Earlier this year, we took our honeymoon to St. Lucia. I have been all over the place, especially the Caribbean, so it was hard to find a place to which we both had never been. I was stoked to go to St. Lucia at the time of our honeymoon, and I still think it was a great/perfect spot for a honeymoon. Besides the obvious reasons like beauty and all inclusive bonuses, St. Lucia is a really spectacular choice because it is a small island and there is NOT an endless amount of things to do. Trying to fit in both of your wants/needs for excursions, shopping, eating, drinking can be exhausting, so going to a place where you can knock out the bulk of excursions in a day is awesome. I am one of those people that likes to discover as much as I can from a country and it’s culture, so I jam pack my vacations. My husband likes to have a little more chill time. In St. Lucia, the main sightseeing attractions can be seen with one tour from any of the local companies. They all pretty much do the same tour or some variation of it using a boat and vans. You hit Soufriere for some shopping, but it is pretty touristy shopping. You tour Marigot Bay, snorkel in Anse La Ray and Canaries, and sail around the Pitons (UNESCO site). You also sit in the Sulphur Springs inside the volcano, and yes, it smells like Sulphur. Your skin will feel so soft, and you will get multiple opportunities to purchase sulphur soap throughout the day. Then, you go through the rainforest to swim under waterfalls and pose for photo ops. After seeing a good portion of the island via land and sea, your guide will take you to a local restaurant for a little local flavor. Do yourself a favor and try it all! Don’t be afraid to try something new, especially the saltfish and figs. It’s the National dish! Drinks are provided for you throughout the day, but don’t overdo it. You will want to remember all the cool stuff you did.
Another big attraction is the Castries Market.
This market is huge. You can seriously buy ANYTHING there. Parts of it used to be a prison and is now a meat market. Pretty cool! The market is lively and colorful. Don’t be afraid to haggle, and buy things you can try back at your hotel. We purchased spices and hot sauces, and we have loved them all. The hot sauce is awesome and actually spicy, which I really appreciate. Like I said earlier, you can the sulphur soap everywhere, including the market. The added bonus, if you are like Brandy Glanville, is the Coconut Soap. Go ahead, check out what it says it is good for! We never felt unsafe while we were there.
Pigeon Island happened to be a close hike from our hotel. It’s an educational and short hike up to the fort where you can have a picnic or simply soak in the view.
Being the “support local” people that we are, we had to eat at a couple of the local food trucks while out on the town one night. Speaking of going out, it is totally safe and encouraged to go out and experience the island outside of your resort. Based on recommendations from locals, we hit the Rodney Bay area, and had more fun there than anywhere else. As much as they push the Friday jump up, it really is just a tourist trap. If your really want to feel local, hit up Rodney Bay. Our favorite spot was called Gravity. Just Go! The rumors are true about St. Lucia. Drugs will be offered to you all the time. A simple “No” works though.
We stayed at the Sandals Grande, and would do so again. Every person that stayed at the other Sandals resorts told us they wished they stayed at the Grande. The beach is better there, and everything is upgraded. Since we try to be nice humans, we befriended the staff we interacted with daily. Having a couple conversations with the groundskeeper got us fresh fruit delivered to our cabana daily. Our cabana hostess most days was Louann. She will always have a special place in our hearts. Cheesy, I know. She escorted us outside the hotel to the Friday jump up so none of the locals would try to take advantage, and always made sure we had rides everywhere. That was not part of her job, so she went way above and beyond what she HAD to do. As a way to say thank you and give back, we payed for her to have a “day pass” at the hotel. That meant she got to do everything a tourist gets to do at the hotel. She loved it and so did we. We have since stayed online friends.
The business card belongs to the taxi service we used multiple times. Big Mark made sure we were well taken care of and was suggested to us by Louann. He was always honest when we asked about certain places to eat, drink, or see!
If you are looking for a stress free vacation with tons of beauty and culture, book a trip to St. Lucia! If you have any specific questions, just ask me! I will try to be as helpful as possible.
Stay Gold & Sparkle 