St. Lucia - An Unspoiled Dream Island with a French Flavour
St. Lucia is an island of towering peaks, and rain forests alive with vibrant colours. Small intimate villages, white sandy beaches, coves dotted along the rugged coastline, and the balmy scent laden trade winds brush soft as velvet against your skin. The island is mountainous and is 27 miles long, 14 miles wide, giving a total of 238 square miles.
There are mouth watering local specialties to tempt you. A multitude of fresh seafood such as lobster creole, stuffed crab, squid in its own ink, and for dessert, chewy banana bread or delicious pineapple cake. If these don't entice your palate, there is still plenty of superbly prepared European and International cuisine to choose from. Nothing compares with having your own catch of the day for dinner.
You can visit the old capital of Castries, which is nestled in its own natural harbour or visit the Pitons. The active volcano at Soufriere, or Pigeon Island with its old naval fortress.
Castries Harbour is one of the most magnificent land-locked harbours in the world. The town was formerly named "Le Carenage" but was renamed Castries in 1785 in honour of the French Minister for Navy & Colonies at the time.
The Pitons are unlike anything else in the world. These two spectacular volcanic peaks both reach up a half mile towards our heaven. Gros Piton is 2,619 feet and Petit Piton is 2,416 feet. We spent the afternoon on a lovely boat cruise where you can size up the Pitons from top to bottom. We also sailed into Marigot Bay and then over to Pigeon Point where some individuals went overboard to see the fascinating underwater world of St. Lucia.
Soufriere: Just outside this village, you'll find the world's only drive-in volcano. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. There are also sulpher mineral baths and steaming waters which King Louis XVI felt was beneficial for rheumatism, ulcers, and respiratory complaints.
Pigeon Island is now connected to the mainland. History minded vacationers should include a trip to this island which lies just off Gros Islet Bay as it was from here in 1782 that Admiral Rodney sailed to defeat DeGrasse at the Battle of the Saints.
Marigot Bay: Of all the thousands of beautiful bays in the Caribbean to choose from, Hollywood came here to shoot scenes for the film "Dr. Dolittle". A dramatic scene from the film "Firepower" with Sophia Loren was also shot here.
The Rain Forest: The road between Soufriere and Fond St. Jacques takes a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Right through the middle of the incredibly lush and exotic St. Lucia Rain Forest.
If you are a sport lover, there is scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, sailing, golf, tennis, squash, swimming, horseback riding, and hiking to keep you occupied.
When we visited this gorgeous volcanic island in April, we stayed at a hotel called the St. Lucian, which is located directly on Reduit Beach and is a fifteen minute drive from the town of Castries. This beach was amazing, and we loved walking in the soft sand with the water lapping at our feet.
The climate was perfect as temperatures range between 60F and 90F during the year. The humidity is kept to a minimum by the tempering effect of the Trade Winds. Every afternoon, there was a brief shower that lasted for 5 to 10 minutes, which kept everything on the island green and lush.
Electricity: 220 volts, 50 cycles, which means that you will require a converter to use your appliances. Please don't forget to pack one!
Language is English. Patois is also spoken, which is derived from English and French.
We absolutely adored this island, and we would recommend it to anyone. We hope to visit it again some day.
There are mouth watering local specialties to tempt you. A multitude of fresh seafood such as lobster creole, stuffed crab, squid in its own ink, and for dessert, chewy banana bread or delicious pineapple cake. If these don't entice your palate, there is still plenty of superbly prepared European and International cuisine to choose from. Nothing compares with having your own catch of the day for dinner.
You can visit the old capital of Castries, which is nestled in its own natural harbour or visit the Pitons. The active volcano at Soufriere, or Pigeon Island with its old naval fortress.
Castries Harbour is one of the most magnificent land-locked harbours in the world. The town was formerly named "Le Carenage" but was renamed Castries in 1785 in honour of the French Minister for Navy & Colonies at the time.
The Pitons are unlike anything else in the world. These two spectacular volcanic peaks both reach up a half mile towards our heaven. Gros Piton is 2,619 feet and Petit Piton is 2,416 feet. We spent the afternoon on a lovely boat cruise where you can size up the Pitons from top to bottom. We also sailed into Marigot Bay and then over to Pigeon Point where some individuals went overboard to see the fascinating underwater world of St. Lucia.
Soufriere: Just outside this village, you'll find the world's only drive-in volcano. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. There are also sulpher mineral baths and steaming waters which King Louis XVI felt was beneficial for rheumatism, ulcers, and respiratory complaints.
Pigeon Island is now connected to the mainland. History minded vacationers should include a trip to this island which lies just off Gros Islet Bay as it was from here in 1782 that Admiral Rodney sailed to defeat DeGrasse at the Battle of the Saints.
Marigot Bay: Of all the thousands of beautiful bays in the Caribbean to choose from, Hollywood came here to shoot scenes for the film "Dr. Dolittle". A dramatic scene from the film "Firepower" with Sophia Loren was also shot here.
The Rain Forest: The road between Soufriere and Fond St. Jacques takes a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Right through the middle of the incredibly lush and exotic St. Lucia Rain Forest.
If you are a sport lover, there is scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, sailing, golf, tennis, squash, swimming, horseback riding, and hiking to keep you occupied.
When we visited this gorgeous volcanic island in April, we stayed at a hotel called the St. Lucian, which is located directly on Reduit Beach and is a fifteen minute drive from the town of Castries. This beach was amazing, and we loved walking in the soft sand with the water lapping at our feet.
The climate was perfect as temperatures range between 60F and 90F during the year. The humidity is kept to a minimum by the tempering effect of the Trade Winds. Every afternoon, there was a brief shower that lasted for 5 to 10 minutes, which kept everything on the island green and lush.
Electricity: 220 volts, 50 cycles, which means that you will require a converter to use your appliances. Please don't forget to pack one!
Language is English. Patois is also spoken, which is derived from English and French.
We absolutely adored this island, and we would recommend it to anyone. We hope to visit it again some day.
