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St. Lucia (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Joe T
- Start date
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Man, I could talk for hours on this subject. I love St. Lucia and used to go a couple times a year on business so I got to know the locals pretty well.
What is your hotel budget?
Meal preference? High end or local?
Will you have a car? I would highly recommend renting a car if you are adventurous or hire a driver.
What types of activities do you enjoy? Snorkeling, pelagic fishing, street parties, meeting locals, windsurfing, etc.
Have you already booked flights or anything?
Give me some basics on how you like to travel and I'll point in in a good direction.
What is your hotel budget?
Meal preference? High end or local?
Will you have a car? I would highly recommend renting a car if you are adventurous or hire a driver.
What types of activities do you enjoy? Snorkeling, pelagic fishing, street parties, meeting locals, windsurfing, etc.
Have you already booked flights or anything?
Give me some basics on how you like to travel and I'll point in in a good direction.
ScottNorwood
Footballcutie
Can you get a continental breakfast over there?
I haven’t stayed at a Sandals in a while, but Sandals Grand St. Lucia was great when we stayed there years ago. We usually went every year to a different Sandals so we got upgraded to one of their rondevals or whatever they called it. It was twice the price of the room we booked. If you’ve got the cash it’s like a mini hotel. Pool, big hot tub, hammock, outside shower, amazing room. Probably the best vacation my wife and I had especially since we were younger and a wee bit more active. We traveled with friends so did a helicopter tour and boat trip to shop. Food was also fantastic. We had some meh experiences at Sandals after that so haven’t been to any in a long time.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
OK, so Jade Mountain is hands down the best resort in St. Lucia and a top resort in the world but is a bit out of your price range. The good news is Anse Chastanet is #2 and sits basically in front of Jade on the beach and is spectacular as well. They are owned by the same guy so if you want you may be able to negotiate an upgrade to Jade for a couple nights while you are there. You will be right on Anse Chastanet beach which is pretty tough to beat. Just north of Soufriere on the mid-western side of the island. The Pitons are your backdrop.
http://www.ansechastanet.com/
I'll post back later with some flight and other ideas.
Since you're from Dallas, I'll let you in on a little secret. Lucians LOVE country music. In their local dancehalls and jump-ups it is the 2nd most popular kind of music you will hear after the local island type stuff. Once they hear you're from TX they'll be all over you. Bringing some TX trinkets will get you far.
http://www.ansechastanet.com/
I'll post back later with some flight and other ideas.
Since you're from Dallas, I'll let you in on a little secret. Lucians LOVE country music. In their local dancehalls and jump-ups it is the 2nd most popular kind of music you will hear after the local island type stuff. Once they hear you're from TX they'll be all over you. Bringing some TX trinkets will get you far.
Johnny Bing
Footballguy
We did the same thing and stayed at The Grande about 4-5 years ago. Most of the vacation we just relaxed at the resort, but we did go to one of the other Sandals for a hibachi dinner and just see some new places. From memory they have a Sandals shuttle that will take you to any of the Sandals properties for dinner or the day. From memory I think there are 3 properties on the island. Pretty cool and something different.
Don't waste your time going to the flea market that they all push. It is just a tourism trap with most of the product brought in and not made local.
One excursion we did to see the pitons was Joes Knows tour. We learned quite a bit about the business. I don't remember the figures, but the tours have to kick Sandals so much money to be at their kiosk to pitch their excursion, which Joe didn't agree to, so he marketed his own tour extremely well. Short story is he will pick you up outside the gate, because he isn't allowed on the property, but he takes you to the boats and rest of people from other resorts. Boat tour around the pitons, bus up to a sulfur spring (note, don't plan on doing this mud bath if you want to have some excitement later because you stink like sulfur for a day) but very relaxing. Also you pull into a beach on the back side of the pitons where there is some pretty cool cliff diving going on by the locals. These kids are probably 13 or 14 jumping from 50+ feet. They will swim up to the boat and you can toss them a couple bucks.
If you are active enough, hiking the pitons was something we wanted to do, but just didn't pull the trigger. One couple at the resort commented that you need to be in pretty good shape to make that hike to the top. They liked it, but commented it was harder than they thought and if your not in good shape to pass.
Like all Sandals, get your reservations booked for the restaurants that day that require them. And if you don't typically do this, pack your "pool" gear in your backpack or change at the air port. Because when you check in, you rarely go right to your room. You typically get the, your room isn't ready yet but leave your luggage here and we'll take it to your room. Just easier if you have your swimsuits on or easily accessible.
