We were here for a wedding at Villa Coulibri, which is an incredible house on the way to Anse Chastanet. We spent most of our time engaged in wedding events…and most of the reviews capture places to go, etc. Here are some of our additions:
Vegetarian food: we are vegetarians and had an incredible tough time finding food. There’s an amazing place just across the pier. A woman parked her van there and cooks out of her vehicle. The rotis are delicious. We also ate an amazing veggie burger at Anse Mamin just past Anse Chatanet. There’s also a place called belle View just across Pitit Peak that served a veggie meal. Hope this helps others who are on the hunt for veggie food. Jill & Brett Happy Honeymoon!!!
Clint and I really enjoyed our stay, we loved having the opportunity to explore Soufriere. Highlights Torille Waterfalls – a must! It is not too far away either. If you do the Sulphur Springs we recommend you leave your facial on until you get to Diamond Falls. Mud baths and drive in Volcano- very relaxing as well as a must see Sugar Beach – amazing area to snorkel and not to mention the sight is breathtaking Tet Paul Nature Trail – AMAZING!!! Experience, they have tour guides provided and they are very informative and the sight at the top is breathtaking. Our tour guide took some amazing pictures. Make sure to get a panoramic view with you in it and the twin Peaks! You can see the most of Island from the top. It is only a 30 minute hike round-trip. Very very easy and only U.S $13 per person. Other things we recommend – Diamond Falls & Botanical Gardens (I would skip out on the hot springs here), Hotel Chocolate (expensive, just go for appetizer and dessert) Bat cave (you can hear it from the Hammingbird Beach at waterfront right hand side) To eat: the waterfront De Bella Something (it’s the pink and green building, walk up the stairs they are very friends, fab food and good $$$) Ruby’s Pizza is another good place to get food. Bug Spray is a must, Mosquito are very friendly! We’ve had a great time here and really enjoyed relaxing in the apartment. The blender was a huge bonus. We’ve used it to make lots of rum drinks with fruit from the street vendors in town.
Favorite Places Snorkeling - In the marine protected area between Anse Chastanet and Mamin. There is a ladder on the far side of the dock that goes into the water. The current is a bit strong so maybe bring a life jacket if not a strong swimmer. Lots of interesting fish, plants and coral. Laborie – Is a cool beach town. We didn’t see any resorts or other tourists. Craig loved diving with Dive St. Lucia. They are based in Rodney Bay But brought him to this area to dive. They do beginner dives for people with no experience. Tip – The Grocery Store on the Hill (on the left if going south) somewhere around Laborie is well stocked if you plan to cook a lot of meals. They close at 1pm on Sundays. Thanks so much for the wonderful stay Janus and especially for the Cocoa Pods which were wonderful!! Jess & Craig, Oregon, USA. Gros Islet – on a Friday night is a street party – we had friends staying in Castries so we booked a night at their hotel. We caught a bus from town to Castries which takes about 1 hour to reach. We then had a taxi to our hotel for the night, we went to the street party with our friends, however I’m sure you can book this as an excursion – perhaps ask Janus.
The street party is an experience! – Food, beers, stalls and very loud music, it was great FUN! To catch a bus to Castries – even if it’s just to explore the train is $8.00 per person. The Market is great on a Saturday. Rodney Bay – loved this beach, full of vibes, again we tied this visit in with our friends, I’m sure Janus can arrange a trip there! Great place to go shopping as well – although pricey, it’s still worth a trip there. Torille Waterfall – Beautiful + Cold – Jerusalem Natural mineral-Baths, so relaxing, both in walking distance – head towards the hardware store – instead of turning right for Diamond falls- turn left and keep walking up the hill, you will pass the mineral baths – keep walking a little further and you will find entrance to the waterfall. Enjoy! Zip wire adventure – We booked online and saved 30% www.rainforestadventure.com Offer on until April 15th, 2017. Janus Arranged transportation for us as it is about 25 minutes from Castries, so around 90minute drive to get there from Here. Janus – We had an amazing stay here at Sapphire 4 – Thank you, hopefully be back soon to Beautiful St. Lucia Things to do:
Hike the Gros Piton – Okay so we hiked the Pitit Piton and it was hard and dangerous. If you’re into rock climbing, rock scrambling /hanging onto ropes, go for it, it’s a challenge, if not, just do the other one. Sugar Beach – Say you got a water taxi for $80.00 (e.c) and they’ll take you. Get a smoothie there, the resort restaurant is nice but pricey. Anse Mamin – Was our favorite beach – so quiet, also take a water taxi (go to the pier for those) Eat roti & Dahl from the vegetarian van opposite the pier – so nice!! Buy some spice rum Thanks for the stay - Janus Although our stay has been short here at Sapphire, it has been so lovely and exploring Soufriere has been a great adventure!!
