Saint Lucia

My sister and I wanted to go somewhere in the Caribbean during the winter and landed on St Lucia. We had always wanted to go and found reasonably priced flights and accommodations for March. Check out our Saint Lucia travel guide below!

How we traveled there

We traveled by plane, connecting in Atlanta. The major airport in St Lucia is Hewanorra International Airport (UVF). They also have George F. L. Charles Airport, which is for smaller flights from other Caribbean islands. Two days before going to St. Lucia, fill out this form: https://travelslu.govt.lc/ to speed up your customs process. We had planned transport to and from the airport through our hotels, which we highly recommend. We didn’t see a lot of taxis around for guests without prearranged transportation. There is no uber/lyft on the island.

Note: The UVF airport is one of the nicer Caribbean airports we’ve traveled to. It has air conditioning and a decent lounge called the Iyanola Executive Lounge, which we were able to enter since I had a Priority Pass. The lounge access came in handy because we had a delayed flight out of the airport on our return home. Access to the lounge was free for us with the pass, but according to LoungeBuddy, it looks like you can also buy access for $50, which we’d recommend doing if your flight is significantly delayed. The lounge offered some drinks and food, and a nice place to sit outside of the craziness in the gate area. There are also a few little shops at the airport where you can get souvenirs.

Where we stayed

We stayed in two places to explore both ends of the island. We were told the north side was the more lively side but also more touristy. We were told the south side was more relaxing and had views of the famous Pitons. It is very upscale and a more popular honeymoon destination. I’d agree with these statements, but I would also recommend visiting both parts of the island to get the full experience.

• In the north, we stayed at Sol Sanctum. This is a boutique hotel/wellness center owned by locals that offers yoga classes, energy work, etc. They provided a complimentary 3-course breakfast, which was very good, and a nice amenity. They were easily able to accommodate our food allergies. We paid around $200/night, and they have 8 rooms available. The place was pretty basic but was clean, and we felt safe. It is not on the water but is a very short walk (5 minutes or less) from Reduit Beach. They arranged a transfer for us from the airport to the hotel for $90. The drive takes about an hour, but be prepared, the roads are narrow and it is very windy. If you get car sick have medication available, and don’t be afraid to let your driver know. 

• In the south, we stayed at Green Fig. This is a small resort in Soufriere. We paid around $500/night, which is fairly inexpensive for the area. Other resorts in the area, such as Sugar Beach, Ladera, and Jade Mountain, are between $1,000-$3,000/night. We found that Green Fig offered everything we needed and were glad we stayed there. We paid $95 for them to arrange a car ride for us back to the airport, which was about an hour. This drive is narrow roads and it was also windy, so be prepared if you get motion sick. We also scheduled massages here before we arrived, and we highly recommend 60-90 minutes. It is outside in a covered area, with a direct view of the Pitons (the two mountainous volcanic spires St. Lucia is known for).

What activities we did

• Pigeon Island: We spent the day here when we were staying on the north side of the island and did a hike in the morning and then went to the beach in the afternoon. The hike had great views, and the beach was nice.
  • Go early to avoid the crowds and the sun. Admission is $10 per person, and you can drive (there is a parking lot) or take a taxi like we did. The beach chairs were $4 per chair, and the umbrella was $3. We ate lunch at Jamb Du Bois onsite, which was really good. Make sure to get the “A Day at Jamb Du Bois” drink—it is a 2-for-1 special all day!

