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St. Lucia (West Indies)

Thinking of going for a couple of weeks in February. Has anyone been? Any recommendations?

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  • suzisausage
    suzisausage Posts: 11,502
    Thinking of going for a couple of weeks in February. Has anyone been? Any recommendations?
    Yes! 

    Went for England tour there in 2019. 
    Stayed in Gros Islet in north of island in an apartment as part of someone’s house. Not luxury but fine for us. 
    Every Friday night in Gros Islet there is a street party no matter the weather. A must do. 
    A walk out to pigeon island and pay a street vendor for a boat trip back to Gros islet bay. 
    Rodney bay is the posher bit near Gros islet. Rum punch more expensive and less tasty! 
    Piton lager is the nicest lager I’ve ever tasted. 
    Worth visiting Castries but it’s the busy cruise port so a lot busier and touristy.
    The pitons themselves are a sight to behold. There is a nature trail near the hotel chocolate plantation which was worth a visit. As was the point at the south of the island where the two seas meet. Our landlord whilst there, Dennis, got his mate to drive us around for a day to give us a tour which was great. 
    We also flew via Atlanta which was time consuming and annoying as we had to get an esta for an overnight stay but Dennis flies from London to Paris to Martenique and then a short hop to St Lucia (north airport which is domestic) he says it’s cheaper but sounded like a faff but he lives in Norwich half the year and does it regularly so who are we to argue! 
    Enjoy. The beaches are sandy and the sea is blue. 
    Gorgeous place. 
  • sam3110
    sam3110 Posts: 21,362
    Amazing place, we stayed in a resort called Windjammer Landings, awesome food everywhere we went, the North of the island was beautiful, Rodney Bay and Pigeon Island especially, and a trip to the Pitons, Diamond Falls and the Sulphur Springs are all good things to see
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,104
    Went in 2008. Loved it. Stayed at Morgan Almond Bay which was fantastic for watersports. Advise taking a tour of the island as there's so much to see. The Pitons look good fun, I believe you can climb them, but our kids were too small at the time. If you can get your hands on a big snake, it's very exciting.

     
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,391
    Their men's football captain is a decent player I'm told 

    Also I think I was conceived there? 
  • Rob
    Rob Posts: 11,857
    edited September 2023
    Been there twice. A brilliant island. The north and south of the island are different. We stayed at both ends. Rodney Bay and Soufriere. Soufriere is very authentic West Indian and is down near the Pitons which are spectacular. Try and get a tour of the whole island. The interior is beautiful. Banana plantations and all that. 

    The island is more volcanic than coral so the beaches tend to be darker sand and the water a darker blue. With volcanic islands you tend to get more spectacular scenery (as per the Pitons) and very lush vegetation. 

    As with all Caribbean islands it sometimes borders on 3rd world but that’s just how they live. It’s an illusion. The Resorts can be luxurious. It really is a beautiful island. 
  • PopIcon
    PopIcon Posts: 5,970
    Where is the other St Lucia?
  • PopIcon said:
    Where is the other St Lucia?
    There’s one in S. Africa apparently. Who knew?
  • PopIcon said:
    Where is the other St Lucia?
    There’s one in S. Africa apparently. Who knew?
    To say nothing of a mothballed army barracks in Northern Ireland.

    Obviously, it's also a renowned sun-kissed tourist destination...
  • I went to the St Lucian Cup Final in 1984 - it was a scary experience, a cross between the Notting Hill Carnival and a Millwall home game. 
    The island is nice though ! 
  • cafcdave123
    cafcdave123 Posts: 11,491
    I went to the St Lucian Cup Final in 1984 - it was a scary experience, a cross between the Notting Hill Carnival and a Millwall home game
    The island is nice though ! 
    so drugs, sexual assaults, stabbings and attacks on police officers crossed with a family day out at the football?  

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  • Rob said:
    Been there twice. A brilliant island. The north and south of the island are different. We stayed at both ends. Rodney Bay and Soufriere. Soufriere is very authentic West Indian and is down near the Pitons which are spectacular. Try and get a tour of the whole island. The interior is beautiful. Banana plantations and all that. 

    The island is more volcanic than coral so the beaches tend to be darker sand and the water a darker blue. With volcanic islands you tend to get more spectacular scenery (as per the Pitons) and very lush vegetation. 

    As with all Caribbean islands it sometimes borders on 3rd world but that’s just how they live. It’s an illusion. The Resorts can be luxurious. It really is a beautiful island. 
    Did you drive yourself out there or go on an organised group tour?
  • HastingsRed
    HastingsRed Posts: 1,608
    edited September 2023
    Thinking of going for a couple of weeks in February. Has anyone been? Any recommendations?
    Yes! 

