First visit to St.Lucia

Have just booked cruise for next January that will stop at St. Lucia. I've never been there but have wanted to go.

What are the must-see places? What about private tour companies?

Thanks.

You definitely want to take a tour here rather than drive yourself. Allow at least 4-6 hours for a tour. We have used Spencer Ambrose and was put with a small group (saw volcano, waterfall, island, has time on beach, etc) and another time booked Serenity tours for a private tour (Cathedral, Cassava bread factory, rum factory, artisans). Both were excellent. It depends if you want time at the beach, shopping, sightseeing, etc.

You definitely want to take a tour here rather than drive yourself. Allow at least 4-6 hours for a tour. We have used Spencer Ambrose and was put with a small group (saw volcano, waterfall, island, has time on beach, etc) and another time booked Serenity tours for a private tour (Cathedral, Cassava bread factory, rum factory, artisans). Both were excellent. It depends if you want time at the beach, shopping, sightseeing, etc.

Thanks. I'll look up those two tour companies. Sightseeing is my preference. Not much of a shopper, and I can go to the beach near where I live in North Carolina - even in the winter although then it's only to look out to sea!

The must-sees of St. Lucia include the iconic Pitons, the volcano & mud baths, rainforest, waterfalls, and the rugged, beautiful coastline. There are many sights along the way including the banana plantations, scenic bays, bat cave, rock arches, etc. The "best" tours are combo land/sea tours, hence you get the best of both worlds - land tour down with photo stops, banana tasting, volcano, waterfall stop/swim, etc. followed by a little beach time and a boat tour up the coast on the return to see the Pitons from the sea (stunning), bat cave, rock arch, Marigot Bay, and so on. Spencer Ambrose, Serenity TVL, Franks Tours, Real St. Lucia Tours and so on all offer a version of the land/sea tour. Can't be beat!

Enjoy - lots to see and do in St. Lucia.

Have just booked cruise for next January that will stop at St. Lucia. I've never been there but have wanted to go.

 

What are the must-see places? What about private tour companies?

 

Thanks.

An island tour really is the way to go--especially one that takes you down towards Soufriere and the Pitons. The Pitons are two towering volcano peaks and are the iconic landmarks of St. Lucia. Since you have never been to St. Lucia before, this is something you would not want to miss seeing! Popular tour operators such as Cosol and Spencer Ambrose Tours offer west coast tours that head down towards the Pitons. These island tours pass by quaint fishing villages, stop for photo opportunities, visit a banana plantation, offer guided tours of Sulphur Springs--the Caribbean's only drive-in volcano (where you can experience the intense smell of sulphur and see bubbling pools of gasses or partake in a mud bath), Toraille Waterfall (you can actually take a dip under the waterfall here) and a beach stop at Jalousie Beach--a scenic white-sand beach nestled right between the Gros and Petit Pitons (a short boat ride is required to get here)!

We have toured with Spencer Ambrose Tours on his West Coast Island Delight tour and had a wonderful time. Actually our tour with them was the highlight of our cruise vacation! Keep in mind that the west coast tour does involve alot of driving. It is approx. a 90-minute drive from the cruise ship terminal in Castries down to Soufriere. If you wish to cut out on driving time and have more time at Jalousie Beach, I recommend you look into Spencer Ambrose Tours Land & Sea combination. This excursion allows you to see all the popular sites by land with the addition of a return sightseeing trip to the cruise terminal by speedboat. We have been on his coastal sightseeing tour and saw such sites as the Bat Cave, the Natural Bridge (Pirates of the Caribbean filmed a scene here) and Marigot Bay. His tours include lunch, snacks and drinks.

If you are interested to see our West Coast Island Delight Tour experience with Spencer Ambrose Tours, click on the YouTube link below.

If you have any other questions, just ask!

FYI: Some other well-known tour operators include Serenity, James and Herod.

Have fun with your planning!

dz63 - Loved the video!

I did know about the Pitons but not anything else. So, all the info is helping a lot.

