by Michael Shaw
St Lucia’s not the most daring destination for a Brit. We share a language, a monarch, certain administrative similarities & a painful colonial past with this Caribbean island. However, once you’ve stepped off your quintessentially British BA plane at Hewanorra airport, you’ll realise that anything slightly familiar is turned thoroughly exotic by the lush location. In fact, the French & Creole influences are far stronger.
The beaches are the most obvious attraction, although by no means the only one. They are truly spectacular, & brilliantly varied for such a small island. I love the beach, but I prefer it rugged – sunbeds aren’t really my thing. Don’t get me wrong – there are several pristine stretches of St Lucia beach where I’ll happily lie around for a while, cocktail bar in easy reach, & it all feels tropically lavish. I just can’t sit still for long without getting restless.
If you do prefer white sand & gentle seas, stick to the north-west. These are the most accessible beaches in St Lucia, & closest to the hotels, so they’re usually the most lively.
All the beaches on St Lucia are public, although some hotels make it awkward to access their particular patch – & will probably charge you for sunloungers if you’re not their paying guest. By the way, nude sunbathing is illegal here – don’t try, even if you think you’re secluded, as there’s usually a local going about their business somewhere nearby.
Don’t forget your surf-sandals if you head to the south-west, where the dark volcanic sand radiates heat. Anse Couchon, surrounded by forest, is very sweet with good snorkelling, although it’s better at Chastanet, with its marine reserve just offshore. Many of these beaches are only accessible with a boat, which you can hire on the pontoon in Soufriere.
When you need to travel by road, & you’re on any sort of budget, you’re probably best off looking for a cheap car hire company. I tried to do St Lucia by bus, which was lots of fun but not entirely reliable. It’s not really viable if you’re here to kitesurf & you’re bringing lots of kit, either. Taxis are available but riddled with overcharging & nepotism. The water taxis are much nicer, although not economical for everything.
For more energetic watersports, head to Cas en Bas, which is actually on the north-east tip of the island. It’s no good for swimming but wicked for everything else – windsurfing, kitesurfing, it all goes on here, with constant on-shore trade winds to guarantee some action.
St Lucia really isn’t all about the beaches, though. I was fascinated by its inland tangle of rainforest, and headed off on a guided hike into the jungly interior. This was actually my favourite part of the holiday. I do love my shoreline & a little kitesurfing, but the rainforest was something entirely new, & so easily accessed.
We stopped off at Toraille Falls – a beautiful cascade of volcanic mineral water – before heading up into a lush tangle of climbing palms & heavily scented orchids, full of hummingbirds & parrots squarking overhead. Although I’d hesitate to recommend this to anyone who’s scared of wildlife, I urge you to check it out if you’re on St Lucia for anything other than a suntan!
(Photo: Snap Man)
