Saint Lucia is a beautiful, relatively undeveloped island of the Caribbean archipelago. It is located between Martinique and St. Vincent islands, is 43 km long and 23km wide like an avocado with a variety of accommodation options for you to choose from.
Though the earlier inhabitants of the island were British, the island has a distinct French flavor. Arawak Indians were the first settlers of the island after which a long saga existed between French and British for control over the island. The British finally won the war in 1814 but granted independence to the island in 1979.
The island’s main attractions are the Pitons, which are two soaring peaks on its southern coast that serve as shelter for the islands dense rainforests. The inhabitants of the island are Creole who are as warm as its climate and just love receiving tourists to the island.
The visitors here are usually day trippers who arrive here via cruise liners and who usually shop for souvenirs. The people who have time to explore the island love the walks, cycling trails and beauty spots like the Soufriere volcano with bubbling sulphur springs that are found on the island.
Castries is a beautiful city of St. Lucia surrounded by hills and has a safe and large harbor that is always busy. This is an important cruise ships port. Pointe Seraphine is the main docking spot.
The Derek Walcott Square has a Catholic Cathedral, built in the 19th century, that stands under the shade of a 400 year samaan tree.
Morne Fortune is the ‘hill of good luck’ from which visitors can inspect the fortification which defend Castries. You also get to admire the panoramic view of the city and its surroundings.
There is a street party organized on Gros Islet on the northwest coast of St. Lucia. You can learn about the history of the island from the Pigeon Island National Landmark while Marigot Bay is a secluded yachtsman’s paradise found on the island’s west coaSt.
There are three large banana plantations above Marigot Bay while the villages Choiseul and Laborie are surrounded by wonderful vegetation. The fishing villages of Dennery and Micoud found on the island’s east are also worth a visit.
With trade winds blowing in from the sea to the island’s southern shore, St. Lucia is one of the world’s breeziest places. Both novices and experts love going windsurfing on the sandy beach of Anse de Sable. Water sports enthusiasts will also find lots of resorts and hotels to keep them entertained on the west coast of St. Lucia.
You can also rent hobbycats, small speedboats and dinghies by the hour or day from hotels where cost remains on your hotel board. Experienced sailors can handle small yachts to larger vessels with crew if required from Marigot to Rodney Bay.
You can also make tour operators arrange for a week or longer stay in St. Lucia, with some free floating on chartered yachts. It is up to you to think of something special to make your visit to St. Lucia a great and memorable one.
