What To Do In St Lucia: Girls Trip

So I recently traveled to St. Lucia to attend one of my best friend’s bachelorette parties, and as a solo group of 4 girls traveling the country without a guide, I want to give you my thoughts on our experience and share what to expect if you are thinking of planning a trip to St. Lucia.

I am going to give an itinerary of what we did, as well as, what I think is worth it and what’s not. I will also share at the end all takeaways and what I would recommend. 🙂

What You Need To Get There

Getting to St. Lucia isn’t exactly a cakewalk. There are 3 forms you must complete before entering the country, one of which must be completed 48 hours before travel to receive approval. I will add the link to the website for this paperwork, and the most current requirements.

As of our trip in February of 2022, you must:

• Be fully vaccinated and have proof of vaccination on hand
• Have a valid passport
• Have a negative PCR test result not older than 5 days
• Complete the Travel Registration form, and receive approval
• Ministry of Health & Wellness Screening Health Questionnare
• Immigration form (provided to you on the airplane)
• Any potential documentation your airline requires

What We Did

Soufriere Sulfur Springs Mud Baths – St. Lucia has the world’s only drive-in volcano with sulfur baths. This is a $10 activity and you can stay as long as you wish, which for us, was only about 30 minutes. The baths are shared and it can get extremely crowded. The dark 100-degree water is warm to the touch, a bit smelly like eggs (it is sulfur after all) with a gritty bottom. It’s surely something everyone should experience at least once. They have buckets of ground sulfur mud to use on your body, to cleanse it, let the mud dry, and rinse it off in the baths. I would also like to add that everything here is outdoors so if it is raining there is not somewhere to hide from the elements. We did not stay long because it began to downpour and there were also a lot of people. It’s best to get there early to avoid tourist groups.

Tet Paul Stairway to Heaven Hike – This was my favorite activity of the trip. The cost is $10 per person, and you are provided a guide and walking stick. The beginning of the hike is the most difficult part and the steepest, but totally manageable. There are multiple picturesque stops along the way, as well as educational tidbits provided by the guide. It rained during part of our hike and though there is a designated path, it does get quite slippery so wear shoes with good traction. Overall the views are breathtaking and incredible on a hike that is totally doable in a very short period of time. The hike itself is about 30 to 40 minutes but with stopping to take in the views and capture the moment with photos, allow about an hour.

SugarBeach – We spent an evening at SugarBeach to enjoy drinks, watch the sunset, shop local beach vendors have dinner, and relax on the beach. This beautiful resort has a breathtaking beach, beachfront restaurant with bar, and pitons to the side of the most exquisite property. Since we drove they have visitor parking and shuttles transport you around the grounds which is so convenient. The cocktails and food here were superb along with the sunset.

Where We Ate

Rabot at Hotel Chocolat – Reservations required, incredible menu options, and beautiful views. This was our most expensive meal but totally worth it! Every item on their menu includes chocolate as an ingredient and everything is so delicious! Chocolate is made on the property, the dining setup is gorgeous as well as the views.

Ladera – Reservations required, amazing views on the Pitons. We stopped here for lunch and I recommend eating here at least once during your trip just to take in the view. Ladera by far had the most incredible views. The food was okay, nothing special but okay for the price. Again, this location is about the views so maybe even just visit here for drinks.

SugarBeach – Beach front relaxed setting, we ate pizza and had cocktails here. Delicious food and terrific drinks. More on the pricey side but for beach access and quality it’s worth it in my opinion. So chill and you can stay all day.

Harbor Club – Breakfast buffet with marina views – included with stay. We ate here because it was included with our stay. The buffet was pretty standard, but the views made it extraordinary, and to be able to pop over to the pool and lounge right after was superb.

If you are wondering why I have listed resorts only for where we ate, that is because in St. Lucia if you aren’t up to popping into someone’s home/unlabeled building on the side of the road, a resort is your option for food. Now in saying this, there are a few fast food options on the north side of the island – we saw one KFC, but other than that, there are no restaurants or fast food stops anywhere to be found.

Accommodations

Harbor Club – For the first part of our trip we stayed up north at Harbor Club, which is a Hilton Collection resort. They have a sparkling pool and include a breakfast buffet with your stay. While in the north there was a curfew at the time due to COVID but with the pool and multiple restaurants on the property, we were fine with that.

AirBnB – For the remainder of our trip we stayed on the southern side of the island in Sapphire which is near Soufriere. This gorgeous house included a saltwater pool, private access to a black sand beach, views of the pitons, and spacious rooms. We actually felt super safe here as the property was gated and there were multiple houses on the property all maintained and run by the same company.

I recommend if you are planning to visit St. Lucia as a couple, save up to stay at a resort. Everything is included, you don’t have to drive, and your views, food, and entertainment are all easily accessible. If you are on the adventurous side or want to plan a more affordable trip, resorts in the north are a less expensive option, or there is the Airbnb option but as I have mentioned, getting to food is a bit of a challenge, so is COVID testing. If you are at a resort, testing is provided to you, otherwise, it is not and you have to go to a hospital or find a clinic. Luckily I had brought a home test and scheduled an appointment with a viewer to verify my results, easy peasy. The other girls had to go to a clinic which first tried to charge them $80 each but they got the tests for $40 and were originally asked to stay there for an hour but were able to arrange email results. Overall it was really sketch and we were not able to find this place on our own or by googling testing sites, we only got the location because of the housekeeper who literally had to show us where to go down an alley to a non labeled building. Things like this stress me out so I would recommend bringing your own test if you aren’t staying at a resort.

Transportation

Sixt rental Suzuki Jimny 4×4 – If you are planning to drive in St. Lucia there is A LOT to know. First, you are on the right side of the car and drive on the left side of the road. There are a ton of speed bumps, roundabouts, hairpin turns, steep inclines, narrow streets, potholes, and dropoffs. It is fun for skilled drivers, but definitely not for everyone. I personally loved driving and loved the Jimny, but it was a bit small for 4 girls and all of our luggage. For two people it would be perfect. If you are staying at a resort they provide shuttles and transportation to all of the tourist attractions, as well as to and from the airport.

Takeaways

One big thing about St. Lucia I would like to touch on is that it is most definitely a third-world country. You see this everywhere you go, especially while driving. People are walking the streets, there are loose dogs everywhere, goats and cows are tied to trees on the side of the road. If you aren’t nestled away on resort property or rental property, all you see is poverty…everywhere, and all of the beautiful piton views are only viewable from the resorts. I feel like we got to experience a different St. Lucia than the average tourist since we drove ourselves around. We saw the “real” St. Lucia along with the tourist St. Lucia. This island is extremely expensive to visit and it is so disheartening to see how impoverished the people are. The island is so breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time. I don’t want to end this post on a sad note but I want to be honest in sharing my thoughts and experience with you all. So if you are planning a trip or thinking of visiting St. Lucia, keep this in mind. I am sure it will rain at some point on your trip but there is always a beautiful rainbow to follow it. Cheers to your next adventure!