Weather, was rainy when we were there. I think it was Nov or Dec that we went there. We actual considered chartering a plane to Jamaica and staying there the rest of our vacation because the first 3 days just rained and I think the forecast had more rain. Of course, the locals say this is so unheard of, but I'm sure they know tourism is their business so they need to sugarcoat it.
Overall great place, but I don't think I'd go back because of how long the flight was to get there. For me, you can go to Jamaica and experience the same things other than the pitons.
AcerFC
Footballguy
We really loved St Lucia. We stayed at The Ladera which sits on the side of the mountain. It has three walls. You are open to the Pitons and the water. It also has its own plunge pool in the room.
Now, having an open wall in the daytime is awesome. But at night, there are some negatives.
We have also stayed at Sandals and thought it was good. When you stay at Sandals, they let you use any of the three for dining and have shuttles that take you there IIRC
Now, having an open wall in the daytime is awesome. But at night, there are some negatives.
We have also stayed at Sandals and thought it was good. When you stay at Sandals, they let you use any of the three for dining and have shuttles that take you there IIRC
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Even if you don't stay at Ladera they have a restaurant there called Dasheen that is worth going to.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Kev4029
Footballguy
I highly suggest staying near Soufriere and the pitons (SW side of the island) rather than the north side with the big resorts (Sandals, etc.).
We stayed at a combination of Sugar Beach (previously called Jalouise) and Ladera, which both sit between the pitons. Ladera is a budget version of Jade Mountain which Ron Swanson mentioned above. Sugar Beach has stand alone bungalows with private pools and sits on the beach (which it shares with Ladera). Easily the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. Ladera only has something like 25 rooms and they are all open facing towards the ocean over the rain forest with only three walls. The food at Ladera was incredible, if a bit pricy, with a great view from the dinning area. Right across the street from Ladera is Hotel Chocolat, which also has a great restaurant that uses chocolate in everything they cook.
The beach at Sugar Beach has some decent snorkeling and was very calm, so great for relaxing. We also went over the Anse Chastanet and spent a day. The beach there is all black sand, which is a cool novelty, but the hot sun makes the sand unbearable to walk on.
Other than beach time, we spent a half day at the volcano (and associated mud bath) slightly inland from our hotels which was fun. We did day trip of hiking the Gros Piton (the bigger but much easier to climb of the two mountains). The hike was safe but fairly difficult and rewarded with a beautiful view of much of the island at the summit. Our last full day at Ladera the head chef took a handful of couples on a tour of Soufriere and their market, we tried some street food, fresh bread, tons of local produce. That was probably the highlight of the trip.
We stayed at a combination of Sugar Beach (previously called Jalouise) and Ladera, which both sit between the pitons. Ladera is a budget version of Jade Mountain which Ron Swanson mentioned above. Sugar Beach has stand alone bungalows with private pools and sits on the beach (which it shares with Ladera). Easily the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. Ladera only has something like 25 rooms and they are all open facing towards the ocean over the rain forest with only three walls. The food at Ladera was incredible, if a bit pricy, with a great view from the dinning area. Right across the street from Ladera is Hotel Chocolat, which also has a great restaurant that uses chocolate in everything they cook.
The beach at Sugar Beach has some decent snorkeling and was very calm, so great for relaxing. We also went over the Anse Chastanet and spent a day. The beach there is all black sand, which is a cool novelty, but the hot sun makes the sand unbearable to walk on.
Other than beach time, we spent a half day at the volcano (and associated mud bath) slightly inland from our hotels which was fun. We did day trip of hiking the Gros Piton (the bigger but much easier to climb of the two mountains). The hike was safe but fairly difficult and rewarded with a beautiful view of much of the island at the summit. Our last full day at Ladera the head chef took a handful of couples on a tour of Soufriere and their market, we tried some street food, fresh bread, tons of local produce. That was probably the highlight of the trip.
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Sucks about the weather. We always did trips in February. Ours had to have been 10+ years ago now. I’m too old to remember everything. Anyway, the boat trip we did was fun as well. Weather was great so we didn’t think about going anywhere. We’ve done Jamaica a few times and I’d do St Lucia over that every time. That said, no idea if the Sandals is still as good as it was. We went back to Sandal Grande Antigua once after going to our honeymoon there almost 20 years ago. It wasn’t close to as good as the honeymoon. They built a huge complex as an add on and it really changed it from an awesome small resort to a good big resort. Other than partying with Chad Henne for the week, it was just decent. His wife was actually super nice.
