jimamy

My future wife and I are travelling to St. Lucia in late September and we have never been down to the Carribean before. We are from Pgh, PA and we were wondering how bad the sun is in the Carribean. Something tells me that we will get sun burnt, and I wanted to know if there are any products available that are above and beyond what I can buy at the local store up here.

Also, my fiance seems to be allergic to a ton a things, so bug bites are a concern for me as well. Any advice on what bugs are down there and how to prevent bites? Again any great products out there?

Thanks so much!

Tiger_Eye

I just got back from St Lucia so it's all fresh in my mind.

The sun is going to be different than you are used to being from PA, just wear a high SPF. I'm from Florida but we all lathered on SPF 30 each day (reapply every 4 hours or after lots of water or sweat) and were fine. No burns.

There's plenty of shade whether you stay at a resort or wander around the island (which I highly encourage).

Bring a wide brimmed hat if you or she is very fair. SPF 30-50 should be fine, just make it a point to apply it each morning.

As for bugs, there really aren't many to worry about. They spray for mosquitoes, I can't remember being bitten by anything.

It was my husband, my 1 yo son, and myself. We had a blast, wandered around in the forests a little, at the beaches and throughout the towns. There's not much to be bitten by and if you're really concerned take some bug spray.

If your fiance is allergic to foods, just ask the staff what's in the meals. There are a lot of awesome local foods to try.

Sorry so long, it was an exciting trip and I know you'll have fun. The sun is hot, but it's the Caribbean and the cool breeze, water and atmosphere will make you forget you were ever worried.

* Take a Land and Sea Tour. It's the best way to see the entire island and you get to relax all day.

Knowing

You are closer to the equator in the Caribbean, so just make sure you bring your sunscreen and, most importantly, that you use it. Don't bother with anything under 30SPF.
I couldn’t stay away from the bugs. They kept biting me as I scratched non-stop. I had the housekeeping staff change our sheets even. They recommended that I put alcohol on my arms and legs. I came home with so many bugs bites, you couldn't see anything else. St Lucia is the only island I've ever had a problem with!

friedough2

I've been to the Caribbean many times. The sun is extremely strong. My friend is very light skinned and he uses Coppertone Sport. It works fantastic. Make sure you put in on every couple of hours. They also have a new spray. Sunscreens are very expensive at the resorts. In one of the resorts at the beach we had sunflies but no other bugs.

CaribbeanSoul

"Also, my fiance seems to be allergic to a ton a things"

Hopefully you don't fall into that statement and that you and your soon to be wife have a healthy and prosperous life together.