St. Lucia: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
The beautiful island of Saint. Lucia! Here is Everything You Need to Know Before You Go.
Located in the West Indies of the Caribbean Sea. One of the most unique Islands I’ve ever visited.
A mountainous island, home of the Grand Pitons, fishing villages, volcanic beaches, sulphur springs, and amazing beaches. A one of a kind destination with so much beauty and adventure!
I visited St. Lucia in late December and had so much fun…I couldn’t believe how much beauty is all over the Island everywhere you look. St. Lucia in the winter time is amazing, really nice weather.
We did a lot while in St. Lucia! In this post, I share all the fun things to do on the Island, where to stay, where to eat and more!
Ok, lets get into it!
St. Lucia: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Getting there
To get to St. Lucia fly into Hewanorra International Airport at Vieux Fort, there are two airports on the island make sure to pick this one.
A car rental is not recommended here unless you’re from St. Lucia or lived here before you most likely won’t feel comfortable driving. It’s tight, hectic, stressful, and dangerous.
Let the locals drive you, it’s much safer and more relaxing.
Hire a driver
Looking to do any sort of excursions or exploring? Definitely hire one of the local drivers. They are very nice and it’s the safest option for getting around.
They are so knowledgeable about the island: what to do, where to go, the best times to go and where to avoid. We met Bengy on our taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, he was our driver. We explained what we were looking to do on our time on the island. He told us we could hire him to take us to all the places we wanted to go.
We got his number and planned out the days we wanted to go, he picked us up and took us everywhere! I highly recommend reaching out to Bengy and hiring him if he’s free or find another driver and do this. He took us to parts of the Island we would’ve never known about without him. He’s a really nice guy.
Where to stay
When traveling to St. Lucia one of the hardest decisions is to stay in the mountains or by the ocean…
We met a lot of people who split their trip up and did half and half. We stayed on the beach our entire time on the island and were so happy with that.
Stay at Bay Gardens Resort on Reduit Beach, it’s perfect. They have a beautiful beach to lay out on, lots of activities to do right on location, the resort is updated, clean and the staff is great.
This was our view from one of the ocean view rooms on the top floor.
Things to do
Relax on the beach
You can do this all day everyday and your vacation will be amazing.
Hangout on Reduit Beach if possible, the beach is so peaceful and relaxing. Warm, tropical, blue/green water and not too busy.
Big enough to go for walks on but still has a small cove feel. The mountains sit off in the distance making for the most stunning views.
Go rum tasting
Go rum tasting on the island!
Our driver told us about this so we went and had so much fun! There is a lot of rum to taste so be ready.
You’ll arrive at St. Lucia Distillers where you can take a tour of the property and see how the rum is made and do a tasting!
We arrived late morning and had the place to ourselves. This was a lot of fun, the staff made it a great experience.
Be prepared…some of the rums are STRONG.
Lookout points
Ask your driver to take you to some lookout points on the island, they are breathtaking.
Views of the Pitons and the ocean in the distance. Everywhere you look it’s so amazing, such a beautiful island.
Your driver will be happy to pull over for photo-ops so don’t be afraid to ask!
Visit the fishing village of Anse La Raye
A small St. Lucian sleepy fishing village, a place where you feel like you’re really experiencing the culture.
One of my favorite parts of the island. Located on the west side of the island near Marigot Bay. This is one of the islands six fishing villages.
Stop here to relax in town or on the beach. Get lunch here, you won’t be disappointed it’s all delicious local food.
This fishing village is one of the hidden gems on the island.
La Soufriere Volcano Tour
The only drive-in volcano in the world!
Soufriere has a volcano, sulphur springs, waterfall and botanical gardens. Follow a guide and they will teach you all about this incredible volcano!
Make it a day trip to Soufriere: see the Volcano, Sulphur Springs, waterfall and Botanical Gardens.
This is the first part of your tour, up next is the sulphur springs!
Sulphur Springs
Warm, therapeutic, all natural sulphur springs!
A “must see/do” while in St. Lucia. Located right by the La Soufriere Volcano Tour.
