jeff

Can anyone recommend good snorkeling on St. Lucia, especially around Soufriere? I have heard the Anse Chastinet beach is pretty good. Are there any others, especially more out of the way beaches? Thanks.

Cheri

Anse's beach is a nice place to snorkel. I would avoid Soufriere if possible. We were there in May and it was terrible. Dirty, smelly, and numerous panhandlers that wouldn't take a firm polite no for an answer. We were harassed unmercifully. People were also going to the bathroom right in the surf.

I would recommend Castries. It was nicer over there. They have built up a nice shopping area by the docks.

jeff

My wife and I would prefer to avoid shopping malls and "touristy" places. We will likely spend a lot of time hiking in the rain forests and trying to find secluded, out of the way beaches. From what I understand, many of the beaches are only accessible by water taxi. Did you (or anyone else??) try to get to some out of the way beaches?

Cheri

We did one with a water taxi but I forget the name of it. Also try to snorkel around the pitons.

There is a neat tour that takes you to the mineral baths and some botanical gardens and into the drive thru volcano.

I don't think I would classify the shopping area as a mall per se, but it beat the heck out of anything in downtown Soufriere. I'll never go back there again.

lisa

Cheri -- It's interesting that we had such different reactions to Soufriere. My boyfriend and I spent a pleasant hour or so walking around the town. We went inside the little church and took some pictures, stopped in a grocery store to buy coffee beans and pick up some little bottles of local sauces and condiments to bring home as souvenirs, and talked with some schoolchildren for a while and learned about what their schools are like (they all wear cute uniforms). While the town is obviously poor, we were never bothered by anyone. A local stopped us once and asked if we needed directions and we just said no thanks and that was it. Also there is a tiny craft market in Soufriere near the dock where we bought a couple of nicely woven baskets.