Janus has been such a wonderful host, organizing a car service to pick us up from the airport as well as assisting with our departure to Castries. This apartment had all we could ever need and is a short (15minute) walking distance into town. HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP: Spending the day at Anse Mamin Beach – we were told this was the most secluded beach and this proved to be true! We took the advice from a previous entry, and called Giddy Up company for a water taxi to the beach. Simon and friends were super accommodating (we called an hour before pickup-up) and the ride to the beach was beautiful. Simon took us up close to the cave with fruit bats and let us rent snorkeling gear from the day. At Anse Mamin, we rented beach chairs (2) for $33.00 (although you can just lie on a towel if you wish) and the restaurant on the beach served delicious burgers (although pretty pricey - $28.00, so we shared + it was plenty). We gave Simon a pickup time of 3:30pm and he came right on time. Simon’s round trip water taxi and renting 2 snorkeling masks came to $70.00. Dinner: Ruby’s - Great pork and mac + Cheese, good portions. Hummingbird Restaurant – Stunning views of the Pitons, very pricey for small portions (if you do go here, wear your bathing suite and sneak in a swim at the pool!) We really got lucky tonight with a big street fair/party going by the water – local food, drinks, Dj/music – So fun! We’re off to Castries tomorrow to catch the ferry to head to Dominica! We highly recommend Janus + Team and had a blast here in Soufriere!! Meghan and Andrew Day 1 – Feb. 14th,2017
Fabian picked us up from the airport. We were able to stop at the Supermarket to stock up on a few essentials. The drive to Soufriere was breathtaking. We had a long day of travel so we decided to stay in, drink a couple of beers and watch the sun set over the Caribbean. Day 2 – Feb.15, 2017 Woke up to rain, lots of it! Walked down to downtown for breakfast at Waterfront De Belle View. The Sausages that came with my breakfast were hot dogs – had a good chuckle! It was reasonably priced! Many of the locals showed us around… and lurked around awkwardly for a tip. Bring $XCD. A friendly rasta man offered me some “special tobacco”. I couldn’t resist. We ended our evening with an amazing dinner at Orlando’s. Not cheap but worth every dollar. U.S $55.00 for a five-course tasting menu. All the ingredients were local and every dish was artfully plated. Menu Changes Daily. Day 3 – Feb. 16,2017 Went up island to Babonneau to visit the rainforest and do some Ziplining through the canopy. The tram-ride down was breathtaking with clear views of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Martinique. The drive there and back were very jerky. Alex got sick on the way back. We stopped for some local produce on the ride back and has a light lunch. We spent the rest of the evening at Still Beach and had a couple of drinks at The Still Beach House, where we wet a couple of Extremely friendly locals. Ask for Pinky or Francis. Day 4 – Feb.17, 2017 Today was Soufriere Adventure Day! Janus Booked us to a Guide Named Jamal from ‘’Real St Lucia Tours’’ (amazing name written on car) he was great. We started at Tet Paul Nature Trail which was a good amount of exercise for me (I’m the lazy one, while chris wanted Gros Piton). The view from up top was breathtaking. A must see! Then we did The Sulphur Springs & Mud Bath which was an unusual experience but we loved it, still. Our skin actually feels better than it actually did going in. We bought a chunk of mud from the guide there to bring home. An official sale-of-goods I presume since after he bagged it we were asked to hide it. Jamal said leave the mud on our face only while we rode to the waterfall for our next Soak. As if we didn’t stand out enough. As tourists, we drove with him through town, windows open with a white & black pointed mud face. Well worth it though – my skin looks replenished Then we went into the cold waterfall. Torielle Waterfall and a local grabbed us both and took us under the fresh and heavy pour of the falls. When we came out with clean faces, Jamal was waiting there with cold Piton for both of us. A good combo between the hot/stinky/dirty Sulphur Bath which relaxed you and the cold refreshing waterfall. The off to the Botanical Gardens (Diamond) I really liked it while Chris thought it was a little boring. The flora and fauna were beautiful and there was a lot to look at. Didn’t do the bath- They looked kind of gross anyways. There is a waterfall at the back which was nice. I think it was worth the U.S $7.00 each. Lastly we went to Fedo’s which is very close to the apartment and amazing value! I had the creole fish – a whopping piece of tuna to rice, ground provisions and salad. Day 5 – Feb.18, 2017 Took a cab to Anse Chastanet from beach time and snorkeling. Beach was Beautiful with White Sand and clear water. Got Busy Between visitors and guests. We ate at the beach front restaurant and both got burgers. My veggie burger was weird… I would avoid it, otherwise food and drinks were delish. They make mean virgin banana daiquiris. The snorkeling was affordable for the day and lots of fun. Even with a tan I got a very bad burn! Careful out there, friends. Amenities at Anse Chastanet were clean and everyone was super nice. Day 6- Feb. 19,2017 Sundays are quiet in town, so we started the day off early with a walk around, sat near the waterfront and talked with some locals. Ate delicious and well-priced (14.00 us) buffet lunch at the beautiful outdoor beach dining room of Still Water Inn. A local chef from Still Beach Inn named Francis walked up to meet is and show us around town. He knew a lot of people and is filled with kindness and positivity. Thanks to Janus & Team for a lovely stay at Sapphire! Fantastic apartment with everything that you need. We especially enjoyed the beautiful Sunsets from the balcony :) Soufriere is truly a beautiful town with lovely friendly people.
