Starting to plan trip to St.Lucia in Feb 2010
Oct 7th, 2009, 04:11 PM
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Starting to plan trip to St.Lucia in Feb 2010
It was cold, wet and windy at home today so naturally I started thinking about winter. I ordered a cord of wood and then decided I needed to get to the Caribbean in February!
I stayed in St. Lucia at a friend's house for just one night a long time ago. I remember the hills and the greenery but not a lot else so I need advice about everything from where to stay to restaurants to activities.
We'll be going in Feb 2010(President's Week) and it'll be just the 3 of us (DH, DD (12) &me).
Any recommendations appreciated... we like to swim, snorkel, hike, horse ride (generally active). It would be nice to find an apartment where we can sometimes cook our own food or at least an hotel with a mini fridge.
Best beach? for swimming? for shell collecting? views?
Favorite restaurants? We aren't interested in anything too expensive (Dinner for 3 for $100 or less if possible)
Best volcano tour?
4 wheel drive necessary?
Thanks!
I stayed in St. Lucia at a friend's house for just one night a long time ago. I remember the hills and the greenery but not a lot else so I need advice about everything from where to stay to restaurants to activities.
We'll be going in Feb 2010(President's Week) and it'll be just the 3 of us (DH, DD (12) &me).
Any recommendations appreciated... we like to swim, snorkel, hike, horse ride (generally active). It would be nice to find an apartment where we can sometimes cook our own food or at least an hotel with a mini fridge.
Best beach? for swimming? for shell collecting? views?
Favorite restaurants? We aren't interested in anything too expensive (Dinner for 3 for $100 or less if possible)
Best volcano tour?
4 wheel drive necessary?
Thanks!
Oct 8th, 2009, 03:13 PM
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I can only offer a couple of recommendations because we haven't been to St Lucia since 2004. For a nicer dinner, I highly recommend The Coal Pot near Castries. Delicious food in a pretty setting. I honestly think it was the best lobster I have had in The Caribbean.
http://www.coalpotrestaurant.com/index.html
The volcano really isn't much to see at all. I wouldn't discourage going, but a stop while on another type of island tour is plenty. We did a 5-6 hour island tour with a taxi driver to hit all of the best spots. The Botanical Gardens were really pretty. Here is a link to give you an idea of what tours are offered.
http://www.sunlinktours.com/default.htm
Definitely go for the 4WD on St Lucia. Those roads are crazy twisting and steep. A little rain would not make driving fun.
http://www.coalpotrestaurant.com/index.html
The volcano really isn't much to see at all. I wouldn't discourage going, but a stop while on another type of island tour is plenty. We did a 5-6 hour island tour with a taxi driver to hit all of the best spots. The Botanical Gardens were really pretty. Here is a link to give you an idea of what tours are offered.
http://www.sunlinktours.com/default.htm
Definitely go for the 4WD on St Lucia. Those roads are crazy twisting and steep. A little rain would not make driving fun.
Oct 9th, 2009, 03:38 AM
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Oct 9th, 2009, 04:55 AM
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bellaboo,
I had seen that website for the treehouse but it's already booked for our dates (it's pretty booked up period!).
It looks like a really cool place to stay though!
brenandg, thanks for the advice. I'm looking into booking 4WD.
I've decided to split our stay because the apartment that I've chosen is already booked for some of our dates and also because I think it'll be more convenient to stay in two locations.
We'll be staying 5 nights in the North of the island near Rodney Bay and I'm currently looking for somewhere to stay for the last 2 nights in Soufriere (or possibly Marigot Bay).
I've also decided on a horse ride with Trim Stables.
http://horserideslu.50megs.com/
Any more advice welcome!
I had seen that website for the treehouse but it's already booked for our dates (it's pretty booked up period!).
It looks like a really cool place to stay though!
brenandg, thanks for the advice. I'm looking into booking 4WD.
I've decided to split our stay because the apartment that I've chosen is already booked for some of our dates and also because I think it'll be more convenient to stay in two locations.
We'll be staying 5 nights in the North of the island near Rodney Bay and I'm currently looking for somewhere to stay for the last 2 nights in Soufriere (or possibly Marigot Bay).
I've also decided on a horse ride with Trim Stables.
http://horserideslu.50megs.com/
Any more advice welcome!
