Pigeon Island Beach?

[teamkern]

We have been looking through the threads on Pigeon Island to get information about the beach there. We are wondering if the beach is a part of the state park, or are people talking about the beach at Sandals when they mention the beach. We were looking at Pigeon Island on Google Earth and were having a hard time clarifying this as well.

 

How was the snorkeling there as well?

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[jackdiamond]

I thought Pigeon Island was in Tobago.

[teamkern]

I thought Pigeon Island was in Tobago.

 

At the far end of St. Lucia is a Pigeon Island as well, right by the Sandals Resort.

[manfishing]

We have been looking through the threads on Pigeon Island to get information about the beach there. We are wondering if the beach is a part of the state park, or are people talking about the beach at Sandals when they mention the beach. We were looking at Pigeon Island on Google Earth and were having a hard time clarifying this as well.

 

How was the snorkeling there as well?

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

I've been to Pigeon Island several times. If you are looking for a small quiet beach away from the crowds this is the place to go. In the 3 times I’ve visited, I don’t think I’ve seen 30 people on this beach. The beach is located a 5 Min walk from the park entrance. Restrooms and changing facilities are available, although somewhat primitive. Chairs available for rent and lots of shade.

 

Snorkeling is available from the shore if you bring your own gear. Be sure to bring some bread with you to attract the fish.

 

There is a small Bar/Restaurant a few Min. walk from the beach. Plan on having Lunch and try the local food.

 

The only drawback I see is sometime in the afternoon, I think around 2PM, the Pirate Ship stops and they tend to take over the Bar.

 

Hope this helps and you are able to enjoy Pigeon Island

[teamkern]

I've been to Pigeon Island several times. If you are looking for a small quiet beach away from the crowds this is the place to go. In the 3 times I’ve visited, I don’t think I’ve seen 30 people on this beach. The beach is located a 5 Min walk from the park entrance. Restrooms and changing facilities are available, although somewhat primitive. Chairs available for rent and lots of shade.

 

Snorkeling is available from the shore if you bring your own gear. Be sure to bring some bread with you to attract the fish.

 

There is a small Bar/Restaurant a few Min. walk from the beach. Plan on having Lunch and try the local food.

 

The only drawback I see is sometime in the afternoon, I think around 2PM, the Pirate Ship stops and they tend to take over the Bar.

 

Hope this helps and you are able to enjoy Pigeon Island

 

Thank you so much for this information. It is exactly what I was looking for and this sounds like what we are looking for in St. Lucia as well. :)

[reganshamrock]

Just back from St Lucia - we rented a scooter and went to Pigeon Island. We were not impressed with the beach there - but as was said in previous post - it is quiet - and right next to Sandals - which you can pay $100 pp / day and have full use of their facilities. We didn't get there till 1pm so we didn't do that since our ship was leaving at 6pm.

 

We did however find an awesome spot - as you are coming down the road to head to Pigeon Island you come to a T - just off to your left straight ahead is a condo complex called The Landings. There is a restaurant/bar there right on the beach - lunch was the best food I have had in a long time! (Cobb salad and the club sandwich - soooo good! we shared them) We got a table right on the beach and when we were finished lunch the beach for the Landings is public and there were lounge chairs there with umbrellas - for your use - no charge. Very quiet and a great find - a little hidden getaway.

 

There were also water rentals at the far end of the beach - kayaks, jetskis, etc - we didn't venture there so i don't know what the prices were.

 

If you are looking for a quiet beach w/free chairs and a great lunch spot - this is it!! Oh and a beautiful view of Pigeon Island and the harbor. ;)

[teamkern]

Just back from St Lucia - we rented a scooter and went to Pigeon Island.

 

What was the cost of the scooters to rent? Would we be able to get an adult and child of 10 on a scooter?

[reganshamrock]

What was the cost of the scooters to rent? Would we be able to get an adult and child of 10 on a scooter?

 

Hi teamkern,

 

Scottie's Scooter Rentals - 758/450-1404

 

The cost was $35 for the day. We had to leave a credit card 'imprint' for a deposit just in case.

 

I will say Scottie is pretty particular about his drivers - you have to have experience on motorcycle or scooters. His scooters are 125cc.