• Reduit Beach: This was by our hotel on the north side, so we went here for the sunset and drove by a few times. It is recommended in many lists of “things to do,” but it seemed very touristy to us—I’d go to another beach.
• Full-day boat trip: We booked this boat trip through Viator and enjoyed it. The company was Israel King, which is owned by a man named Titus (contact information +1- 758-715-6283). We were on a smaller boat (which we selected), but he also offered a bigger boat option. For our size boat, a private boat tour for the day and free drinks cost $465.  We had great guides! Unfortunately, it rained most of the day, but we still got to snorkel at 4 different spots. Here are a few places we stopped:
  • Anse Cochon
  • Anse Chastanet
    • This is the beach for Jade Mountain
  • Sugar Beach
    • This was the best snorkeling we had. The beach is beautiful, as it is right between both Pitons. Make sure to grab a drink from Blaze’s boat. He anchors right next to the beach and makes fresh drinks, which were for a good price and delicious.
• Private St. Lucia Experience: This tour we booked through Tours by Local, and our amazing tour guide, Mora, picked us up at our hotel (Sol Sanctum). We decided to do this tour as a way to get from the north side of the island to the south. It was fully customizable, and we made multiple stops, some of which were at the Castries Market, Sulphur Springs, Plas Kassav, Torialle Waterfall, the Beacon Restaurant, and we also drove through a few villages. Mora was a great driver (roads were windy and narrow and we didn’t get car sick), and she was very knowledgeable about the island since she grew up there. We had many questions for her, and she answered all of them. She also dropped us off at the Green Fig (our new hotel) after our tour. We paid $280 for the day. Here are a few things we did:
  • Castries Market- there were rows of food and clothing stalls with lots of items for sale. It was very busy, but we went here first thing in the morning, which we would recommend. If you want to buy gifts or tourist souvenirs, you should be able to find something here. We didn’t see/do a lot of shopping in general in St. Lucia. 
  • Sulpher Springs – St. Lucia has the only drive-in Volcano in the world. The most recent eruption was in 1776. We went to check it out and went into the mud baths. The water was pretty hot – especially with a sunburn! We enjoyed it, and Mora took a bunch of pictures for us. Be prepared for a strong sulfur smell and wear a dark bathing suit. Bring your own towel! We stayed around 30 minutes here. As a note – you could take a taxi here from Soufriere if you don’t want to use a tour guide. We’d recommend going right when they open before the bigger cruise ship tours get there. We paid around $10/pp. There are no places to lock your belongings, so leave any valuables at home. The mud bath area was pretty wet and full of gravel which could be difficult for those with difficulty walking. 
  • Plas Kassav – this is a family-run, roadside bakery in Castries that sells cassava bread, which is naturally gluten-free. It is dense and chewy and they offer many flavors. We really liked it!
  • Torialle Waterfall – we stopped at this waterfall where the water drops 50 feet. We were able to get in the water and take photos. They only take cash, and it’s $3 per person to enter. They have places to change here. Be prepared that people will come up to you trying to sell you souvenirs out front.

If you’re interested in a personalized tour as we did, here is Mora’s direct contact info: Charles@discoversoufriere.com, and her number is +1-758-489-7077. You can also find her on Tours By Locals Mora M.

• 2-hour boat trip: Since it was raining the day of our full-day boat trip, we didn’t get to see the Pitons very well from the water. This is one of the main reasons people come to St Lucia, so we were disappointed. Titus, the owner of the boat company we used set us up with another quick boat tour with his brother. The brother is also a tour guide on the island and picked us up on the dock in Soufriere to take us out for 2 hours to see the view. He charged us $60, which we thought was very reasonable, and we had a clear sunny day to see the view. 

If you’re interested in a tour, here is his direct contact info: Titus (contact information +1- 758-715-6283)

Where we ate

North part of Island

• Spinnakers: We ate at this beachfront restaurant a few times because it was within walking distance from our hotel and it was nice sitting right on the water. The staff was hit or miss (some friendly, some not), but the food was good. They have a happy hour from 5-6 p.m. every day with ½ off drinks. If you want a good table, make a reservation ahead of time. We were there in March, and the sunset was around 6 pm.
• Jamb Du Bois: Listed in Pigeon Island description above
• Keebees: This was okay – nothing special. It was all tourists.

