St. Lucia - Holiday Review
Submitted by: Sue H - Bradford
I was in St. Lucia in November with a friend; it's a lovely Island, very green and the people so friendly. We flew from Manchester via Barbados with BWIA, it was a good flight. The beauty of going via Barbados was that we then flew into Castries the Airport in the middle of the Island so only took 30 mins transfer time. Most people flew into the South (Hewanorra International Airport) and then the transfer was 1 and a half hours, but I guess there is good and bad about both. BMI have just started a direct flight from Manchester.
We stayed at Club St. Lucia in the North of the Island. It is set in 65 acres. It was All Inclusive with excellent food and facilities. They have 4 pools, one where the activities were going on (Volleyball/aqua aerobics), one with a slide, one for adults only (heaven!) and a swim up bar. There is also a wonderful whirlpool, which is great especially with a cocktail in your hand!
They have a main buffet style restaurant with excellent food choices and certain nights they have a themed evening (i.e. curry night!) There are 3 a la carte restaurants, 1 Italian, 1 Oriental (air-conditioned), 1 International overlooking the ocean on the boardwalk, which was quite interesting when the waves were up; I ended up getting a wet bum! There is 1 adult only restaurant and a kids only area too! For all restaurants you have to make reservations.
There is an adult only bar showing popular sports and a large entertainment area with great evening shows and dancing till the early hours.
The beach is nice but quite small; it is set in a little cove which is sheltered. If you like walking along the beach you can do it in 5 mins, so I took a walk around the complex. There are various chalet style rooms in single-storey buildings set in different village blocks, the rooms are adequate, all with air-conditioning, TV, coffee maker and hairdryer. There is an adult only section and a families section near to the Kids Club (4-12 years) and nursery (3 months-3 years) On the beach there are various watersports on offer including windsurfing, kayaks, water-skiing, jet ski's, pedalo's and snorkelling, There is a small cove at the top of the complex, down a lot of steps but great if you want to escape. There is a little bar serving drinks and snacks, but this is not part of the All Inclusive. Both beaches are also open to the Public, so you are not allowed to go topless!
There is a fitness gym and tennis courts if you are feeling fit.
There are a few shops for all your needs and not badly priced too! There is an internet cafe, which is handy but quite expensive. If you venture out there is also an Internet cafe in Castries which is the capital and a lot cheaper.
We took a taxi to Castries which takes about 30 minutes. Taxi's are reasonable priced and the taxi rank is next door to the hotel. If there is more than 4 of you in a party they have trips from the hotel and this works out cheaper but then you are stuck to set times.
Castries was OK for a capital city, a bit dirty and scruffy looking, they had a nice harbour area and 2 cruise ships were docked. There was a good indoor market where I got lots of great bargains. You can barter, but give a reasonable price as they put a lot of effort into making things.
Another day we went shopping to a little complex at Rodney Bay, this is 15 mins away from the hotel. They had some nice shops and cafes serving local food. Also at Rodney Bay they have great bars/nightclubs if you want a good night out amongst the locals. I felt safe as long as you don't go away from the area and on your own.
In any duty free shop you must take your passport and tickets with you to buy anything.
Another great night out was the Friday street party,(10 mins from hotel) everyone seems to go to this, all locals and tourists. There are little stalls serving drinks and local food delights. They have big boom speakers and a little square were everyone struts there stuff! Quite an entertaining night. Don't be shy to have a dance with the locals they are very polite.
We didn't go on any excursions but heard the Pitons (mountains) in the south were amazing to see. There are sulphur springs, botanical gardens, and fantastic snorkelling and dive sites.
The best time to go to the Caribbean is Jan-June, the worst months are August and September when they get the worse rainfall. It rained quite a bit in November whilst we were there.
The currency is either US$ or the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$) there is approx. EC$5 to £1
When leaving the airport you need to pay a departure tax of either $US20 or EC$54
I would recommend Club St. Lucia to mainly families, groups and singles. I would rate it as a good 3* hotel.
There were quite a few weddings whilst we were there, they have two gazebo's one overlooking the ocean on top of the cliff with amazing views. The weddings seemed a little impersonal, but great if you are on a budget.
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