Reduit Beach - Terrible Experience

[luckynumber6]

We just came back from a great trip on the Carnival Destiny. The low point of our trip was St. Lucia. We decided not to do a tour in St. Lucia to defray the cost of some of our other tours - probably a big mistake. We took a taxi to Reduit Beach. The cost for the taxi was not too much, but the problems started once you hit the beach. The minute you step out of your taxi you are hounded by men trying to "sell" you chairs and umbrellas.... kind of hard to say no... We paid $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella.... Once you are in your chairs - literally every 5 minutes someone is trying to sell you something from fruit to hair brading to whatever.... even when you are in the ocean there are people in boats coming into the swimming area selling things - so the water isn't even relaxing. We have been to other island beaches where this happens, but have never felt so bothered. Most of the people took a simple would move on quite politely when you said no to whatever they were selling, but you were asked every 5 minutes by a new person. Our biggest problem occured when I said no to one vendor who was selling these hand made flowers from some type of palm. He would not except no for an answer - he then perceeded to actually take my husbands sun glasses off his face and call him very derogotary names becasue my husband was not buying one of these flowers. This continued for about a good 5 minutes with many polite attempts by both my husband and I to get him to stop.... My husband is not a small man and this vendor would not leave until my husband stood up and made him leave. I was amazed at the restraint my husband showed considering what this vendor was doing and saying - it is too graphic to print here - this vendor then went behind us and started gathering friends and saying more things we quickly gathered our things and left as we really did not want to be a part of whatever that man was planning. Realize this all happened becasue I simply send "no thanks" to this man.

 

It is my suggestion that if you are trying to go to a beach on your own - you do not go to Reduit Beach - it is not relaxing at all and in fact I felt quite threatened even though my husband and I really tried to just keep to ourselves.

 

After the terrible Beach incident we tried to go into town, but it was so cramped and run down that we left with a very poor image of St. Lucia.

 

I will say that our friends who did a tour had a very different impression of this island. If our travels every take us back here - we will book a tour and not try it on our own.

[floridalady]

wow-I am so sorry you went through that.I worry about that alot in other countries...especially at a beach when you want to relax.

I wondered why the tours stopped going to Reduit.I had heard it was a beautiful beach-was it?

So you made me see why they don't go there and now go to Jalousie.

You really have to ask alot about the beaches when you go somewhere new.I read up on beaches for my next cruise and one had people bugging you with massages and braiding.

Hope the rest of your cruise was great!

Nancy

 

We just came back from a great trip on the Carnival Destiny. The low point of our trip was St. Lucia. We decided not to do a tour in St. Lucia to defray the cost of some of our other tours - probably a big mistake. We took a taxi to Reduit Beach. The cost for the taxi was not too much, but the problems started once you hit the beach. The minute you step out of your taxi you are hounded by men trying to "sell" you chairs and umbrellas.... kind of hard to say no... We paid $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella.... Once you are in your chairs - literally every 5 minutes someone is trying to sell you something from fruit to hair brading to whatever.... even when you are in the ocean there are people in boats coming into the swimming area selling things - so the water isn't even relaxing. We have been to other island beaches where this happens, but have never felt so bothered. Most of the people took a simple would move on quite politely when you said no to whatever they were selling, but you were asked every 5 minutes by a new person. Our biggest problem occured when I said no to one vendor who was selling these hand made flowers from some type of palm. He would not except no for an answer - he then perceeded to actually take my husbands sun glasses off his face and call him very derogotary names becasue my husband was not buying one of these flowers. This continued for about a good 5 minutes with many polite attempts by both my husband and I to get him to stop.... My husband is not a small man and this vendor would not leave until my husband stood up and made him leave. I was amazed at the restraint my husband showed considering what this vendor was doing and saying - it is too graphic to print here - this vendor then went behind us and started gathering friends and saying more things we quickly gathered our things and left as we really did not want to be a part of whatever that man was planning. Realize this all happened becasue I simply send "no thanks" to this man.