South part of the Island

• Green Fig: Our hotel had a restaurant which was pretty good. The views were fantastic.
• Seashell Beach Restaurant: This was okay – nothing special. It was all tourists.
• The Beacon Restaurant: We stopped here on our full-day driving tour. It is an open-air restaurant with great views of the Pitons. They serve a buffet with local food. It was pretty good but full of tourist groups.

Where we drank

We mostly got drinks with dinner. We didn’t find this to be a big party island, but we could have been in the wrong places. 

The few places we went were –

• Joe’s Chill and Grill: This was right outside of Pigeon Island. It seemed to be more of a local hangout, and the staff were not friendly to us.
• Michael’s at Jen Mwen: We went there in Soufriere after our boat tour. It is a local place – the drinks are very inexpensive, and we had amazing daiquiris there. We took the drinks outside to watch the sunset. 

We walked past Ultra Lounge a few times which we were told was a fun spot, but it was dead each time.

Rum punch is the local drink – be sure to try it!

What we recommend knowing/preparing

• People speak English, and it’s easy to communicate/get around
• I felt very safe
• Lots of people use WhatsApp to communicate via call or text message in St. Lucia, so make to download it on your phone
• December – April are the best times to visit (the rainy season months are July-Nov): The winter time is their busiest season, and we found that the locals were looking to work and help you in whatever way possible. We had cab drivers telling us they also offered tours, could set up excursions, etc. They weren’t pushy, but we liked that people wanted to make sure we had a good experience. 
• Dollars are accepted everywhere. Bring more cash than you usually would – many places only accept cash.
• A tip of 10% was added to most bills at tourist restaurants/hotels
• There is no Uber/Lyft on the island so you should use the local taxis. Here are the contacts of a few we used:
  • Noah (7-passenger van): 758-713-3774 (contact via WhatsApp)
  • Jarvis (van): 758-519-4762 or jarvistours88@gmail.com
  • Terrol (car): 758-719-9113 (WhatsApp) or alterrol@gmail.com
• It’s a British Island, so they drive on the left side of the road. We were considering renting a car and were very glad we didn’t. The roads are narrow and it’s windy, with a ditch along the side. 
• I found it easy to eat in Saint Lucia with dietary restrictions
• You can drink the water in Saint Lucia
• Google map with places to visit marked
• Google map with beaches to visit marked 
• The Pitons are the symbol of St. Lucia. These two giant volcanic spires stand tall over the Caribbean Sea. Gros Piton is 2618 feet high, and Petit Piton is 2437 feet high.
• We had been hesitant to go to St. Lucia prior to our trip because we had heard how expensive it was. However, from our experiences going to other islands (like Turks and Caicos), it was the same cost, if not cheaper.
• Check out our travel tips page for general recommendations

What we didn’t do but looked into

• Naked Fisherman – restaurant in the north part of the island
• Restaurants in Soufriere that were recommended to us by the locals (we specifically asked for non-touristy spots) but didn’t have time to visit:
  • Orlandos
  • Island Chef
  • Marthas Table
  • Fedos
  • Stoneyard
• Friday night street party – we were dissapointed to have missed this on the north side of the island
• Tet Paul Nature Trail on the south side of the island 
• If you’re interested in being a puppy transporter for island dogs that have been adopted by people in the US, please apply here: https://helpaws.com/flight-parent/. We submitted our info but we were not needed.

What we packed

Warm-weather clothes only. We mostly wore dresses and sandals and never needed pants or jackets in March. You can bring casual beach type outfits, we didn’t need anything fancy. 

Make sure to bring converters for charging electronics. The associated plug type is G (same as UK/Ireland), which is the plug that has three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern. I always travel with one like this.

Check out our recommendations for travel clothing and essentials.

We hope you enjoyed our Saint Lucia travel guide. If you have any questions, leave a comment below or contact us. If you’re looking for other places to go in the Caribbean, check out our posts on St. Martin and Anguilla.

-Jessica