Frank Charles - anyone use him?

[torontogal70]

Hello,

Does wondering if anyone used Frank Charles for tours in St-Lucia and what your experiences have been like? What did you see and how many hours was yoru tour. Would love to hear any info.

Thanks.

[Beachbum1944]

We just got done using Frank Charles and he is a wonderful guide and we had so much fun with him. I would highly reccommend him. He will do whatever you want him to do. We just wanted to go to Jalousie Beach and spend the day there.

[torontogal70]

Thanks Beach Bum!

We are thinking of using him but not sure what sites are real "do not miss" attractions. What did you think of Jalousie Beach?

[Beachbum1944]

Torontogal, You will love Jalousie Beach. It is small, but nothing compares to it. Frank Charles drove us there and stayed with us all day for the return. He will do anything for you. We just wanted to go to Jalousie. No other stops. Here are a couple pictures of Jalousie.

[debshomespun]

Beachbum1944-Do you have a contact for Frank Charles? We have done the Cosol tour on our last stop in St. Lucia, and we would like to just go to a beach for the day. Thank you!

[Beachbum1944]

Debbie...here is Frank's e-mail address.

 

franktax@hotmail.com

 

Tell him Paul & MaryAnn(aka beachbum) reccommended him to you. Tell him we said hello. You will enjoy him. He will stay the whole day to take you back.

[jellyfish]

We have booked with Frank for our cruise in May. We are also doing the private tour for just the two of us. We want to do the island tour, stopping at the banana plantation, tasting the local food, seeing the fishing villages and the beach between the Pitons. We're going to skip the waterfalls and volcano.

Beachbum,

What time did you leave and get back to port? My husband always wants to make sure we get back in plenty of time, so I'm not sure how long we will get to be at the beach with these stops. What do you think? I'm a beach person, he's not.

Also, has anyone had the lunch at the Beacon and what kind of food did they have?

Thanks!

[Beachbum1944]

Jellyfish...we got in at 7:00 and met up with Frank at 8:00. Took about 1 1/2 hrs to get there. So you will have to allow at least 3 hrs for traveling, with out stops. Frank will get you back in time no matter what time your departure is. Just allow a few minutes for any stops you make. He will know how much time you will need depending on your stops. We just wanted the beach only. We were there about 4 hrs.

[jellyfish]

Thanks for the reply! We dock at 8:00 and are supposed to meet him at 8:30 and have to be back on board at 4:30 for 5:00 sailaway. Sounds like we will have plenty of time. Can't wait for our day with Frank!

[torontogal70]

Do you mean it will take 1 1/2 hours to get to Jalhousie Beach? I am a little concerned about car sickness as we are travelling with 2 young kids. Should I be concerned with that? I have heard the roads are quite rocky, curvey and bumpy...thoughts?

We are meeting Frank at 9am and our cruise departs at 5pm. Do you think we will have enough time to see the Pitons, Jalhousie Beach, the volcano and some points in between?

Thanks so much!

[torontogal70]

Beachbum - lovely photos by the way!

I posted a question for you before this post and forgot to address you. We leave tomorrow - hope you get this message! :)

[Beachbum1944]

torontogal70...You will have enough time for everything. Someofthe spots you stop at are only for a few minutes. Just remind Frank about what time you want to get back. He will have you back in time. Some of the roads are curvy. Not rocky or bumpy. Not as bad as most people say. 2nd time driving there you realize it is not that bad. Enjoy yourselves and say hello to Frank from Paul & MaryAnn. My wife tells me it was more like 1 1/4 hrs each way. Make sure you taste the bananas. Very sweet. You will love Jalousie Beach.

[torontogal70]

torontogal70...You will have enough time for everything. Someofthe spots you stop at are only for a few minutes. Just remind Frank about what time you want to get back. He will have you back in time. Some of the roads are curvy. Not rocky or bumpy. Not as bad as most people say. 2nd time driving there you realize it is not that bad. Enjoy yourselves and say hello to Frank from Paul & MaryAnn. My wife tells me it was more like 1 1/4 hrs each way. Make sure you taste the bananas. Very sweet. You will love Jalousie Beach.

 

Thanks for your help. I will tell Frank you say hello. I think I will bring soem gravol (anti nausea) medication just in case. Thank you again!:)

[topazz11]

How much did Frank charge you for the day?