 

It is my suggestion that if you are trying to go to a beach on your own - you do not go to Reduit Beach - it is not relaxing at all and in fact I felt quite threatened even though my husband and I really tried to just keep to ourselves.

 

After the terrible Beach incident we tried to go into town, but it was so cramped and run down that we left with a very poor image of St. Lucia.

 

I will say that our friends who did a tour had a very different impression of this island. If our travels every take us back here - we will book a tour and not try it on our own.

[TTEllis]

I was on Reduit Beach back in '02 and it was TERRIBLE and I am NOT one to complain either. We had to stay on the catamaran because everyone was being hounded so much in the water and/or on the beach and this was a ship sanctioned tour. Our tour guide she SUCKED too, St. Lucia is real simple if you wanna have fun like GREAT fun his name is Cosol.

[J & G]

I am SO sorry to hear of the bad experiences at Reduit Beach. We were just there in early May and we did not experience any of that sort of thing. In fact, it was our favorite of all the places we visited.

 

We were dropped of by a wonderful taxi driver who agreed to pick us up at the same location in a couple of hours. He was there looking for us in exactly two hours.

 

We ate lunch at Spinnakers, walked the beach, took lots of pictures, and were never approached one time. (Maybe we looked broke :) )

 

We were there on a day that there was no cruise ship in port, so maybe the aggressive vendors were not there, but we did not have any of the problems mentioned here.

 

We also used Cosol for a tour on another day, but our favorite guide was Herod Stanislas.

[floridalady]

Hi,

Can you tell me why you liked herod better?Does he have website?

I am SO sorry to hear of the bad experiences at Reduit Beach. We were just there in early May and we did not experience any of that sort of thing. In fact, it was our favorite of all the places we visited.

 

We were dropped of by a wonderful taxi driver who agreed to pick us up at the same location in a couple of hours. He was there looking for us in exactly two hours.

 

We ate lunch at Spinnakers, walked the beach, took lots of pictures, and were never approached one time. (Maybe we looked broke :) )

 

We were there on a day that there was no cruise ship in port, so maybe the aggressive vendors were not there, but we did not have any of the problems mentioned here.

 

We also used Cosol for a tour on another day, but our favorite guide was Herod Stanislas.

[floridalady]

question---what was the best and worst on the tours as far places you went??????Thanks so much!

[J & G]

question---what was the best and worst on the tours as far places you went??????Thanks so much!

We preferred Herod because he seemed more personable and genuine. Cosol is s showman, and very good at what he does, but we liked Herod's personality a little better. It was just the two of us with Cosol, and I felt that he was sort of going through the motions and that he prefers a larger audience. Herod does have a website http://www.herodsislandtours.com/ . You can also reach him by e-mail at hstanislas@hotmail.com . Herod seemed more willing to tailor the tour to our liking, also.

 

The best places we went were to Spinnakers on Reduit Beach and Caribelle Batik in Castries, in my opinion. The view from Caribelle's back deck is awesome, and the batik clothing is a great buy!

 

The beach at Jalousie, between the Pitons, is very beautiful, too. It is quite a drive from the cruise ship terminal, however. We didn't find the snorkeling to be too great there, despite several reviews reporting it to be wonderful. The snorkeling area is small and over to one side. The beach has nice sand (imported) and is very pretty, but it made me very claustophobic, being between the Pitons. That has not been reported by anyone else, however, so it must just be my weirdness.

 

If you decide to drive south toward Jalousie, the botanical gardens are interesting (bring walking shoes - not just flip flops). The waterfall there is pretty also. The drive-in volcano is just OK - not worth the time or money, in my opinion.

 

We loved driving through the fishing village of Anse La Raye and through Soufriere. They were very interesting! (Soufriere is Herod's hometown...)

 

You will have a great time!

[floridalady]

First of all-thanks so much for responding.I heard the volcano was not so great on other boards.Cosol used to go to Reduit I wonder why he stopped???Anyone know?

How many were on your tour and what was the price if you don't mind my asking?How long was it?What type vehicle did he use?Did you pay before you actually got there or on tour?

