Hello, dear Fodorites,

I am planning my first visit to the Caribbean in late November.

I am currently travelling on a Round the World ticket and have already booked a ticket to St Lucia. It seemed to me like a small laid back island that would allow me to rest for eight days while at the same time enjoying its Caribbean feel.

I am now in China, half way through my round the world trip. I will fly to the US in a couple of weeks and then to the Caribbean from Miami.

However, I am now having second thoughts about St Lucia. I am a 29-year-old single guy on a budget. My two main concerns are:

1) Will it be too expensive for me? Will I need to indulge in all-inclusive resorts or boutique hotels to enjoy my time there? My preferences would be towards cozy simple guesthouses

2) Will it be too "boring"? While I am not looking for an all-time partying period, I would enjoy some sightseeing and some nightlife besides relaxing on the beach

What are your thoughts?

Thanks a lot!

Alex

Just so you know, as Caribbean islands go St. Lucia is not a "small island". While it's not as large as islands in the Greater Antilles like Jamaica, the Dominican republic, and Puerto Rico it is far larger than most of the islands know as the Lesser Antilles. Now, it's size will prove to be a plus from your point of view since you should have no trouble finding accomodations in your price range. There are litterally scores of small guest houses around the island that cater to travellers like you.

While St. Lucia is not known as a "party destination" there are plenty of things do do and see that will keep you interested. Do a simple google search using such topics as "St. Lucia + Things to do" and you'll find tons of information (certainly too much to reprint in this response.

St. Lucia is a perfect choice for someone looking to get a taste of what life is like on an "Old World Caribbean Island."

The "Downtown" hotel and Villa des Pitons hotel in Soufriere, St Lucia are both reasonably priced. THis is the prettiest area of the island, with diving, snorkeling, hiking, waterfalls, mus baths, sulfur springs, the famous pitons...etc. As for nightlife....not so sure about that, lol!

A good "budget" island is the Dominican Republic, I believe Cabarete gets a younger crowd, wind surfing, etc.....

For easy access to nightlife, I recommend staying in the north part of the island, specifically the Rodney Bay area. That area has the most nightlife and restaurants, and everything is in walking distance. Soufriere and other areas in the south part of the island are a lot more remote. St. Lucia is not a huge island, but given the terrain and roads, it takes a while to get around (e.g., roughly an hour from Soufriere to Rodney Bay).

I'm not familiar with guest house accommodation options, but Rodney Bay has a wide range of accommodations, and I think you could find something in a variety of price points (not sure what "on a budget" means in terms of actual cost). Fall (until about 12/15 or so) is usually a somewhat slow time in the Caribbean with discounts available, but if you are going to be in St. Lucia (or other Caribbean islands) on or around Thanksgiving, that week is likely to have less availability and higher prices.

I hope this helps.

The backpackers head to Cabarete in the DR, where you will find great windsurfing, nightlife, and cheap prices. It's certainly the island's party spot (aside from Santo Domingo). And you can do it pretty cheaply.

However, don't abandon St. Lucia yet. If you stay in Rodney Bay you can be within walking distance of bars and restaurants as well as a nice beach. This is actually where you'll find several inexpensive hotels (though it's all relative). You can spend as much or as little as you wish on food, but the Caribbean in general is not a cheap destination. But St. Lucia does have the Friday-night jump-up at Gros Ilet, a nice island street party with cheap food and drinks that draws both locals and tourists. It's a lot of fun.

Not sure you'll find a ton of nightlife, but the island has many many activities, from excellent snorkeling and diving to rain-forest exploration, an aerial tram, etc. It's a great island, and not just for honeymooners. Plus, there's a cheap and safe island bus system that you can use easily if you stay in Rodney Bay. It's not the fastest way around, but it's not uncomfortable.

You could also switch to Barbados and stay in the St. Lawrence Gap area. Barbados is always considered a very expensive island, but this is the one part that's more reasonable. And the island also has a reasonable bus system.