Joe Mammy
Footballguy
If you're into diving or at least snorkeling Ti Kaye Resort was great. We stayed there for a week about 6 years ago and dove the Lesleen wreck which is directly off the beach in front of the resort. We also did the Superman Flight which was a dive at the base of the Pitons, the current was very strong and the dive boat just drops you off and then picks you up after you sail along with the current. Snorkeling was great right on the beach there too with reefs and alot of fish. The Sandals snorkel boats would bring their people over to our beach to snorkel. Room was great with an outdoor shower and the onsite restaurant/bar was also very good. Good kayaking right from the beach will bring you to nearby caves and very secluded beaches.
On Friday nites they load up their vans and bring those who want to go to the Anse Cochone street party, huge towers of speakers cranking reggae and alot of fresh seafood for sale from vendors.
We also did a jungle biking thing where we were picked up by catamaran and taken to a beach with a huge wooden gate into the jungle that reminded us of Jurassic Park. Biking down the mountain trails was alot of fun and then they provide snorkel gear for the reef right off their beach.
On Friday nites they load up their vans and bring those who want to go to the Anse Cochone street party, huge towers of speakers cranking reggae and alot of fresh seafood for sale from vendors.
We also did a jungle biking thing where we were picked up by catamaran and taken to a beach with a huge wooden gate into the jungle that reminded us of Jurassic Park. Biking down the mountain trails was alot of fun and then they provide snorkel gear for the reef right off their beach.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Brony
Footballguy
I feel like we've done this thread before. We honeymoon'd at this Sugar Beach resort when it was still a Hilton property. It's awesome resort and location as you cover. Not sure how good it would be if you are not a couple going there. Also, the SW part of the island is not easy to get to. From our home to this resort as a FULL day of travel. I wouldn't go to St Lucia for less than 5 days just based on travel distance, but it is a damn cool place.Kev4029 said:
Kev4029
Footballguy
Yeah, I think that is true of all the resorts on the SW side of the island. I don't think Jade Mountain and Ladera even allow kids.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
We honeymooned at Jalouise Plantation/Sugar Beach. Nice place. Fantastic service, great beaches, good food. Awesome for a honeymoon, but as I previously mentioned in an Aruba thread, I wouldn't go there if you had more in mind than eating, drinking, laying on a beach, and some bow chicka wow wow.Kev4029 said:
EYLive
Footballguy
I was there last month as part of a cruise excursion so my exposure is limited.
In addition to the Pitons, there's some great snorkeling on the south west portion of the island.
In addition to the Pitons, there's some great snorkeling on the south west portion of the island.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
One tip for getting there if you are adventurous. Instead of catching a major airline into the South of the Island (Hewanora) and then having to take the long bus ride or helicopter ride north I usually take a major airline to San Juan, bum around there for a night or two, and then island hop down to St Lucia on Liat, a local Caribbean airline. Its pretty easy to stop in for a few hours or day or two at Antigua, Anguilla, Tortola, etc. on the way down. And as a bonus Liat flies into Vigie Airport in St. Lucia which puts you up at the north of the island. Definitely better access to Castries and Rodney Bay but also to Soufriere to a degree.
I avoided staying in Rodney Bay for years because I thought it was a giant tourist trap, but the last time we visited we stayed there for a few days and really enjoyed it. Reduit Beach is nice, the marina gives you access to charter boats and booze cruises, and there are some really great restaurants that are all walkable from the hotels. I wouldn't call any options there high end like Anse/Ladera/Jade but Coco Palm and Bay Gardens Beach Resort are acceptable and have great locations. Good access to the Friday night Lime at Gros Islet as well.
I avoided staying in Rodney Bay for years because I thought it was a giant tourist trap, but the last time we visited we stayed there for a few days and really enjoyed it. Reduit Beach is nice, the marina gives you access to charter boats and booze cruises, and there are some really great restaurants that are all walkable from the hotels. I wouldn't call any options there high end like Anse/Ladera/Jade but Coco Palm and Bay Gardens Beach Resort are acceptable and have great locations. Good access to the Friday night Lime at Gros Islet as well.
glock
"Don't grumble, give a whistle!"
I did the old Couple Resort (Now Rendezvous) honeymoon gig back in the early 80's with wife #1.
-We took a flight out of JFK to Barbados and a puddle jumper from there to George F.L. Charles Airport in order to avoid the two hour bouncy cab ride to the resort. Highly recommend if you end up in northern St Lucia.