We were surprised how hot the springs actually were. Some people sat in it for quite a while but I didn’t last very long.
They say it’s very good for your skin!
Waterfall
Up next on the sulphur springs adventure is the waterfall!
A short ways away is a perfect waterfall to rinse off the mud at. This is a pretty busy area but people are really good about waiting in line and letting everyone have a turn alone under the waterfall so it doesn’t get crowded.
It’s so refreshing to get into the water and rinse off!
Diamond Botanical Gardens
The most jungle-like botanical gardens I’ve ever visited, truly one of a kind!
Diamond Botanical Gardens has the most beautiful and unique flowers. They have lots of palm trees and big green plants that make you feel like you are really in the jungle.
There are mineral baths here as well, if you have time stop in and soak in one for a while, it’s really good for your skin. Don’t forget to bring your camera when you visit!
Pigeon Island National Landmark
A “must do” while visiting St. Lucia!
Absolutely beautiful with amazing views in every direction. Just set up a water taxi with the hotel for a time when you’d like to visit, it’s just a quick ride over.
Plan on spending a day here to have time for everything. Check out my blog How to Spend the Day on Pigeon Island National Landmark here!
Search for seashells
St. Lucia has beautiful seashells! We found a lot right on the beach outside our hotel.
You can find a large variety of different shells on the Island as well as sea glass and sea pottery!
Where to eat
If you stay at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort you’ll have four restaurants onsite to pick from. They are all delicious and the staff is wonderful, we ate at them at least once a day each day.
Anyone can eat at these restaurants so I reccomened going even if you aren’t staying there, don’t forget to make a reservation ahead of time.
The best food we ate while on the island was when our driver took us to local places in town and in the fishing village. We would’ve never found those kinds of places on our own so don’t be afraid to ask. The food was so delicious!!
St. Lucia travel tips
- Bring a reusable water bottle to have with you all day
- Bring snacks, sunscreen, water and a change of clothes when you go on day trips with your driver
- Days get very hot
- Locals are nice and friendly
- The island is safe
- Almost everyone speaks english
- Carry cash on you for tips
- Safe to walk around outside the resorts
St. Lucia is one of the islands where I’ve felt most safe at as a young woman. There was never a time where I was worried or scared for my well being at all.
The people of the island are so friendly and just happy to have you there. Don’t be afraid to ask the locals questions they love to share their favorite places with you.
On the island they use Eastern Caribbean dollars for currency but accept USD as well. We never exchanged money at any time and were fine.
The language of the locals is Creole French , known locally as Patwa, this is the French-based Creole language widely spoken in Saint Lucia but almost everyone also speaks English. We never had a hard time communicating with locals.
The weather is almost always beautiful, warm and sunny!
Have you visited the Island of St. Lucia or do you have any questions about it?
Comment below and follow along with me on Instagram!
sierra
Hello there! It's wonderful to have you here. I'm Sierra, a NH native with a love for travel and adventure. I have a constant desire to explore beautiful places around the world and go on awesome adventures! I seek to inspire others to travel to see all the beauty and culture the world has to offer! ๐โฐ๏ธ๐ผ๐ซถ๐ผ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ฅพ๐
8 Comments
simplyjolayne
Did the sulphur springs smell? Looks like a beautiful destination spot. I’ve only had day trips to some of the Caribbean islands as I have cruised.
sierra
They did smell a bit like rotten eggs but you get used it pretty quickly. St. Lucia was so beautiful…I highly recommend visiting if you ever get the chance!
Hannah
Beautiful! I want to go to St. Lucia someday. I enjoy the beach and it looks like it would be romantic for my husband and I!
sierra
It’s a very romantic island! Perfect for a couples trip.
Kelly
I have visited st. Lucia many many times and I would just add a couple safety types. There’s are areas to avoid (morne de dor) without police protection or going with a person who lives in the area.
sierra
Thank you for this!
Chelsea Messina
It was today that I decided I must go to Saint Lucia. How beautiful!! Growing up in Michigan we used to walk the beach
Shreya
St Lucia has been on my list foreverrr. And your post is motivating me to go like tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!