Saint Lucia Travel Forum

Hi there, my husband and I are leaving on January 31st to St. Lucia. I am in the process of picking out some cloth right now and was wondering if my short blue jeans shorts are fine to wear during the day? They are short but not 'short-short' and also not skin tight. As we are always traveling light I like to limit the stuff I take to a few items.

Any suggestions on that? I asked this already on a different board but am always thankful for more answers and experiences :))

... regarding jellyfish... big problem or not... many or few... what about those small thimble jellyfish? I look so forward to the water, but I like to be prepared too... so any input is appreciated.

Thanks so much! :)) Oh, and by the way, we will be staying 5 weeks, the first week in Soufriere and the the second we go up to Dominica, and the rest back to St. Lucia, to Gros Islet. Thought first of hopping to the Grenadines too, but without ferry this can get expensive... hope there will be some other choices soon... or an affordable 1 or 2 day trip...

Thanks for all the info you can give me. I am getting slow but steady into the traveling fever... ;)))

Beate, Saskatchewan (-40 C right now, brrrr)

Hi, that's great you can sew your own tops & I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to get it all done near the end of next month. Is the cloth you're picking out 100% cotton ? That's what I'd go with, because cotton being a natural fabric breathes & also comfortable to wear. Good idea travelling light, 'cuz if you're like me I always end up buying other things to wear. The hotel ppl. or the beach people where you rent snorkle equipment etc. would give you excellent advise about jellyfish etc. & what else to watch for ... Have a great time & enjoy your trip :D

Thanks Ilona for your heads up :)) I look really forward to this break! I guess there was some misunderstanding and misspelling in my writing ;)) oh well... my German background I guess ;)) I did not want to say cloth but cloths... so I am sorting out t-shirts and stuff like that, what to take. I don't sow... don't have a machine. Would be nice to know though, but one more thing on my list of things to do... and there is already enough :))
I will get informed about the jellyfish situation once we are there. Thanks again and have a great Christmas!

I'm in the same situation myself. We are off to the Caribbean on the 16th Jan and having not been before, being used to cold weather, and not able to even contemplate I am going to somewhere warm and sunny and leaving the winter behind I am wondering what to take too.

Hi there,
Well, I spent my childhood in Soufriere, St. Lucia, and lived there eight years, loving every minute of it. I returned with my family to Soufriere in Dec/Jan, 2006-07 for two weeks and my son(14) and daughter(19)didn't want to leave. Having lived there as a youngster I wanted my family to have an experience as close to what I had when my family lived there so we chose to stay in a tiny, locally owned resort right on the beach in Soufriere, avoiding the All-inclusives, and the more tourist patronizing, northern part of the island around Castries.
I could tell you a lot about the island but I will offer only a few thoughts:
The Atlantic (windward side) of the island is very different than the Caribbean (leeward) side. If you are on the west side of the island, the Caribbean is just beautiful, calm, ideal for swimming, snorkeling, sunsets, and fishing, whereas the eastern side is better for windsurfing, and other water activities where lots of wind is more desirable. I never experienced any jellyfish on the Caribbean side during all the years we were there, however, I do recall seeing them washed up on the beaches on the Atlantic side. I can't promise that you won't see any but my son and I snorkeled quite a bit when we were there and never saw any. (Ironically, as a kid, I remember a shark being caught right where our kids were swimming when we were there two years ago. Sorry.)
Soufriere is a must and I would recommend that you consider staying in that area for a few days if not longer. Enjoy the Petit Piton (hike it if you have the time) and the Gros Piton. Take in Diamond Falls and the Botanical Garden, enjoy the local fruits, juices and vegetables, try as many tiny restaurants as possible, head up to Fond St. Jacques (just outside Soufriere) and into the rain forest, enjoy some locally made "bakes" and salt-fish and cocoa-tea, make sure that you try roti (an East-Indian dish that is available in Canada as well), spend an evening at the seaside restaurant on Pigeon Island (a good place to have some roti), eat as many mangos as you can (although they probably won't be available since you will be there in the dry season). If you have time and the means to do it, the fish fry in Anse la Raye is a great Friday evening event. Transportation might be difficult.
Clothing such as you describe should not be a problem. I believe in being respectful towards the local people wherever I am, but we never had any sense that we were dressed inappropriately and we were always wearing shorts and my daughter's were not knee length. It will be very warm but it cools off nice at night. I would think that if you really want to travel light, a couple of pairs of shorts and a few tops along with a sweater or light jacket would be all you would need
I could tell you much, much more. (By the way, here in Wpg. it is -25 so I know what you are going through in Sask.)
All the best. Have fun.
BP

