How I Spent 7 Days In St. Lucia

Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar & Dollar

Visa: No (U.S)

Language: English/Creole

2.70 ECD = $1

Visits: 1

Visit Again? Yes

The land, the people, the light.

St. Lucia is known for its sun kissed beaches and twin pitons. I remember the first time I saw the incredible view of the formed rocks and knew that I wanted to wake up there someday. St. Lucia is becoming a Caribbean hotspot and it is completely worth the plane ticket. If you follow me on Instagram you already know that I won a 7 day timeshare to anywhere in the world and chose to go to St. Lucia due to so many restrictions with traveling globally. The only thing I had to cover was flight, so this was a dream come true!

GETTING THERE

PLANE

Most major airlines fly to St. Lucia, I flew nonstop to UVF airport from New York for $433 on t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶h̶e̶t̶t̶o̶ American Airlines. My 5-hour flight only had 1 can of soda and a pack of chips, in addition, there were no viewing monitors on the plane. Just a kickstand that said, “place your phone here”. Needless to say, I slept throughout the entire flight to avoid feeling like a depressed Eeyore from Winnie The Pooh. Since I have been wanting to visit for quite some time, this is was the lowest I have seen flights. I was used to seeing $700+ yikes!

Entry Requirements

Negative PCR or antigen test taken within 5 days of flight departure.
Vaccination card where the last dose has been administered more than 14 days prior to travel date. Vaccinated travelers have lifted restrictions such as renting a car and moving freely. Unvaccinated travelers are only allowed Covid-19 approved excursions and must be transported by a driver.
Pre immigration check form, which can be found https://travelslu.govt.lc/.
Print out all forms including test results. In order to receive my boarding pass, an agent checked them physically.
CURFEW is 11 pm.

Don’t Forget

Bug Repellent

Water Shoes

Mini Umbrella

Universal Wall adapter (they do not use U.S. outlets)

portable charger/car charger

USD is widely accepted

All (except USD) of these items can be found in my Amazon favorites here.

Getting Around

As with most Caribbean islands, and places that don’t have much public transportation, I HIGHLY recommend renting a car. The average taxi cost is $40, which will quickly add up. We rented a car for 7 days and it was $277, factoring gas, and driving from the north to the south of the island numerous times, that was an additional $80. I met a couple who said that their one-way shuttle to their hotel was $80. Entry to a lot of tourist sites is inexpensive, but if you book a tour, the cost would multiply severely. Aside from being cost-efficient, it offers flexible mobility.

What To Do

Believe or not, St. Lucia has a LOT to offer. I was honestly surprised that my 7 days here didn’t seem sufficient enough. The sun sets around 6 pm so make sure you start your days early so get the most out of your vacation.

Toraille Waterfall - $3

This is strictly for photo ops. There is nothing to do here other than view the waterfall and take pics. Since I went on my own, I was able to wait until all of the tour buses left so that I can have my *Main Character * moment with the waterfall.

Sulphur Springs- $10+

Equivalent to seeing the Eiffel tower in Paris, this is a must-do for any visiting St. Lucia. You can opt for the complete tour (which I don’t think is necessary) that take you along Soufriere Volcano or you can just go for the mud bath (which is what I did). It is said to heal and detoxify the body. I went for the fun of it. I recommend doing this at the end of the day since it is the messiest activity.

Tip: Use the white mud, the decorate your body with the black mud

Diamond Falls & Botanical Garden- $6

Now I came here to see their waterfall from epic pics that I saw online. However, when I got there, no one was allowed to go past the rocks to get a dope pic in the water like I saw online which sucked. I am not sure if people ignore the signs or if the sign was recently put there.

I know pics should be the least of my worries, but it isn’t. It is a beautiful garden with rare plants. I even got to see mahogany. If you know anything about wood then you know it is like the Hermes of wood. There is also mineral bath for an additional $6.

Don’t forget the tour guides work on tips. Hopefully you get a good one because mine was horrible and rudely told us she works on tip before she began the mild tour, even AFTER we told her we saw the sign -_-.

Pro tip:Diamond Falls, Toraille Waterfall and Sulphur Springs are all 10 minutes from each other so plan to do them in the same day to maximize time. There are also more waterfalls than just these.