Thanks again,

nancy

 

We preferred Herod because he seemed more personable and genuine. Cosol is s showman, and very good at what he does, but we liked Herod's personality a little better. It was just the two of us with Cosol, and I felt that he was sort of going through the motions and that he prefers a larger audience. Herod does have a website http://www.herodsislandtours.com/ . You can also reach him by e-mail at hstanislas@hotmail.com . Herod seemed more willing to tailor the tour to our liking, also.

 

The best places we went were to Spinnakers on Reduit Beach and Caribelle Batik in Castries, in my opinion. The view from Caribelle's back deck is awesome, and the batik clothing is a great buy!

 

The beach at Jalousie, between the Pitons, is very beautiful, too. It is quite a drive from the cruise ship terminal, however. We didn't find the snorkeling to be too great there, despite several reviews reporting it to be wonderful. The snorkeling area is small and over to one side. The beach has nice sand (imported) and is very pretty, but it made me very claustophobic, being between the Pitons. That has not been reported by anyone else, however, so it must just be my weirdness.

 

If you decide to drive south toward Jalousie, the botanical gardens are interesting (bring walking shoes - not just flip flops). The waterfall there is pretty also. The drive-in volcano is just OK - not worth the time or money, in my opinion.

 

We loved driving through the fishing village of Anse La Raye and through Soufriere. They were very interesting! (Soufriere is Herod's hometown...)

 

You will have a great time!

[J & G]

oh I have a few questions for you---what is a jump up?What was scary about the fish fry?

 

75 dollars with cosol-was that a private tour because he gave me a quote at 55 dollars?????????

Thanks so much for telling me about your trip--I love hearing what everyone does.

 

The Jump Up was a street dance with VERY loud music. It was very crowded and there were lots of "unsavory characters" there....lots of offers of drugs and other things. A small child approached my husband and tried to sell him drugs. We stayed only long enough to know that it wasn't our kind of thing. Herod stayed right with our group, as he could see that we were uneasy.

 

The Fish Fry is neat in a way, in that it is the way that the residents of Anse Le Raye make money. ALR is a fishing village, but fishing does not bring in enough money, so the residents have joined forces and they put on Fish Fry Friday. It, too, is crowded....the food is OK, but not cheap. The people cook along the edges of the street on charcoal grills. There are lots of sparks flying and it is easy to run into one of the grills in such a crowded situation. When I went to the only restroom there, there were two women screaming (more sparks flying, I guess :) ) at each other in Patois, a language that is part French and part something else. I got a little scared and got out of there as quickly as possible. It was good to know that Herod was right there.....

 

As far as Cosol goes, I guess his price was higher because we were his only customers that day, since there was no ship in port. It was probably necessary for him to charge us more just to cover gasoline, as it is really expensive there.

 

Most of the top-tier tour guides have large (12-15 passenger), late-model Toyota or Nissan vans. Herod told us that the vans have to be less than 5 years old, in order to be licensed as "taxis". Once the vans reach 5 years old, they get sold to be used as local buses. There is no public bus transportation....just locals who drive certain routes on a semi-regular schedule and pick up people waiting along the way. The locals wait in line to get the tour guides' used vans, because they know they are in great condition and have had good care and maintenance.

[floridalady]

I can not thank you enough for all that information-I really appreciate your taking the time to answer me.

I know now to not go to Reduit.I guess things have changed there?I keep hearing about people approached there for drugs,getting harrassed to buy something....what a shame.

 

 

The Jump Up was a street dance with VERY loud music. It was very crowded and there were lots of "unsavory characters" there....lots of offers of drugs and other things. A small child approached my husband and tried to sell him drugs. We stayed only long enough to know that it wasn't our kind of thing. Herod stayed right with our group, as he could see that we were uneasy.

 

The Fish Fry is neat in a way, in that it is the way that the residents of Anse Le Raye make money. ALR is a fishing village, but fishing does not bring in enough money, so the residents have joined forces and they put on Fish Fry Friday. It, too, is crowded....the food is OK, but not cheap. The people cook along the edges of the street on charcoal grills. There are lots of sparks flying and it is easy to run into one of the grills in such a crowded situation. When I went to the only restroom there, there were two women screaming (more sparks flying, I guess :) ) at each other in Patois, a language that is part French and part something else. I got a little scared and got out of there as quickly as possible. It was good to know that Herod was right there.....

