Travel Dates: November 2023
Things to do in Saint Lucia:
Tet Paul Nature Hike – Do not miss this relatively easy hike for beautiful views of Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the two famous mountains on the island. The hike is a ~45 minute loop and costs $10 USD per person, which includes an optional tour guide.
When driving towards the trail, it may be easier to enter Fond Doux Eco Resort into the GPS. When you arrive, instead of driving into the resort, make a left and you’ll see a sign for Tet Paul Nature Trail. Continue driving on the path and keep following the signs on the road. At the trail entrance, there is parking available and restrooms. They also offer hiking sticks to borrow if needed.
The hike primarily consists of stepped paths with wooden hand rails. It’s shady for the most part until you reach the peak. The tour guides do a decent job being mindful of the best times/spots to take a break.
Pigeon Island – Make a trip to this national park to hike, swim, or picnic. It costs 53 EC, or 20 USD for two people. Free parking is available on the left side of the beach before entering Pigeon Island, and there is a taxi stand for those who need to hail a cab.
After paying the entrance fee, you’ll see a large display map to help you navigate the area. Walking towards the left and up the hill for ~20 minutes gets you to the military remains of Fort Rodney. The path is rocky but paved, although the last few minutes of the hike are steep (there are wooden hand rails here for assistance if needed). At the end, there are steps and a ladder to climb to the top of the fort. I definitely recommend this hike as the views are excellent.
There is also the Signal Peak hike, which is ~18 minutes more from Fort Rodney and more challenging. The path is unpaved, very rocky, and steep at times. The rocks here also radiate off a lot of heat so it is noticeably hotter. If you’re walking from Fort Rodney, follow the signs toward Signal Peak. When you encounter a “Watt-A-Trail” sign, bare left to continue up the hill. In my opinion, the views at Signal Peak aren’t as nice as Fort Rodney’s, so feel free to skip this if you’re short on time.
The journey back down took about 17 minutes. Back at the fork with “Watt-A-Trail,” take the path on the right to head back towards the entrance.
Gros Piton – We don’t recommend this hike unless you’re up for a challenge. We thought the views from Tet Paul Nature Hike were better and that hike was significantly easier, shorter, and cheaper.
The Gros Piton hike is ~4 hours roundtrip and costs 50 USD per person, which includes a mandatory tour guide. It’s an uphill climb with rock scrambles and steep steps, although some parts of the path do include wooden railings for aid. Before starting the hike, you’ll need to sign a waiver. There’s also restrooms here and the ability to rent hiking poles for 5 USD.
After several minutes into the hike, there will be a small shop that sells drinks and ice cream. The trail will have three additional stops/resting points before reaching the top, each roughly 30 minutes apart from each other. The first stop is a small shack where water is sold, the second offers a view of Petit Piton, and the third is a mango tree.
We were unlucky to hike in the rain so the views at the top of Gros Piton were obscured. If you are interested in doing this hike but are worried about the intensity, you can hike to the halfway point (Petit Piton view) and then turn back.
A few other items to keep in mind if you decide to do the hike:
- Trail Schedule: The trail opens at 7 am, and the last tour is at 2 pm. Although we went at 12:30pm, we were the last ones on the hike and by the time we got back down, the water hut and small shop were closed.
- Directions: When driving towards the trail, be vigilant for road signs to guide you to the destination. Upon reaching the trail entrance, you’ll see a sign to park on the right side of the road.
- Gratuity Advisory: Tipping is accepted at the conclusion of the hike. However, it’s noteworthy that our guide explicitly requested a $20 tip.
- Hydration: Make sure to bring enough water. We only had 1.7 liters between two people and it was barely enough.
Sugar Beach – Situated between the two Pitons, the beach here has amazing views and is a must-see. Although it is part of Viceroy Resort and the nightly rates are expensive, you can access the beach as a non-hotel guest (all beaches in Saint Lucia are free to the public).
After parking at the visitor parking lot and walking 10 minutes down a steep path, we arrived at the beach where you can rent chairs and umbrellas for $75 per person. If you’re planning to eat/drink at the onsite restaurant, make sure to keep the receipt to access a shuttle ride back to the parking lot.
One of the highlights of Sugar Beach is the availability of anchored floaties to lounge in and relax. Some floaties are shallow enough to walk to, but some require a bit of swimming if they’re anchored in greater depths. The water is clear and tranquil here, which also make it excellent for snorkeling.
Anse Chastanet Beach/ Anse Mamin Beach – Two beaches located at Anse Chastanet Resort and Jade Mountain Resort that are accessible through an “off-road” drive to the hotels. The road is rough, unpaved, and steep, so SUVs are highly recommended.
Upon arrival, park on the left for visitors and guests, then walk past the parking gates straight to the beach. You’ll see a restaurant with a restroom near the entrance, and on the right is Anse Chastanet Beach, where there are boats docking in the water. For a quieter experience, walk to the end of the beach and follow the sign to Anse Mamin, an 8-minute stroll away. Due to fewer visitors at Anse Mamin beach, we were able to use the chairs and umbrellas for free. There is also a beach bar and restroom for convenience.
