St Lucia / Special Interests

It’s probably fair to relate that St. Lucia really does have a little something for everyone. Not every island can lay claim to this in the eastern Caribbean, but a varied topography ranging from the stunning World Heritage site around the Pitons in the south west to mountainous rainforest and glorious beachscapes has facilitated an exciting destination catering to all manner of tastes.

Beach holidaying is focused on the west coast north of the capital Castries, where Rodney Bay also embraces a strong yachting fraternity. Watersports are popular in all the traditional sandy beach locations but there are prime scuba diving and snorkelling sites in the south west too, particularly around Anse Chastanet and the associated marine reserve.  The area adjacent the airport at Vieux Fort is rapidly forging an international reputation for windsurfing and kiteboarding owing to the well nigh perfect sea and weather conditions.

Golf enthusiasts have an 18 hole championship course at Cap estate in the far north and a less elaborate 9 hole outlet at the Sandals La Toc resort near Castries. Sports tourism, driven by the West Indian religion of cricket, has grown apace in recent years and England along with thousands of their supporters were based at the beautiful purpose built ground at Beausejour inland from Rodney Bay for the 2007 World Cup.

A mountainous interior and well preserved rainforest have been nurtured by a dedicated Forestry Department and other committed conservation groups and St.Lucia has an intricate network of maintained hiking paths and one or two more which are off the beaten track---the climb up Gros Piton for instance can be extremely demanding but the eventual vista along the south coast is unparalleled. Birdwatching is an increasingly common pastime among locals and visitors alike in the National Parks while the Fregate Islands and Maria Islands Nature Reserves are other interesting if spartan diversions off the east coast.  

The St.Lucia Jazz Festival is something of a cultural phenomenon after escalating into more of a “world music” extravaganza over the years with several globally significant performers, whilst also expanding into venues islandwide from its original incarnation at Pigeon Island. Spas and centres of wellbeing proliferate around the island, based chiefly in the numerous hotels, some of which like the BodyHoliday at Le Sport in the north west are geared essentially to physical and spiritual health.

The country has also become a mecca for weddings and honeymoons due in no small part to its moody, often spellbinding landscapes and romantic ambience.

For more detailed information and recommendations for individual areas of interest please select a Special Interest category below or from the menu bar.