Each time I travel I discover a new slice of paradise. My newest slice of paradise is the best of both worlds, the lush mountains and pristine beaches in St Lucia. Our family traveled to St. Lucia this winter for the adventure and relaxation and were not disappointed!
Day 1: Getting there:
We flew Delta from Columbus to Atlanta, then Atlanta to St. Lucia. The flight from Atlanta to St. Lucia was surprisingly long, just over four hours. We didn’t realize how far south St. Lucia truly is.
Our cousins were able to get a direct flight from Boston to St. Lucia on Jet Blue, so if you are on the east coast keep an eye out for that! There are several flights out of Miami as well.
You will fly into the Hewanorra International Airport which isn’t really close to any cities. We were landing late at night so we had booked a taxi to take us to Soufriere ahead of time.
Where To Stay in Soufriere:
Our first night in St. Lucia, we stayed at the Green Fig Resort & Spa. This resort was truly unlike anywhere I have ever stayed before. I felt so immersed in nature because it was built into the mountain with stone pathways in between beautiful foliage. The incorporation of nature did not compromise the luxury of the resort which was complete with an infinity pool, tiki bar, treehouse, and restaurant. It was a quiet property with several villas spread out. The staff was incredibly kind, the accommodations were lovely and the food was delicious.
The only reason I would not stay here is if you are physically unable to climb several stairs, have bad balance, or have young children.
Day 2 In Soufriere:
There is so much to explore in Soufriere and since we were only here for one day, we packed it in! The best decision we made on this trip was to book Julian’s Boat Tour. This is by no means sponsored, I genuinely have so much appreciation for Julian.
Julian’s drivers picked us up from our hotel and brought us to our first stop. We began the morning at the Sulfur Springs mud bath before it got too crowded. The mud baths are supposed to be healing for acne, sunburns, and other skin irritations. Julian helped paint us in the detoxifying mud, held our valuables, took photos of us the whole time.
Next, we washed off at the Toraille waterfall. This 50ft waterfall pounded our shoulders with water, almost like a deep tissue massage. There is a very small entry fee to enter but it was covered through our group tour.
Once we had worked up an appetite, Julian took us to his aunt’s house where she had set up a delicious array of homemade traditional St. Lucian dishes for us. This was such a unique touch and really made my day. We felt more like travelers truly getting to know the culture rather than just vacationers.
Honestly, we were so satisfied the day could have ended there! Yet we were lucky enough to head towards to sea. We embarked on the boat, indulged in some rum punch and began exploring by water. We got to see the famous volcanos, the Pitons, from the most beautiful view.
The adventure continued as we cliff jumped and snorkeled in the bright blue waters. Seriously, it felt like we did four days worth of activities in one day. My family could not have had a better time.
Day 3 in Soufriere:
We traveled to Gros Islet on day three but I recommend you stay an extra day or two in Soufriere because there is so much to do. Some suggestions on what to do:
- Hike Tet Paul Nature Trail
- Diamond Waterfall
- Dine at the Dasheene restaurant at the Ladera Resort
- Soufriere Drive In Volcano
- Make a chocolate bar at Hotel Chocolat
Advice About Staying In Gros Islet:
The drive from Soufriere to Gros Islet is about two hours. We were lucky enough to have Julian take us to Gros Islet while on the boat tour to make the travel more enjoyable and see more of the island.
We stayed at the Mystique Resort which was beach front, close to town, had a lovely pool and nice accommodations. However, I wouldn’t recommend staying here because the front desk manager was very rude and the food was bad. We luckily didn’t buy the all inclusive option because we had wanted to eat out locally anyways, but even the French fries poolside weren’t worth ordering. We ended up ordering all of our breakfast, lunches and afternoon drinks at the beach front restaurant two properties away, Spinnakers. Their food was great, I don’t know what we would have done without them next-door.
Bad food and service is typical for resorts of this kind, so since there were no major issues, maybe I would stay here again because I loved the location. We were able to walk to so many activities and restaurants in town which is super important because taxis are expensive and hard to get.
Day 4 in Gros Islet:
Our first day in Gros Islet, we laid by the pool throughout the on and off rain until it fully stormed. After the rain, we were looking for an activity so the concierge booked us a Segway tour with St. Lucian Adventures right in town.
I was unsure about this activity at first because it made me think of Paul Blart Mall Cop. This was way more epic than what I envisioned. We had off roading segways that were able to climb rocky terrain and elevations up the mountain. The tour guide pointed out historical war bunkers and took us to a pond full of the Garra Rufa fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet. Again, I could have never imagined the tour would have been as cool as this. They finished off the tour with a stunning sunset and view of the ocean before heading back down the mountain. This was such a fun way to explore that didn’t require much physical ability besides balance.
After the tour we ordered Amici’s Italian from town. It sounds silly, why would you eat Italian in St. Lucia? However we had similar traditional meals a few times in a row and were looking for a change and to our surprise, the Italian tasted very authentic!
Day 5:
We got up early for our excursion to zip-lining in the rain forest! It started raining while we were in the treetops which made it feel more ~authentic~ hahah. The adventure staff was so great and made some games and competitions for us to see who can grab a leaf, have the best dismount etc. We had a blast.
For dinner, we took the most expensive taxi to get to The Naked Fisherman. Make sure to negotiate the rate before you get in so that you don’t get scammed (but also know that they are just expensive in general).
However, The Naked Fisherman was INCREDIBLE. The vibes were immaculate. We took these beautiful stairs illuminated by fairy lights down the the cove where the restaurant was nestled in. The restaurant had a fixed menu where you get five mini courses, which confused us a bit. I don’t like seafood so I was able to order a full size steak, coleslaw, potatoes and corn dish instead. I loved it! My family ended up loving the five course meal as well. We finished the dinner off with a s’mores dessert which could not have been more perfect.
The atmosphere of this restaurant is beautiful because it is all outdoors with fairy lights, beachside, a saxophone player on stage, and intimate seating. The only downside is, it is all outdoors and as we have quickly learned, St. Lucia has flash floods even when it’s not rainy season. It started down pouring just as we got our food which was unfortunate but we all huddled under this tiki umbrella and it ended up making for a funny story.
Day 6:
On our last day, we laid out by the pool and saved the activity for the evening. My family had a lovely last dinner at Buzz, down the street from our resort. My mom and I shared a steak and vegetable risotto and filled our bellies to the absolute brim.
After dinner, we went to the Gros Islet Street Fair. This street fair is held every Friday night and is where locals and tourists alike come to eat and drink from street vendors, and dance. My mom, cousin Rose, and I were living our best life dancing like no one was watching. The DJ did an amazing job playing music that attracted everyone, and emphasized how special it was to have so many different nationalities represented. He kept saying that this moment was us finding world peace and I’m not going to lie I felt it. I couldn’t stop grinning. If you travel to St. Lucia, you have to come to the street party.
Culture immersion and adventure are my two favorite ways to travel and St. Lucia checked off all of my boxes. I hope that you get to travel here and experience it for yourself. Say hi to Julian to me!