Chocolate Making - $88

The next time you eat Hershey’s chocolate, you will be able to taste the difference I guarantee you. Located at the Rabot Estate, you can learn about natural cacao and make your own chocolate bar, with or without an estate tour. I wrote more about it here.

Boucanier Sunset Cruise-$220+

Seeing the pitons in a picture is cool, but have you ever seen them up close? I am not exaggerating when I say it hit’s different. The private sunset cruise with Hotel Chocolat included light hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Our captain played melodic reggae tunes as we cruised through the Caribbean sea. There are shared versions with other companies that start at $70. 10/10 recommend and I shared more about it here.

Beach - FREE

So many beaches to choose from. St. Lucia beaches was affected by the hurricane making the waters not as clear as they used to be. I visited Sugar Beach and Hummingbird beach which have the best views of the pitons.

Visit The Capitol - Castries

The new capitol is called Castries. This colorful neighborhood is full of vendors and local shops.

Gros Piton Climb - $125

Don’t just be mesmerized by the twin peaks, actually hike. The gros piton (the bigger one) is a less step hike they say it takes about 2-3 hours to make it to the top.

Fish Friday

Due to the global situation (the C- word) the curfew is 11 pm which means places shut down by 10 so that people can make it home. If you are visiting post “I Am Legend” make sure you dedicate your Friday to Fish Friday which is local block party with music, local food and culture. This is usually happening in Anse La Ray.

North Of The Island

From Soufriere to the north of the island is about a 2 hour drive, and 1 hour from Marigot Bay. I did not want to make that drive, however I hear that it is beautiful. Here you can visit Fort Rodney, Pigeon Island Beach and do a couple tours.

Other Activities

Remember when I said there is so much to do? Here are other activities that may interest you.

Fishing

Kayaking

Zip Lining

Rum Distillery

Whale and Dolphin Watching

Day trip to French Martinique

Horseback riding adventures

Where To Stay

Soufriere is the most popular area that people opt for. Here is the heart of the country with things to do and not the mention the best views of the pitons. I stayed a few nights in Soufriere with some sponsors and some in Marigot Bay, where my timeshare was. Soufriere was more lively of course, that’s where tourists flock to. Marigot was more secluded because my hotel was on a private island.

Luxe

One of the reasons why I made St. Lucia my choice for the timeshare is how costly the accommodation can get for somewhere nice. These are my favorite luxury choices, of course there are more such as the most popular one, Jade Mountain.

Hotel Chocolat

Sustainable eco lodge with modern luxury amenities. Read more here

Stonefield Villa Resort

Black owned resort with a private pool right in your room. Read more here.

Caille Blanc

Another Black owned resort that was unfortunately booked.

Affordable

You can definitely still enjoy yourself without dishing out hundreds of dollars a night. Here are some places.

Marigot Oasis

This where my timeshare was. Tucked away on a private island in the hills

Green fig resort & spa

Located in Soufriere, this hotel has posh vibes for a fraction of the price

Marigot Beach Club & Dive resort

Beautiful hotel, what is a plus is that it is not on a private island therefore you do not need to wait for a boat.

Where to eat

From local spots to hillside restaurants, you will not be famished in St. Lucia. A lot of high end hotels are booked fast despite their higher price. Don’t let that discourage you, you still have the opportunity of visiting their property by booking a reservation at their restaurant. Here are some restaurants you should add to your list.

Local spots like, Nikki’s

Nikki’s is one of many local spots of the highway coming from the airport heading up north. They serve small bites like johnny cake (we call it Bake where I’m from), plantains, chicken, etc. Stop by and get a taste of the local beer.

Treetop Restaurant

For views of the twin peaks and jurassic park views with great drinks. Unfortunately when I visited it was rainy and cloudy, but check out their Instagram for a better look.

Rabot Restaurant @ Hotel Chocolat

Located at Hotel Chocolat, Rabot is a luxury dining experience. Whether lunch, dinner, or a celebration. you will get 5 star service complete with palette cleanser to taste the blend of ingredients. Read more about it here.

Mangotree Restaurant @ Stonefield Resort

For the best rum punch in the world (y’all know I hate rum punch). The food is amazing with great views to match. Make sure you try their avocado ice cream ad pumpkin crème brûlée for dessert.