On your own in St. Lucia
Written: Jan 09 '05
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Pros: One of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean.
Cons: Food is expensive and not too good. Accommodations are ramshackle for those on a budget.
The Bottom Line: St. Lucia is really beautiful. Try to book accommodations before arriving.
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| mistsy's Full Review: St. Lucia |
We spent about a week on St. Lucia in Jan '05 and it was one of the best islands we were on. My wife and I aren't typical package tour travelers, so we just showed up on New Year's Day and hoped for the best.
St. Lucia is a high, volcanic island that is covered in banana plantations and lush rainforest. The beaches won't be bright white like on coral islands, but it is amazingly beautiful there, like a little Hawaii in the Caribbean.
It's a little off the tourist trail, unless you are going to an exclusive resort. This means that the shopping is bad, and most of the towns are geared toward business, and hard labor at that. You'll find shops selling cement, electrical equipments, paint, furniture, tools, fertilizer, and that kind of thing. Petite and flowery Holly Hobbyland this is not. Nor is it genteel and sophisticated Martinique (just 10 or 20 miles away) or vacationland Barbados.
It will rain a lot, but not all the time. It's otherwise warm and wet all the time, but not uncomfortably so.
This place, except Rodney Bay, isn't too much fun with kids. It's a little too rugged for the little ones and you'll constantly worry that they'll fall off of something.
The islanders all speak English, and they may sound gruff or rude, but they're not - I think it's a result of their local language, which they call Patois, and which is based on French. If you know some French, you might understand a bit of the lingo.
The people are not particularly shy, but they don't go out of their way to meet you unless they want to sell you something or ask for money. Pleasantly, this isn't widespread. You'll have to take the initiative and talk to them first. Then they're quite nice and helpful. There was so little hassling that (having come from Jamaica), both of us were a bit standoff-ish as merely smiling at someone in Jamaica results in drug offers and endless hassles. St. Lucia isn't like that. Druggies are not in evidence, although you'll find a few drunks around, like anywhere. These people are mostly hard-working, good-hearted, and honest people. Crime is not unknown, but it's mostly petty theft and confined to the careless. To us, the occasional nutty bus driver was the most dangerous boob out there - some of these guys will drive up to 70 miles an hour and the little roads. Watch out.
The island was fought over by the British and French, so you'll see remnants here and there of each culture, with the French easily predominating. There's not too much historic left, even though the island has a 400 year history, because much was made of wood and that burns and rots in wet weather. You have a number of old stone churches around which are pretty neat.
Food is a problem. There aren't a whole lot of restaurants except at Rodney Bay and at the exclusive resorts and they tend to be very, very expensive. You'll likely be stuck with chicken most of the time as there is little else affordable. Fish and seafood do not figure much in the food equation. When you do find it, it's expensive and - even worse - sometimes canned. Rotis (curried meat (almost always chicken) and potatoes wrapped in a "roti" (like a big tortilla)) is the standard "cheap" fare. Figure on $3 to $5 for this filling and portable meal. When you go "all out" and count on a good meal, you may be pretty disappointed. Bones figure prominently in most dishes, often at the expense of any actual meat, and fat is not trimmed. Even with chicken, you can't be sure. You may end up with a $20 plate of wings, broken legs, bone shards, and skin.
Vegetarian is pretty easy, but it's not too good either. Mostly you'll find root vegetables or starches. Carrots, potatoes, breadfruit, squash turn up a lot. Surprisingly, bananas are not that common. You can find them at the supermarket or market, but they're often bruised and battered. Tropical fruits are also rather sparse. No pineapple, no mango, no papaya, and rarely you'll find passion fruit at a market, but not the supermarket. You won't find oranges either. Tomatoes are expensive. You will find garlic, though, and nice cucumbers and reasonable prices.
Shopping for your own food is pretty meagre. The street vendors are better than the supermarkets for produce, but even then, you're not going to find much of a variety beyond the roots and maybe a bit of citrus. In the capital, you have a much better variety and can find soursops, sweet sops, custard apples, bananas, pomme de roux, and other items.
