At last visit, he charged $50pp for the Island Delights tour and $70pp for the Land and Sea tour. We always pay him more as he provides such phenomenal value for the price. Lately, some have had problems contacting him through his website so you can also reach him by email him at herodtours@gmail.com.
Cosol Tours – http://www.cosol-tours.com/ - Cosol operates a large tour business on St. Lucia. He is very popular with visitors and generally gets good reviews for his operation. The negative reviews are usually because people expected to tour with Cosol, personally, and did not except the sheer size of the tour group as all of the vans travel together. Cosol hires additional cab drivers for the day, as needed, so your experience is impacted by which driver you get and how many ships are in port. As with other tours, he will take you to the most popular stops in the south of the island.
Serenity Tours – http://www.serenitytvl.com/ - operated by a husband and wife team, John and Caroline, this tour operation consistently gets great reviews from their customers. They offer various land tours and also a zipline tour that gets you to the zipline location before the cruise tour crowds! Some of their tours also include day passes to several resorts mentioned above, as well as Pigeon Island. Visit their website or call 1-866-766-0794.
Palm Services Treetop Canopy Tour and Adventure Course - http://www.adventuretoursstlucia.com/ultimate_treetop_adventure.html - offers a range of activities including the popular zip line course. They also offer cycling, hiking, and kayaking excursions. To appeal to younger families, Palm also offers a "kiddie challenge" course with mini-zip lines for children. This operation is located in the south-center of the island at Dennery. It is a bit of a ride to get there, but well worth it. Palm also contracts to various cruise lines for their excursions so it is better to arrange this tour on your own with a local tour company so that you can get there ahead of the ship’s tours and crowds. Serenity Tours gets great reviews for their zipline package (see details under ‘Serenity Tours’ above).
Rainforest Aerial Trams – http://www.rainforestrams.com/stluciaintro.html
Located near Castries, this operation is open every day except Monday from October until April. If you plan to visit between May and September, you should contact the company to get details as they are open 4 days a week during that time period. The aerial trams take you through the rainforest in an open-air gondola. They also offer some bird watching hikes for the less adventurous. The popular Tranopy (tram and canopy) tour costs $85pp and the Adrenaline Zip Line costs $69pp. Go to the website and click on ‘Book Now’ to see a full list of tour pricings. You will need to scroll through the list to find the St. Lucia options. There are minimum age limits on some tours. This operation is also used by cruise line excursions so you should get there early to avoid the crowds.
Bernard’s Island Tours - http://www.stluciataximan.com/default.asp?page=home
This unique island is a natural wonder and not to be missed!!
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