 

There was another couple that wanted 2 scooters and neither had experience and he would not rent to them.

 

Based on that i would call him and ask about a 10 yr old passenger. The roads are very busy there but if you are experienced it is not a big deal.

 

Also - in order for his insurance to be valid and cover you in case of an incident you will need to go to a police station and get a 1 day license - it took less than 5 min. and cost $12 - Scottie drove us there to get it.

 

He is located about 3 miles north of Castries and came by car to get us (only b/c there was the other 2 people wanting to rent) If it's just one scooter - he will drive into town to meet you on the scooter and off you go (he takes the bus home)

 

He is not on the internet or email. You will have to call him to ask about your 10 yr old.

 

Or you can wait till you dock and ask the tourist info desk to call him - they have his brochure there.

 

Sorry it was so long winded - hope this helps.

[tntheresa]

My personal opinion is you only see 30 people on the beach because it would only hold 30. It's such a tiny little beach. More like a campground beach. I would not waste your time taking a taxi here and the roads are too chaotic for a 10 year old to be driving a scooter. Would never do that.

 

Take a tour the beaches are just dreadful. We went to three beaches and left each one - we wasted our entire day looking for a nice place and spent $60 on a driver and went right back to the ship.

[teamkern]

My personal opinion is you only see 30 people on the beach because it would only hold 30. It's such a tiny little beach. More like a campground beach. I would not waste your time taking a taxi here and the roads are too chaotic for a 10 year old to be driving a scooter. Would never do that.

 

Take a tour the beaches are just dreadful. We went to three beaches and left each one - we wasted our entire day looking for a nice place and spent $60 on a driver and went right back to the ship.

 

We would never have a ten year old drive a scooter, but we have a motorcycle that both the Mr. and Mrs. drive while the kids ride on the back so that is not an issue for them. The beach may be a bigger issue. We were looking at it on Google Earth and it does look like there are some areas to hike and explore in that area as well.

[teamkern]

How long does it take by Taxi to get to Pigeon Island and what is the cost for the ride?

[reganshamrock]

How long does it take by Taxi to get to Pigeon Island and what is the cost for the ride?

 

20 minutes by scooter..

[1 HappyCruiser]

Hi teamkern,

 

Scottie's Scooter Rentals - 758/450-1404

 

The cost was $35 for the day. We had to leave a credit card 'imprint' for a deposit just in case.

 

I will say Scottie is pretty particular about his drivers - you have to have experience on motorcycle or scooters. His scooters are 125cc.

 

There was another couple that wanted 2 scooters and neither had experience and he would not rent to them.

 

Based on that i would call him and ask about a 10 yr old passenger. The roads are very busy there but if you are experienced it is not a big deal.

 

Also - in order for his insurance to be valid and cover you in case of an incident you will need to go to a police station and get a 1 day license - it took less than 5 min. and cost $12 - Scottie drove us there to get it.

 

He is located about 3 miles north of Castries and came by car to get us (only b/c there was the other 2 people wanting to rent) If it's just one scooter - he will drive into town to meet you on the scooter and off you go (he takes the bus home)

 

He is not on the internet or email. You will have to call him to ask about your 10 yr old.

 

Or you can wait till you dock and ask the tourist info desk to call him - they have his brochure there.

 

Sorry it was so long winded - hope this helps.

 

What you say about Scotties is mostly true but the condition of the bike he gave me left a lot to be desired. We went with another couple and had an enjoyable day but my bike was in lousy shape. The starter on my friends bike was making a screaming noise from the start & died during the day. Scottie does have a tel number so we could have called him for rescue but luckily it had a kick starter & we were able to continue.

He came & picked us up at the cruise terminal but the bike he gave me was in terrible condition & had I known he didn't have any more left I wouldn't have gone to his location. He was willing to change the bald front tire before we left for the day but that would have taken who knows how long, so we took our chances. It looked like a well worn our scooter for sure & should have been retired long ago. It was probably one of the worst looking bike we even rented held together by duct take in places. Had I known the shape of the bike before we left the terminal I might not have elected to rent one. Unfortunately like other places, you can't see the scooter until you get to his place.

