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The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia

The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

Welcome to paradise! St.Lucia is incredible. From the landscape to the people I enjoyed every second! Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the “Helen of the West Indies.”




Saint Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean island nation with a pair of dramatically tapered mountains, the Pitons, on its west coast. Its coast is home to volcanic beaches, reef-diving sites, luxury resorts and fishing villages. Trails in the interior rainforest lead to waterfalls like the 15m-high Toraille, which pours over a cliff into a garden. The capital, Castries, is a popular cruise port.

So where should I begin…wow. St. Lucia is a spectacular island. I’d rank it in the top 3 trips of all time. It’s the number one honeymoon destination and I can totally see why. My husband and I were totally immersed in the vibes of St. Lucia and didn’t want to leave.

Check out this informative travel guide to St.Lucia to help you plan your next trip!

The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

Useful Information

St. Lucia is a beautiful Caribbean oasis with some of the best weather and luxurious vegetation in the world. The climate is hot and tropical, tempered by welcome trade winds during most of the year. The temperatures range from 21℃ (70°F) to 32°C (90°F). December to May is the driest time of year and rainfall increases during summer months and towards the year’s end. St. Lucia is also prone to hurricanes from June to November.

St. Lucia uses the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) as its currency. However, US dollars are often accepted by taxi drivers and at some establishments. Banks and larger hotels will exchange traveler’s checks without issue. Visa, American Express and MasterCard are all widely accepted at restaurants, car rental agencies and hotels. There are numerous ATMs throughout the island where you can get cash (only if your card has either the Cirrus or Plus symbol).

The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

Transportation

After a quick flight from Atlanta to St.Luica we hopped in our transport to drive from the South side of the island to the North. The North has sunset views that set over the calm Caribbean Sea. Our driver was so knowledgable and was really a joy to ride with. He was so friendly. If you get the opportunity, make sure to stop at the Dennery lookout point and for some creole bread!

For European travelers, Saint Lucia has more direct flights from Europe than many other Caribbean Islands. If flying from the UK, you will be able to choose from either an airport in London or from one in Manchester. Condor Airlines out of Frankfurt also offers direct flights to Saint Lucia. Another option in getting to the Caribbean island from Europe is to book a flight out of Paris and take the ferry from Martinique to Saint Lucia.




U.S. residents looking for direct travel via airport to Saint Lucia will need to fly out of either Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Newark or New York. Otherwise, a connecting flight will be in order. However, all of these major cities are convenient and connecting flights are quite common. Delta Airlines, Jet Blue, American Airlines and United Airlines are the companies that offer direct flights to one of Saint Lucia’s two airports.

For Canadian travelers, Air Canada, WestJet, SunWings and Transat all offer direct flights from Montreal and Toronto.

Saint Lucia has two airports: The George Charles Airport located in the capital city of Castries, and Hewanorra International Airport located in the southern town of Vieux Fort. The airports are approximately 40 miles apart and about an hour and a half journey by road.

Transportation around St.Lucia is quite easy as there are quite a few taxis. Your hotel can also set up any ride you need.

The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

Where To Stay

We checked into Calabash Cove Resort & Spa, a boutique hotel in St.Luica. If you want to stay in a unique and authentic hotel on the island that celebrates St.Lucia, I would recommend Calabash Cove.  As soon as you pull up the view takes your breath away. The hotel compliments the natural beauty of the island and blends in seamlessly. The hotel lobby is open air so as soon as you step out of the taxi you can see straight through to the ocean. After picking our jaws up off the ground, we were handed a welcome cocktail and shown to our waterfront cottage. I would highly recommend Calabash Cove over the more tourist hotels on the island.

More on what it’s like to stay at Calabash Cove in St.Lucia.




The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

Where To Eat

Windsong at Calabash Cove is an excellent place to get a taste of St.Lucia; every meal incorporates the West Indies in one way or another. It’s one of the finest Caribbean restaurants in St. Lucia. Much of the menu is also inspired by Asian cuisine and the team of chefs strive to use only local, fresh ingredients in every dish.

We enjoyed trying the new breakfast dishes every day like the Calabash Egg Benedict; toasted muffins, salted cod, and smoked salmon with poached eggs and lemon hollandaise. The Saint Lucian breakfast was the most interesting; salt fish, bakes, cucumber salad, boiled egg, green banana and avocado. St.Lucians National Dish is green fig and salt fish so make sure to try that on your visit! They prepare the green fig (also known as a green banana) by boiling it before serving. It’s very interesting.

I’d also recommend stopping for some home made creole bread on your way to Dennery. It’s legendary!

When you go to the street party that happens every Friday, make sure to eat at Duke’s Place! Granted the wait was about 30-45 minutes, it’s definitely worth it. Seriously the best grilled fish I’ve ever had!

Find more restaurant recommendations here!

The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

What To Do

From seeing a World Heritage Site to walking under a waterfall. This island checked off so many bucket list experiences for me! I’d recommend taking the Tout Bagay Catamaran Day Tour (8 hours) of the island so you can get the chance to explore by land and by sea. You’ll get to do the sulfur mineral bath at the drive-in volcano, explore Morne Coubaril Plantation Tour and eat lunch, sail to the Pitons, swim under the Torille Waterfall, and snorkel in Marigot Bay! It’s a great way to see and do so many things on the island! Not to mention get out on the water for a day to catch some sun and drink rum punch! There are so many things to do but if you’re crunched for time I would recommend doing that tour. It’s with Saint Lucia Tours.

Head to Marigot Bay, visit a cocoa or banana farm, or rent a jet ski and ride around on the Caribbean Sea. St.Lucia is magical and you will thoroughly enjoy exploring every inch of the island.

Read Next: 44 Things To Do In Saint Lucia




The Ultimate Travel Guide to St.Lucia travel blogger Saint Lucia vacation

 

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