Oct 9th, 2009, 05:37 AM
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Awww....that's too bad, looks like a great place. It's booked for our dates as well. We finally caved in and splurged on Stonefield. IMHO, if I were you I'd stay in Soufriere....from my research(lots), it's the most magical place. With already staying in Rodney Bay , you would expeirence both areas....
Oct 11th, 2009, 04:54 AM
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bellaboo, I'm so jealous! You will have a great time at Stonefield. We stayed there and LOVED it!
www.stonefieldvillas.com
sassy cat, I'd recommend this place for you, or I'd recommend Jalousie Resort, which by the time you go will be under new ownership -I can't recall what it will be called offhand.
www.thejalousieplantation.com
The difference between the 2 is as follows:
Stonefield is a low key resort (if you can call it that-more like a grouping of private small 1-3 bedroom villas with a common restaurant/pool, although most of the private villas also have their own private pools -I didn't see anyone in the main pool the whole week). It's built into the mountains so it's not beach front, but you have free taxi hotel access to Jalousie's beautiful beach, and you have an unobstructed view of the sunset each day from your villa, which we've seen the best sunsets of anywhere we've been from there. The management/owners are very friendly, and we can't say enough good things about Stonefield.
Jalousie - If you want to be ON the beach, then this place is for you. They have both regular hotel rooms as well as private villas (some with plunge pools) as well as a large hotel pool and beach bar. The beach is imported white sand and is nestled between the pitons, with pretty good snorkeling right off the beach. It really is a gorgeous setting. If you're into watching sunsets though, the Pitet Piton is in the way to see the sun set over the water. Jalousie is also more $.
If I went back just adults, I would stay at Stonefield again -I wouldn't recommend this for kids. Our villa, Frangipani (which had the biggest pool when we were there, although they've built new villas since we were there so I'm not sure now), was right next to a cliff/ravine with no solid fences, which is why I'd say it's more of an adults only or older kid type place. If we took the kiddies I would stay at Jalousie as it's right on the beach.
Okay, things to do -the volcano. Highly over-rated. It's basically just a small hilly terrain with sulfer smelling steam coming out of if (you'll see in my pictures). It's not the classic volcano you're probably thinking of (like Maui, the big island, etc). You do get a nice little tour which ends with a nice waterfall, but don't be upset when you don't see a huge volano. The botanical gardens are very pretty if you're into that sort of thing. We went on one of the best horse back riding tours while there-I wish I could remember who it was through! It was gorgeous scenery and the horses were in good shape, which is nice to see on a trail ride. It took us through old plantations and was rich in history. If you stay at Stonefield, ask them for who they recommend-that's who we used. We also hiked to the top (well, almost
of the Pitet Piton. This isn't for the faint of heart. It's a straight vertical climb using the roots of the trees to pull yourself up. And you go back down with your belly facing the mountain. You can also hike up the Gros Piton which our friends did. This trail is more for everyone-there are stairs going up it. It's not as steep. We also did the rainforest hike which was cool, nothing compared to the Napali coast of Kauai, but you do go by a big waterfall. You should definitely do the Friday night fish fry in Anse La Raye too. I wouldn't recommend renting a car while you're in Sourfriere. The roads are just too windy/bad to navigate. Your best bet while staying down there is to take the hotels taxi (aka van or in Stonefield's case, the owners pick-up truck), or take a water taxi which you can get a Jalousie's beach-there is a small pier there. We took the water taxi to the fish fry which was perfect-it took us around Marigot and then up to the fry. We then took a cab back to the hotel afterwards. It's a fun night of great local food and people in St. Lucia are some of the nicest we've met. We felt safe even on the back alleys at night.
Oh, we did take a cab up north on our way home which went through Castries, but the northern shore is much flatter and WAY more built up (the cruise ships dock there). Just a heads up if you're spending more of your time on the north shore. The north vs south of the island seemed almost like 2 different islands to me. Personally I think the charm lies in the southern portion, as it's so much more lush, mountainous, and remote.
Here's a link to my pictures. Enjoy-this is one of my favorite islands
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...fromshare&Ux=0
www.stonefieldvillas.com
sassy cat, I'd recommend this place for you, or I'd recommend Jalousie Resort, which by the time you go will be under new ownership -I can't recall what it will be called offhand.
www.thejalousieplantation.com
The difference between the 2 is as follows:
Stonefield is a low key resort (if you can call it that-more like a grouping of private small 1-3 bedroom villas with a common restaurant/pool, although most of the private villas also have their own private pools -I didn't see anyone in the main pool the whole week). It's built into the mountains so it's not beach front, but you have free taxi hotel access to Jalousie's beautiful beach, and you have an unobstructed view of the sunset each day from your villa, which we've seen the best sunsets of anywhere we've been from there. The management/owners are very friendly, and we can't say enough good things about Stonefield.
