Do you really need a tour for St Lucia?

[amistad]

I'm just curious as to whether you feel that a tour is really needed to enjoy the day in St. Lucia? If you just got off the ship without a tour what would you folks that have been there recommend doing? I am looking for ideas for a relaxing day, maybe a nice beach with good facilities that won't take to long to get to, and a little time to pick up a few souvenirs before getting back on the ship. I am open to suggestions, we are a family of mixed ages traveling, 4 yrs. to 59 yrs. 5 of us traveling and we are going on the 10 day Eastern Voyager on the Star Princess. We have cruised alot, but have never been to St Lucia. Thanks for any help.

[WaggesAZ]

Hey there! I replied to you too on the Barbados thread. :)

 

I felt this was one of the best days I spent on a tour, I toured with Cosol. We typically like to go at our own pace, and see what we want, but for all I saw in one day, it was definitely worth it! My DH & I are returning with our boys to this beautiful island, and intend to tour with Spencer Ambrose this time.

 

There was a 6 year on the tour with me last March, and he really enjoyed most of what we did, but did fall asleep late in the afternoon driving back. With Spencer, you can take a water taxi back, and since our youngest will be 8, I just thought it may be easier on him than the windy roads back.

 

It is truly a beautiful place, and I enjoyed everything I saw. The banana plantation was neat-to see the stages of their growth, and what they do to harvest them-the volcano was cool (just stinky :p)-the waterfall and botanical garden was really pretty-fishing villages were neat too-but my very favorite was Jalousie Beach for snorkeling.

 

I chose Spencer this time because a friend ours went with him last time, and they felt he was more personal. Whereas the Cosol tour I was on had like 200 people in a caravan. I was with Yellowbird, Cosol's brother, and he did a great job, I just felt like we were always rushing...

 

Both are well known and spoke highly of, so if you do a tour, I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

 

I have read about Anse Chastanet, and it sounds like a nice beach area, or Ti Kaye, but I think it maybe for couples, though I could be confusing with Rendezvous. One of these I believe is adults only...

 

Try searching for the other resorts/beach, I know there are threads here that others have discussed all of them. I am also not sure what taxi pricing would be, so maybe that info would be there too!

 

There was a large shopping area right at the port, and there were the typical stores, along with a little local flair too!

 

Good luck & safe travels...

[amistad]

Thanks Wagges, You have been very helpful with my planning. I appreciate all the info, we cruise quite a bit, but this is our first time to go to St. Lucia and Barbados. Since we are mixed ages I am trying not to do too much that will be strenuous and kind of take it easy on everyone. Thanks again

[greenscooter]

I am not a big fan of island tours; but, the tour I took with Serenity Tours was one of the best. The rep. met us right on the pier & it was just 3 of us for the entire day. There vans usually hold maybe 6 -9 people. We visited a banana plantation; botannical gardens/waterfall; sulphur springs; casava bread place (yum -) in Soufriere; we stopped at some local shops in Anse La Raye fishing village to purchase souvenirs; ate lunch at a local restaurant overlooking the pitons (saw the infamous "snake man" along the way) --delicious food with ice cream for dessert; marigot bay overlook for some great photo-ops; rum factory with opportunity to taste a lot of dfferent flavors of rum; and several other places throughout the day. I really got to see a lot of St. Lucia & mingle with several locals.

The roads are very windy --motion sickness may be a factor for some. In fact, we were supposed to end the tour snorkeling at Anse Cochon; but, did not get to because one person was not feeling well. But, the rep. was very conscientious about returning us to the ship on time & asked what we really wanted to see throughout the tour. They provided fresh fruits, snacks, casava bread/cheese, & beverages throughout the entire day. The rep. even gave us a warm hug at days end. It was just a wonderful day full of memories that will always make St. Lucia a very special island to me.

Serenity Tours has an intenet site with tours/prices listed. Whatever you choose to do, get away from Castries (not very picturesque port) and at least take some time to see some of the rain forest & the beauty of St. Lucia.

[amistad]

I am thinking of contacting Serenity about a private tour since there will be 5 of us. I am thinking that way we could cut down on some of the driving, with a 4 yr. old I just don't know about all that in and out of the van and winding roads I keep reading about even for us old folks. I do want to do something we never just stay at the port, but I don't want to be herded around all day especially if motion sickness might come into play. Thanks for the insight.

[Lsimon]

We're not really ones for land tours in the Caribbean as well but there isn't much to do within walking distance of the port. We did the Cosol tour a few years back and really loved it - I'd recommend him or a similar tour offered by one of the other tour companies mentioned on this board. St. Lucia is a very scenic island and an island tour here has a lot more to offer than on some other islands.

 

Reduit Beach on Rodney Bay, or another beach at a resort there, are not too far to take a quick cab to and are OK but not the nicest beaches you'll find on your cruise. There are nicer beaches to the south but these are a good distance and best to pre plan a trip and transportation to those.

 

There are two shopping areas in Castries and you ship will dock right next to one of them and the other is a good walk around the bay, or an inexpensive water shuttle ride across. The newer area (Port Seraphine) by one dock is full of pretty stereotypical cruise ports stores including the common port jewelry stores and the t-shirt store that sells stuff that changes color in the daylight. The other is a collection of straw market type booths and is also near a marketplace that has people selling produce and other goods to locals as well as booths of crafts and souvenirs for tourists. Shopping there is pretty typical and nothing special in my opinion except for maybe a bottle of Caribbean sauces made locally (and distributed throughout the Caribbean and USA) and some fresh bananas and other fruit from the marketplace.

 

Downtown Castries is nearby but doesn't appear to cater much to tourists.

