Grenada and St. Lucia

I am planning an upcoming trip to Grenada and St. Lucia and was wanting some information about these two islands.

What are they like?
Should I rent a car?
Is it easy to drive?
Are they safe?
What are the nicest hotels? (I usually like bigger hotels)
Are most hotels nearby on the island?

Thanks!

Never got around much in Grenada, but can tell you that driving yourself in St. Lucia is hell. The roads are some of the worst, although the Northern half of the island has better roads than the southern half.

Is it dangerous? Should I reconsider? or are they just poorly maintained?

No one can drive fast enough for them to be real dangerous. They are just very very poorly maintained, bumpy and mountainous. Also taxis are stupidly expensive. It is however a very beautiful island.

any scary cliffs??? any hotel recommendations?

We frequently rent cars on our trips, including the islands we have visited. St Lucia is the only one we would NOT rent again

The rental car was miniscule and stick shift (which was no big deal). We were heading to a resort (from the cruise ship port) about 35 miles (Anse Chastanet).

It took more than 2 hours to get there, and the last mile or two were the worst roads I have ever seen. You thought the car would not even make it and that you should be walking.

The roads are narrow and windy and you never really get past second gear.

No wonder they FLY people to so many resorts there!

Also, we have only visited one side of the island, but the beaches are few and far between -- lots and lots of high mountain roads and cliffs.

The water is beautiful and clear, and there is a lot of areas that are very lush, and there are a lot of areas there are terribly poor (worse than other islands we've been to).

I know they have some beautiful resorts, so you should have a great time.

However, I would get some more information about where you want to go before renting a car.

are there no automatic cars there?

Im going to be visiting several hotel properties while I am there for work. Any suggestions on how to get around, if not by rental car. Do the hotels offer transportation from the airport?

Is it expensive to hire a driver for the day? any ideas? now im nervous about the driving.

I don't recall any hotels that offer complimentary transportation to/from the airport on either island. You might be better able to use cabs or hire one on Grenada as many of the hotels are around Grand Anse Beach. You can hire a cab for US $20/hr there, but I'm sure there's a minimum time requirement--3 hours sounds about right.

If you're going to be on both the north side (Castries/Rodney Bay) and south side--in the Pitons area--of St Lucia, you might want to consider a rental car. Point-to-point cab fare is expensive (last time I used one it was $75 ow from the airport to Anse Chastinet), even for short trips. If you're used to driving on the wrong side of the road, the drive isn't too terrifying, although as one poster noted the road to Anse Chastinet is in terrible condition. My recollection is that the coast road is in pretty good shape, but there are construction zones that slow you down, and driving there is a challenge, but nothing to sweat.

I would imagine if it's just one or two days on Grenada, I might go the cab/hire route. Anything more than one day on St. Lucia, I'd probably go the rental route. You have to know how much you'll be traveling to really make the decision.

Has anyone stayed at

The Rex Grenadian Hotel (Grenada)

Le Sport/Body Holiday (St. Lucia)

any of the Sandals properties (St. Lucia)


Thanks!