I recommend Cosol as well. great value and covers alot of places

You definitely want to take a tour here rather than drive yourself. Allow at least 4-6 hours for a tour. We have used Spencer Ambrose and was put with a small group (saw volcano, waterfall, island, has time on beach, etc) and another time booked Serenity tours for a private tour (Cathedral, Cassava bread factory, rum factory, artisans). Both were excellent. It depends if you want time at the beach, shopping, sightseeing, etc.

We are booked with Serenity Tours for a private land tour (we are a group of 12) that includes lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Pitons. We have a week packed full of beaches and catamarans and the speedboats offered by the other operators with the land/sea tours don't appeal to us. So, on this one day we plan to stay dry!

I haven't seen too many reviews of the Serenity Tours Island Tour here on CC (there are plenty of good ones on TA). I would love to see pictures and hear more about this tour.:)

dz63,

How long did you get to spend at the beach near the Pitons on this tour?

We are looking at several tours. Thank you

dz63,

 

How long did you get to spend at the beach near the Pitons on this tour?

We are looking at several tours. Thank you

On the West Coast tour we only had 45 minutes at the beach. If you would like more time here, Spencer's Land & Sea Adventure offers up to 90 minutes of beach time.

I took the Herods Island Splendor Tour in Janaury and we were at the beach for a few hours. For an extra $5 each, you can also see the Waterfalls and Sulfar Springs. We had a nice lunch on the beach and had time for my sons to snorkel.

I would definately recommend Herod and his Island Splendor Tour.

I took the Herods Island Splendor Tour in Janaury and we were at the beach for a few hours. For an extra $5 each, you can also see the Waterfalls and Sulfar Springs. We had a nice lunch on the beach and had time for my sons to snorkel.

 

I would definately recommend Herod and his Island Splendor Tour.

I totally agree - it was DH's favorite tour of the whole cruise - quite a change from the others we did, riding around in a van

The must-sees of St. Lucia include the iconic Pitons, the volcano & mud baths, rainforest, waterfalls, and the rugged, beautiful coastline. There are many sights along the way including the banana plantations, scenic bays, bat cave, rock arches, etc. The "best" tours are combo land/sea tours, hence you get the best of both worlds - land tour down with photo stops, banana tasting, volcano, waterfall stop/swim, etc. followed by a little beach time and a boat tour up the coast on the return to see the Pitons from the sea (stunning), bat cave, rock arch, Marigot Bay, and so on.

For the FIRST time to St. Lucia a land/sea combo tour is a good plan.

Then, the next time you have a port stop there, you'll know what you enjoyed most and want to do again.

We like to take a catamaran tour to the Pitons -- all sea, no land.

LuLu

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LuLu -- can you tell me please, which catamaran tour you have taken and a little about it? Thanks!

We are booked with Serenity Tours for a private land tour (we are a group of 12) that includes lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Pitons. We have a week packed full of beaches and catamarans and the speedboats offered by the other operators with the land/sea tours don't appeal to us. So, on this one day we plan to stay dry!

 

I haven't seen too many reviews of the Serenity Tours Island Tour here on CC (there are plenty of good ones on TA). I would love to see pictures and hear more about this tour.:)

Ginny- I really need you to review this so I will know if it's good for April 2015...Is Bill traveling with you guys this trip, or just the AZ crew? I'm hoping a few of you can share some photos :D

DZ- I loved your video!! I got a little teary watching your boys playing at the beach...it's so precious to have that time together!! I'm sure you realize that now that a few years have gone by and probably like my family, some are off now or soon to be! That tour looks good...I'm adding it to my list

Ginny- I really need you to review this so I will know if it's good for April 2015...Is Bill traveling with you guys this trip, or just the AZ crew? I'm hoping a few of you can share some photos :D

 

Hi! Yes, I will plan to write a review like I did on the Allure. Bill will be with us on the ship, but I don't think he has booked this tour with us, at least not yet! There will be 12 AZ Cruisers on this cruise (Part 1 of the B2B) and 10 on the Aruba route (Part 2 of the B2B). We are losing four after Part 1 and gaining two for Part 2.:D

Several of us are booked on the Oasis in May 2015 and a whole bunch of us are booked on the Jewel California Coastal in Oct. 2015!

