St. Lucia

Around Rodney Bay and the old fishing village of Gros Islet, near the northern tip, visitors find Reduit Beach, a large marina, Pigeon Island and a wide choice of apartments, condos and villas. Further south, Marigot Bay is a sheltered inlet ringed by forested hills, while Soufrière, the former French capital, sits beside the Pitons Management Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island covers only about 617 square kilometers, but its winding roads make the choice of base matter.

Where to stay in Saint Lucia

Rodney Bay and Gros Islet, in the north, are the easiest base for a first visit. Rodney Bay Village has restaurants, supermarkets, the island's two largest shopping malls and the marina, with Reduit Beach a short walk away, so apartments and condos here suit couples and families who want everything close. Gros Islet keeps its fishing-village streets and is famous for its Friday-night street party, while the hills above the bay hold villas with sea views.

Marigot Bay, about 6 kilometers southwest of Castries, is quieter and suits sailors and couples who want a hillside villa above calm water. Soufrière and the Pitons area, on the southwest coast, is the choice for hiking, diving and scenery, with villas and cottages tucked into green hills, though it is a long drive from the north. The Vieux Fort area, beside the main international airport, is practical for short stays and early flights.

Beaches and the coast

Reduit Beach, on Rodney Bay, is one of the island's most popular beaches: a long curve of pale sand with clear, generally calm water and plenty of water sports. Pigeon Island has small beaches of its own, and Vigie Beach runs alongside the runway of the airport in Castries. Further down the Caribbean coast, Marigot Bay, Anse Cochon and the bays around Soufrière, such as Anse Chastanet and Anse Mamin, are good for swimming and snorkeling.

Some of the island's beaches have dark volcanic sand rather than white coral sand, a reminder of its geology. Inside the Pitons Management Area, coral reefs cover almost 60 percent of the marine zone, which makes the southwest a favorite area for diving. The Atlantic east coast faces the trade winds and is more exposed, so check local conditions before swimming there.

Soufrière and the Pitons

The Pitons, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, are two steep volcanic spires rising side by side from the sea near Soufrière, each more than 700 meters high and joined by the Piton Mitan ridge. With the surrounding forest, reefs and geothermal field they form the Pitons Management Area, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Gros Piton can be climbed without ropes or mountaineering experience with a local guide, a round trip of several hours; Petit Piton is steeper and was first recorded as climbed in 1878.

Soufrière lies within the caldera of the dormant Qualibou volcano, and the nearby Sulphur Springs, with their fumaroles and hot pools, are marketed as a drive-through volcano. Close by are the botanical garden and Diamond Falls at Soufrière Estate, the cacao-producing Fond Doux Estate and rainforest trails to waterfalls. The town has been rebuilt several times after hurricanes, a major fire in 1955 and an earthquake in 1991.

History and culture

Arawak peoples are believed to have settled the island around 200 to 400 AD, followed by the Kalinago around 800 AD. From the 17th century France and England fought over it so often that Saint Lucia was nicknamed the Helen of the West, and Britain took final possession in 1814. Slavery was abolished in 1834, with full freedom granted in 1838, and the country became independent on 22 February 1979, remaining a Commonwealth realm.

That double heritage is still visible. English is the official language, but most people also speak Kwéyòl, a French-based creole, and many place names are French. On Pigeon Island, now a national landmark, stand the ruins of Fort Rodney, from which Admiral George Rodney watched the French base on Martinique before the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. The island has produced two Nobel laureates, the economist Arthur Lewis and the poet Derek Walcott, and Pigeon Island was for many years the main stage of the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival.

Getting there and around

Saint Lucia has two airports. Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), near Vieux Fort at the southern tip, is the larger one and handles long-haul jets from North America and Europe; it lies about 53 kilometers from Castries, and the drive north to Rodney Bay usually takes around an hour and a half on winding roads. George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU), just north of Castries, serves inter-Caribbean flights and is roughly 15 to 20 minutes from Rodney Bay.

Traffic drives on the left. Taxis and pre-booked transfers are the usual way to get from the airport to a rental, and many visitors book boat trips along the west coast to reach Marigot Bay and Soufrière without the long drive. A rental car gives freedom to explore the rainforest and the south, but expect steep, narrow and curving roads, and allow more time than the distances suggest.

Weather and when to visit

Saint Lucia is warm all year, with average temperatures around 27°C, moderated by northeast trade winds. The dry season runs roughly from December to May, and January to April is the main tourist season, when winter visitors arrive and rentals in Rodney Bay and Soufrière fill early.

June to November is the wetter season, with heavier showers and more humidity, and it overlaps with the Atlantic hurricane season, which is usually most active from late August through September. The island has been hit hard in the past, by Hurricane Allen in 1980 and Hurricane Tomas in 2010, so travel insurance and flexible plans make sense in those months. In return, summer brings the island's carnival, and two traditional flower festivals are celebrated on 30 August, La Rose, and 17 October, La Marguerite.