Jalousie - If you want to be ON the beach, then this place is for you. They have both regular hotel rooms as well as private villas (some with plunge pools) as well as a large hotel pool and beach bar. The beach is imported white sand and is nestled between the pitons, with pretty good snorkeling right off the beach. It really is a gorgeous setting. If you're into watching sunsets though, the Pitet Piton is in the way to see the sun set over the water. Jalousie is also more $.
If I went back just adults, I would stay at Stonefield again -I wouldn't recommend this for kids. Our villa, Frangipani (which had the biggest pool when we were there, although they've built new villas since we were there so I'm not sure now), was right next to a cliff/ravine with no solid fences, which is why I'd say it's more of an adults only or older kid type place. If we took the kiddies I would stay at Jalousie as it's right on the beach.
Okay, things to do -the volcano. Highly over-rated. It's basically just a small hilly terrain with sulfer smelling steam coming out of if (you'll see in my pictures). It's not the classic volcano you're probably thinking of (like Maui, the big island, etc). You do get a nice little tour which ends with a nice waterfall, but don't be upset when you don't see a huge volano. The botanical gardens are very pretty if you're into that sort of thing. We went on one of the best horse back riding tours while there-I wish I could remember who it was through! It was gorgeous scenery and the horses were in good shape, which is nice to see on a trail ride. It took us through old plantations and was rich in history. If you stay at Stonefield, ask them for who they recommend-that's who we used. We also hiked to the top (well, almost
of the Pitet Piton. This isn't for the faint of heart. It's a straight vertical climb using the roots of the trees to pull yourself up. And you go back down with your belly facing the mountain. You can also hike up the Gros Piton which our friends did. This trail is more for everyone-there are stairs going up it. It's not as steep. We also did the rainforest hike which was cool, nothing compared to the Napali coast of Kauai, but you do go by a big waterfall. You should definitely do the Friday night fish fry in Anse La Raye too. I wouldn't recommend renting a car while you're in Sourfriere. The roads are just too windy/bad to navigate. Your best bet while staying down there is to take the hotels taxi (aka van or in Stonefield's case, the owners pick-up truck), or take a water taxi which you can get a Jalousie's beach-there is a small pier there. We took the water taxi to the fish fry which was perfect-it took us around Marigot and then up to the fry. We then took a cab back to the hotel afterwards. It's a fun night of great local food and people in St. Lucia are some of the nicest we've met. We felt safe even on the back alleys at night.Oh, we did take a cab up north on our way home which went through Castries, but the northern shore is much flatter and WAY more built up (the cruise ships dock there). Just a heads up if you're spending more of your time on the north shore. The north vs south of the island seemed almost like 2 different islands to me. Personally I think the charm lies in the southern portion, as it's so much more lush, mountainous, and remote.
Here's a link to my pictures. Enjoy-this is one of my favorite islands
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...fromshare&Ux=0
Oct 11th, 2009, 05:12 AM
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grrr..sorry-I just realized the link to my photos doesn't work anymore. Kodak just posted a new site so none of my links work anymore. I redid it-here they are. Btw, don't be too alarmed by the giant spiders. It's part of being in the islands-they live there too
part 1-
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...3%3A1777747818
part 2-
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...3%3A1870936895
part 1-
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...3%3A1777747818
part 2-
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...3%3A1870936895
Oct 11th, 2009, 05:27 AM
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Wonderful pics! Thank you. We r going with our children(11 & 13), they'll be fine, I'll tie a rope around Will's ankle, lol! We r in Bougainvillea for 6 nights & Flamboyant for 1 night. I've spent HOURS pouring over pics etc. If I were going with hubby alone I'd choose Hibiscus or Frangipani....we r soooo excited!
Oct 11th, 2009, 06:27 AM
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bellaboo, have fun! Oh, I forgot to mention, if you're into coffee, order the St. Lucia green gold coffee at Stonefield's restaurant. It's the BEST coffee EVER! And if you use sugar, use the sugar in the raw they provide. We actually ordered a couple cases of it online and had it shipped home!
