St. Lucia - Has anybody been??

[Connie]

Just wondering if anyone has been to St. Lucia and if the beauty and water compares to the USVI's??

[Nic in KC]

I haven't been because I've never heard anyone come home and rave about it. I've had several people I know travel to St. Lucia and the pics never look like my St. John or even Mexico, St. Maarten, Aruba pictures. I always tell people that I've never heard a raving review and they still go and then come home and say the same things that the other people have said...the water isn't as blue, the sand isn't white like they hoped, the snorkeling wasn't good, I've heard several times that people got "bored". There are obviously people that like it, but just none that I've known.

[pjayer]

Hi Connie. We took a cruise in April and one of our ports was St. Lucia. It's hard to get a true feel for an island in just one day, but my impression is it's not like STJ. We traveled around the island and spent a few hours at Jalousie Beach which is located between the Pitons. It's an incredibly gorgeous view and a very nice beach, but the water didn't seem as blue when we were there. I did see a few people snorkeling, but the water wasn't as clear as STJ. I'd be interested in hearing from others who have spent more time there, because it is a pretty island.



I did share my rum punch with this little cutie. He asked me if I was coming back next year. Think there's a future for me there?

[Exit Zero]

I have been to St Lucia a few times - including a week anchored right where PJ 's picture of Jalousie Beach was taken, just a couple years ago. It is now the Soufrierre Marine Preserve.
It is a big Island -- 230+ sq. mi , high, over 3100', and much more populated than STJ. The town of Castries is a bustling Caribbean city. There is a lot of great guided hiking - to rainforests, waterfalls, spectacular views etc. - a lot of forested areas with wildlife - a zip line ride over the canopy - some great botanical gardens and hot springs. I was never bored. It would take along time to explore and the outlying villages are very remote in some cases. Ladera is a world class spa. There is more development each year especially in the yachting and Hotel sector. Rodney Bay and Marigot are fine yachting centers. There are some truly beautiful resorts with stunning architectural designs.
It is nothing like STJ - the pristine beaches and easy snorkeling sites that are in close proximity to everything and the Cruz Bay quaintness, Coral Bay character and stateside amenities available everywhere make the VI unique in the Caribbean.
St Lucia is a very worthy vacation trip if you are trying to get away from the American-style vacation destinations.

[Exit Zero]

There is not as much blue Caribbean color in the water around St Lucia because it has rivers and guts that empty into the sea bringing particles into the water - STJ with no fresh water generally entering from the land, has very crystal clear visibility in most places.

[Kathyzhere]

Haven't been yet, but it is on my
short list of places to see!

Curious to see the replies as well.

Gotta get to those Pitons someday

Enjoy,
Kathy

[AnyTing]

You won't find STJ style beaches on St. Lucia. Most of the beaches are black or brown sand so it lacks that super clear, super aqua water you see on STJ. The beaches are very beautiful in a different way, but will not have the look or feel of a STJ beach. The Jalousie beach (in the photo above) is very beautiful, particularly because of the dramatic rise of the Pitons on either side. It is white sand, but only because it is man made (sand was brought in from another island). There is a beach on the North end called Cariblue Beach (at the Le Sport resort) that is probably as close to a STJ beach as you may find there.

St. Lucia is very rugged, mountainous, and lush with rain forests, volcanoes, gardens, etc. If you are interested in those other things, you will likely love St. Lucia. If you are primarily looking for the tranquil white sand beach with calm, clear water, you might not like it as well.

A few pics to help you decide!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/263827592/" title="St. Lucia - black sand beach by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/114/2638 ... 2a5294.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="St. Lucia - black sand beach"></a>
Anse Chastanet Beach

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/2204503105/" title="Cariblue Beach by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/220 ... 836c96.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Cariblue Beach"></a>
Cariblue Beach

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/2204516249/" title="Fond d'or beach by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2404/220 ... 480cc4.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Fond d'or beach"></a>
Fond d'or Beach

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/2205283674/" title="Village of Anse la Rey by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2372/220 ... f9cc65.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Village of Anse la Rey"></a>
Village of Anse la Rey

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/2205311868/" title="Jalousie's beach by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/220 ... fba6f4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Jalousie's beach"></a>
Jalousie Beach

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42427255@N00/263827262/" title="St. Lucia town view by Vicki_H, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/112/2638 ... fcf83c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="St. Lucia town view"></a>
View of Soufriere

[Connie]

Thanks all...I'm really a beach/turquoise water kind of gal, so I think I'll stick to STT and STJ.

[Kathyzhere]

Hey thanks Vicki for posting those photos.

They're beautiful!! I know that St Lucia will

be a hit for me...LOVE the lush, mountainous

islands. The sand will take some getting used

to but I can put up with that for all the

breathtaking beauty.

Enjoy,
Kathy

ps What part of the island did you stay?

[AnyTing]

Spent 1/2 the trip in a villa at the Jalousie Hilton (between the Pitons on the south end) and 1/2 the trip in a villa in Cap Estate (on the extreme northern tip of the island). It allowed us to see all of it. We had an SUV and pretty much drove every road they had (I don't recommend that, btw! Their roads make the worst STJ road look like a cake walk). It was an adventure for sure.

[liamsaunt]

Beautiful photos, Vicki. I've been considering St. Lucia, so thanks for the perspective.

[Pianogrl]

I agree with the above posters...it is a beautiful island in its own right. Different in many ways to STJ as far as sand, waters, roads, amenities, etc. but a beautiful place to visit. Personally I prefer STJ for the overall island vacation but St. Lucia is definately worth a trip there!

[toni]

My husband and I stopped there on a cruise visit in January. So here's my short perspective. We did a 5+ hour tour of it and thought it very beautiful. One thing people haven't mentioned is because it's so mountainous, the roads are definitely more twisty than STJ. I got car sick , something that hasn't happened since I was a child.

It is one of the islands that we definitely want to go back to, that and Antigua. We thought the people were very nice and enjoyed the scenery. It's not STJ, but variety is fun too. St. Lucia seemed to offer a lot of things to do from the sulphur springs, banana plantations; beaches, little towns and big towns.

[philbetm]

Six of us went there in early April. We all came home agreeing we would stick with our sweet STJ! I had always dreamed of this trip to see the Pitons and drive in volcano. Pitons great...all I can say!

Our snorkleing...not so good...Oh we wanted to be on STJ!! White sand beaches,wonderful breezes and crystal clear water!!


Sherry in SC