Meats are hard. You usually have to go to a supermarket and it's pretty unappetizing. Saltfish is around, along with trotters, kidney, chicken backs, chicken wings, hot dogs, old Oscar Mayer stuff, etc., 99% of frozen like a rock, tired looking and freezer burned. If it isn't frozen, it's canned. If you see corned beef on a menu, ask. It's usually the potted meat junk in a can. Tuna? Canned. Sausage? Canned. Fruit punch? Canned. You get the picture, and it ain't a pretty one.
The place is set up for rather exclusive guests with very, very expensive and luxurious lodgings and a fair share of simpler, cheaper places.
If you do our kind of on-your-own thing in the Caribbean, either bring a lot of money or set your expectations rather low on the accommodations end of things. This (and many other) islands are so small that you can be anywhere on the island within about an hour so the only people using hotels are pretty much tourists who prefer top-end choices booked as part of a package tour. That means that there aren't a whole lot of hotels around to just show up at.
Transport is easy and cheap if you use the busses (minivans). It never costs more than $5 to get anywhere and they run frequently and drop you anywhere you want on the route. Off the beaten track, you'll need a car or a driver. It's easier to hire a bus driver at the end of his route as he needs a job anyway and he has his bus right there. Otherwise, you can negotiate at a resort, but that will cost you. Renting a car is expensive and you have to buy a St. Lucian license for about $20 in addition to the cost of the car.
There are two airports on the island and it's far easier to arrive at Vigie in the capital (Castries) than at the "big" airport outside of Vieux Fort. From Vigie you can walk out the door a few steps and catch a bus to wherever it is you decide to go. Down at Vieux Fort, there's nothing but ramshackle and ugly Vieux Fort itself and it's a long, winding and expensive road to wherever you want to go.
Accommodations are not that hard to find. In our price range, you can expect it to be pretty ramshackle but acceptable.
We arrived in Castries and stayed at the Friendship Inn which is a strip motel on a loud and busy road just north of Castries. It was overpriced at $65/night for a spartan room with a/c and fridge and a mini kitchenette. A little rundown, but not in any way "shady" or "questionable". There were no services at the hotel, but the owner is very nice and helpful. She used to call us in the morning to tell us what was open and what to do. There was a supermarket and supporting shops next door, and easy busses (minivans) to catch up to Rodney Bay and Gros Islet or south to Castries.
I have written a review of Castries, so you can see that for info on the little capital and its set of attractions.
Rodney Bay is the other thing to see in the area. It's about 20 minutes from Castries and is a full-on resort with an abundance of expensive restaurants (about $30 per person and up) serving many different kinds of dishes. This is the best place on the island for food. There's also a KFC, Popeye's, Domino Pizza, and Burger King there but they were often out of most of the stuff on the menu except the fried chicken. (The island is crazy about chicken and sometimes it's hard to get away from it.)
We tried Castaways, which was good but pricey. $25 for half a lobster. $20 for any other entree. There's a jerk pork/chicken stand there too that's really good, but at $15/lb, it too is pricey.
It's nice to have all the choices there though and you won't find another area like it on the island.
The beach is lined with exclusive hotels, such as Sandals, and they are sky-high in price. $200 a night is on the low side of things with some soaring to $500 and more a night, some all-inclusive. There are also some condos there that you might be able to rent - perhaps a NY or other Northeast paper will list them. We were just browsing, and a low-end condo there ran about $350K to buy.
The beach is nice and has views of yachts and lush countryside. Going north from here (walking), you come to atmospheric and ramshackle Gros Islet which can get a little rough on "jump up" (town-wide party) nights (Fridays) and is not recommended (by the people living in the town, no less) after dark. Passing the town are some more beaches which are more local. (Rodney Bay is very touristy and very white.) You'll see local families on the beach and no development. Further on is the Sandal's complex, devoid of locals. Just past is Pidgeon Island which is fun to walk around and has the ruins of an old fort on it.
The other thing of interest in the area are the views. South of Castries is a wonderful overlook that is stunning.
Having done the north, you can head east, but there's not a whole lot there. The scenery is spectacular in places, so if you have a car or get a driver (~$15-20/hour and probably the better option as it will probably cost more to rent a car and your driver will know where to go and what to see.)
