first visit to St Lucia- guidance sought
 

Considering a vist to St Lucia.We like lush tropical pretty iaslands like St John. Enjoy hiking, snorkeling, good food, beaches with shade. We do not like AI resorts, prefer to explore local restaurants. We are active 60 year olds, driving on left with hills not a problem but we are a little concerned about local crime based upon a couple of contributors to this forum. We do not want to be too isolated. What part of the island do you recomend and why? Places to stay? Budget not to exceed $500 per night. Your thoughts?/

ansechastenet.com jallousieplantation.com my top 2. jademountain.com more upscale. More mountainous than St John
Browner beaches snorkel not as good but pretty and green lots
dodgier in cities check travel.state.gov and
insuremytrip.com.

Have fun!

There isn't one St. Lucia holiday that will satisfy your needs, other than renting a car and a self-catering villa. But here's a suggestion. Headwater Holidays, a UK company, have a week walking holiday on the island, which includes the pitons and other places you;d otherwise never visit. It's reasonably strenuous - Google Headwater and then find it on their web site. After that you can stay at the places that qwovadis mentioned, or the one all-in place I would 100% recommend - Dast Winds Inn. Again, check their web site. St. Lucia is not unsafe - the crime is almost entirely confined to the ghetto areas of Castries, but it is more comfortably seen with others. There are few good local restaurants as the main tourist area in Rodney Bay with eating places you'd expect to find in a popular beach area. Other than that the best restaurants are in the hotels - and East Winds'

Everything in your request can be found on the Island easily. Take a look around on the link to give you more ideas of what to do and where to go.
http://uptodatestlucia.com/

Thanks for the response. dhvinyl have you been on a headwater hiking tour? almost no reviews on web about this company.
Your suggestion of East Winds looks great. I would be disappointed if we could not hike/view the Pitons, is it too far away from East Winds for a day trip? Are taxis or cars for hire a problem?

Are you looking for a resort, hotel, or villa type of atmosphere?

If you are looking for a villa type of vacation (which is popular these days), I might recommend Oasis Marigot. Their original villas are in Marigot Bay, but they now have some all along the West Coast. They're great for quiet, away-from-it-all vacations. You can learn more about them here: http://www.oasismarigot.com

That would be my recommendation. Enjoy!

If you don't get enough information here, the St Lucia trip advisor forum is very active with daily posts about this beautiful, lush island. The "experts" are also very helpful answering questions and concerns.

We will be in St Lucia, staying in a villa in the Soufriere area next month. I will post when we return. We can't wait!!