[amistad]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my post, I had a feeling we were going to need to plan a tour of some sort. I really appreciate the insight of you folks that have been there. I was just worried about being packed into a small van and going around the winding roads after some on this board have mentioned motion sickness. If anyone has suggestions on the must see things please let me know and maybe I will try to just do a few sights.

[Princess's Mom]

I think you would be nuts to rent a car in St Lucia. We are in St Lucia as I record this post. We got off of the ship and met Lawrence JN Baptiste who gave us a wonderful tour of the island for $30 pp. We had 4 people in our group and added $5 tip pp. His van holds a total of 15 people. He has a new van and speaks English beautifully. He is a great historian. Lawrence gave us his card - his email address is ingidenousx@gmail.com

[mnbruce]

I think you would be nuts to rent a car in St Lucia.

 

I guess I must be nuts!:D In January I rented a car and headed towards the Pitons. The drive was a thrill a minute and we had a great day.

Though I would say it's not for everyone.

[Custommade]

Where did you go on your tour?

[socialcruiser]

We are looking into Serenity tours too. We were actually looking into doing a day pass with them but relaize they do have alot of tours offering which are not too crowded. For those who don't like the long drive to the south and is looking for something relaxing they do have a tour which take you to a resort for the day by boat, lunch included and massages and snorkelling. We just can't decide which of the serenity tours we will opt for since we are active people looking to do alot in a place like St.lucia. We have been there before but just relaxed on the beach. St.lucia is a very beautiful island so we don't want to just go to a beach, it has to be more this time.

[amistad]

We are looking into Serenity tours too. We were actually looking into doing a day pass with them but relaize they do have alot of tours offering which are not too crowded. For those who don't like the long drive to the south and is looking for something relaxing they do have a tour which take you to a resort for the day by boat, lunch included and massages and snorkelling. We just can't decide which of the serenity tours we will opt for since we are active people looking to do alot in a place like St.lucia. We have been there before but just relaxed on the beach. St.lucia is a very beautiful island so we don't want to just go to a beach, it has to be more this time.

I was looking at that tour also, but I could not tell it it is for adults only, I think it takes you to Ti Kaye and I can't figure out if we can go with a 4 yr. old? I am just not excited about being in a van on curving roads all day.

[takemewithyou]

Does anyone know if they use mini vans exclusively for their tours?

We have a small group and don't want to too packed in - especially in a car.

 

Can anyone comment on the comfort of the vehicle they use for touring?

Thanks :)

[socialcruiser]

They do have a toll free number which makes it easier to keep in touch with them and ask questions. It is 1 866 766 0794. I can also ask when I next call them.

[KStateRob]

I guess I must be nuts!:D In January I rented a car and headed towards the Pitons. The drive was a thrill a minute and we had a great day.

Though I would say it's not for everyone.

 

 

Any recommendations for car rental agency? How long of a drive is it from Castries to the Pitons? And do we need to bring our helmets?:p

[tweety33]

Can anyone give more details on the winding roads:confused:. I can't imagine getting motion sickness. Do they drive to fast? Is it all up Hill? Do you ever fear you gonna be close to falling off a cliff on the edge of a road:eek::eek:? I have don't wanna be scared but would like one of the tours. Is it unpaved rocky bumpy bad roads? If its all up hill on the tours, is it a very fast down hill ride back? I've read somewhere its worse coming back to the ship.Thanks for any info you would like to share on this.

[mnbruce]

Where did you go on your tour?

 

We did some of the things the group tours do,but on our own and at our own pace. We headed towards the Pitons, but stopped a few times along the way to check out the scenery, have a beer,taste some local pastries and chat with a few of the residents. When we arrived in Soufriere I stopped to get gas and there was a nice young kid selling bracelets who we chatted with a bit. Instead of buying any bracelets I hired him to be our guide to the park where the falls are located and to the drive- in volcano with the sulfur springs. We then headed back to the port,dropped the car off and walked around town for a bit. It was a nice day, but if you are thinking about renting a car,check out my next post.

[mnbruce]

Any recommendations for car rental agency? How long of a drive is it from Castries to the Pitons? And do we need to bring our helmets?:p

 

I used National Car Rental, but there were other choices also. National worked good for me on Tortola so I stuck with it. Depending on where you dock,the rental offices could be right next to your ship,or if the ship docks where we did, it's a short water taxi across a small bay.

 

It's a short distance in miles but did take about 90 minutes to get to Soufriere because the roads twist and turn most of the way.

 

A helmet might not be a bad idea.:D The roads twist and turn most of the way,without many straightaways to pass on,so depending on traffic or who you get stuck behind you may have some passing decisions to make. You will be driving on the left and will have to pay attention to keep the car away from the trenches on the left shoulder. These must be for water runoff, so make sure you stay towards the middle of the road or you could wreck a tire.

Let's just say I probably should have prayed a few times before I passed while approaching a blind corner.:eek:

[mnbruce]

Can anyone give more details on the winding roads:confused:. I can't imagine getting motion sickness. Do they drive to fast? Is it all up Hill? Do you ever fear you gonna be close to falling off a cliff on the edge of a road:eek::eek:? I have don't wanna be scared but would like one of the tours. Is it unpaved rocky bumpy bad roads? If its all up hill on the tours, is it a very fast down hill ride back? I've read somewhere its worse coming back to the ship.Thanks for any info you would like to share on this.

 

I can't speak to motion sickness because it's never been an issue for me. You have to go through the hills to get to Soufriere so it will be some driving up hills and some driving down. I would not concern yourself with falling off the cliffs or the speed down hill. The climb up and down is gradual and because of all the turns the speeds won't be too high. The roads were paved and were not a problem. If you want to do one of the tours,just do it. There really is nothing to be afraid of.