Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea and is popularly characterized by the twin peaks of the Pythons Mountains, the most famous monument on the island and a UNESCO heritage site. The highest peak in Santa Lucia is Mount Moan at 950 meters. The island was named Saint Lucia by the French in honor of Saint Lucia de Syracruse in 1660.
The capital of Saint Lucia is Castries with a population of around 9,400, and other major cities include Gros Islet, Soufrière and Old Strong. Saint Lucia is blessed with a tropical climate, which is pleasantly tempered by the northeast trade winds. You can enjoy a vacation all year round, although January to the end of April is considered the high season, as rainfall is minimal.
The end of the dry season meets the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, the biggest festival of the year in May. Carnival is in mid-July, attracting thousands of fun seekers to the colorful event that moved on from April so as not to clash with Carnival celebrations on other Caribbean islands.
Soufriere is where the sulfur springs and the drive-in volcano are located, a unique feature of Saint Lucia. Although the volcano has not erupted in over 200 years, there is still a massive caldera about seven acres in size that still produces sulfur and there are many boiling mud pits. Soufriere is also home to the oldest botanical gardens in Saint Lucia and the Diamond Waterfall, whose water has therapeutic properties.
Santa Lucia features two 18-hole golf courses and a nine-hole course, as well as a variety of other activities. The island has been described as a fisherman’s dream come true by many sport fishermen and it is easy to charter any type of boat along the entire coast of the island. Fishing trips offer the latest equipment and you can catch prizes like white marlin, sailfish, huge barracuda and other big game fish that you will talk about for years.
Snorkelers and snorkelers will be dazzled by the visibility in the calm, clear waters of St. Lucia, and with the colorful coral gardens around the shoreline. There are so many dive sites for all skill and certification levels that it leaves several with plenty of options to choose from! There are submerged shipwrecks to explore, and you can even find “The Thing,” which is a snake-like creature of dubious proportions that reportedly resides around one of these shipwrecks. If you are not yet a certified diver, you now have the opportunity to qualify with one of the Saint Lucia Diving Schools.
There are some fantastic resort hotels in St. Lucia, but if you are on a budget, traveling alone, or don’t intend to spend your vacation poolside and would like to explore more of this small island, why not? choose a small guest house instead. Old Fort is right at the southern tip of Santa Lucia and has small guesthouses with traditional Creole decor for a fraction of the price of a resort hotel, for as little as $ 18 a night for a double room. Old Fort is the best place for windsurfing, catamaran and kite surfing as it catches the trade winds.
Castries, the capital, Gros Islet, and Soufriere are other great St. Lucia resorts, and they also offer budget, self-catering accommodation. These accommodations are a great option for families with young children as they have cooking facilities and are small and friendly. It can be difficult to stick to meal times that are given in some hotels with young children as they tend to enjoy food when they are ready, not when it is convenient for someone else! All-inclusive hotels are great for this reason, but very expensive, especially if you have more than two children and have to pay for additional rooms. Families with young children need space and not the stares of other guests when a child is too tired and decides to throw an impromptu tantrum.
Most of the young and lively crowd flock to Rodney Bay for the nightlife, where there are excellent bars and clubs. Gros Islet has a street party on Friday nights with BBQ grills, music, and dancing. Castries’ answer to that is a Friday night seafood feast in the village of Anse-la-Raye, where you can enjoy traditionally Caribbean music and savor the latest delicacies including lobster, octopus, squid, shrimp and, of course, fish.
St. Lucia has 19,000 acres of rainforest with 29 miles of trails of varying difficulty and the National Parks Trust has qualified guides ready to escort visitors along these trails pointing out various species of plants and wildlife. There are 30 species of birds in the rainforest, and visitors choose their trail according to their ability, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare St. Lucia parrot or Jacquot. These trails and the rainforest are protected and you must have permission to enter from the Department of Forests and Lands.
Santa Lucia offers something for everyone in a stylish little package. Families can snorkel, swim, and discover the unique rainforest. Newlyweds can find that perfect keepsake that will stay with them forever. Adventure seekers will find all the fun they want on exciting quad bike trails, water sports, rainforest hiking, and of course the lively nightlife. Sun Seekers – Well, you can’t go wrong with the glorious St. Lucia weather, and you can take a day cruise to really soak up the sun. Saint Lucia is as laid back and relaxed as it gets, add to that the warm hospitality of the local people and the natural beauty of this unique island and you have a vacation that will leave you with cherished memories for years to come.
