Saint Lucia (Caribbean)

St Lucia is indeed a Caribbean dream: a small, lush tropical gem of an island that is still relatively unknown and undeveloped, although it does offer a good variety of accommodation for tourists, including a few discreet resorts. St Lucia is one of the Windward isles of the Lesser Antilles, situated midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain between Martinique and St Vincent, just north of Barbados. It is tiny - only 27 miles (43km) long and 14 miles (23km) wide, shaped like an avocado.

Although just 27 mls long and 14 mls wide, St Lucia packs a lot of scenery into a relatively small area: dramatic mountains, tropical forests, banana plantations, quaint ? if rather ramshackle ? villages and inviting beaches.

Most of the hotels are situated on the W and NW coasts, with the largest cluster beside Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay, where there is a large yacht marina plus shops, restaurants, banks and charter boats to nearby islands.

There is a wide range of prices and properties in St lucia from small guesthouses to international resort hotels, but they are all generally large, upmarket properties. Some hotels have an "all-inclusive" policy where meals, drinks and facilities are all included in the rates. Several offer special deals for children and have their own children's clubs. Some of the properties are at the end of long, sometimes unmade, tracks, and getting around can be challenging and expensive.

St Lucia has something for everybody, it has good beaches, unbelievable scenery and quality hotels. The younger crowd may be a little disappointed with the nightlife, which generally caters for families and more mature clientele.

The island has been left with a distinct French flavour, although its earliest colonists in the 17th century were British. The colonial history of the island, first settled by Arawak Indians around 200 AD, is a long saga of battles for control between the French and British. Britain eventually won the war in 1814, and granted independence under the Commonwealth to St Lucia in 1979.

The capital, Castries, on the NW coast, can be hot, humid and dirty, and the only reason for visiting would be its modest but colourful market; the town was destroyed by fire in 1947 and the only surviving building of historical interest is the cathedral.

Locality:

St Lucia is situated in the far east of the Caribbean (80 mls SE of Dominica, 21 mls S of Martinique, 100 mls NW of Barbados).

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

There is a broad array of exciting and exotic activities available on St. Lucia. The island's steep coastlines and lovely reefs offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving. The rainforest preserves of St. Lucia's mountainous interior are one of the Caribbean's finest locales for hiking and birdwatching. Of course, the island also possesses excellent facilities for golf, tennis, sailing, and a host of other leisure pursuits. Not to be missed is St. Lucia's Soufriere volcano, the world's only drive-in volcanic crater.

St. Lucia has been inhabited since long before colonial times, and its cultural treasures are a fascinating melange of its rich past and its many different traditions. The island's people have earned a well-deserved reputation for their warmth and charm, and the island itself is dotted with aged fortresses, small villages, and open-air markets.

The beaches are all of the highest quality, a sunbathers paradise.

The Daytime offers mainly beach based activities with a variety of water sports including skiing, windsurfing, kite-surfing, sailing and a number of dive centres. There's also tennis, squash, horse riding, hiking and mountain biking. Car hire allows exploration the island independently, or a tour or by helicopter if you have the funds. Golf (one course has views of both the Atlantic and Caribbean).

The Nightlife is centred on the hotels with local shows, limbo dancing, crab racing and other attractions. The area around Rodney Bay (including the marina) has numerous restaurants, bars, a pub and disco. Gros Islet is the venue for the Friday night "jump up", a street party with food stalls, makeshift bars and plenty of dancing. The National Cultural Centre in Castries and Lighthouse Theatre at Tapion offer regular shows and plays along with a spring jazz festival. Carnival season reaches the island in July.

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