BTownJ

Anyone that has been to St. Lucia have some must see/must do things they would like to recommend? Thanks!

icanrel8

Just returned last week. There is sooooooooooooooo much to do and see!

Best bang for the buck (I think) is one trip that includes quite a bit and that is the Soufriere Adventure Sail - a 60-foot catamaran departs from Castries, sails down to Soufriere, then shuttle vans take passengers to Pitons, Botanical Gardens, Volcano, lunch at a local restaurant and back to the catamaran. After the catamaran departs, it stops for 45 minutes of snorkeling and swimming, then to off to Marigot Bay for pictures, then pumps up the music for a nice party on the way back! Did it. Loved it!

There is a Land and Sea Tour which is identical to the Soufriere Adventure Sail EXCEPT that the transportation down to Soufriere is by bus and it goes through the rain forest and banana plantations. It then meets up with the Soufriere Adventure Sail and everyone comes back on the same catamaran. (So expect a bigger crowd on the catamaran on the way back).

St. Lucia now offers a zip-line tour through the rain forest (you are harnessed and make your way around via a pully system). I would have loved to have done that -- not enough time!

ATV adventure is fun.

We took the helicopter transfer from the main airport to Castries - short trip, but WHAT A VIEW! An official tour is a bit more expensive, but probably a longer ride with much more information.

Pigeon Island -- lots of history!

Deep Sea fishing - We almost did it, spoke with some locals who pretty much said unless you go for a full day, way out, it's a tourist rip off (more like a big payment for a ride on a boat). The tour we looked into was only 1/2 day.

Again, best bang for the buck, I think, is the Day Sail or Land and Sea -- you get to see a lot on one trip/in one day (8:00).

Where are you staying (North or South end?)?

KVR

We just returned yesterday. Highly recommend the Land and Sea tour. You'll get to see more of the Island than just the Soufriere Adventure Sail. The Jeep Jungle Tour was the best. If you can stand being bounced around and hike to a gorgeus waterfall and swim at a black sand beach, it was a great tour. You get to see a lot of the inner rain forest of the Island. Also hiking up Pidgeon Island. Excellant views. We also did the shopping tour and enjoyed it. They give you plenty of time and it was really all the shopping we needed.

I just posted a review with pictures. Let me know if you any questions.

flycatcher06

can you tell me was it Shals Jungle Tour that you went on - we are on a cruise and booked for this. I would love to see your pictures. Mt e-mail is [email protected]. Thank you!
Also did you stay at Windjammer Landing by any chance? Thanks!

Kimberly

We did the Sunset Cruise And Day Sail and we had an awsome time A Must!

BTownJ

We are going to be staying at Marigot Bay. These adventures sound great! Did you arrange for these tours before you arrived, or can you do it once you get there? Do you know if they have a website to find out more info?

icanrel8

We did it upon our arrival through our hotel (Sandals). I'm not familiar with what Marigot Bay offers, but I can recommend that you make them as soon as you are able to after your arrival, especially if you'd like to spread them out a bit.

KVR

We booked them at Sandals also when we arrived at our hotel.

However, look at www.sunlinktours.com if you want to research more. You may be able to book there before you go.

BTownJ

Thanks for your help everyone...we are going to be leaving in a couple days. Does anyone have any additional ideas or recommended activities?

brenandg

I think everyone pretty much summed it up. Make sure you get to see the Piton's one way or another. The scenery on the southern part of the island is striking (not that the northern part isn't scenic as well).

We also enjoyed walking around the Castries Market for a couple of hours. Mainly trinkets, hot sauces and spices etc. There is also the produce area and a row of local eateries. Didn't go to the duty free area our second trip as we are not big shoppers and the duty free is not that impressive. If you are in the Castries area, I highly recommend The Coal Pot restaurant. We had 2 dinners there and it was excellent. They also are open for lunch. Although we did not go, lunch or dinner at Dasheene at Ladera is highly recommended for the stunning views of the Piton's.

BTownJ

Thanks for your help!

I rented a jeep for our trip. I've read lots of things about the horrible roads of St. Lucia....does anyone have any recommendations on driving and getting around the island?

BTownJ

Is careful driving in St. Lucia still going to put my life at risk?

brenandg

This is hard to answer because all travelers are different in what they find adventurous. Some seem to not mind it at all, others complain heartily just about their shuttle to their resort. This always boggles my mind since people do excursions on the same roads and then it isn't an issue. If you are used to driving on the left, it will of course be easier. I would recommend getting an automatic vehicle. You are at Marigot Bay? The road from Marigot to Soufriere is EXTREMELY winding and is basically one hairpin turn after another winding up the mountains. Minimal guardrails. The east coast road road is not nearly as bad. There is no way DH or I would want to drive these roads at night. I personally wouldn't bother renting a vehicle for the whole week unless you plan on doing a different trek every day and are adventurous. St Lucia remains quite undeveloped. Thats what we love about it.

brenandg

Duh! Should have read your post closer! Just realized that you already rented a jeep. Just drive slow and be careful. Avoid driving after dark off the beaten path. Unsure how well lit the roads are ouside of the city areas.

carol3

BTownJ
Traveled to St. Lucia several years ago and it's the only island that I've been to that I wouldn't rent a car. I've traveled to St. Martin, Aruba, Barbados, Turks and Caicos. Barbados was a little bit of challenge. We stayed at the Royal St. Lucian and had a great taxi driver, Fletcher. Highly recommend him if you are staying in the north and decide to go by taxi.

dominick2

Re: renting a car -- the simple answer to your question is, if you drive carefully, you'll be fine. If you have never driven on the left side of the road, you will probably find it disconcerting at first. This will be more of an issue in Castries than on the highways because, when you make a turn, you will have a tendency to look the same way that you do in the States and you will sometimes be surprised to see a car coming the other way. (This is also an issue when you are walking across a street -- you expect to see cars coming from one direction and, seemingly out of nowhere, they come from the other direction). The main roads aren't bad; once you get onto side roads, it is often slow going and you will be glad that you have a jeep rather than a car to deal with the potholes. Brenandg is right -- the highway that runs up and down the west side of the island from Castries to Soufriere is much more "windy" and hilly than the road on the east side of the island. However, it is much more scenic in my opinion. Also, they recently completed a major road widening and repaving project on the west road so it is in very good condition (still not a whole lot in the way of guardrails, though).