I prefer Sugar Beach, but for budget-conscious travelers, Anse Mamin is a good alternative.
Viewpoints along the drive near the Pitons – There are a few quick and easy stops along the drive that I recommend to stop at:
- Mirador Piton Santa Lucia – Lovely view of the Pitons against the backdrop of Soufriere. This stop can be found on Google Maps on the right side of the road if you’re driving from the south to the north.
- Soufriere View Point – A picturesque view of Soufriere, this spot can also be found on Google Maps on the left side of the road if you are driving towards the town.
- UNESCO World Heritage sign – A great view of the UNESCO World Heritage sign with the Pitons in the background. The spot cannot be found on Google Maps, but if you drive from Soufriere View Point towards the south (i.e. towards Tet Paul Nature Hike) for ~30 seconds, it’ll be on the right side.
Places to stay in Saint Lucia
Harbor Curio (Hilton) – We chose to stay at the Hilton due to our Diamond status, which provided complimentary continental breakfast (with an option to upgrade to a hot buffet), a daily complimentary rum punch or sangria at the bar (available 6:30 – 7:30 pm), and the opportunity to upgrade to a suite or a swim-up room. The staff is exceptionally friendly, with everyone ensuring that your stay is enjoyable. While I highly recommend this hotel, I want to mention that it is located in the northern part of the island, approximately 1.5 hours from the airport and around 2 hours from the Pitons area. Additionally, it’s essential to note that the hotel is situated at a marina, not on a beach.
Other amenities of the hotel include free parking, pool towels, and live performances in the evenings on the weekend (they had fire dancing and a live band).
Zoëtry Marigot Bay – There are many luxury resorts in Saint Lucia, making this island a prime destination for honeymooners. Majority of these hotels have rooms that are partially opened (i.e. one side of the wall is completely exposed) so we opted for Zoëtry given the rooms are fully enclosed. The only downside was at night, it was still loud due to the whistling frogs outside.
Valet parking is included upon arrival, and welcome drinks along with refreshment towels were promptly provided. Opting for the all-inclusive package ensured that all meals and beverages were covered (with the exception of Meraki, an offsite restaurant). In the room, a stocked fridge offered complimentary bottles of water, soda, beer, juices, rum, and champagne. Additionally, our room featured a small outdoor plunge pool, providing a delightful touch to our overall experience at Zoëtry.
The restaurants on premise that we tried were 1461 (breakfast/dinner), Rum Cave Restaurant (dinner), and Le Bateau (lunch). The smoothies for breakfast at 1461 were delicious, as were the shrimp and braised beef short ribs on the dinner menu. The steak at the Rum Cave was cooked perfectly medium-rare and tender, while the lunch at Le Bateau had average bar food offerings.
The hotel offers a free, quick boat ride to access Marigot Beach across the bay. The pontoon is docked at Hurricane Hole (another one of Zoëtry’s offsite restaurants), and the last returning ride departs at 4:45pm. Once at the beach, Zoëtry guests can access complimentary beach amenities (chairs, umbrellas, drinks) and water sports (snorkeling gear and kayaks).
Places to eat in Saint Lucia
Dukes Place – Only open Fridays and Saturdays, Dukes Place offers fresh grilled local seafood. We ordered two marlin fish platers and one lambi (conch) with sides of rice, green fig (banana) salad, and coleslaw. The total was 105 EC, which they converted to 42 USD since they only accept cash. The fish and green fig salad were delicious.
Spice of India – They have an excellent lunch prix fixe for 53 EC per person. The food was fantastic, and the mini complimentary watermelon strawberry lassi is refreshing.
Julia’s at Harbor Curio – Dinner at the Harbor Curio hotel offers a variety of Caribbean cuisine. Throughout our stay, our favorite dishes were pork ribs from the mixed grilled platter, pan roasted shrimp, Lobster Thermidor, curry goat, and fried sweet plantains.
What you need to know/Other tips for visiting Saint Lucia
To enter Saint Lucia, you will need to fill out an immigration form. To save time, you can fill out the form online starting 3 days prior to your flight. Only one form needs to be filled per group/family. Save the QR codes that will be emailed to you upon completion (one per person and one for luggages) as they will be scanned upon going through customs and declaration.
If you plan to drive on the island, be prepared for a hectic experience. Most of the roads are mountain roads, so there are a lot of twists, turns, and steep hills. In addition, be ready to slow down for numerous pot holes and speed bumps, yield to oncoming traffic on narrow streets, and account for extra travel time due to constant traffic throughout the day. I recommend renting a Suzuki Jimny; not only does it offer good ground clearance, but its small size also made navigating narrow roads easier. Make sure to bring a phone mount for the car if you’re planning to use the phone as a map. Lastly, be mindful that driving in Saint Lucia is on the left hand side.
The official currency in Saint Lucia is Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC). If a vendor is cash only and you don’t have EC, you can pay in USD, but be mindful the exchange rate they calculate will usually make you lose out on a few dollars. And if you pay in USD, they will give you back EC in change.
Some restaurants will automatically add a service charge (usually 10%) onto the bill, which is essentially tip.
Globe Trotter 