I am really excited about this tour. The Land & Sea tours that most people want to do just aren't appealing to me, both because of the mixed reviews of Jalousie Beach and the speedboat ride - access issues and the fact that we have some people who would not be able to physically tolerate a fast, bumpy ride. We will be on beaches and/or catamarans most days on this port intensive B2B, and quite frankly a land tour with a relaxing lunch at a very nice restaurant overlooking the Pitons really appeals to me. The fact that park entrance fees, sampling of local cuisine at several different stops and lunch are all included makes this seem like quite a bargain. I checked other tour guides and they did not include lunch or entrance fees and the cost was just as much. I really had to hunt for reviews on TA as there just aren't many here on CC, unless you are looking for a Land & Sea Tour.

LuLu -- can you tell me please, which catamaran tour you have taken and a little about it? Thanks!

The ones we have taken to do this were thru Princess. They did differ. One did a beach stop and the other was a swim from the catamaran. The seem to vary. Both were enjoyable. It's what we'd do again. :) Way better to us than other things we had do there.

On HAL we had a port intensive cruise so picked St. Lucia as our day to rest up a bit ... they did an excellent job of taking us very close to the Pitons on our departure ... even had someone narrating on the outdoor speakers.

LuLu

~~~

Hi! Yes, I will plan to write a review like I did on the Allure. Bill will be with us on the ship, but I don't think he has booked this tour with us, at least not yet! There will be 12 AZ Cruisers on this cruise (Part 1 of the B2B) and 10 on the Aruba route (Part 2 of the B2B). We are losing four after Part 1 and gaining two for Part 2.:D

 

Several of us are booked on the Oasis in May 2015 and a whole bunch of us are booked on the Jewel California Coastal in Oct. 2015!

 

I am really excited about this tour. The Land & Sea tours that most people want to do just aren't appealing to me, both because of the mixed reviews of Jalousie Beach and the speedboat ride - access issues and the fact that we have some people who would not be able to physically tolerate a fast, bumpy ride. We will be on beaches and/or catamarans most days on this port intensive B2B, and quite frankly a land tour with a relaxing lunch at a very nice restaurant overlooking the Pitons really appeals to me. The fact that park entrance fees, sampling of local cuisine at several different stops and lunch are all included makes this seem like quite a bargain. I checked other tour guides and they did not include lunch or entrance fees and the cost was just as much. I really had to hunt for reviews on TA as there just aren't many here on CC, unless you are looking for a Land & Sea Tour.

Oh Good, I will look for that!! And I' sure Bill will review whatever he and Mrs OH decide do on St Lucia too :D I have the feeling that you can take a private tour, and it's cheaper but it all sounds like the go the same places. We would probably love the land/water mix and the speed boat, but I don't love sharing the places with a gazillion other people (which should beg the question why I would travel on a ship that delivers a gazillion people to the island, but...:rolleyes:);):p

Shout out for James Tours

We recently booked a great St Lucia tour with James Tours. My mother is mobility challenged and uses a scooter, and our tour was seamless. Her cart seemed to load itself; be secured and appear when needed

The van was spotless inside and out, although I a loyal Jag fan I had to look at Steelers colors all day, his kids attend college in Pittsburgh

No ugly face or rolling of eyes on having to deal with a scooter. My mom can manage a few stairs and walk a short distance. Mr. James provides ample local beer, rum punch, and water. Also a nice touch was in use of his hotspot to Wi-Fi check in at home. He made sure there were some curry chicken on the buffet, and also some foods for the not so local food people in our group. The view for lunch was stunning… lunch, admission to the drive in volcano, were included so no nickel and diming all day. I believe the local vendors respect him and offer fair deals, as you are never out of his sight. An unexpected bonus, James provides a very knowledgeable tour guide.

I won’t spoil the review by talking about many of the little moments, take the tour and find out for your own self

Shout out for James Tours

 

Thanks I'll look into him, it sounds more "customized" than some of the others