At the end of the day we had the rental booth at the terminal call him to pick up the bikes & he did come quickly. Also - he only takes credit cards for security & needs cash when he picked up the bike.

[sandinmypants]

Pigeon Point - We paid about $5 each to get in, and $1 each for chairs. There are two sections of beach there, one larger than the other. We walked past the larger part to the smaller one, plenty of shade. It's a very "natural" beach, not fine sand but corally rock/small pebbles, with a lot of wave action and rock in the water. We mostly just wanted to "salvage" our day on St. Lucia since we couldn't do our tour with Spencer Ambrose due to Hurricane Tomas - normally you can snorkel at Pigeon Point, but they had higher than normal surf so we just played a bit at the edge of the water, 9yo did the sandcastle thing. There are restrooms (running water/flush toilet, no soap or towels), rustic outside shower - but with the water rationing (Tomas again), at about 1pm the water stopped working - no biggie, we can rough it! There's a really quaint restaurant down the beach a bit. We had been cautioned against eating anything not cooked and drinking the water here (RCI provided us each with a complimentary large bottle of Evian as we debarked). Son had some tortilla chips w/a slightly spicy cream cheese dip, I had some deep-fried potato wedges w/a chipotle type of dip, and hubby tried the "roti", apparently a native dish (he has a cast-iron stomach!) It had fish chunks, some starchy potato-like thing, sweet potato chunks, and something else I'm forgetting, all in a curry-style sauce - then wrapped up in a huge wonton-style of wrap and I'm not sure how it was cooked - maybe boiled then baked? Anyway - about the size of a small dinner plate, and just a tad spicy. He tried the local beer, 9yo had pineapple juice, I had the rum punch - very strong but the best I had all trip! Pigeon Point has a huge hill w/a path you can hike up to the old crumbling remains of Fort Rodney (son loved it, said it had an old dungeon but he has a great imagination). Hubby said it had a great view from up there; I stayed on my lounger on the beach.... :) No vendors on the beach here, reasonably priced loungers, plenty of shade, not too many people. I imagine in regular weather the snorkeling would be good here, but hard to tell.

 

Rating from 1-10....I give Pigeon Point a 7. (we like to snorkel, don't like crowds, scary-looking locals, vendors or rowdy partying, want good bathrooms and beach bar/restaurant.)

[sandinmypants]

Some pictures from our day at Pigeon Point:

 

[sandinmypants]

And on top of the hill, the remains of old Fort Rodney and the view from up there:

 

[Nana G]

Thanks so much for the info and pics. It looks exactly what we are looking for. Have booked with Serenity for our day there and really look forward to April.

[sandinmypants]

Thanks so much for the info and pics. It looks exactly what we are looking for. Have booked with Serenity for our day there and really look forward to April.

 

I would just go it on your own - no need to book it with anyone. It was so nice being on our own schedule - and really, it's just a straight-forward driver there, and back. Pay your way in, they get you chairs and set them up.... no need for a tour operator!

[sammyjo882]

Just back from St Lucia - we rented a scooter and went to Pigeon Island. We were not impressed with the beach there - but as was said in previous post - it is quiet - and right next to Sandals - which you can pay $100 pp / day and have full use of their facilities. We didn't get there till 1pm so we didn't do that since our ship was leaving at 6pm.

 

We did however find an awesome spot - as you are coming down the road to head to Pigeon Island you come to a T - just off to your left straight ahead is a condo complex called The Landings. There is a restaurant/bar there right on the beach - lunch was the best food I have had in a long time! (Cobb salad and the club sandwich - soooo good! we shared them) We got a table right on the beach and when we were finished lunch the beach for the Landings is public and there were lounge chairs there with umbrellas - for your use - no charge. Very quiet and a great find - a little hidden getaway.

 

There were also water rentals at the far end of the beach - kayaks, jetskis, etc - we didn't venture there so i don't know what the prices were.

 

If you are looking for a quiet beach w/free chairs and a great lunch spot - this is it!! Oh and a beautiful view of Pigeon Island and the harbor. ;)

 

Do you have to purchase a day pass to be able to use lounge chairs on the beach? If not, how do you actually get to the beach without going through the hotel?