Six Days in St. Lucia - Heaven on Earth
Welcome to a land that is unlike any other tropical destination you’ve experienced before. With its stunning Pitons, windy roads, friendly people, lush landscapes, and beautiful beaches, there’s many to do and see on the island of St. Lucia. My goal with this post is to share my experience with you in hopes that it will inspire YOU to make the trip to this majestic island. Don't let that tiny little scroll bar on the right side intimidate you. This post is mostly pictures!
I was fortunate enough to experience this Jurassic-like island with my dear friend and fellow photographer, Diana Deaver. Please check out her wonderful work here:
https://dianadeaverweddings.com/
Please note: all photos featured on this post were taken by either Diana or I.
With both of us awed and left in wanderlust traveling to the dream-like island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas last year, our expectations and hopes were extremely high this time around. We feared we might be disappointed in comparison, but after spending six days and five nights in the town of Soufriere, we were exceptionally satisfied.
Both of us love photography. Add in the excitement of traveling to a new destination with our gear, and you’ve got two women who are in a photographer’s heaven. It was Diana’s brilliant idea to make this trip into a reality.
I’ve actually never really heard of St. Lucia before. Research led to discovering that it is a common honeymoon and couples destination – and after spending some time there, I can see why. But fear not - don’t let this statement steer you away from making the trip with friends, family, or even solo. If you love hiking, beaches, snorkeling, diving, shopping, dining, boating, water sports, adventure, photography, socializing, partying, experiencing new cultures, and just overall being outdoors, then you’ll love this island.
Accommodations
Our experience began with the planning of our flights and accommodations. Neither of us like staying at a typical resort. Although it certainly has its perks, in my respectful opinion, resort-life causes you to miss out on the local culture and blinds you of a true experience. So we searched the web for a place to stay in the town of Soufriere through well-known AirBnb. At $50 a night for the BOTH of us, our rental was a fabulous find. You can find the link to our rental here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14672335.
Our view was amazing, and location was on-point. We chose Soufriere because it was close to everything that we wanted to explore: the Pitons, Sulphur Springs, Sugar Beach, waterfalls, and hiking trails. We were also very close to downtown (pictured below).
Transportation
Because we did not want to rely on public transportation and yearned for freedom of exploration, we decided to rent a car. I don’t recommend this for the faint of heart. Cars drive on the left-hand side of the road, and most roads besides the main thru-way are not paved and drastically change in elevation. We also learned through online research that SUVs and/or vehicles with four-wheel drive are highly recommended, due to the difficult terrain. However, we opted for a standard four-door vehicle for $50/day and were fine (see below). The rental company, Islander Cars, arranged to have the car waiting for us at the airport. It was approximately a one hour drive from UVF airport located in Vieux Fort to our AirBnb in Soufriere. Here is our rental company of choice, which we were extremely satisfied with: http://www.islandercars.com/.
Flights
As for flights, tickets are generally on the more expensive side. I traveled from Boston to UVF and the cost was $1,000 round trip (without using my airline points), and Diana traveled from Charlotte and paid the same. We traveled at the end of July and found that tickets were the same price throughout the summer. If you have points through an airline that happens to fly there, I’d look into using them. I personally purchased American Airlines tickets for my flight there and bought JetBlue tickets for my flight back. Since I had accrued points with JetBlue, my flight home was free.
Food
Now we'll talk FOOD. We opted to go grocery shopping at the Massy supermarket on our way to our AirBnb from the UVF airport in Vieux Fort. Massy is conveniently located down the road from the airport, on the way to Soufriere. Since there's really only one "main" road, you cannot miss it. Keep in mind that St. Lucia’s currency is EC (Eastern Carribean Dollar), with the exchange rate being $1 US to $2.65 EC. Our total grocery bill for the week totaled to around $200 EC, so, you do the math! This food covered all of our breakfast, lunch, and even one to two dinners. Now that’s a bargain!
Don't worry, we didn't survive solely on grocery food the entire time. We dined at a few restaurants for dinner, one of which was to DIE FOR and I feel must be mentioned in this post. I must say that this was probably the BEST meal I have ever had dining out. The name of the restaurant is Boucan by Hotel Chocolat (https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/boucan/restaurant/boucan-food-menu.html). This is not a sponsored post, but I'll take a sponsorship so I can go back! I was just so impressed that I would love for you all to experience this fine dining if you do travel to Soufriere. It was so good that we went twice. And guys, trust me when I say this, my food standards are HIGH. I grew up with a mother from Turkey who made homemade meals every single night, so you can trust my judgement on this one.
One thing to note: chocolate is incorporated into ALL of the food at Boucan by Hotel Chocolat. Even our bread had pieces of chocolate in it. They incorporate chocolate into the dishes in ways that are so brilliant and thus, blew my mind. Anyways, go check them out please. You won't be disappointed. And if you are, then you must be some sort of alien with odd taste.
Another unique experience we had that I will never forget is eating the fresh fruit. A local gentleman sold us mangoes, starfruit, and passion fruit. The mangoes were delicious and ripe, and the starfruit was the largest I've ever seen. We later learned that we could have just collected our own free mangoes because of the abundance of them falling from trees that lay on the ground. However, we made a local friend and learned more about him and his family. And I'd say that experience is priceless in itself!
