St Lucia

Two weeks in Saint Lucia!

Seven nights in Gros Islet, by the Windward Islands with a view to Pigeon Island National Park, followed by seven nights at the southern end in Laborie. Our travels took us through all the districts as we toured from one tip of the island to the other.  The Atlantic Ocean on the Eastern side and Caribbean Sea on the other.

It's Left-Hand Trafffic and rules of the road are the opposite side we're used to, as well as mountainous, bumpy, twisty and rocky. Rather than rent a car we decided to go with drivers and taxis. We shopped for groceries and made most of our meals in our rental apartments. 

Outstanding accommodations in each locale made it a pleasure to linger at 'home' and simply enjoy the views and vibes. 

Gros Islet 

The apartment was located in Cap Estate with a clear view to Pigeon Island Park from the terrace. Eating breakfast with bullfinches. It really did feel that everything was waving a greeting - palm trees, ocean, clouds, sea birds. Steps right down to the ocean, past the golden apple, banana and cashew trees. Tiny anoles darting everywhere. The first two days we simply sat and absorbed the beauty of the place.

We ventured for a walk to Pigeon Park and on the way started chatting with a woman heading in the same direction. For the last twenty years, she and her husband have split their time between living in Georgia and their home on Cap Estates. Beth ended up showing us the best route, pointing out the locals' beach where people were setting up barbecues and volleyball nets. We then crossed through The Landings and Sandals where staff gave her a friendly hello. A very short ferry over to the public beach where buses drop tourists from resorts further away. A very enjoyable twenty minute walk to the park from our doorstep.

All beaches are public, so even at the fanciest resorts you can lay your towel in the sand, although you might not be able to lounge in the chairs or cozy up at the bar. Several yachts were moored just offshore. 

We spent a couple days at the beach in Pigeon Island Park where it was a bit less crowded and rented beach chairs and a shade umbrella. Fantastic food and cocktails for lunch at the Jambe de Bois. While in the park we also explored the ruins of barracks and evidence of how the island passed back and forth between French and British rule. Colonized seven times by the British, and seven times by the French (1782- 1803). Which explains why natives speak Creole, while the official language is English.

We booked a visit to the Naked Fisherman restaurant but needed a driver to take us there. The Executive chef from the famed CapCliff oversees the tasty fusion menu. As we arrived there was a solo musician on a steel electric guitar playing laid back tunes. Who should we bump into but Beth, our walking buddy to Pigeon Park, sitting at a large table with her golfing buddies and their spouses.

Another day we booked the driver to take us to Rodney Bay, where we checked out the marina and then went further on to explore Reduit Beach. Marie's Fish Shack at the far end had a spot where we rented chairs and met other Americans and Canadians with permanent homes on the island. This spot was also adjacent to resorts and served up cocktails, spiced rum, and cold beer. The local fare was filling but the fish was tough chewing.

On two days we luxuriated with massages on the terrace. Esther was a very practiced massage therapist, having worked for Sandals for 20+ years before she opted to go independent. Excellent! She was also our driver, and navigated the roads with great confidence. 

However, using Esther as our sole driver in the north was not a wise choice. This was really my only complaint during our Gros Islet stay, because she turned out to be more pricey than anticipated as well as inconvenient. Let me rant - she would drop us off and arrange a pick up time, but as we didn't have phones so would be stuck waiting by the roadside. She would also quote me a lower price for a ride and then charge additional if we made any stops along the way, and Rob would pay the extra without knowing what I'd negotiated. At one point we ended up waiting 40 minutes for her at the Naked Fisherman as different taxis drove by offering to pick us up. Frustrating! She also wanted to be paid in US cash, so by the time we arrived in the south we were cash poor and didn't even have money to take a bus. 

Double costly!! Rob had his debit card but forgot his PIN, plus I forgot my debit card. We turned on our phones, paid roaming charges and long distance fees and then cash advance penalties on the credit cards. If I were to go back to this part of the island again I'd consider a few different transportation alternatives. In the south we had a driver and car for all day for $100 US (plus tip) vs. the $150 US (plus tip) for 2.5 hours Esther charged us to take us from Gros Islet to Laborie... and because she was picking someone else up at the airport we didn't have enough time to spend sorting out the cash issues at the bank. Ugh. In hindsight I feel she took some advantage of our trust. 

