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What to do in Port Castries, St. Lucia for the day??


Kiwi_cruiser
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This is will be our very first time to Port Castries, St. Lucia and I was wondering what is their to do there??

 

When you went there, what did you do when you got there??

 

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

 

PS: Is there any good snorkelling there?

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St Lucia is a very beautiful island - probably one of the nicest to visit. We booked a tour with Cosol Tours (check their website) - what a wonderful day. We visited many of the sites and ended up at Jalousie beach, a real stunner. There was food and drink included and a really knowledgeable guide. We are visiting again in a couple of weeks and unsure whether to do the tour again as we enjoyed it so much or, alternatively, visit a nearby beach as it will be our last cruise day.

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When we got off the ship, there were many taxi drivers taking people on tours and to the beach. I told them we wanted to go to a nice beach that had a few restaurants. We were put in a taxi with 8 others.The cost was 8.00 each for the trip to Rodney Beach.

When we got there, the beach was very crowded. We were taken to two beach chairs with an umbrella. That was $20.00. The chairs were a few inches from each other, so your neighbor was very close like on an airplane. I went for a walk down the beach and when I came back everything was wet from the waves that hit us. A few people were yelling in a foreign language. A few left and then others would come and pay and get wet. I warned one lady as because she had a professional camera.

You only got wet about every 4 to 5 minutes and everything was wet already so we tried to relax and enjoy the best we could. The beach is ok. Not as pretty as many of the beaches we are use to (ST John, Jost, ST Barts, Tortola, St Martin, St Thomas, Virgin Gorda).

Then, the guy selling jewelry came by and was very insistent we buy something, so I did to get rid of him (20.00):(. Then a few minutes later, a guy came selling coconuts, then after him, a guy came selling toy snakes, then a guy came by selling bananas. This was endless. They kept coming back. Then at 1pm I got up to go check to see if there were taxi's available. The taxi guy in charge wanted us to wait until 2pm, because he had a taxi going back at that time. He said that was the way it was. I went back and told my husband who go up and found us a taxi for 25.00. We were so happy:D. We could not wait to leave!

If you enjoy a crowed beach, then this is the place for you. Or if you go, try to get away from the people selling the chairs until you find a nicer area. If we go back to Saint Lucia, we will try a different beach with a hotel who will let us pay to use their facilities.

Good luck.

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When we got off the ship, there were many taxi drivers taking people on tours and to the beach. I told them we wanted to go to a nice beach that had a few restaurants. We were put in a taxi with 8 others.The cost was 8.00 each for the trip to Rodney Beach.

When we got there, the beach was very crowded. We were taken to two beach chairs with an umbrella. That was $20.00. The chairs were a few inches from each other, so your neighbor was very close like on an airplane. I went for a walk down the beach and when I came back everything was wet from the waves that hit us. A few people were yelling in a foreign language. A few left and then others would come and pay and get wet. I warned one lady as because she had a professional camera.

You only got wet about every 4 to 5 minutes and everything was wet already so we tried to relax and enjoy the best we could. The beach is ok. Not as pretty as many of the beaches we are use to (ST John, Jost, ST Barts, Tortola, St Martin, St Thomas, Virgin Gorda).

Then, the guy selling jewelry came by and was very insistent we buy something, so I did to get rid of him (20.00):(. Then a few minutes later, a guy came selling coconuts, then after him, a guy came selling toy snakes, then a guy came by selling bananas. This was endless. They kept coming back. Then at 1pm I got up to go check to see if there were taxi's available. The taxi guy in charge wanted us to wait until 2pm, because he had a taxi going back at that time. He said that was the way it was. I went back and told my husband who go up and found us a taxi for 25.00. We were so happy:D. We could not wait to leave!

If you enjoy a crowed beach, then this is the place for you. Or if you go, try to get away from the people selling the chairs until you find a nicer area. If we go back to Saint Lucia, we will try a different beach with a hotel who will let us pay to use their facilities.

Good luck.

