St. Lucia: Gem of the Caribbean

What to Do

St. Lucia does not disappoint with excursions on ATVs, zip-lining through the rainforest on a canopy tour, or hiking the Piton Mountains. Water-lovers can head offshore for snorkeling, scuba diving, wind surfing or kite boarding. If you are not familiar with a zip-line, just think of the old cartoon, George of the Jungle. You are fitted with a harness with a pulley and clipped on a cable, and careen across the rainforest from platform to platform hundreds of feet above the ground.

Snorkeling at the beach is great for beginners and younger kids, but to see some real sea life, I suggest heading off shore to one of the recommended dive spots where there are many more varieties of fish and maybe you will even see a leatherback or loggerhead turtle or a whale in the distance. Since I am not an expert diver, and my youngest is still not very confident in her skills, one of our favorites is the Anse Chastanet Reef. You can swim out from the beach to a clear depth of 25 feet and explore the reef which eventually drops off to a depth of 140 feet. It offers some of the best diving in St. Lucia.

What to See

While there is much to see on St. Lucia, and the entire island is beautiful, there are four “must-sees” that shouldn’t be missed.

• Marigot Bay. This is a serene, sequestered, natural harbor that once provided a hideout for pirate ships. It was also the setting for the original Doctor Doolittle film—the 1967 musical starring Rex Harrison as a vet who can talk with the animals. In my book, it’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Marigot is a small, sheltered, crystal clear bay surrounded by palm trees and quaint little restaurants and bars. It’s often dotted with anchored sailboats and the occasional powerboat. Guests at the Discovery at Marigot Bay can ride the Sunshine Express—considered to be the first solar-powered ferry in the Caribbean.
  

• Kayaking the crystal blue waters of St. Lucia
• Courtesy of St. Lucia Tourist Board

• Pigeon Island. This is a small outcrop connected to St. Lucia by a causeway. Home of Fort Rodney, the Pigeon Island Museum and Interpretive Centre is housed in the former British officers' mess building, which has been meticulously restored to its 1808 condition. My kids love “becoming” a pirate at the strategic perch above the Caribbean. You get a real taste of the area as it was in the 1800s.

• Mt. Soufriere. This active volcano—don’t worry it spews gasses and not ash and lava—is marketed as "the world's only drive-in volcano." You actually drive your car right up to the ancient crater and can walk among the teeming sulphur pools. Once you are over the “unique” smell, it is quite a site to see.

• After Dark. St. Lucia is not known for its nightlife, but depending on the time of year, venture out at night and count nesting leatherback turtles (November to March); kick up your feet to some soca (a combination of soul and calypso) music during the weekly Gros Islet's Jump-Up party (every Friday night at 9 p.m.) and mingle with the locals and sailors at The Lime in Rodney Bay—a great laid back place to get some good local food and waste some time.