Destination Guidebook for St Lucia
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St. Lucia island in the Caribbean possesses a wealth of natural beauty—lush mountains, a steaming sulphur volcano, 19,000 acres/7,690 hectares of rain forest, charming black- and white-sand beaches, rare colorful foliage and exotic wildlife. Add to this mix the St. Lucia weather, which typically consists of highs in the 80s and breezes year-round, and the beaches, and you understand the island's slogan: "Simply Beautiful."
There's plenty to do on this island that's smaller than New York City. The rain forest is an ideal place for hiking, mountain biking, bird-watching or standing near a waterfall to soak up the mist from its spray. There's also whale- and dolphin-watching, snorkeling, kite-sailing, fishing and diving.
Vacationers who go to St. Lucia travel there to enjoy its charm and undeveloped feel found in places all over the island. Whether visitors stay in a deluxe, all-inclusive resort or a local inn or hotel, St. Lucia and its residents extend a warm welcome. | Must See or Do | Top  |
Sights—The mineral baths at Diamond Botanical Gardens; views of the Piton Mountains and La Soufriere Volcano from Anse Chastanet Hotel; spotting the endangered parrot, the jacquot; a cocoa plantation tour at Morne Coubaril; the black-sand beaches on the south end of the island; a zipline ride through the trees with Rainforest Canopy Adventures.
Museums—The history and culture of growing sugar at La Sikwi Historical Sugar Mill & Plantation; video displays at Pigeon Island Museum.
Memorable Meals—Pumpkin soup at the Coal Pot; green fig and saltfish at Ladera Hotel's Dasheene Restaurant; Bounty (the local rum) or Piton Shandys—a blend of beer, spices and fruit juice—after a day on the beach.
Late Night—Counting nesting leatherback turtles; dancing to soca music during Gros Islet's Jump-Up street parties; mingling with yachties and expatriates at the Lime.
Walks—A hike on the Edmund Forest Reserve Rain Forest Trail; climbing Gros Piton; a trek through Maria Islands Nature Reserve. Especially for Kids—The 18-ton muzzle-loader cannon at La Toc Battery; snorkeling along the Soufriere area; watching pools of furiously bubbling mud at La Soufriere—an active volcano. An avocado-shaped island 14 mi/23 km wide by 27 mi/43 km long, St. Lucia is one of the greenest and lushest areas in the Caribbean. The island is mountainous, except for the northern area around Gros Islet and Rodney Bay. Most of the resorts and towns are located right along the shore. The twin volcanic peaks, Petit Piton and Gros Piton—probably the most photographed mountains in the Caribbean as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—are on the southwestern side of the island. As in most of the Windward Islands, St. Lucia was originally inhabited by the Arawak, who were driven out by the Caribs before the arrival of Europeans. Accounts differ as to the first Europeans to visit St. Lucia: Some maintain that Columbus sighted the island on 13 December 1502 (though his logbook suggests otherwise and St. Lucians have changed the name of the public holiday from Discovery Day to National Day); others believe that it was another Spanish expedition, a group of shipwrecked French sailors or Dutch explorers who first reached the island. The Carib warriors prevented any permanent settlement of the island until the mid-1600s, when French colonists established themselves there.
Like so many other Caribbean islands, St. Lucia became a political Ping-Pong ball, bouncing back and forth between France and England 14 times. As a result, both countries influenced the island's culture. In 1814, France ceded it to England, and it remained an English colony until the 1970s.
Nonetheless, French traditions remain strong: The local Roman Catholic Church is influential, and most residents speak Creole. English is the official language, however, and except for truly remote areas of the island, most people speak English.
St. Lucia gained its independence from England in 1979 and is now a member of the British Commonwealth. The major businesses are agriculture (primarily bananas, though that crop's profitability is declining) and tourism. Recent efforts to attract offshore banking have been relatively successful. The country also has the most diverse manufacturing sector in the Eastern Caribbean; products include clothing and toys. The foremost attractions in St. Lucia are great beaches, friendly people, stunning mountain scenery, a steaming volcano, plantations, bird-watching, turtle-watching, all forms of watersports (including scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing and kite-sailing), hiking, tennis and good food.
With all its natural beauty and hiking trails, St. Lucia is a great destination for outdoor enthusiasts who want to visit a Caribbean island—especially if they prefer less-developed areas. But anyone who loves great beaches amid beautiful scenery and plenty of peace and quiet will be very happy. With a few notable exceptions, there's not much in the way of nightlife. St. Lucia has been the site for a number of Hollywood movies, including the original Doctor Doolittle, Superman II, Water with Michael Caine and Firepower with Sophia Loren.
Leatherback turtles, the largest on Earth, lay their eggs on Grand Anse beach on the northeast side of the island between March and July.
At the Plas Wiches Folklo, a folk research center near Castries, you can view musical instruments used by the St. Lucians of centuries past.
St. Lucia has had at least one conservation success: In the past two decades, the population of the native, endangered jacquot parrot has doubled, a rare victory against poachers and smugglers.
St. Lucia is a popular honeymoon destination, and some couples even choose to tie the knot on the island. Visitors must reside on the island for two days before applying for a marriage license, which will be processed within two business days. (Don't schedule your wedding to take place until the fifth day you're on the island.) Couples will need a passport, birth certificate and, if applicable, proof of divorce or the death of a former spouse.
Cap Estate, at the very northern tip of the island, is an exclusive community with palatial homes set on at least an acre/hectare each. It also has the elegant Great House restaurant, which contains the Derek Walcott (winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize in literature) Theatre. However, the theater is seldom used.
The nature preserve on Maria Island, off Vieux Fort, is home to two species found nowhere else on Earth: the Kouwes snake and the Zandoli Terre lizard.
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Editor's Choice of Luxury, Deluxe, and Value priced hotels in St Lucia:
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