    Went for England tour there in 2019. 
    Stayed in Gros Islet in north of island in an apartment as part of someone’s house. Not luxury but fine for us. 
    Every Friday night in Gros Islet there is a street party no matter the weather. A must do. 
    A walk out to pigeon island and pay a street vendor for a boat trip back to Gros islet bay. 
    Rodney bay is the posher bit near Gros islet. Rum punch more expensive and less tasty! 
    Piton lager is the nicest lager I’ve ever tasted. 
    Worth visiting Castries but it’s the busy cruise port so a lot busier and touristy.
    The pitons themselves are a sight to behold. There is a nature trail near the hotel chocolate plantation which was worth a visit. As was the point at the south of the island where the two seas meet. Our landlord whilst there, Dennis, got his mate to drive us around for a day to give us a tour which was great. 
    We also flew via Atlanta which was time consuming and annoying as we had to get an esta for an overnight stay but Dennis flies from London to Paris to Martenique and then a short hop to St Lucia (north airport which is domestic) he says it’s cheaper but sounded like a faff but he lives in Norwich half the year and does it regularly so who are we to argue! 
    Enjoy. The beaches are sandy and the sea is blue. 
    Gorgeous place. 
    The ferries/hydrofoils are pretty good, went from Guadeloupe to Dominica and then onto Martinique, flew via Paris to Guadeloupe and back from Martinique, again via Paris. It was a great trip but not enough time to continue to St Lucia (there was a regular ferry from Martinique to St Lucia.....assume it still runs).
  • scidbox
    scidbox Posts: 535
    Spent months there in the boat recently.
    NW (Rodney bay) is good for tourists and duty free shopping.
    The rest of the island is well dodgy. COVID had a big effect on the island and pushed a poor population further into poverty. Castries is properly 3rd world.
    Having said that I met some great people (I'm a bit dodgy myself)
    Pitons are glorious
    Visit the mud baths.
    Margot bay is stunning and you can get a day pass to the 5 star resort.
    End of the beach South of the marina entrance is a small shack where the locals hang out and eat. Great place to spend a day.
    Enjoy but be careful.
  • St Lucia is top of my list for Caribbean islands to visit having been lucky enough to have been to Greneda and Barbados
  • mendonca
    mendonca Posts: 9,419
    Leuth said:
    Their men's football captain is a decent player I'm told 

    Also I think I was conceived there? 
    Probably worth asking Mum, rather than Charltonlife, surely?!
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,920
    Stig said:
    Went in 2008. Loved it. Stayed at Morgan Almond Bay which was fantastic for watersports. Advise taking a tour of the island as there's so much to see. The Pitons look good fun, I believe you can climb them, but our kids were too small at the time. If you can get your hands on a big snake, it's very exciting.
     
    Just waiting for @DaveMehmet to see this comment!
    :-)  
  • _MrDick
    _MrDick Posts: 13,125
    Was there in May. Probably one of the best holidays I’ve had. Weather was glorious and February isn’t a bad time to go either 😎 We stayed at the Rendezvous by Stolen time. If you go, make sure you go to the Friday Night Jump. It’s like the Notting Hill Carnival but held every Friday. Perfectly safe and very welcoming 
  • Off_it said:
    Stig said:
    Went in 2008. Loved it. Stayed at Morgan Almond Bay which was fantastic for watersports. Advise taking a tour of the island as there's so much to see. The Pitons look good fun, I believe you can climb them, but our kids were too small at the time. If you can get your hands on a big snake, it's very exciting.
     
    Just waiting for @DaveMehmet to see this comment!
    :-)  
    NO PHOTOS PLEASE !  :p
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,920
    _MrDick said:
    Was there in May. Probably one of the best holidays I’ve had. Weather was glorious and February isn’t a bad time to go either 😎 We stayed at the Rendezvous by Stolen time. If you go, make sure you go to the Friday Night Jump. It’s like the Notting Hill Carnival but held every Friday. Perfectly safe and very welcoming 
    So, NOT like the Notting Hill Carnival then?

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  • Rob
    Rob Posts: 11,857
    Rob said:
    Been there twice. A brilliant island. The north and south of the island are different. We stayed at both ends. Rodney Bay and Soufriere. Soufriere is very authentic West Indian and is down near the Pitons which are spectacular. Try and get a tour of the whole island. The interior is beautiful. Banana plantations and all that. 

    The island is more volcanic than coral so the beaches tend to be darker sand and the water a darker blue. With volcanic islands you tend to get more spectacular scenery (as per the Pitons) and very lush vegetation. 

    As with all Caribbean islands it sometimes borders on 3rd world but that’s just how they live. It’s an illusion. The Resorts can be luxurious. It really is a beautiful island. 
    Did you drive yourself out there or go on an organised group tour?
    I did both. You can certainly do a lot on your own. 
  • WHAddick
    WHAddick Posts: 1,164
    I went years ago and climbed the pitons. Well worth it. View was fantastic 
  • Thanks everyone. All booked!
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,206
    Thanks everyone. All booked!
    Have fun! It is somewhere I've always wanted to go but events have always conspired to prevent me. I even had St Lucia booked once but then got a call from the travel company to say the hotel was undergoing renovations. So, I cancelled and went elsewhere. It must be something to do with Caribbean islands. I was supposed to be going to Grenada when the wretched Americans invaded in '83.
  • Carter
    Carter Posts: 14,272
    We are going there this Christmas, looking forward to it nice to hear such good things about the place and the recommendations 
  • stonemuse
    stonemuse Posts: 34,070
    great place to visit
  • redlanered
    redlanered Posts: 2,205
    Going in April, very much looking forward to it.  Might even be a game on to see Terrell and his boys