Prices in the Caribbean jump dramatically around Christmas, so as long as you are going to be there before Dec. 15, you will get low-season prices and high-season weather.

RoamsAround, bellaboo, beachdreams3 and Doug,

Your messages have been superb! I could not have asked for more. From what I have read, it seems that St. Lucia is just what I am looking for!

Best regards,
Alex

... and thanks a lot!

While I am not a 29 year old, I have observed a lot of 20-30 year olds in a number of places we have visited in the past few years. The Cabarete area (north coast) of the DR as well as the more crowded Boca Chica (south coast) were homes to a lot of young people. Don't ignore Puerto Rico. The Rincón area (northwest) and the more populated area around Fajardo (northeast) have many places to stay. You need to do some searching to find low prices.

Our favorites were the islands north of Panamá. The Cuna operate tourist huts which can be low cost or high cost but they are very relaxing.

We have been pricing out Belize which is Caribbean but not an island but has island locations some of which are low cost and in areas great for relaxing, snorkeling or scuba diving. We have friends who just returned and loved it and we intend to go next year. All of us are on strict budgets and have always been able to find good prices.

Hey Alex you will have a swell time in St. Lucia I can gurantee that for a fact. I have been to St. Lucia a number of times and have never regreated a moment spend on this luscious and beautiful island. It is definitely a place for relaxtion, site seeing and partying. I was very skeptical on my first visit, contacted a few friends who been and they were very persistant in I choosing that island for my vacation. My friends hooked me up with serenity vacations and Tours i.e a local tour operatour on the island and they were the most genuine and honest group of persons I've met. You can contact them tol free at 1866-766-0794 or check out their website at serenitytvl.com. What I loved most about them was the ambassador service they offered. Their tours and excursations was a blast. They arrange ever detail of my vacation including hotel accommodation and treated me like family. I would recommend them to anyone who which to have the time of the life in St. Lucia. They also arrange airport tranfurs which is the most important part of your vacation.

It is possible to go to Martinique from St Lucia on the Express des Iles service, it takes an hour and a half approx. You can get budget accommodation easily (Gites de France, rooms in private houses, chambres d'hotes de charme eg La Villa Gallerie) plus there are alot of places to eat reasonably. Also being a French island you get the usual supermarkets eg Carrefour/Champion/Auchan which helps the budget etc plus roads and transportation are good.

Very interesting places to visit eg St Pierre and Fort de France, windsurfing possible on the east coast and beautiful beaches on the west.

Hey Odin don't think it should be a problem to visit Martinique. Contact Serentitytvl.com they should be able assist with this information. We know they arrange a variety of tours and excursations. I'm quite sure they will give you some details on trips to Martinique.

I came back from my trip a few weeks ago and, while I did not have the time nor the talent to write a full travel report, I just wanted to leave a few recommendations regarding accommodation.

While most of the accommodation in the island is definitely made of resorts or more expensive boutique hotels, I did find some budget options.

During my eight-day stay in St. Lucia, I stayed in two guesthouses that I would recommend:

- Conch Shell Inn: Located in Gros Islet, this is a three-storey building with simple but very clean and cozy rooms. My room was reasonably spacious and had a nice toilet, TV, mini fridge and (limited) sea view. Conch Shell is located one block from the Friday Night Street Party main spot, which was good, and I could walk to some beaches close to Sandals.
Contact info: [email protected] / phone (758) 450-9318

- Talk to Me: this is a very scenic guesthouse in Soufriere, a few minutes walking from the town. I really liked this place. As it sits atop a hill, it offers superb views of the sea and the Pitons. My room was simple but clean and had a nice breeze from the ocean.
Contact info: [email protected] / phone (758) 459-7437

I paid around USD 20 a night for each one of them, after some bargaining, especially for Talk to Me (I was there in the beginning of December and there were some vacant rooms).