Do try to do the fish fry too-your kids will love it-local music, dancing in the streets, local crafts, fresh food, and friendly people.
Another thing, I would get one of the packages w/Stonefield that includes food, otherwise it will add up quickly. I remember being SO glad we did the adventure package, b/c the individual meals were $$$. Also, the service when we were there was very, very slow, even for island time. Just beware of that and plan to get there about an hour before you're ready to eat, so you can order your food and enjoy drinks with magnificent views, before you get to the starving point so it's enjoyable. We had read about that in reviews before going so that's what we did, and it actually worked out well.
Oh, and the resort has mango trees all over. We would walk around and try not to get hit in the head with dropping ripe mangos! We would then bring them to our room and eat them-so, so delicious-and free! Can't get them like that at home.
Also, bring bug spray, and ask the front desk for the special spray they use. You'll want to spray that under your bed and in the closets during the day so the noseeums don't get you too badly at night. My husband got eaten alive by them the first night (stupid me thought it would be nice to sleep w/the windows and doors open-NOT a good idea!). So be sure to spray a lot on yourselves, spray your room, and keep the closets closed-the bugs like to hide in there. Also, be sure to NEVER leave any food or drink out. We left about 1/4 of a glass of juice out and had about 1000 ants on it the next morning. Note-this was only our second trip to the Caribbean so we had a lot of learning to do-since we've learned the above things are pretty standard things to practice in the islands. I'm not sure how much you've traveled there so I thought I would point these things out to help make your trip more enjoyable.
Do take the free taxi to Soufriere too-the people are very friendly and it's a cute town to check out. There's also a small food store there. Note though that this is one of the poorest towns I've been to in the islands. There were toddlers literally playing in the mud with the pigs and chickens-pretty sad. Just a heads up. But the people are all so welcoming it's nice.
Ladera would be a nice restaurant for you guys to check out one night too-it's high up and you can get a nice view down the valley between the pitons. Again, the Pitet piton blocks the sunset view though. But it's nice for something different. Anse Chastenet was nice too-take a water taxi over to it. Also, wear flops on their beach-it's black sand and it gets really hot!
Have fun! When are you going?
Do try to do the fish fry too-your kids will love it-local music, dancing in the streets, local crafts, fresh food, and friendly people.
Another thing, I would get one of the packages w/Stonefield that includes food, otherwise it will add up quickly. I remember being SO glad we did the adventure package, b/c the individual meals were $$$. Also, the service when we were there was very, very slow, even for island time. Just beware of that and plan to get there about an hour before you're ready to eat, so you can order your food and enjoy drinks with magnificent views, before you get to the starving point so it's enjoyable. We had read about that in reviews before going so that's what we did, and it actually worked out well.
Oh, and the resort has mango trees all over. We would walk around and try not to get hit in the head with dropping ripe mangos! We would then bring them to our room and eat them-so, so delicious-and free! Can't get them like that at home.
Also, bring bug spray, and ask the front desk for the special spray they use. You'll want to spray that under your bed and in the closets during the day so the noseeums don't get you too badly at night. My husband got eaten alive by them the first night (stupid me thought it would be nice to sleep w/the windows and doors open-NOT a good idea!). So be sure to spray a lot on yourselves, spray your room, and keep the closets closed-the bugs like to hide in there. Also, be sure to NEVER leave any food or drink out. We left about 1/4 of a glass of juice out and had about 1000 ants on it the next morning. Note-this was only our second trip to the Caribbean so we had a lot of learning to do-since we've learned the above things are pretty standard things to practice in the islands. I'm not sure how much you've traveled there so I thought I would point these things out to help make your trip more enjoyable.
Do take the free taxi to Soufriere too-the people are very friendly and it's a cute town to check out. There's also a small food store there. Note though that this is one of the poorest towns I've been to in the islands. There were toddlers literally playing in the mud with the pigs and chickens-pretty sad. Just a heads up. But the people are all so welcoming it's nice.
Ladera would be a nice restaurant for you guys to check out one night too-it's high up and you can get a nice view down the valley between the pitons. Again, the Pitet piton blocks the sunset view though. But it's nice for something different. Anse Chastenet was nice too-take a water taxi over to it. Also, wear flops on their beach-it's black sand and it gets really hot!
Have fun! When are you going?
Oct 11th, 2009, 06:50 AM
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Hi!