So as not to end this bit about Gros Islet on a sour note - every day we stayed here I was down at the water's edge doing Qi Gong. What a beautiful way to begin your morning!

Laborie - Anbe Kanpeche La

WOW! What a view at Anbe Kanpeche La, with a walk through a beautiful garden to the beach below. Spacious terrace, louvered doors and windows to invite in breezes from the Caribbean Sea. Our friends Laura and Peter told us about this place and we're so glad they did.

The town of Laborie is a bit off the beaten track - it doesn't have a supermarket or even a bank. Only two restaurants in town take credit cards, so when we arrived without cash we were a bit stuck. 

Archie and Leslie, the hosts here, truly did 'go beyond' to make sure we had everything we needed, including a (free) drive into Vieux Fort to get cash from the bank. On our last day, they provided  transportation to the airport at no additional charge, and then Archie came to the rescue when Rob forgot his bag and left his passport behind, coming back to deliver it right to the front door. That is on top of the truly delicious brunch they served us on their terrace the last day - salt fish, fried plantain, salad, golden apple juice from fruit on the property, Bloody Mary's and fresh bread. A parting gift of sea moss. Did we ever luck out. Good people. Archie lived in the US but now spends most of his year tending the garden and property in St. Lucia... he was was also a long-time sailor in Canadian waters so had stories to tell about travelling the St. Lawrence to the East Coast. Leslie was a nurse who last worked in a bone marrow cancer ward and retired when Covid hit. Both Minnesotans. Good souls.

Laborie itself was fun to explore. We ate at Mama Rose's and of course Mama Tilley's. Checked out the open market, the cemetery, the church, Zeb the baker, the pier. Could definitely have spent a few more days in town and discover more. We somehow we missed the Air B&B treehouses for rent along the beach and didn't have time to sample all the open air bars. 

A national holiday to celebrate 45 years of Independence was scheduled for Feb 22 - the same day we were flying out. Luckily, on our last night in St. Lucia, Mama Tilley hosted a street party. Live music, street food, and lots of locals as well as ex-pats. We chatted with several long term visitors who stay for months at a time (US, France, Australia, Britain). 

This is not yet a full blown tourist town, but probably won't be long before it is 'discovered.' 

Two different days we rented a car/driver from Archie. Felt very comfortable with Joel at the wheel while we enjoyed the scenery.

Itinerary One (Souffriere)

• Tet Paul trail for a guided walk, with a knowledgable guide pointing out various plants and their medicinal uses. A small farming cabin and a view of Petit Peton at the top of the trail. Easy hike!
• Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens, lots of shade and very few visitors
• lunch in Souffriere
• Toraille Waterfall, where you could stand beneath and enjoy the spray
• Sulpher Springs (and mud!) 

Itinerary Two - Beach Day

• Anse Chastenet to snorkel
• Part of the Jade Mountain resort, you can rent chairs and umbrellas (for two of us it would be $120 US with umbrella)... we pulled up a towel. Brought our own snorkelling gear and saw angel fish, parrot fish, eel, gar, turtles, coral...
• The View for lunch
• Home cooked meal. We called ahead at Laura's recommendation. As we didn't specify anything on the menu, chicken was prepared. Tasty! But you don't really come for the food, it is as advertised, the stunning view of Gros Piton.
• Anse L'Ivorgne
• My favourite beach of those we went to on the island, but very hard to get to by road... good thing we had Joel
• There were huts for shade, picnic tables, and we also brought our own chairs and cooler for drinks. Brown pelicans diving in the water, fisherman heading out in boats, calm waters

Home Days

Reading Caribbean short stories in a Madras Hammock. Enjoying the shade in the apartment. Taking in the view of the garden from the terrace.

         

We made a point of visiting the beach at the foot of the property at least once or twice a day. There is a sea moss farm there, and there were usually other locals or visitors along the rocky shore. It wasn't isolated, but it was never crowded and there was always a patch of shade.