Pride goes back to Saint Lucia to rediscover some hidden beaches, private parties and new luxury resorts.
Rodney Bay Village
The night-life capital
Last May we ventured down to the 23rd Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival. Not only did we listen to great tunes but we also enjoyed the stunning landscape and experienced a wide variety of activities that this paradise island has to offer.
We landed and after a scenic drive, with views of rainforests, banana plantations and beautiful coastlines, we arrived at our first destination, Rodney Bay Village. Located on the northeastern side of Saint Lucia, near to the historical Pigeon Island National Landmark, Rodney Bay Village offers clear calm, blue waters and white-sand beaches.
This picturesque bay is well known by tourists, and although it isn’t yet spoiled, it is here where you can find most of the island’s hotels and resorts. It also holds the biggest shopping mall on the island and the best bars and parties around.
We had the pleasure of staying at Cotton Bay Village and Cap Maison; both located only a short taxi ride from Rodney Bay Village.
Rodney Bay Village is, overall, very safe. You can walk and find a strip full of eateries and cocktail bars with live music, all with a very relaxed atmosphere. Parties can last till the early hours, with old and young generations dancing together to the sounds of soca and calypso. Make sure you try the local cocktails made with the finest Saint Lucia Chairman’s Reserve Rum, or join the islanders and enjoy rum straight with ice. In that way, you can appreciate the quality and the fine distillation of the best rums made by the island’s distillers’ group.
During the day there are many activities that the local hotels have to offer; some highlights include horseback riding on the beach or jetskiing and other exhilirating water sports. You can also elect to embark on a boat trip to see the nearby landscape where the Pirates of The Caribbean film was shot.
We had tickets to attend an all-day catamaran party. Food, drinks and music were all included, but nothing prepared me for this amazing party. The boat was full of expats from England, and the atmosphere was akin to a big family reunion!
Rum punch was the official drink, and the hostesses made sure our glasses were always full. The boat headed towards the fishing village of Soufrière, passing by the capital Castries and the famous Marigot Bay.
After a delicious lunch on the boat and lots and lots of rum, we head down to an isolated beach just north of the Pitons to bathe. For those who could swim and didn’t mind messy hair, the scenery was remarkable. From the beach we could look out at the catamaran and see the people dancing on top to the hot sounds of Caribbean music in a sunset background. Priceless!
Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival
By Ikenna Lewis-Miller
Jazz and the arts might not necessarily be the first words that spring to mind when you think of this beautiful Caribbean island, but the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival is an experience that will long live in the memory.
This was my first year attending the festival but it will definitely not be the last. First and foremost, the festival is set against the backdrop of the iconic Pigeon Island. Before travelling, I was told that this is the island that lifts your senses and I’m glad to confirm that it did not disappoint. As soon as you enter the festival, you are taken aback by the stunning scenery and electric atmosphere. You might have seen the pictures or read the reviews but nothing can prepare you for the idyllic setting. Wearing a sleeveless top, shorts and flip flops while drinking the local rum punch, this experience was a little different to the cans of Carling drank while wearing wellies and gagoule at Glastonbury 2008.
There is a great mix of local artists and entertainers which showcase some of the remarkable talent on the island. I saw a lot of artists such as P Square and Elvis Crespo that I hadn’t heard of before but was very impressed by the energy and presence that they brought to the stage. Both albums were downloaded as soon as I got back to my hotel that night. Legendary artists The Commodores and Maxwell headlined the festival and brought the house down with their classic hits. The festival ends at about midnight but the party continues into the early hours as most of the revellers head down to Rodney Bay Village where the bars are filled with festival-goers swapping stories and dancing with their new found friends.
The arts component also shouldn’t be ignored and the festival provides a platform for a lot of local artisans. Caribbean weather, great music, and rum punch – a great combination for a truly remarkable festival.
Soufrière & Pitons
Where nature meets history
The south of this caribbean island is most unspoiled area of Saint Lucia. It holds a forest reserve, natural falls and springs, botanical gardens and the biggest plantations of cocoa on the islands. Best of all though, this is the location of the iconic Piton Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After 45 minutes on a taxi-boat from Rodney Bay Village, we arrived at Soufrière. This was once the capital of Saint Lucia but is now a quiet fishing village on the rise again. It has no more than a couple of picturesque streets, a Catholic church and a main square, but its location means it is a crucial stop for those who want to visit the famous “drive-in” volcano or bathe in the natural waterfalls.
Soufrière invites you to wander. The colonial houses fill the streets with colour and warmth, and the fishermen’s smiles seem to encourage you to talk with them about their catches, some of which are very impressive. We visited the local market and stocked up on Baron West Indian Hot Sauce, some local rum and cocoa sticks.
We went down to Diamond Botanical Gardens, and headed straight to the natural waterfall. The water comes directly from the Sulphur Springs, and nearby you can also bathe, for a small fee, in a curative mineral bath in one of the outside pools that are fed by the underground springs.
Amazingly, the gardens are not overcrowded, so you really have time to enjoy the flora that surrounds you. It’s a shame that the same can’t be said about the Sulphur Springs, but its world-famous status attracts so many tourists – and you’ll understand why once you visit the place.
The Sulphur Springs from which the town of Soufrière got its name are the result of a volcanic eruption that took place some 40,000 years ago. Walking in the crater is now prohibited, after one of the guides fell in a pool of boiling water. Although he didn’t die, he suffered severe burns. There is a very strong smell of sulphur that comes out of the springs, and you can smell it from miles away at nights – but that is a good thing. If the smell goes away, it means there is going to be a volcanic eruption.
After visiting sites all day, we took another taxi-boat to our new hotel for the last few nights, the Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort. The next day we went to visit the Fond Doux Estate (fonddouxestate.com), which is a 19th century eco-friendly colonial resort, the estate is surrounded by tropical splendour and rich cocoa trees.
The estate is still a working farm, so our guide kindly explained the traditional process of making chocolate – from the harvesting of the cocoa pods, to the drying of the beans in the sun, to the beans being polished by a worker who “danced” on them after tipping hundreds of beans into a large metal pot, to how ladies bring and roll up the pure chocolate sticks. But adding to the charm of this estate are the 12 French colonial cottages that the owners saved from demolition and rebuilt board by board.
Only last year, this family-run business was visited by Prince Charles and Camilla, who congratulated them on their rare organic certificate. They grow their own fruit and vegetables on site, and these are either used in the hotel or sold to other restaurants in Saint Lucia.
What most impressed me about this estate was its owner Lyton Lamontagne – a true visionary, on a mission to make Saint Lucia greener, more eco-friendly and more self-sufficient, as well as creating more jobs for local residents and better education for all. He also wants to make better facilities for the communities – like the tourism school that Saint Lucia so urgently needs, with the island’s hotels now booming – and to preserve Saint Lucia’s Creole identity.
Saint Lucia is a truly great destination – not only for couples but also for the most adventurous individuals. Although more and more private estates are being constructed, the government still has strict planning laws, so such developments are controlled and prohibited from spoiling the landscape.
British Airways flies daily to Saint Lucia, and Virgin Airways flies five times per week. There is accommodation available to suit all budgets, so there isn’t really any excuse not to visit – or revisit – this beautiful island.
For more info visit saintluciauk.org