Great info. I def want to do the Friday nite fish fry. We took the breakfast package, and plan to make our own lunches(bring & buy supplies), to save $$. Our 2 villas have full kitchens, not kitchenettes. We will eat a couple of suppers in our villa, the rest out.....we r big snorkellers so will check out all the best spots.
Question? Can we get red wine in Soufriere??
Great info. I def want to do the Friday nite fish fry. We took the breakfast package, and plan to make our own lunches(bring & buy supplies), to save $$. Our 2 villas have full kitchens, not kitchenettes. We will eat a couple of suppers in our villa, the rest out.....we r big snorkellers so will check out all the best spots.
Question? Can we get red wine in Soufriere??
Oct 11th, 2009, 07:28 AM
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sweet! hm. Red wine in Soufriere. I just asked my husband if he remembers and he said we did hit the liquor store and they had everything there. With that being said, I would think the selection is minimal there, so if there is anything in particular you like I would bring it down (we brought some down w/us). We really enjoyed sitting on our deck with a good bottle of Savignon Blanc with our assorted tropical fruit Stonefield gave us, playing some Jimmy Buffett and watching the sunset! The food store was small, and the thing I remember the most from it was the "interesting" selection of products in the meat aisle! The Piton beer was great too (stick a lime in it-similar to corona, but better).
Oct 11th, 2009, 07:44 AM
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Will do. Thanx.
Thanx for the bug tips as well. In our travels we have had our fair share of "critter in the cabin" stories....mice, tarantulas, scorpions, giant moths, toads(hundreds), cockroaches, ants, geckos......lol!
The WORST were the mice IN my bathrobe, when I put it ON!!!!!!!
They heard me screaming in Panama City all the way from Isla Boca Brava I'm sure, lol!!!!
(We'll take a couple of nice bottles)
Thanx!
ps I think you would enjoy Hotel Lagunita in Yelapa Mexico, google it or put in my name in the search and my TR will come up.
Thanx for the bug tips as well. In our travels we have had our fair share of "critter in the cabin" stories....mice, tarantulas, scorpions, giant moths, toads(hundreds), cockroaches, ants, geckos......lol!
The WORST were the mice IN my bathrobe, when I put it ON!!!!!!!
They heard me screaming in Panama City all the way from Isla Boca Brava I'm sure, lol!!!!
(We'll take a couple of nice bottles)
Thanx!
ps I think you would enjoy Hotel Lagunita in Yelapa Mexico, google it or put in my name in the search and my TR will come up.
Oct 11th, 2009, 10:31 AM
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Hi,
Thanks for all the advice and information! I couldn't get the photo link to work for me... just got an orange and black screen (topical since I've been putting together a costume for Halloween!).
I think I've got everything covered for this trip, just booked car hire for the week. We'll be comfortable driving on the left as we're British and my DH likes the challenge of pot holes (he's been to St. Lucia before too).
The resorts look amazing but out of our budget range as I intend to keep this trip to under $4000 for the week... flights came to just over $1200, car hire $360.
I've booked La Haut Plantation in Soufriere for 2 nights.
http://www.lahaut.com/
It gets very good reviews on Tripadvisor from the majority. Usual complaints about bugs from some!
I'm more tolerant of bugs than most I think it's because I lived in the Caribbean for a while and after a year of washing the floors with a floor cleaner that prevented cockroaches I read the ingredients and discovered it was jam packed with a ton of carcinogens that I'd been walking bare foot on.
Thanks for all the advice and information! I couldn't get the photo link to work for me... just got an orange and black screen (topical since I've been putting together a costume for Halloween!).
I think I've got everything covered for this trip, just booked car hire for the week. We'll be comfortable driving on the left as we're British and my DH likes the challenge of pot holes (he's been to St. Lucia before too).
The resorts look amazing but out of our budget range as I intend to keep this trip to under $4000 for the week... flights came to just over $1200, car hire $360.
I've booked La Haut Plantation in Soufriere for 2 nights.
http://www.lahaut.com/
It gets very good reviews on Tripadvisor from the majority. Usual complaints about bugs from some!
I'm more tolerant of bugs than most I think it's because I lived in the Caribbean for a while and after a year of washing the floors with a floor cleaner that prevented cockroaches I read the ingredients and discovered it was jam packed with a ton of carcinogens that I'd been walking bare foot on.
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