ST. LUCIA: DISCOVERING THE ISLAND'S TREASURES
St. Lucia… Where do I start ? It took me 37 hours to get there, almost 4 time the normal estimated travel. Making a long story short. A fool attacked a soldier April 18th morning at the airport in Paris. Consequence ? I ran across the airport then got stuck during 7 hours in the departing lounge because of the airport was shut down. A good start don’t you think ? We took off at midnight instead of midday. Nice. In the mean time, my luggage got lost without even leaving the airport and I was forced to depart without it to get my flight. Fantastic !
After 9 hours spent in the first flight, knowing we missed the connection for St. Lucia, we landed in Fort-de-France at 5AM the next… No accomadation to get some rest or a shower was taken in charge by the airline. Awesome. Just so you know: the next connection for St Lucia was at 7 PM. Absolutely awesome !
So what did we do ? We tried to see the situation positevely – not easy giving the circompstances! We rented a car, found a tiny hotel to rest and get clean and then we decided to discover Fort-de-France.
After a day spent in Martinique, we finally made it to our hotel, Ti Kaye Resort & Spa, in St. Lucia, after a short flight and dealing with the administrative issues concerning my luggage – I will recover it only on the next Wednesday. We arrived at the Ti Kaye resort at 9PM on Sunday – we arrived at the airport in Paris at 8AM on Saturday.
This travel was already epic ! St. Lucia was under pressure to make us forget all the troubles we had to get there. No pressure !
You know what ? St. Lucia was memorable ! A drop dead gorgeous island, with the sweetest people. And the nature : incredible. A total must go and see !
St. Lucia is located in the Carribean and was the scene of the battlefied between the French and the English, which explains a lot in its culture. Indeed, even though people speak English or Creole, many locations or buildings have French names. Pretty funny to see. St. Lucia is famous for its nature, its beaches, its diving and snorkeling spots, but most and formost for its vulcano. Due to its particularities and its magnificent landscapes many movies were shot on the island – hello Pirates of the Carribean !
Now you know more about the island. Let me introduce you my favorite spots, I discovered during my stay!
HOT SPOTS
Stay :
Ti Kaye Resort & Spa: An amazing resort in an authentic creole style located in Anse Cochon – which means "pig" in French by the way. The villas are super nice and comfortable. The service is amazing – trust me when I say that, I wouldn’t have get my luggage so easily if they didn’t help me during the entire process ! Oh I almost forgot to tell you about the view…. MAGNIFICENT!
Eat:
Doolittle : Located in the splendid Marigot Bay, the Doolittle serves some delicious meals inspired from the local gastronomy. Perfectly cooked Fresh fishes, curries, spicy meats,... The hardest part is to choose!
Do :
Snorkeling / Diving at Soufrières : What a better setting than snorkeling or diving at the bottom of a vulcano ? None! It is so impressive. Kind of breath taking and totally worthing it ! I have never seen so much marine life in one spot. I recommend you to do it in a small group with local diving guides. The courants are super strong, so don’t do this alone !
Watching whale and dolphins : Sounds cliché, isn’t it ? Maybe. But when you live in Paris like me, when do you get the chance to see whales and dolphins in their natural habitat? Never ! During the excursion, we were lucky enough to see two humpback whales and a herd of pilot whales. Magic !
Kai Koko Spa : If like me you like a little massage – especially after a 37 hours long travel –, go to the Kai Koko Spa at the Ti Kaye Resort & Spa. They have various massages adapted to every needs. And the best part is the view ! I recommend you go to the jacuzzi at sunset time to watch the most amazing spectacle while relaxing. This was the true definition of luxury.
See:
Castries : Castries is the capital of St Lucia. Therefore, this where you get to discover the economic center of the island and also its lovely cathedral and spice market. In Castries, take the time to chill, observe the lifestyle of the locals and look at the colorful houses.
Botanical Gardens : Created by the family Devaux under Louis XIV, the Botanical gardens of St Lucia is one of the island wonder. There, you get to see the Diamond Waterfall, but also so many species of flowers and trees. I enjoyed it so much, it was insane. It was like being in a dream - or a Disney movie, whatever you prefer!
La Soufrières : St Lucia’s volcano and the town nearby are named La Soufrière. The volcano is the main attraction of the island – it’s not everyday you can go to a vulcano crater. Anyway, it is definitely something to see, at least to learn more about the history of the island and its people.
Fond Doux Cacao Plantation : If you like off-the-beaten tracks activities, this one is for you. During my stay at St Lucia, I was lucky enough to visit Fond Doux's cacao plantation, located nearby the vulcano. There you get to discover how the cacao is produced and transformed to become the chocolate we all know !
Marigot Bay : Probably the most gorgeous bay of the island, Marigot Bay corresponds in every way to what you imagine when you dream of the Caribbean: palm trees, blue water, ...There you will also find a lot of very nice restaurants gathering locals and tourists, coming at sundown to have diner and drinks.
#DETAILSMATTER
Listen to the locals: The best advice you can get when you want to discover a place, a city or a country comes from the locals. They live there, so listen to them! You will do and see things that are not in guide books. Priceless!
Island time: By saying this, I mean - not only me by the way, even the locals use it - that there is a special lifestyle in Caribbean island that you have to take in consideration as a foreigner. A particular rhythm to be exact: people there are chill. What do I recommend? Just relax and do the same!
(Photo credit: 4am Journal)