 

As far as Cosol goes, I guess his price was higher because we were his only customers that day, since there was no ship in port. It was probably necessary for him to charge us more just to cover gasoline, as it is really expensive there.

 

Most of the top-tier tour guides have large (12-15 passenger), late-model Toyota or Nissan vans. Herod told us that the vans have to be less than 5 years old, in order to be licensed as "taxis". Once the vans reach 5 years old, they get sold to be used as local buses. There is no public bus transportation....just locals who drive certain routes on a semi-regular schedule and pick up people waiting along the way. The locals wait in line to get the tour guides' used vans, because they know they are in great condition and have had good care and maintenance.

[J & G]

I can not thank you enough for all that information-I really appreciate your taking the time to answer me.

I know now to not go to Reduit.I guess things have changed there?I keep hearing about people approached there for drugs,getting harrassed to buy something....what a shame.

It is a shame that this beautiful beach is being ruined with such things. We did not see that in May, but we didn't spend alot of time on the beach.

 

You will have a great time with a good guide. You are probably only there a few hours....see as much as you can and enjoy!

[floridalady]

how long were you there at reduit-was it crowded?

Have you been to Choco Beach?

Yes I plan to see as much as possible that is why i no longer go with cruise ship excursions...lol.

I always enjoy -because i love to cruise.:D

Thank you so much for your help.

 

 

It is a shame that this beautiful beach is being ruined with such things. We did not see that in May, but we didn't spend alot of time on the beach.

 

You will have a great time with a good guide. You are probably only there a few hours....see as much as you can and enjoy!

[J & G]

how long were you there at reduit-was it crowded?

Have you been to Choco Beach?

Yes I plan to see as much as possible that is why i no longer go with cruise ship excursions...lol.

I always enjoy -because i love to cruise.:D

Thank you so much for your help.

 

We were at Reduit Beach about 2 hours. Part of that time we were eating at Spinnakers and listening to steel drum music. There were plenty of people there, but it is a HUGE long beach so there is room for everyone.

 

We stayed at Almond Morgan Bay on Choc Bay. The water there is very cloudy....not as pretty as some of the other beaches. Also, remember that St. Lucia is a volcanic island, so the sand and the ocean bottom are sort of brown - not pretty and white like islands that are coral.

 

If you have a guide, you can ask him or her where the best beach is. I know a lot of them recommend Jalousie because of its unique location, imported sand, and because you are near it when you are at the botanical gardens. Reduit is on the opposite end of the island. (Reduit does have nice sand....don't know if it is imported or not...)

 

We have also ditched the ship's excursions, except when we are concerned about getting back to the ship on time. We did take the ship excursion to Chichen Itza from the port of Progreso, Mexico. It was an 8-hour round trip and we were only in port about 8 hours, so we were a little concerned. That tour was OK, but we spent too much time at a stop to buy souvenirs....the best souvenirs were right at the port. Interestingly, the guide and driver made sure that we had plenty of shopping time :rolleyes: !

[floridalady]

how was spinnaker's?

I am trying to decide if i should get a private tour that will take me to reduit.

 

Have you been to st kitts or barbados?If so i would love to hear your thoughts on beaches etc.You can email me at yahoo....ns1986a

[J & G]

how was spinnaker's?

I am trying to decide if i should get a private tour that will take me to reduit.

 

Have you been to st kitts or barbados?If so i would love to hear your thoughts on beaches etc.You can email me at yahoo....ns1986a

Have not been to either of those islands, but I hear they are wonderful!

 

Spinnakers was awesome! DH loved it even more than I did. The food was great, the beer was cold, and the music was terrific! We have the name of a cab driver (not Herod) that we used to go to Reduit. His name is James and I will look for his contact info. He was wonderful and I'm sure he would love to take you there and make sure you are not heckled.

 

Send me an e-mail at enstedda@aol.com and I will send you some pics of Reduit.