The Mrs. and I are headed to St Lucia in the fall. We will be staying at the Hyatt. Gotta love dem points.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what activities we should plan on? I heard there is a ferry to Martinique. Is this a worth while day trip?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks FT'ers!

hreamer-
We will be staying at the Hyatt in St. Lucia in the early fall as well. I'm told that a day's hike up one of the Piton peaks with a guide is indescribable. They say that the cost of the guide is well worth it. I'm also told that horseback riding in St. Lucia is a must. I hope to hear from others with personal experience of St. Lucia. Have a great trip. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

The mrs. & I stayed at the Wyndham property on St. Lucia in May 2000.. The island is just beautiful.. You would be missing a lot if you don't take the trip up the Pitons.. They have several boat cruises to several sites and the Pitons look amazing from their bases in the water. Plus, the snorkling and scuba is amazing around the island.

Only thing we missed out on was the ATV tour of the island. Another couple took this tour and said it was great..

Lastly, hope you enjoy good bananas because they've got a huge plantation and all the hotels serve them. I think that may have been my wife's favorite part of the trip.. Enjoy!!

bump............

anyone else's experiences from anytime in St. Lucia?

Just saw this old thread. Was in St. Lucia summer of 2001. Stayed at the Hyatt which is now a Sandals I believe.

Definitely see the Pitons, well worth it. The wife loves to snorkel, and was very pleased with the offerings on St Lucia. When we think back on all of our vacations, St. Lucia is on top.

We are thinking of going back. Has anyone tried the new Sandals there (different from the older one)? The Hyatt was immaculate when we were there (in fact we were the first to use room), just wondoring if anything has been diluted with the Sandals brand name (ie is the food good, are resort activities good, etc).

The missus & I flew to Hewannora/Vieux Fort (UVF) last month (2/03) & stayed at Stonefield Estate, just south of Soufriere & a tad north of Ladera & the Jalousie Hilton.

Good things:
- Splendid weather
- Friendly, helpful Stonefield staff
- Stonefield villas (comfy if not high luxury)
- Dinner at Ladera (where the view at dusk, looking out over the cove between the Pitons, is just incredible; food was d*mn good too)
- Botanical Gardens just outside Soufriere
- hiking in the rain forest (our personal gov't guide was incredibly knowledgeable)
- floating in the water at Jalousie Beach, with the breeze blowing a cooling rain mist down from the ridge (bright sun overhead), creating an absolutely cartoonishly gorgeous rainbow

Bad things ^W ^WChallenges:
- The road from Vieux Fort to Soufriere was just atrocious: narrow, few signs at the forks, potholes the size of Montana. Add to this the fact that we arrived at the airport at dusk & were driving at night; that they drive on the left; and that I was driving a stick (OK except I was shifting with my left hand), and it was, er, exciting. Should have sprung for the 4WD rental. (Note: above Soufriere the road got much better, and the bad stretch is undergoing major reconstruction.)
- Air Jamaica, which managed to leave BWI so late that we missed our connection, stranding us in Jamaica for 1 day. AJ put us up overnight at Sunset Beach, an all-included resort in Montego Bay that is the last place on earth I'd pay to spend my vacation.

Didn't manage to squeeze in any snorkeling in St Lucia; gives us yet another reason to go back. A wonderful place.


[This message has been edited by beltway (edited 03-06-2003).]

Interested in hiking rain forest. How is (price/convenience) public transportation and taxis. From airport to main town and then trips into rain forest.

Weren't road signs in French? Still don't want to drive

Stayed at Jalousie Hilton last October. Snorkeling was great, lots of colorful sealife to be seen. Dinner at Ladera was fantastic. Great view and the band was awesome.

Took the helicopter from the airport which was nice being only a 10 minute flight. However, my SO didn't like the turbulence as she sat up with the pilot. They had 4 pax on the helicopter so our luggage had to come in by taxi. The bags didn't arrive until 10pm. Took a taxi/shuttle van back to the airport. That was nice, scary at times but nice seeing the countryside and talking to the driver. Got some perspective about some of the things we saw in town. Made a quick stop at the straw market before hitting the airport.

We were planning on going to the bird sanctuary on the east side of the island but the tour operator at the hotel said special arrangements were needed and we didn't have the time.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by natalie:
Interested in hiking rain forest. How is (price/convenience) public transportation and taxis. From airport to main town and then trips into rain forest.

Weren't road signs in French? Still don't want to drive</font>

I don't recall seeing any signage in French (to the extent there was signage at all). The St Lucians I interacted with all spoke English (and many also spoke Kweyol, aka Creole), but textbook French seems pretty unusual.

As for getting up to the rainforest, I'd inquire at your lodgings. Stonefield arranged for our driver, who took us up a completely unmarked, unpaved road to En Bas Saut; no way could we have found the route ourselves, let alone navigated it without a 4WD SUV.

I will fly into the airport in the south, and fly out of Castries in the north. I am thinking that I would like to stay around Soufriere for 2 nights. The Hyatt and Hilton have both been rebranded, so points are not an option for me on my first trip to St. Lucia. What hotels do you recommend?

I've seen mention of


Ladera
Mago
Anse Chastanet
Ti Kaye Village Resort
Villa Beach Cottages, Castries


Does anyone have knowledge of these hotels? Are they worth the high prices? Are there others we should consider?

If we stay in the Soufriere area, we will need an inexpensive, clean place to stay near the airport in Castries. We have an obscenely early flight, so need to stay nearby the prior night. Any suggestions?

How expensive/difficult is it to rent and drive a car?

Ladera is one of the best experiences in the Caribbean. Your fourth wall is a magnificent view of the Pitons, and you will feel at one with nature even as you enjoy creature comforts. Not for anyone freaked out by birds, lizards, or moths in their room. Mosquitoes are not a problem at Ladera's elevation.

Ladera's staff is top notch and the Dasheene restaurant excellent. Definitely worth what they ask (and those who book directly with the resort at rack rate are often upgraded to one of the insane villas).

Anse Chastenet is also superb, with many more on-property activities than Ladera (who will shuttle you for free to Anse Chastenet). Be prepared for a steep walk back to your room from the beach.

Friends honeymooned at the more affordable Stonefield and liked it a lot. Mrs Ohioflyer and I had really poor service at their restaurant but that may have been an exception.

It is easy to rent a car but better to get a jeep. We always use Cool Breeze (www.coolbreezecarrental.com) which is not the cheapest but completely reliable. Driving on St Lucia is fun. :cool: It is also one place where an International Drivers License is actually useful. Just be sure to have the immigration person endorse it when you enter the country.

For a last night near Castries airport I would suggest Auberge Seraphine (www.aubergeseraphine.com). You can find a cheaper place, but you will appreciate the quiet here (especially if your last night is a Friday or Saturday).

Enjoy St Lucia. :)

ohioflyer. that is a very helpful post. Thank you so much!

So the immigration person actually has to look at the international driver's license and make a mark on it? That's a new one for me.

Yes. I think--but am not 100% certain--that a police station can do the same. But immigration is much more convenient. Either way, if you already have an IDL, you are saving the US$21 for a temporary St Lucia permit.