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> Destinations > St. Lucia > Trip Reports > Trip Report
We spent a week on this island...staying at Rendezvous. The grounds were absolutely beautiful as is most of the island, very green and lush and "tropical". We rented a car as we always do when we stay in the islands. I really believe that you get to see so much more of the true caribbean and island flavor by getting off of the tourist paths and away from the resorts and exploring on your own. St. Lucia is large enough that you will never be able to fully explore it unless you get a car and venture out on your own.
The roads are really challenging although I've read a lot of postings that greatly exaggerate their condition in my opinion. They are narrow with a good number of potholes, but nothing that is really impossible. The roads wind up and down the mountains, but that is to be expected on a mountainous island like St. Lucia.
We took a day and went into Castries. Spent some time shopping. It does not have the diversity of stores like some other islands, but there were some interesting things. There are a couple of shops that specialize in Caribbean art that are nice. The street market was interesting like most are in the islands. Be sure to speak to the vendors and be willing to try the free samples they give you....some of the produce and spices are exceptional.
We also took a day and drove down to the southern end of the island. We weren't in a hurry...took our time with the driving and made sure to stop along the way and spend time with some of the vendors who had little roadside stands. We also took time to venture off into some of the very small fishing villages along the way. These villages were very interesting with brightly colored housing and the boats pulled right up along side.
Visited Soufiere and down into Choiseul which has a small artists community. It was an interesting time. When we got into Soufriere we actually managed to get lost and drove around in this rather small town for a while. We were surprised that the town had a lot of one-way streets that further complicated things. On the way back we stopped at a restaurant by the Pitons and had lunch....with the marvelous view of the twin peaks.
We also took a trip one day across the island to the Atlantic side. The rough water on that side is a real contrast to the Caribbean side. Again, the views are beautiful.
We also took a day to go up to Pigeon Point. This area offers some great hiking and some historical sites as well as a nice beach that you can swim and snorkel at. We climbed all over the old fortifications and from the highest peak we were able to gain a terrific view out over the water where there were a number of sailboats. Later we went through the museum and over to a snack bar that was inside and provided cold beverages as well as cover from the sun.
One day we took a boat around the island over to Marigot Bay and by Anse Chastenet which supposedly has the best snorkeling on the island.....rated one of the ten best places to snorkel in the caribbean. Unfortunately I didn't think it even came close to most of the other islands I have been to. Even so, it was a really nice time.
Be sure to go to the Friday night street festival in Gros Islet. It is a really good time with lots and lots of locals and tourists. The music is great and so is the food. It's definitely an island type event.
Thanks to Schultz for this trip report ...
May 1999
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