To Highball:
Thanks also for the info on St. Lucia. We are going at the end of August and are staying near Soufriere. It looks beautiful. Any additional info that you would like to offer is most appreciated. We are big snorkelers, hikers and my daughter like to ride horses. Any restaurants you particularly like? How about markets. We are in a villa and will be cooking. Where is the best place to grocery shop? And get wine.
travelcoop

Hey travelcoop, we are enjoying our last few days here in St. Lucia, having been here now just about 5 weeks.
We are leaving on the 7th and had a great time! How long are you staying in Soufriere? It is a nice little town with an interesting atmosphere. Check it out, be with the locals, mingle, you won't regret it! Soufriere is untouched by mass tourism and kept its own flavour, raw and pure, give it a chance and you will like it :))
Unfortunately many tour buses drive 'through' the town to see the sights but hardly spent time right in town and the locals get hardly anything from it, so the mood might not be always the greatest, but changes if they see you are staying there. People are very warm and welcoming, just be open.

There are two supermarkets in town where you can get quite a bit of food stuff, and in the morning local women sit along the roads around the square and sell whatever they have, tomatoes, fruit bananas, plantains, mangoes, etc.

Saturday morning is Soufriere's market, you got to walk over the bridge leading out of town and towards Anse Chastanet. The market is on the left after the bride and the cemetery. It starts at 6am, and to get the best stuff come early. You get everything that's in season and also fresh fish. It is nice there. Much smaller than the big market in Castries, but a lot of atmosphere.

There are a few neat restaurants in Soufriere and also a good Chinese one in a small mall like setting by the square. They cook their food very traditional in a huge wok over the fire and are very friendly.

There was a really good restaurant (BJ's), close by the Still, unfortunately they had to close out of some competitive reasons with the property owner (Still).

There is a restaurant close to the pier, which our landlord highly NOT recommended.

Camilla's is supposed to be fine, but eat downstairs, not upstairs, as prices change (!) if you go upstairs ;)) also a tip from our landlord.

In town I can recommend 'Archies'. They do all kinds of dishes, and also vegetarian when you tell them (we are). If you go there, ask for Yolanda, she's a friend of mine, and say hello from us (Beate and Paul). Good food and friendly people.

Right beside Soufriere's waterfront (looking towards the sea it is left from you), walk past the fisher's huts and up a small hill. This nice walk will bring you around the corner to Matgretoute bay/beach. You get down there by walking past the old folks home. It's a nice and serene place to hang out and there are two restaurants there, with the one being at the end of the beach the most recommended. A priest who lives in Canaries recommended it to us.
There is also good snorkeling, and if you are up to it you can let yourself drift around the corner (Superman's Flight), which will bring you to Jalousie beach and another nice snorkeling point. But we aware, the current really gets you over there!
Otherwise you can just snorkel around where you are, perfectly fine and safe :)

More good snorkeling at Anse Chastanet. We always walked there, it is a 2 mile walk, up and down. We liked the work-out, all depends on what you want, and you also see more by walking.
Nice beach there and you can use the umbrellas from the resort if you don't use their chairs. Bring food and something to drink, but you can also have lunch at their nice restaurant. It's not cheap but supposed to be nice.

For something different, get in touch with John Doorman when you are there (I can give you his e-mail address if you contact me). He is the guy where we stayed. He can arrange a boat that brings you to nice and empty beach (Anse L'Ivronge), around the Gros Piton. Bring food and water or ask John about the Rasta Paul that lives there, he is a real nice guy, does his organic farm there, hold the beach neat and clean and does coal pot cooking on demand. Very nice, no rip off! We stayed with 4 people there for the day, had our own food and water, and my husband and I had a tour of his farm and got some fresh fruit and paid all together EC 40.

Some nice snorkeling there too, but mostly a 'Robinson style' beach setting :)

Have a look at the Diamond Waterfall and the Botanical Gardens, it's a beautiful setting. You can walk easily there. Don't miss our Fond Doux Plantation, they grow organic cocoa, and if you are up for something special, treat yourself to a lunch (or even more, depending on what you want to spend), at the restaurant Dasheene, at Ladera.

And of course, don't miss out on a hike into the Rainforest.

You can take the mini-bus almost anywhere, but if you go from north from Soufriere, be prepared of the many curves, especially to Anse La Raye, take a pill or have a good stomach! Or drive yourself and stop along the road, have a look at Canaries and make a round-trip.

Get in touch if you have more questions. I hope this was helpful. Enjoy your trip!!

Beate

Hey Beate:
Thanks for your reply about St Lucia. There were so many weird things that came about during the planning of the trip to St Lucia. We opted to go to Anguilla when all was said and done. Ofcourse, that does not mean we will try for that again. But...you have to trust the energy that is coming your way. But I will keep your info for the next thought about going.
Hope all is well in Canada. My husband is Canadian-from Clinton near the lake. Its a great country.
Best regards,
TC