In a bit of a rush, but here are a few tips: Restaurants in Town:
Sights – Our Favorites:
We didn’t rent a car so Janus helped us arrange car transfers, very helpful! Hope you will all enjoy St. Lucia, Soufriere as much as we did. Cheers!!!!! Linda Very Good Apartment with amazing views from the balcony – We enjoyed watching the Sunsets.2/3/2017
Very Good Apartment with amazing views from the balcony – We enjoyed watching the Sunsets. Highlights for us include: Botanical Gardens and Diamond Falls – a lovely walk through the gardens with lots of interesting plants and trees ending up at the spectacular Diamond Falls. The local Beach by the Hammingbird Resort – usually mainly quiet except on Sundays when the locals are out enjoyed themselves, Good for swimming and snorkeling. Tet Paul Nature Trail – Fantastic 360 degree views of the island a very easy climb taking about 30-45 minutes. Sugar Beach – lovely beach in between the Pitons. Drinks are very expensive at the restaurants though- a bottle of sparkling water cost us U.S $15. 60! Anse Chastanet & Anse Mamin, both beautiful Beaches with good restaurants. Sandy Beach near the airport is nice for a change as there’s usually a cooling breeze and is good for watching the wind and Kite Surfing. Reef Beach Café is O.K for Lunch. Marigot is an attractive sailing resort. We took the free water taxi to Dolittle for linch. Small beach, not very welcoming to visitor outside the resort. Rodney Bay didn’t appeal to us as it is to much like Florida with shopping malls and a long beach lined with restaurants. The traffic was horrendous going through Castries and on the road leading up to Rodney Bay. Pigeon Island was worth the visit though – good for walk and nice beaches. Interesting to hear abot it’s history. Our Favorite Restaurant for the evening was the Hummingbird. Excellent food if a bit pricey. Petit Peak was O.K for lunch but not the best was the food was expensive for what it was. Orlando’s was even more expensive for what it is. Should be better. The Fox Grow Inn on the east coast near Praslin Bay was really excellent for Lunch and very good value. Sit in lovely local Gardens. We also enjoyed a superb lunch at Boucan, Hotel Chocolat – Really good food and amazing Views. St. Lucia is a really Beautiful unspoilt Island and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our stay here . Thank you Janus for your welcome and for planning the car mechanic for us Ros & Graham Jessyca & Etienne
QC, Canada 15-17 Janvier 2017 Island Hoping – Barbados / St. Lucia Beach Day Every Day First of all we’re NOT big hikers… Our biggest Challenge was bringing back our groceries ‘’EROLINE FOODS’’ back to Janus’ House in our flip flops. Day 1:- After the ride, we wanted to drive at first from the airport at night, we were so grateful we arranged transportation through Janus. We headed straight to bed and had a massive surprise in the morning when we looked out of the window and got out of bed to see the amazing view that was awaiting us. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! Nothing like we expected when we went to bed and imagined how it would be like by the light at night. Day 2:- We went to Pitit Peak for breakfast which took us forever to get to ‘cause we made friends with the locals on the way. People are super friendly and despite the fact they all want to make money, they are not harassing and always want to help you out. All we wanted was to chill out, so we did on Janus’ balcony, walked around town and went to Hammingbird beach (decent to freshen up but don’t spend a day there). Happy hour for Sunset (AMAZING) overlooking Pitit Piton, town, the ocean and straight from THIS balcony. Day 3:- During Yesterday’s walk we met Iphus, a young water taxi driver. For 100 EC he was ready to bring us to Sugar Beach round-trip. We got there around 10am and it was empty. No tourists yet only us. You get the free Laungers on the left of the deck, but we opted for our blanket on the sand beneath the tree. DON’T be discouraged by the showers that just refreshed you and give you a a small break from the Sun. Get snorkeling masks. Snorkeling is amazing. Lots of fish at the same place even though the place seems small at first. Once you get off the water taxi you’ll see purses hanging on the left had side of the pier. PLEASE GO! Her name is Bonita, she sells Piton Beers 2x1 (2x20 EC$) which is an awesome deal compared to the only restaurant on the beach. If you get there before noon, ask if her mom can cook you a typical canabean meal. (today was chicken, curry rice w/ plantain for 25 EC). Big Portion, tasted amazing & she’s super friendly. Day 4:- Just Chilled…enjoyed the view again and even if the weather was uncertain again, we ended up taking a water taxi to Anse Chastanet Beach/ Black Sand. Bigger Spot for snorkeling than Sugar Beach but strange current. Bring $$$$ s it is a bit more Posh. Jade Mountain is there so are the residents. Nice spot w/ lots of shade from the Palm trees. Mind you, you don’t see the pitons. Turned out to be a sunny day. We ended up meeting Janus, as friendly in person as he is in writing. Our last night already and even though our review is way less active than the others, we still had an amazing time as a new happy couple and we hope you guys will still enjoy it. Off to Rodney Bay for our last stretch of vacation. Obviously one of Janus’ driver is taking us there. Long living to his Company. Thanks A Lot |
WEATHER IN SAINT LUCIA
While most places in the world have four well-defined seasons, its proximity to the equator means that this is not really the case for the island of St. Lucia. Archives
March 2020
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