John Marratt

My new wife and I are going to St. Lucia on the 1st of October. We are staying at the Sandals Halcyon. What excursions would you recommend? Dining and other activities. Is St. Lucia expensive? Are the Sandal's resorts good? Is there anything we should definately not miss doing? Thanks.

Jon

Hi John:
Congratulations
What are your interests besides you know what
Be specific about "Is St.Lucia expensive?" I bet Lisa and others on this forum will let you know. Did you do search here? You would be surprised how much you can learn. Good luck.

John Marratt

Thanks for the reply Jon. Yes I just started looking at some other posts to get some ideas. I still have not found much on diving and golf.
We are very outdoor oriented. We plan on doing alot of scuba diving. Is the diving good. Are the reef's colorful? We are also advid golfers wich is one reason we choose Sandals. Is the course nice are there any other courses on the island. I am interested in finding out about helicopter rides, deep sea fishing, rates on jeep rentals, nigh life and anything else that you think would be of interest to me. I am not going to St. Lucia to sit on the beach the whole time. I get bored easily. Do you know if the folks at Sandals are helpful in setting up these excursions? Your help is appreciated.

Thomas

Shock your wife and don't do the obvious. Wait until you get home and do the obvious.

lisa

Make sure you take an excursion down the west coast of the island (preferably on a boat) to the Pitons; this part of the island is much prettier in my opinion than the northern part. The beach at Anse Chastanet near the Pitons is the best for snorkeling/scuba -- we just snorkeled right off the beach and saw tons of coral and fish. The botanical gardens in Soufriere with a waterfall are gorgeous and definitely worth doing even if you're not into that sort of thing, although it's better with a guide so you know what you're looking at and can ask questions. The volcano is only OK, not terribly impressive. Try to go to lunch or dinner (or drinks at sunset) at Dasheene at Ladera -- reserve a table near the edge in advance -- it has the best view on the island and the food is very good too. Pricey but worth it! Ask the bartender to make you something special -- he has a knack for coming up with wonderful creations. Also, we enjoyed a daytrip hiking in the rainforest with 2 other couples and a local guide named Bruno -- we hiked down to a big waterfall in the middle of the jungle and then went swimming in the natural pools which felt great in the heat and humidity, then hiked back out. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife but the trees and tropical flowers and things were spectacular, and we learned a lot from the guide. Definitely do a search and you will find lots more tips. Can't help you with golf; everybody I've ever spoken with who went to St. Lucia who took their clubs never used them! Never been to Sandals but lots on this board seemed to like it.