St. Lucia Destination Guide

An Island Built by a Volcano Rather Than a Reef

Most Caribbean islands are flat and sandy. St. Lucia is neither. Two lava spires, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, rise almost vertically out of the sea on the southwest coast, and behind them the island climbs into genuine rainforest with a collapsed volcanic caldera you can drive into. The beaches are mostly small and often dark sanded, the roads switchback constantly, and the scenery does something no flat island can. It has been a UNESCO site since 2004 for good reason. Travelers arrive expecting a beach holiday and find something closer to a mountain destination that happens to be surrounded by warm water.

The planning decision: south for the Pitons, north for everything else

The island divides cleanly. Soufriere and the southwest are the scenery, the volcanic sites and the resorts with the Piton views, and they are quiet, steep and somewhat isolated. The north, around Rodney Bay, Gros Islet and Cap Estate, has the marina, the restaurants, the nightlife such as it is and easier beaches, and it feels like a more conventional Caribbean base. Marigot Bay sits between them. The trap is booking the north and planning to see the Pitons regularly, or booking the south and expecting to go out at night. Choose one and treat the other as an excursion, or split the week.

Season, and a wetter island than its neighbors

The dry season runs from December through May and is the reliable window, with the peak at Christmas, New Year and the February holidays. June through November is the wet season and this is a green mountainous island, which means real rain rather than a shower, and it overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season peaking from August into October. Two events shape the calendar: St. Lucia Jazz in May, and the arrival of the transatlantic sailing rally into Rodney Bay in December, which fills the north. Carnival falls in July. Any of these should be confirmed for your year before dates are set.

Where to base, and the drive times nobody warns you about

Hewanorra International sits at Vieux Fort in the far south, which is the airport almost all long haul flights use. From there it is roughly forty five minutes to an hour to Soufriere, and an hour and a half to two hours to the northern hotels depending on traffic, on a winding road that feels considerably longer than the distance. Helicopter and boat transfers have historically been available and reduce that substantially, though the operators and schedules change and must be confirmed. George F. L. Charles airport at Castries serves regional flights and is close to the northern hotels. This single fact should be decided before the hotel is.

Stay strategy, and what the Piton view costs you

Jade Mountain and its sister Anse Chastanet above Soufriere are the properties that made this island's reputation, built into the hillside with open walled rooms facing the peaks. Sugar Beach sits in the valley directly between the two Pitons. Ladera is perched on the ridge above. In the north, Cap Maison and The Landings at Rodney Bay are the established choices, easier to reach and considerably more convenient for restaurants. The southern properties are steep, which matters for anyone with mobility limits, and they trade convenience for the view that people come here for.

When to begin

Six months for the dry season and nine to twelve for Christmas, New Year and February, when the Piton view rooms sell out well ahead of the rest of the inventory. Honeymoons are a large share of this market and the best rooms in the best properties are held early. If a helicopter or boat transfer is part of the plan, it is arranged with the booking and reconfirmed close to travel. Sailing charters out of Rodney Bay or Marigot Bay are booked in the same window.

Four experiences worth building the days around

• Climbing Gros Piton with a guide, which takes a hard morning and is the most satisfying thing on the island for anyone fit enough.
• The sulphur springs and mud baths at the Soufriere caldera, followed by the botanical gardens and the waterfall nearby.
• A day sailing down the west coast from Marigot or Rodney Bay, which is the only way to see the Pitons properly from the water.
• The Friday night street party at Gros Islet, which is loud, local and a useful antidote to a week of resort dining.

Who this trip suits

St. Lucia is one of the strongest honeymoon islands in the Caribbean and has built much of its hotel product around that. It suits couples who want scenery rather than a strip of sand. It suits hikers, sailors and anyone who wants to be outdoors. It suits families in the north, where the beaches are easier. And it suits travelers who want a Caribbean island with an actual landscape and a working population rather than a resort enclave.

When another plan may fit better

If the point of the trip is a long flat white beach and calm shallow water, this is the wrong island and Turks and Caicos or Anguilla will do it far better. Anyone with limited mobility should be cautious about the southern resorts, which are built on very steep ground. And travelers unwilling to spend two hours in a car on arrival should look hard at the northern hotels or at a boat transfer.

Plan it with one accountable advisor

Tell us whether the Pitons or the convenience matters more and we will place you accordingly, then solve the airport transfer properly so the first day is not lost to a road. Our luxury leisure travel planning covers the hotel, the guides and the sailing, and our group travel planning handles weddings and larger parties.