Ann

Hi,<BR>My husband and I are leaving next Thursday on our first trip to St. Lucia. We are staying at the Hyatt (north-end), but also want to explore the southern parts of the island. We definitely want to hit Soufriere and Diamond Falls, plus do some hiking (3-4 hours) at the Edmund Forest Reserve (East of Soufriere). After reading about driving conditions in this forum, I'm pretty sure we'll need to spend at least one night away from the Hyatt if we don't want to spend most of the day commuting from north to south end. My question: which hotel is the best (location-wise) to use as a base for exploring the Soufriere-Piton area? Thanks for your advice, Ann.

Cherie

That would be the Jealousie resort..If you can get in..It is awesome...The sulphur springs are okay, but I wouldn't spend alot of money to stay to go there..There are mini-buses for day trips..However, we took a catamaran over and also did shopping and it was wonderful..this would be your best bet I think..Have fun, Cherie

Kay

Ann:<BR><BR>My husband and I spent our honeymoon on St. Lucia last year. WE stayed 5 nights at Ladera (WOW!!!) and 3 nights at the Hyatt (VERY NICE) If want to stay somewhere nice in the south end of the island I would recommend Ladera or the Hilton. There are a few places that are less expensive if you want that. <BR><BR>My husband I drove all over the island too. It took us 3 hours to drive from Ladera in the South to the Hyatt just to give you an idea. <BR><BR>I have a full trip report and lots of St. Lucia, Ladera and Hyatt pictures at www.seashelltravel.com<BR><BR>Kay<BR><BR>PS My husband did the driving so if you have any questions let me know and I will give you his e-mail

mary

If you're reluctant about staying at another hotel in the south, you might want to consider a water taxi to and from. Their rates are about the same as a car taxi and water taxis are a lot quicker. You would, however, need to pick up a car taxi once you get to Soufrierre in order to get to all the places on your list but this shouldn't be a problem. Your water taxi driver should be able to help you out with this as soon as you get to town.

joan

There is an excursion available from the north end of SL that takes you sailing/snorkeling down the coast to Soufriere/pitons, and includes lunch and a trip to the falls and the volcano (I read about it on this forum - you can do a search) that's the way I'd do it if you don't like the driving. However, that said, my husband LOVES driving those crazy roads. We stayed in soufriere area and drove to Castries. We made it an all-day trip - stopping for lunch in Marigot and sightseeing along the way. Take bonine beforehand if you get carsick easily. Have a great time!

John

Ann,<BR><BR>Another choice (pricey, but maybe not, when compared to paying for two rooms for the same night) is to take a helicopter from the northern airport to the southern one. Check out their web site at www.StLuciaHelicopters.com. If you use them, let me know what you think, as I'm planning to use them in March/April.<BR><BR>John