It's

It's unfortunate you had s poor experience. A bit of advance research could have made s world of difference for you in our beautiful country. We have nunerous beaches all over the island, many that are deserted or near enough to not make a difference. We also have many beautiful scenic sites that are fairly unique throughout the Caribbean...We're not known for our beaches like Turks and Caicos or Caymans or such....it's our Pitons and sights that set us apart...

Hopefully on your return we can help make your visit more enjoyable..

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This is will be our very first time to Port Castries, St. Lucia and I was wondering what is their to do there??

 

When you went there, what did you do when you got there??

 

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

 

PS: Is there any good snorkelling there?

We

Have some excellent snorkeling, however it's mainly in the southwest area of the island...near the Pitons, etc.

A very popular tour includes trip down the Coastline including banana plantation, Marigot Bay, scenic views, Pitons, volcano, mud baths, and beach time. Ususlly includes all entrance fees, food and drink, great guide, etc.

Another variation is land and sea, which is down by land and back by sea for the stunning Coastline views..

Zip lining is quite popular. ATV is popular. Straight up beach day is popular -- although we're not as know for our beaches... Try Pigeon Island with hiking, ruins, a small reef, lovely beach. Or Vigie Beach, walking distance from the port.

Enjoy!!

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  • 3 months later...
Family of 11 looking for private tour that would take us to the mud baths and then to a beach that serves family food, not sit down dining.

You can check with many of the excellent companies recommended on these boards such as Serenity TVL, Real St Lucia Experience, Island Man Taxi and Tours, PHV Tours and Taxi, Spencer Ambrose, Barefoot Holidays, Solar Tours and Travel and so on.

Not sure what you're meaning by "family dining" vs sit down dining, most beach restaurants are sit down places, albeit casual setups.

Keep in mind, the mud baths are 1.5 hours from port, so give yourself a least three hours round trip just for the driving time.. Vigie beach right near the port could be a good end spot for lunch and drinks - there's a lovely boardwalk with several restaurants/bars serving full meals on down through snacks..

Otherwise, aim for somewhere in Soufriere, near where the mud baths are located, such as Fedo's or Pier 28 or Petit Peak or Hummingbird Beach Resort, etc.

Enjoy.

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If you want AWESOME snorkeling...you must take the tour with Spencer Ambrose and go to Jalousie Beach between the pitons. My, now 9 year old, has been snorkeling since she was 3 years old and claims this is the best snorkeling she has ever done! I have to agree with her...it's pretty amazing.

 

Check out the complete review I did from our day there, listed in my signature line, and you'll find TONS of pictures of the snorkeling. You won't be disappointed. :)

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

I had a great time with Spencer Ambrose Sea Land and Beach adventure - taking a dip in the mud baths, washing off under a waterfall, cruising the coast, and stopping at Sugar Beach for snorkeling and a nice lunch. Great family-owned company, owner-father drove the boat, daughter onboard to help. Couldn't have been friendlier or more efficient.

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I had a great time with Spencer Ambrose Sea Land and Beach adventure - taking a dip in the mud baths, washing off under a waterfall, cruising the coast, and stopping at Sugar Beach for snorkeling and a nice lunch. Great family-owned company, owner-father drove the boat, daughter onboard to help. Couldn't have been friendlier or more efficient.

 

Thanks so much for the feedback!

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FYI--We just got back from St Lucia. We had toured the island last year, so we just wanted to wander about on our own. But when you disembark the ship and walk to the terminal, there are all sorts of people trying to sell you on a tour, TO ANYWHERE. We really weren't interested, so we can't say how their prices compared to an already organized tour, but if you have nothing planned and want to do any sort of tour of the island, just go to a beach, whatever, you can just walk off the ship and you will find some one to take you there.

Cheers

Len

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I had a great time with Spencer Ambrose Sea Land and Beach adventure - taking a dip in the mud baths, washing off under a waterfall, cruising the coast, and stopping at Sugar Beach for snorkeling and a nice lunch. Great family-owned company, owner-father drove the boat, daughter onboard to help. Couldn't have been friendlier or more efficient.

 

 

 

We just did this!

Had a fantastic day!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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