-Originally booked a stand alone cottage on the beach, but my bride was creeped out by the lack of privacy/safety? afforded there. Swapped for a second floor room in the main building overlooking the pool. Not bad.
-We biked into Castries as little kids ran alongside looking for tips in exchange for not messing with our bikes as we tried to pedal. That and the reality of open street sewers and families along the way living in corrugated metal and cinder block took some of the edge off the thrill of visiting the shops and market place for us. Guard your wallet. Don't do this. (Okay-its was 40+ years ago, so who knows...
)
-Did an awesome scuba diving trip up by Pigeon Island where I not only dove for the first time in my life (I got certified on the beach) but I also managed to score enough real Heineken to fill my gym bag to drink in lieu of the awful island beer at the resort. Scuba diving rocks.
-We visited Caribelle Batik where local artisans turn out really nice batik prints, etc. Nice.
-Visited a restaurant/bar somewhere up between the Pitons- I believe it is now The Ladera- that had an amazing free form - first of it's kind infinity pool- perched on a cliff. It's just below the wall in this pic. This place is now a resort and is on my bucket list.
-We also managed to exchange American clothes on the beach for gange, so there was that. Bring swap-ables.
A handful of years ago my kid brother had himself a destination wedding in St Lucia. The wedding was at the Sandals Grande where he and his bride stayed for their honeymoon. Awesome swim up bars and views. My wife and I and the rest of the family stayed at The Windjammer which I though was a great place and recommend. Side note: I was the Best Man. Due to some miscommunication with the travel agent I arrived at JFK for my early AM flight without the proper documentation- birth certificate with raised seal- and watched my wife board. My sister (same problem) and I spent the day rounding up the correct birth certificates to have her make the only other flight that could have gotten us to St Lucia that day. I missed by minutes while parking.
I opted to at least get to Miami that evening- staying at a somewhat seedy hotel attached to... Tom's NFL sports Bar & Grill! 
(My name is Tom, so of course I scored a free T-shirt for my trouble) for a morning connection to St Lucia for the early afternoon wedding. My brother told me that when I arrived at the Hewanorra International Airport at the southern tip of St Lucia I was to look for some guy waving a sign with my name on it. This guy apparently knew people, getting me and my bags around customs and to my waiting...
...helicopter.
(there wasn't enough time for any 2 1/2 hour cab ride to Sandals Grande!) Sharing the ride with some old boot and his 20 something arm candy meant a flight past the Pitons to drop them off before heading north. I STRONGLY suggest a helicopter tour if you have deep enough pockets. Stunning.
Good luck and have a blast.
-We took a flight out of JFK to Barbados and a puddle jumper from there to George F.L. Charles Airport in order to avoid the two hour bouncy cab ride to the resort. Highly recommend if you end up in northern St Lucia.
-Originally booked a stand alone cottage on the beach, but my bride was creeped out by the lack of privacy/safety? afforded there. Swapped for a second floor room in the main building overlooking the pool. Not bad.
-We biked into Castries as little kids ran alongside looking for tips in exchange for not messing with our bikes as we tried to pedal. That and the reality of open street sewers and families along the way living in corrugated metal and cinder block took some of the edge off the thrill of visiting the shops and market place for us. Guard your wallet. Don't do this. (Okay-its was 40+ years ago, so who knows...
)-Did an awesome scuba diving trip up by Pigeon Island where I not only dove for the first time in my life (I got certified on the beach) but I also managed to score enough real Heineken to fill my gym bag to drink in lieu of the awful island beer at the resort. Scuba diving rocks.
-We visited Caribelle Batik where local artisans turn out really nice batik prints, etc. Nice.
-Visited a restaurant/bar somewhere up between the Pitons- I believe it is now The Ladera- that had an amazing free form - first of it's kind infinity pool- perched on a cliff. It's just below the wall in this pic. This place is now a resort and is on my bucket list.
-We also managed to exchange American clothes on the beach for gange, so there was that. Bring swap-ables.
A handful of years ago my kid brother had himself a destination wedding in St Lucia. The wedding was at the Sandals Grande where he and his bride stayed for their honeymoon. Awesome swim up bars and views. My wife and I and the rest of the family stayed at The Windjammer which I though was a great place and recommend. Side note: I was the Best Man. Due to some miscommunication with the travel agent I arrived at JFK for my early AM flight without the proper documentation- birth certificate with raised seal- and watched my wife board. My sister (same problem) and I spent the day rounding up the correct birth certificates to have her make the only other flight that could have gotten us to St Lucia that day. I missed by minutes while parking.