Sites and Exploration
Now let’s talk about all of the wonderful sites we saw in St. Lucia. I’ve created a list to make it an easier read for you:
Sulphur Springs: Residing just outside of downtown Soufriere, the hot springs provide you with a very unique experience that you can learn more about here: http://soufrierefoundation.org/discover/attractions/sulphur_springs_park/. Don’t let the smell of sulfur deter you from visiting! With an entrance fee of only $5.50 US, you have as much time as you need to enjoy the geothermal springs and slather the black mud on your skin. Results are amazing - with smooth and soft skin that lasts for at least 24 hours. It was very crowded when we went there. My recommendation is to either go in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the crowds. There were two pools: the first one was where all of the people were flocking to. My guess is because no one was in the second pool (featured below). Therefore, my anti-social self decided to hang out in the lonely pool for some peace and quiet. I'd recommend the second pool. There was plenty of mud there to slather on. Please note: the water is gray because of the black mud. Also, the water is hot and takes some getting used to before you decide to jump right in.
The Pitons: You cannot travel to St. Lucia and not get a glimpse of the famous Pitons. We were determined to hike the Grand Piton, but learned that we would not have enough time, as the journey requires a full-day of planning. However, we were able to see these beauties up close from the Tet Paul Nature Trail (which is my next bullet), and I must say – they are a sight to see. Fun fact: the Grand Piton is actually smaller than the Petit Piton. Why? I'm not sure. If you're more curious than I am, look it up and let me know the answer to that question!
Tet Paul Nature Trail: Just 15 minutes from our AirBnb, the Tet Paul Nature Trail provides beautiful scenic views of the Pitons and a relatively easy hiking trail through local tropical fruit farms. Admission is $10 US per person and that includes a tour guide. We spent a few hours taking pictures and exploring the terrain. Even though it may seem a little pricey, a visit is a must. Not only do you get a beautiful view of the Pitons, but you also learn more about the local agriculture.
Sugar Beach: If you’re looking for white sands and clear blue water, Sugar Beach should be on your to-do list! Sugar Beach can only be accessed through the Viceroy Resort, located 10 minutes from downtown Soufriere. If you are renting a car like us, you are allowed to park in the visitor's parking lot and then take a shuttle to Guest Services, where you pay an entrance fee of $25 US for the entire day, and then take another shuttle to Sugar Beach. Beach access is technically free because all beaches in St. Lucia are public beaches, so the $25 US goes towards any food and/or drinks that you purchase at the resort restaurant.
Despite the price, Sugar Beach was one of the best beaches near the town of Soufriere. There are many water sports available to choose from at the beach, with a fee of course. Be warned: if you are not a Viceroy resort guest, you must pay a $50 US fee to sit on the provided beach chairs on the left-hand side of the beach. However, it is free to lay down on your towel anywhere, and there are also beach chairs provided on the right-hand side that are free and open to the public. You will know what I'm talking about when you get there.
Another fun fact: the sand at Sugar Beach was imported from Trinidad and Tobago. The property has gone through many owners, with the original "sand" consisting of pebbles. The imported white sand looked like sugar, hence the name Sugar Beach.
Anse Chastanet Beach: This is the first beach Diana and I went to once we arrived. Since it was the beginning of our trip, I was still getting used to driving the rental car and wasn't really aware of how scary the roads in St. Lucia can be. We soon discovered that the road to Anse Chastanet was a tricky one. The road starts off at a really steep incline and remains rough throughout the journey. We passed by a truck that had a difficult time climbing up a hill that we were going down - which made me worry that we wouldn't be able to get out when we left, but surprisingly, we had NO issues with our little car! Similar to Sugar Beach, Anse Chastanet is approximately 10-15 minutes from downtown Soufriere.
The rough road to get there is totally worth the trip. Once you arrive to the main beach, you have the option to stay, or walk seven minutes to the more private beach. We chose to walk to the private beach because the main beach was a little too small for us. As soon as we got there, I felt like we were in Phuket due to the beautiful rock formations (I've never been to Phuket but I've seen pictures. Maybe that will be our next trip Diana, wink wink, hint hint)
The beach is beautiful as well. We were one of the few people there. There is a restaurant and beach chairs, which again, you have to pay for if you are using them, but you don't have to use them and otherwise, admission to the beach is free.
Malgretoute Beach: We both love beaches and therefore looked for as many beaches as we could find. One of the lesser known beaches by tourists, Malgretoute Beach, is located just north of the Petit Piton, pretty much on the other side of Sugar Beach. A little rockier, but just as beautiful, we were one of few people there when we arrived. We stayed to catch the sunset and take pictures of each other because, well.....that's what we do.
Superman Falls: The trip to this beautiful waterfall was a spontaneous adventure that we are both grateful for. I think it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We stumbled upon this destination on our way back from Sulphur Springs. Two gentlemen, Wayne and Justin, served as our tour guides as we took a 30 minutes walk through the jungle to get to a private waterfall at the end. They educated us about the healing abilities of the local plants during our hike, which was truly amazing. Superman Falls was beautiful and secluded. The water is gray in color due to Sulphur Springs. We spent probably over an hour at the waterfall, taking photographs and swimming in the cool water. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Brand Collaboration
We were fortunate to collaborate with a couple of brands for this trip. Our mission was to take stunning photos of their merchandise while in beautiful St. Lucia. We would love for you to check them both out here:
Breath & Bstyll: https://www.breatheandbstyll.com/
Pam Older Designs: https://www.pamolderdesigns.com/
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions about our trip or are looking for more tips to plan your trip to St. Lucia, send me a message or leave a comment below. And as always, I would be so grateful if you shared this post. Until next time!
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions about our trip or are looking for more tips to plan your trip to St. Lucia, send me a message or leave a comment below. And as always, I would be so grateful if you shared this post. Until next time!