In April I jetted off to the glorious island of St. Lucia as part of my 40th birthday celebrations. It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go since my honeymoon 13 years ago and, after 2 failed attempts to make it to the Caribbean in 2020 and 2021, I finally made the dream come true!
When it comes to big, potentially once in a lifetime vacations like this, I think its good to be a bit organised so that you can make the most of where you are and enjoy what somewhere has to offer, so before departing I made sure we booked some of these things to do around Saint Lucia to experience the islsnd:
• Thermal Sulphur Springs, Mud Bath & Toraille Waterfall
I feel like this place should be one for the ‘must do’ list if you have only have a certain amount of time or spending money available.
To do the thermal springs you’ll need to enter a live volcano. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly! It hasn’t actually erupted for hundreds of years (even then I believe it was a liquid-less explosion) but is live on a technicality as lava has been discovered bubbling under the surface.
Once you’re lathered up in mud it’s time to take a dip in one of the three thermal pools. Like any good bath, it’s pretty hot once you start getting in but after a minute or so you’re acclimatised and it’s relaxingly warm. Scrub off the mud whilst you’re having a float about and your skin will be left feel super soft and delicious for days (maybe even weeks). I have enlarged pores around my cheeks and nose and the mid has done wonders to reduce their appearance.
Couple of things to mention about this area – There are limited changing facilities on site but no storage lockers.If you’re visiting as part of an organised trip and with a guide, they may be able to keep hold of valuables and grab your phone to take photos of your experience, but if there’s a lot of people in your group you probably shouldn’t bank on this. Our visit was timed between one large group leaving and another arriving, which meant there weren’t many people around the share the facilities with or worry about taking anything, we felt pretty secure.
Then onto the waterfall. Do not underestimate how powerful this seemingly small looking stream of water is!
The pool of water itself was very stony and it took a couple of minutes to walk to the actually fall, where the temperature was described to us in advance as being “refreshing”. I couldn’t stay under there for very long as the pressure and cold took my breath away, how people manage to take beautifully posed aesthetic photos I do not know!
We booked a road tour through Viator (I cant find the exact tour we did to link) that was dedicated to visiting only these two locations. This included a guide, a few photo stops and also lunch. The journey from our part of the island was pretty long, although we did get to see some more of the local towns en route. There were also only 2 other people booked on the tour so it was essentially a private trip, and we were very impressed with our guide and driver. Had we have known this we may have opted to do a bigger tour by boat that would have combined this with a lovely day on a catamaran as well as heading into Soufriere (like this one).
• See the Pitons
There’s may ways you can do this – by boat, by land or by hiking right up the side of them! We were also lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them as we landed on the island (which is the title pic). Not being a hiking kind of a gal, I saw them as part of a road trip to the Thermal Baths when we stopped at a beautiful vantage point above the town of Soufriere.
• Visit Pigeon Island
Pigeon Island happened to be a very handy 30 minute walk away from our hotel. It’s a really interesting point of the island as it’s in between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean – one side is reallt calm and chilled, the other is more lively and a bit wild (pic above is the Atlantic side, pic below is the Caribbean side).
It was around $11 per adult for entry as it’s a National Park. There are some pretty ruins, lots of greenery, a couple of small beaches and some lovely vantage points to explore (there was also a cafe but we never managed to find it). It’s somewhere that’s great to spend a couple of hours or so as part of a day out.
Just next to the island is a bigger beach with a couple of bars, so we stopped for a few glasses of rum punch and lunch before heading back (which definitely needed to be by taxi, the punch has quite a kick!)
• Travel through the rainforest
We actually found out about this activity thanks to Jane McDonald! When were researching St Lucia we ended up watching a travel show she did with Channel 5 where she travelled through the St Lucian rainforest on a tram.
The tram seated up to 10 people with a guide (the staff are very health and safety conscious, so will assess the group and seat them so that the cable car is appropriately weighted) and for about and hour your drift casually up and down through the forest enjoying the tropical sights and sounds. Of course, wildlife spotting can be pretty unpredictable, but we managed to see a few hummingbirds and a parrot on our journey.
After the cable car ride was over our guide took us on a nature walk around the rainforest floor where we got to experience Frankensence plants and tiny baby pineapples!
We booked the rainforest adventure tram through Viatour which included pickup and drop off at the hotel and a small drink after the tour. There’s also an option to book directly with Rainforest Adventure and make your own way there. There was also an option to do a ziplining experience through the rainforest.
• Boat trip
One thing I always try to seek out when I travel is a boat trip. The markers if a good boat trip for me are – not too many people, room to lay out and sunbathe, bit of a shade option, food is included.
The boat we chose ended up having most of those things and was a really fun day (and perhaps a tiny bit raucous by the end!). Our trip was all day and included hotel transfers, unlimited drinks (water, soft drinks, vodka, rum and rum punch), buffet BBQ lunch and 3/4 swim stops that took in the Pitons and Marigot Bay.
• Watch the sunset
I mean, this one is a given when you’re in the Caribbean! We were very lucky that our hotel was right on the beach and overlooked the right side of the island to catch sunset, so most nights we could simply grab a drink from the bar and wander down to relax and enjoy.
We also booked a sunset catamaran cruise (although typically it was hella cloudy on the day we went). There are a few local companies that offer this – some are adults only, some include a buffet and/or an open bar and music.
A few things to bear in mind before you travel:
- If you’re planning to visit during peak times (such as during school holidays) it’s advisable to book things in advance to ensure you don’t miss out on what you really want to do. If you don’t get chance to book before you get to your resort, there may be a representative for the local tour companies based in the hotel that can talk to you about activities and book them for you.
- Organised trips can be on the pricier side, so make sure you prepare your holiday budget for this
- Make sure you know what your trios include/exclude so you know if you need to take anything extra with you such as water or snacks
- Additionally, check if any specific attire is required for your activity so you know to pack it as part of your holiday wardrobe.
- Have some days where you plan to do nothing, or at least not very much. You’ve probably paid a lot of money to stay in a beautiful hotel or resort that has a lot of offer, so make sure you enjoy that too!
My trip to St. Lucia was one packed with laughter, fun and memories that will last a lifetime. I hope that by sharing some of them this will help you enjoy your visit just as much!
Thanks for reading,
J xx
Jenny Chat 