Natural Beauty and Rich Colonial History make the Island an Easy Sell

St. Lucia, a popular stop in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean, owes its principal appeal to its voluptuous natural beauty and still-active volcanic geology. Lovely stretches of beaches and coves run along the island’s northern shore. The famous twin Pitons, prominent pinnacle landmarks that soar a half-mile from the ocean floor, stand sentinel on the southwest coast as the island’s unmistakable calling card. The interior also provides a widely varied, volcanic terrain, with verdant forested peaks, deep valleys and lovely hidden coves in the south, and less rugged north and east coasts, where the snorkeling and reef diving are superb.

The second-largest and most developed of the Windward Islands, St. Lucia, an independent country since 1979, has a Creole flavor resulting from numerous French and British occupations over two centuries. Almost every tropical fruit imaginable grows here, and remnants of large French plantations and sulfur spring spas dating back hundreds of years survive as tourist attractions. There is much colonial history here, but Mother Nature’s special gifts make this island especially appealing to clients who love botanical gardens, rain forest hikes and costal exploration.

Arrival
While the Pitons greet cruise ships approaching from the south, most passengers get their first close look at St. Lucian life at Castries, the island’s main city. With 65,000 inhabitants, half the island’s population, Castries wraps around a sheltered bay and offers the island’s only major docking facilities. The port is one of the busiest in the Caribbean. While verdant mountains provide a dramatic backdrop, the town itself has little Old World charm, due largely to the fact that most of its colonial buildings succumbed to four major fires between 1796 and 1948.

Independent Sightseeing
Pointe Seraphine, a duty-free shopping complex on the north side of the harbor, has 20 upscale shops, a tourist information center, and a taxi stand and car rentals. It’s walkable from the city center, and a launch ferries passengers across from cruise ship docks. Castries can be a hot and crowded place to take a stroll, but its teeming activity is buffered by Derek Walcott Square, a midtown park whose main feature is a huge 400-year-old samaan tree. Some surviving 19th century buildings still remain on streets that border the square, including the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1897.

Independent travelers will want to get out of the city and see the beaches, bays and St. Lucia’s dramatic mountain and rain forest scenery. Car rentals start at $50 a day, and roads have been greatly improved over the years. Fifteen minutes north of Castries, Rodney Bay at Gros Inlet offers a resort and marina atmosphere. Daylong sightseeing boat trips can be arranged to Soufriere for about $90 per person, including lunch and tours. Nearby Pigeon Island is connected by a causeway to beaches, restaurants, and a museum and interpretive center that describes both St. Lucia’s history and the island’s flora and fauna. Taxis from Castries to Gros Inlet cost $25, but local buses charge $1 for the trip.

Must-See Attractions
Soufriere, on St. Lucia’s rugged southwest coast, is the island’s oldest town and former French-colonial capital. It’s a 90-minute drive from Castries along a winding but highly scenic road. While the town itself isn’t much to see, the attractions around it draw busloads of cruise ship passengers on ship excursions. The most enchanting is Diamond Botanical Gardens, which envelopes guests in almost surreal beauty, as the tropical blooms laid out in a number of planned settings, from Thai gardens to water gardens, play host to a rainbow of birds. The garden’s signature waterfall was used in a scene from the move “Superman II,” and volcanic hot springs found on the property led King Louis XVI to commission 12 baths for the use of his troops in 1785. Two of the original baths have been restored, and new private tubs and plunge pools allow today’s visitors to try the medicinal waters.

This is also where you can see the Pitons up close. While they seem to be free-standing, the giant towers (Petit Piton is 2,619 feet tall and Gros Piton, in contradiction to its name, is somewhat less, at 2,461 feet tall) are actually part of a volcanic cone that blew apart millions of years ago. Morne Coubaril Estate, not far from the Diamond Botanical Gardens, is a working plantation that offers lovely walks among lush tropical flowers. It also offers a glimpse into St. Lucia’s historic plantation economy, including demonstrations of the traditional methods of processing both coffee and cocoa.

Nearby, the Sulphur Springs bubble, boil and steam in the crater of the only drive-in-volcano in the Caribbean. A guided tour around the crater provides a quick look into the volatility below, as well as a strong whiff of the sulfur-spewing pools.

Off-the-Beaten-Path
Deep into St. Lucia’s mountainous interior, almost 1,800 feet above sea level, 19,000 acres of protected rain forest offer 29 miles of hiking trails. The rain forest is respected as a habitat for rare birds and plants. Bird-watchers among your clients can add a number of tropical species to their birding lists, including St. Lucia’s national bird, the Amazona Versicolor, affectionately known as the Jacquot.

An easy two-hour hike through Barre de L’isle Forest Reserve and up Mount La Combe Ridge provides panoramic views from four looking points, allowing visitors to view the ragged Mount Gimie and its blue-green rain forest, the Cul-de-Sac Valley, the Caribbean Sea, the community of Aux Leon, the expansive Mabouya Valley and Fond d’Or Beach on the Atlantic coast. Des Cartiers Rainforest offers much more strenuous hiking and the chance to experience Mahaut, St. Lucia’s most hidden rain forest.

More information on rain forest walks, finding guides and gaining permission needed to access the trails is available through the St. Lucia Forest & Lands Department (758-450-2231/2078).

Your clients who imagine galloping a horse along the beach and splashing in the surf can indulge that fantasy in St. Lucia. There are three riding stables in the north of the island: Belle Cheval Stables offers rides for all ages and experience levels, from short trail rides to longer rides with swimming stops, breakfast and a gallop on the beach. The International Pony Club offers trail rides through the countryside and along the beach, with swimming and picnics; Trims Riding School take riders to the island’s Atlantic beaches.

Shore Excursions
Most cruise ships offer Rodney Bay, horseback riding and the attractions around both Castries and Soufriere as shore excursions.

Restaurants
Clients seeking a lunch outing from their ship might try Jacques Waterside Dining, a short taxi ride to Vigie Marina near Castries, where tasty Creole dishes are served up in an outdoor garden setting.

Best Souvenirs
Souvenir hunters will be charmed by reversible rag dolls, often garbed in the traditional citrus-colored plaid of St. Lucia. The skirts can be turned inside out to give the doll a whole new look, with different clothing, and a second face and headdress. Local women make the dolls, which sell for about $6. Wood carvings, often of tropical birds, turtles and marine life, are also abundant.