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St Lucia / Island Hopping

Before you decide to head off to one of the other Windward Islands near St Lucia, or to Barbados or Puerto Rico (which have direct flight connections), it’s worth considering that St Lucia is almost a two-centre island in itself. The north and the south of the island have a completely different atmosphere from one another. The area around Castries and Rodney Bay is highly developed with large and international hotels and it has a feel of the modern world come to the Caribbean. The south, on the other hand, has a far stronger feel of the traditional West Indies, with its slower, agricultural life and gracious small hotels that offer the best in local hospitality. If you want a combination of two different Caribbean experiences, the two sides of the island can make an excellent foil to one another.

Suggested options for Island Hopping:

If you do decide to look farther afield, then the most obvious choice for a second destination to combine with St Lucia is Martinique, a French island that lies about twenty miles to the north. It is often visible on a clear day and can be reached by boat and plane. This has the advantage of the extraordinary cultural difference between the former British colony and the (still) French overseas Département, where the level of development is striking, and noticeably French. The people, on the other hand, are distinctly West Indian with a French twist. Curiously there are also some similarities between the two islands, mainly in the Creole way of life, which are interesting to tease out. If you don’t fancy a whole trip, it is quite possible to take a day trip to Martinique, see below.

Other combinations include St Vincent the (relatively) large Windward Island with a tiny, slumberstruck Caribbean cay, say Bequia or Carriacou in the Grenadines. A very useful SVG Air shared charter service operating on a daily basis linking St Lucia (Hewanorra International) with St Vincent, Bequia and Canouan brings the Grenadines much closer. It is just 20 mins from St Lucia's international airport to St Vincent.

St Vincent is a hub in the local area for sailing, so you could charter a yacht to take you down to the Grenadines, but it is also possible to link all the Grenadines by ferry. Barbados has a completely different feel again, both geographically (it is not a volcanic island) and culturally. Instead of having a French Creole aspect, it is quite English (well, relatively speaking). If you have difficulty getting a flight into St Lucia, you can always fly via Barbados, to which there are many more regular international flights, and you could take a few days en route.

You can always island hop by yacht. St Lucia has good marine facilities and some extremely pretty coves.

When you plan your inter-island trip remember about the two airports in St Lucia. Local flights often fly into George FL Charles Airport (Vigie) in the north, so if your chosen accommodation is in Soufrière try to fly into Hewanorra.

Sunlink Tours - Offers a variety of Island hopping trips, including the Grenadines Tour, the Alternate Grenadines and the Martinique Experience.

Scheduled inter-Caribbean airlines that fly in and out of St Lucia include:

Air Caraïbes,which serves the French Caribbean islands, and LIAT which has flights to Antigua, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Vincent, Barbados and Trinidad.

Charter airline services to St Lucia include:

These local companies can fly you between the two airports in St Lucia if you do not want to make the transfer by road : Eagle Air Services and Helenair, both based at George FL Charles Airport. 

SVG Air - A local Caribbean airline that specialises in private charters to the Grenadines, often from Barbados, but also from St Lucia and Grenada, even from as far as Puerto Rico. SVG Air has eleven 5-19-seater planes including a 7-seater jet.

By Ferry or boat

L’Express des Iles - Runs from Martinique to Dominica and Guadeloupe and sometimes makes a crossing to St Lucia.  The company will introduce a new year-round service, Jeans Ferry Services, from 20 October 2011, offering travel between Dominica, St Lucia, Guadeloupe and Martinique. Weekend charters will also be available to other islands

Flying Ray, St Lucian Wave Riders - A day trip to Martinique on a 60ft double deck catamaran. A 90-minute crossing followed by duty-free shopping and a visit to the main city Fort de France. On the return trip there is a stop at Anse Noire, a very pretty cove, for a barbecue and Ti Punch and swimming and sunbathing. Departure – 7.30am from Rodney Bay Marina, return – 5.30pm, passport information needed by noon the day prior to the tour.

Browse Island Hopping on other islands

Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | Barbados | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada & Carriacou | Jamaica | Nevis | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad

Or read our other island guides

Anguilla | Antigua | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | Bermuda | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Cuba | Curacao | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada and Carriacou | Guadeloupe | Haiti | Jamaica | Martinique | Montserrat | Nevis | Puerto Rico | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad | Turks & Caicos Islands | US Virgin Islands

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St Lucia’s weather

St Lucia weather chart

When to go and weather

Looking for inspiration?

  1. Visit the world's only drive through volcano
  2. Play a round of golf at the Cap Estate
  3. Try dramatic wall diving off the base of the Petit Piton
  4. Eat local food and dance all night at Fish Friday, Anse La Raye
  5. Get married at a choice of romantic spots from private beaches and gardens to cliff tops and brigs

St Lucia Events

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