[virginiatechmom]

I just returned from a cruise on the Carnival Victory. While visiting St. Lucia, we used Frank for the day. I had arranged everything ahead of time and it turned out to be a perfect day. He is very honest and trustworthy and very knowledgable about his island. It was just my daughter and I and we felt very safe with him. In fact, at some of the stops, vendors did not want to take "no, thanks" for an answer and Frank intervened on our behalf. He is a fun, respectful family man and if you decide to book a day with him, you will not be disappointed. He charged us $160.00 for the day and it was just the 2 of us. I wanted to see some of the stops, but did not want to spend alot of time getting in and out of vans, waiting for others, etc... so Frank just lets you choose whatever you want to do. He is very flexible and very accommodating. The price included all entrance fees, lunch at a restaurant called The Beacon Restaurant, and a cooler full of sodas, water, beer and Frank's own rum punch (very yummy and potent :)).

 

If you have any questions, just ask and I will try to answer as best I can. St. Lucia is beautiful and it really is worth hiring someone like Frank to give you a personal, up close look at the island. Have fun and enjoy!

[Beachbum1944]

topazz11--We didn't want any food or drink. Just transportation to Jalousie There were 7 of us and he charged $30 each.

[jellyfish]

Because of the great reviews of Frank's Tour we booked him for May 7, 2009 on our Carnival Victory Cruise. My husband and I wanted to do a private tour, so we went with Frank and so glad that we did! It worked out great because we were able to do everything we wanted and it was just the two of us. It was $160.00 for the day. Frank met us at 8:30 promptly just like he said he would, but unfortunately he had a death in the family and had a funeral to attend. No problem though, he had brought his wonderful guide William for us to be with for the day. William was great and we had so much fun with him. I was at first a little worried when I found out Frank would not be with us, but the worries were all forgotten once we got in the car with William! William told us alot about the history of St. Lucia, took us by the Governor's House, and then to a Banana Plantation, where he got out and got us four of the tastiest banana's ever! We then started through the winding roads of St. Lucia. It was great and so beautiful. We stopped at a few overlooks for pictures and then we stopped at The Beacon where he placed our order for lunch. Next was the waterfall and the Botanical Gardens. We couldn't go all the way through due to the heavy rains that had fallen the day before, but we did see the waterfall and some beautiful flowers. Then to the beach between the Pitons. William parked the car and then we road in the van down to the beach. It was so beautiful there! William watched our stuff while we swam in the water for awhile. Then we just hung around for a little bit enjoying the view. We skipped the volcano. Next we went into the fishing village (Souffrie-not sure how to spell it) and to a local store to buy some souveniers and then to another beach. We didn't swim there, just walked the beach and I found some pretty sea glass. Next was The Beacon for lunch. It was a buffet with the best food and wonderful views of the Pitons. We stopped at a place on the side of the road where I bought some banana ketchup and 2 necklaces. Everyone we met was so nice! Then we made our way back to the ship. We got back about 3:30. We could have been back even later, but we always make sure to get back in plenty of time for the ship, just in case. Frank had a cooler full of Piton beer, his famous Rum Punch (best I've ever tasted), water, and drinks. We finished up the beer and the last of the rum punch as we were pulling up to the dock. Frank's tour was great and I highly recommend his tours. Even though he couldn't be with us, William was a great substitue! I will never forget our day in St. Lucia!

 

Debbie

[miss meow]

Does Frank Charles have a website?

Thanks!

[Beachbum1944]

Yes, here is his site.....

 

http://www.*****************/

[miss meow]

Shoot, the website was "masked"....can you send that to me directly? Thanks!!!

[Beachbum1944]

I could if I had your e-mail address. I will try this:

 

************ dot com

[miss meow]

Didn't work - here's my email address, hopefully it'll show...

rita_roo at msn.com

Thank you!!!

[cle1]

I could if I had your e-mail address. I will try this:

 

************ dot com

 

We will be in St. Lucia in Nov., and are interested in a tour with Frank..could you please send me his web site address......... THANKS! erricksons@comcast.net

PS..Loved the beach pictures

[Beachbum1944]

What part of Vero Beach are you from? My brother owns the flea market on Rt 1 accross from the Toyota dealer.

[topazz11]

When are you going in November?