Luscious Saint Lucia

emilyelizabethfran
May 12, 2015
5 min read

Arriving in Soufriere, home of Saint Lucia's infamous Pitons

Sailing by these breathtaking Pitons was only the beginning of my beautiful week in Saint Lucia. I was fortunate to spend seven days on this southern Caribbean island with close friends at the end of April, and the time spent on this picturesque volcanic island (sometimes referred to as the Caribbean Hawaii) was fascinating and awe-inspiring. Now, as my tan begins to fade, I thought I'd share a list of my favourite things to see and do on the island of Saint Lucia.

Sailing along the island's Caribbean coast

1. Sail down the island's west coast to see the Pitons - Saint Lucia is a small sovereign island with a population fewer than 200,000; it takes only two hours to drive across the entire country. While this paradisiacal island may not be particularly cosmopolitan, it is particularly stunning. Just sail along the island’s west coast, and you’ll know exactly what I mean. To get to Saint Lucia’s signature Pitons (two mountainous volcanic spires at the south end of the island) we ventured to the town of Soufriere with Carnival Sailing. The views from our catamaran were magnificent, especially when we neared the twin peaks in Soufriere. Traveling there by boat was much more relaxing than driving across the island, and a great way to see Saint Lucia’s beautiful beaches. We also passed several colourful coastal villages and communities on the way.

A beautiful wax flower at the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens

2. Visit the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens in Soufriere - After arriving in Soufriere, we journeyed to the town’s sought-after botanical gardens, where the famous Diamond Waterfall is located. Just as a diamond’s many facets reflect luminosity in varying colours, the Diamond Waterfall is named such, as it reveals varying colours behind its flowing water, depending on which mineral infuses the water most that day. While the waterfall is a site to behold, the surrounding botanical gardens host an eclectic collection of plants and spices, originally brought by British and French imperialists, when they colonized the island.

Great Britain and France fought over the island of Saint Lucia fourteen times in total; each country was victorious seven times, and Great Britain took final claim of the island in 1814. Now a part of the British Commonwealth, Saint Lucia became a sovereign country in 1979.

The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens houses everything from palm trees, wax flowers and orchids, to vanilla plants, cocoa beans, coffee beans, and more than one hundred types of ferns.

Inside the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens

The gardens' namesake: the Diamond Waterfall

3. Visit the island's volanic crater (the world's only volcano that you can drive into) and bathe in the naturally therepeutic sulphur waters - On the southwest side of Saint Lucia lies a massive volcanic crater with sulphur springs. Many tour companies, including Carnival Sailing, take tourists here to bathe in the sulphur waters. After a quick dip in the steamy sulphur water, we covered ourselves in volcanic mud, a ritual that is said to remedy everything from arthritic joint pain and dry skin, to acne and mosquito bites. While the smell of the sulphur springs was not exactly inviting, the one-of-a-kind experience was an all-natural spa treatment that instantly stopped my mosquito bites from itching. Just be sure to wear a bathing suit you’re not terribly found of – the mud tends to stain slightly, and is hard to remove from clothing.

Visiting the world's only drive-in volcano at Mount Soufriere

4. Visit a colonial cocoa plantation - One destination I wish we had spent more time at was the Fond Doux Cocoa Plantation. This former colonial cocoa plantation is now an eco-friendly resort and spa. We enjoyed a delicious Creole lunch there, before sailing back to our resort along the Caribbean coast.

Cocoa beans at the Fond Doux Plantation & Resort

5. Snorkel along the Carribean coast - Prior to this trip, I had always been trepidatious when it came to snorkeling. As a weak swimmer, I feared the possible malfunction of my snorkel, but my Saint Lucian snorkeling experience dispelled all my former fears. Swimming up the Caribbean coast, peering into the turquois ocean, introduced me to starfish, sea urchins and schools of shimmering fish weaving in and out of coral reefs. I highly recommend snorkeling while you’re in Saint Lucia.

My friend, Heather, snaps a selfie while snorkelling

My friend Olivia, caught this shot of me zip lining across the rainforest

6. Zip line through the rainforest - Zip lining across the rainforest was one of my favourite Saint Lucian adventures. After driving to Treetop Adventure Park in the centre of the rainforest, we geared up in harnesses, helmets and thick working gloves, before jetting across cables hung high above the lush greenery and exotic biodiversity of the Saint Lucian rainforest. While I was nervous before zipping across the first cable line, the experience was calming and amazingly scenic, offering views I would never have been able to take in, otherwise.

All geared-up to zip line

7. Party with the locals at the Friday night street party in Gros Islet - If there’s one thing they know how to do in Saint Lucia, it’s have a good time. Every Friday night, everyone gathers in the small village of Gros Islet to dance away their weekday stresses and kick off the weekend. Locals and tourists alike join the festivities, and behold parades of performers on stilts and talented musicians. When in Rome, right?

Musicians getting tuned up at the street party in Gros Islet

Riding horses along Saint Lucia's Atlantic coast

8. Horseback ride along the beach - Before our last day in Saint Lucia, the four of us drove to the island’s Atlantic coast, where we sauntered along the beach and waded in the ocean, on horseback with Trim's National Riding Academy. I loved riding through local communities, before arriving at the beach where we changed into our bathing suits and removed the horse’s saddles to bring them in the ocean. The entire experience felt like something out of a movie, and while I enjoyed it with three best friends, this would make for a perfect honeymoon adventure as well.

We rode along the beach in the morning, but I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to ride as the sun sets

9. Eat local - Finally, you cannot visit Saint Lucia without enjoying all of the local produce and recipes the island offers. While 95% of the cocoa harvested on the island goes to Pennsylvania to be made into Hershey chocolate, there’s still lots of cocoa beans for you to bite into, reaping the benefits of the antioxidants that overflow from these beans. Locals make cocoa tea, which offers all the same benefits and makes for a soothing nighttime beverage.

Roti is an Eastern Caribbean dish that put a smile on my face more than once, during my trip. It’s an Indian flat bread shell filled with potatoes and curried chicken or vegetables, grilled before serving. And boy, is it tasty. Other delectable Saint Lucian specialties include grilled plantain, papaya (Paw Paw) and spiced rum. Be careful with the latter; a shot of Saint Lucia’s spiced rum is certainly not for the faint of heart!

Enjoying fresh coconut water on the beach

10. Relax and enjoy the view - While my vacation in Saint Lucia included many adventures, I highly recommend this island as a rest & relaxation destination. The climate, scenic views and hospitable people make this island the perfect place to come and catch up on some R&R, while sipping a rum-infused cocktail. The island hosts several all-inclusive resorts, including St. James Club Morgan Bay, where we stayed. It's a smaller, but very charming resort near the island's capital city, Castries.

Resting while enjoying this peaceful view from our resort

If you’re thinking of vacationing in the Caribbean any time soon, I urge you to consider Saint Lucia. The island has its own unique personality, and offers inimitable experiences to those who venture there.