We did a 5 hour tour with a bus driver we met heading down to Castries for $70 or so. He took us through the rainforest and east to Dennery. There's nothing much to see or do around this area, although there are spots of great beauty. It's obviously different and dark and cool in the rainforest, but it's also a bit different on the east coast as it's exposed to the Atlantic and can be windswept and beatiful. There are a few beaches, but not really worth mentioning. Dennery is a big fishing village that's fun to wander through. Micoud is another. I liked these two towns, ramshackle as they were, because there was absolutely nothing to do and the people just sit around chatting. Many have worked abroad and returned home to retire so they may be quite well-versed about the US and/or UK.
We later went to a waterfall near Micoud and we were the only ones there. It was deep in a banana plantation.
Down at the southern tip of the island is ugly Vieux Fort. Skip it.
I saved the best for last. Soufriere. This is where you'll find the most exclusive and beautiful hotels and the best scenery. You have the Pitons, which are 2000' volcanic peaks rising straight out of the sea. Fantastically beautiful.
Spend a good part of your trip here.
For places to stay, well, you have "cheap" and out of sight. Some of the best views and most exlcusive places are the Ladera, the Mago, the Jalousie Hilton, and Anse Chastanet. Think $300 a night as a low estimate. Many of these places are online, so you can see them there.
For cheap, well, there isn't much, but there is Camilla who owns Camilla's restaurant (which is pricey but among the best in town other than the resorts.) Camilla rents out a few houses in town at good rates. She rented us a charming little 3 bedroom house with a/c and fully equipped kitchen for $80/night. It had a nice little porch with rockers and was right in town. It was, though, as usual, "ramshackle." The a/c worked fine, but the house was built for airiness so during the daily rain, when a wind blew, it blew right through the house, taking the a/c with it! There were cement louvres that are always open and there was no insulation. Just so you know. It was the best place we stayed.
The town of Soufriere is a quaint fishing town with deep gutters filled with the day's litter. (Litter is a pretty common sight all over St. Lucia.) There are a few restaurants, tourist office, a lone souvenir shop, and some bars. It's very atmospheric and largely free of tourists. The bay is gorgeous with tall mountain peaks at the south side. There is no beach in town.
The tourists come in droves but they're usually cruise ship people being horded around by taxis up into the mountains. You won't see them too much and at dusk, they're all gone. Those few staying around are housed in the exclusive resorts. Do check them out, even if just to see. Ladera, for example, has 10 rooms or so and they are spectacular with private plunging pools and just three walls - the latter removed to afford the best of views. The Mago is another absolutely stunningly located place. Paradise found.
Once here, there are plenty of things to do, but likely not what you might expect. Walkable from town is the Anse Chastanet beach which is billed as a "black" beach. It's more grey and sparkles in the light. It has an exclusive hotel there ($8 for a coke) but you can use the beach for $20 or so and that includes a locker, snorkel gear, and a few other things. The coral here is dead, though. It's a small beach and best appreciated as a lazy day or a quick wander. The road over there is terrible but as you walk it, the most spectacular views can be had.
Next up is the waterfall. I can't remember the name, but just follow the waterfront road south and you'll be there in about a half an hour. You'd better be in shape as this is all uphill and beautiful. Once there, you have a few (maybe 5) tourists but can otherwise have the pool to yourself and sit under the cascade of warm water tumbling down from the volcano.
Ah yes, the volcano. Again a steep hike along the road but well worth it. The sights along the way are beautiful and as you approach the volcano, it's suddenly barren - and it stinks to high heaven. It's a small entrance fee that includes your own personal guide who will explain the whole thing to you and show you around. A great way to meet young St. Lucians. There are steaming vents of stinking gases puffing away, bubbling pools of mud, hot mineral springs, and did I mention the stench?
So what's left? Well, hiking. There are tremendously beautiful trails leading high into the rainforest. So high that the vegetation changes to ferns and prehistoric-looking Flintstone's plants, some with amazing flowers and orchids. And it's oddly cold.
What else? The isolation can be wonderful. It's not really isolated as there are internet cafes in town, but you feel like you've gone back in time and as you do all the touristy things you slowly get used to the slow pace. As you do, the days melt away and then the worst happens - you have to go home.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
mistsy
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Location: Austin, TX
Reviews written: 137
Trusted by: 40 members
About Me:
Old, cranky, but still, umm, trying to be hip (if it hasn't been replaced yet.)
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