I opted to at least get to Miami that evening- staying at a somewhat seedy hotel attached to... Tom's NFL sports Bar & Grill! (My name is Tom, so of course I scored a free T-shirt for my trouble) for a morning connection to St Lucia for the early afternoon wedding. My brother told me that when I arrived at the Hewanorra International Airport at the southern tip of St Lucia I was to look for some guy waving a sign with my name on it. This guy apparently knew people, getting me and my bags around customs and to my waiting......helicopter.
(there wasn't enough time for any 2 1/2 hour cab ride to Sandals Grande!) Sharing the ride with some old boot and his 20 something arm candy meant a flight past the Pitons to drop them off before heading north. I STRONGLY suggest a helicopter tour if you have deep enough pockets. Stunning.Good luck and have a blast.
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Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Ron - do you know much about Palm Island that is just south of St. Lucia? My wife and a friend's wife bought a vacation package there and we are going sometime in late April/early May. We fly into St. Lucia then take a ferry to Palm Island.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Sorry, no. I think it is actually part of Grenadines/St. Vincent. IIRC, it is a short flight from St. Lucia to Union Island and then a very short ferry.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
I went with my wife's family in 2015 and we stayed at a villa (think a really nice Airbnb) up the mountainside from Anse Chastanet. We had a large group, 9 of us IIRC, so needed a larger place. The villa owner and the resort have an agreement where villa guests are allowed to use the beach at the resort. Really a beautiful place, secluded beach but it's large. Had a lot of fun wandering the beach and jungle nearby. The restaurant/bar were pretty good, and we took one of their snorkeling tours as well. The walk up the mountain after going to the beach was a ##### but the resort itself looks beautiful and the beach was really nice.Ron Swanson said:
We did eat at Dasheen (noted in your other post) and it was one of the top 2-3 meals we ate for the entire trip. My favorite was probably Orlando's, it was on that main seaside road that leads to the mountain where you get to the villa and Anse Chastanet. Wasn't cheap but we had a great meal. Orlando is a character, very memorable.
Overall I really liked the island, it's easily my favorite Caribbean trip I've ever been on. Hiking Gros Piton was both the most grueling and most memorable hike of my life, I don't think I'll ever forget it.
Beef Ravioli
Footballguy
We did Aruba this past November and really want to go back and hit Curraco from Aruba for a day or two.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
I would recommend, especially if you are staying at one of the more reality-obscured locations like Sandals that you get out and meet the locals. Lucians are a very friendly group and they are super proud of their beautiful country and love to show it off. I've made lifelong friends on the island by just meeting everyday people and getting invited to their activities.
Don't worry too much about crime. Crime against tourists is very rare. Of the "big" cities in St. Lucia it is more likely to occur in Castries or Soufriere. Pretty much never in Vieux Fort. I do remember on one visit that some cruise ship tourists were robbed of their digital cameras (yes, this was a few years back) in Castries market. The tourists expressed sorrow about losing their vacation pictures and the thieves took the time to remove the sd cards from the cameras and return them to the tourists.
There is a high percentage of unemployment in St. Lucia. It is largely by choice. They are mostly Rasta and can be intimidating to tourists. They tend to appear like they are wandering the roads with swords. Those are cutlasses and they live by them. They live off the land and need them to harvest breadfruit, bananas, etc. Don't be scared of them. Great people.
Lucian greetings - if the say "OK" you say "Alright". If they say "Alright", you say "OK". Simple as that.
Don't worry too much about crime. Crime against tourists is very rare. Of the "big" cities in St. Lucia it is more likely to occur in Castries or Soufriere. Pretty much never in Vieux Fort. I do remember on one visit that some cruise ship tourists were robbed of their digital cameras (yes, this was a few years back) in Castries market. The tourists expressed sorrow about losing their vacation pictures and the thieves took the time to remove the sd cards from the cameras and return them to the tourists.
There is a high percentage of unemployment in St. Lucia. It is largely by choice. They are mostly Rasta and can be intimidating to tourists. They tend to appear like they are wandering the roads with swords. Those are cutlasses and they live by them. They live off the land and need them to harvest breadfruit, bananas, etc. Don't be scared of them. Great people.
Lucian greetings - if the say "OK" you say "Alright". If they say "Alright", you say "OK". Simple as that.
