Any recommendations for an excursion in St Lucia?

[travelax]

We went with Cosul on Dec 9. Their were two Vans and we were with Baptiste who was absolutely great. The Vans were traveling close together and Cosul was always there asking if everything was all right. You name we saw it and ate it. From Bananas in a plantation, to fishcakes, passion fruit and star fruit and finished with spiced rum. There were waterfall, volcanos, boiling mud and snorkling from the beach. The company was great, and we really felt like we knew Saint Lucia when we were finished. I was lucky enough to sit up front with Baptiste, and by the end of the tour we felt like we were saying good bye to a friend. Also had time to talk with Cosul and felt the same way.

David

[Kerry&LuAnn]

We went with Cosul on Dec 9. Their were two Vans and we were with Baptiste who was absolutely great. The Vans were traveling close together and Cosul was always there asking if everything was all right. You name we saw it and ate it. From Bananas in a plantation, to fishcakes, passion fruit and star fruit and finished with spiced rum. There were waterfall, volcanos, boiling mud and snorkling from the beach. The company was great, and we really felt like we knew Saint Lucia when we were finished. I was lucky enough to sit up front with Baptiste, and by the end of the tour we felt like we were saying good bye to a friend. Also had time to talk with Cosul and felt the same way.

David

 

He was our driver last week. What a great guy, and funny! Very interested in politics and knew a lot about the U.S. He had worked as a truck driver in New York and then a police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina. But he says he prefers being back in St. Lucia and driving tourists around his island.

[hula dancer]

google herods tours st. lucia

 

 

My husband and I took a tour with Herod on Nov 30th. I had booked a tour for a group of about 20 people from the Emerald Princess.

 

I truly can't say enough good things about Herod and about this tour. It was the highlight of our entire trip. We did the Land & Sea Tour. Our lunch was at a charming little place on Jalousie Beach right between the Pitons. There was a great area for swimming right in front of the restaurant and just off to the right (along side the rocks) was a fantastic snorkeling area.

 

After the tour, the lunch and the swimming/snorkeling we had a fun speedboat ride back to our ship.

 

This was a wonderful tour and Herod is a great guide (very personable).

 

Our price was $70 pp which included all entrance fees and a very nice lunch. I am sure you will not find a better tour or a better price.

 

Molly

[Kerry&LuAnn]

The tour certainly delivers on all that it promises including the sights, admissions, and plenty of delicious food samples along the way - never a shortage of food and drinks including the best rum punch I have ever tasted.

 

You are certainly right... and all for only $50 per person!

[tbdb2]

I rented a taxi for the day with Winston Valcin for $35 per person which included entrance fees bananas and bread samples. He picked us up shortly after we arrived at 0800. He was informative and we were able to go wherever we wanted and stay as long as we wanted at each site. He took us to a bread factory, banana plantation, Marigold Bay, Souffries, The Pitons, Drive In Volcano, Touraille waterfalls and botanical garden(I would ask him to take you you to Diamond Falls instead as I have heard those falls were nicer), Anse Chastnet for snorkeling(snorkeling was OK, not great, some fish and coral) beach was beautiful as the resort was high end, Fort Rodney at Pigeon Island, Reduit Beach, and had us back at the port at 4:45.

[mintchoco_ykc]

I'll put in another word for Cosol's Tour. We were on the 12/16/07 Emerald Princess sailing and joined his tour. We had his driver Baptiste. I would highly recommend them! My husband was most impressed by how generous they were with making sure we had enough to drink and eat: fresh local fruits, fishcakes, fried doughnuts, bread and cheese, rum punch, water, soda, etc. It was definitely a well organized and well coordinated tour! Kudos! :)

[mcmarya]

Had a great Cosol tour on 12/6 with Yellowbird (Cosol's brother) as the guide. I was very impressed with the organization and efficiency of the tour. The day before I was wondering if I had made a mistake booking a tour that was likely to include several vans. The Queen Mary 2 was in port with us and the last tender is at 3:15 pm so it was likely that our tour would be cut short. As it turned out, the only QM passengers were in our van. With that in mind, our van departed as soon as it was loaded. We were at several stops with the other vans. But, at the end of the beach stop we hurried back. Our driver was very concerned that we not miss the stop at Marigot Bay, so he stopped a friend who was going straight to Castries and had him take the QM passengers back. Anyway, our driver was very safe and the tour was well worth the cost.

[jvemanuel]

Here's another vote for Cosol tours. We went on the tour 12/18/07. I haven't read all the posts, but I can see I'm not alone. My wife and I think this is probably the best tour we've ever been on. St. Lucia is beautiful and our guide, Bumpy was great. You get everything on this tour and the price is only $50 pp (but don't forget a nice tip for your guide as he'll be well worth it).

 

One tip... when I first e-mailed Cosol to reserve, I thought he didn't get back to me. Turns out the e-mail went to junk for some reason. Check your junk mail if you don't hear back in a day or two.

 

--Jason

[sharbin1]

Another vote for Cosol's tours... we were with Baptiste on December 13th and thought he was great. Although there were several ships in port that day, we never encountered a crowd at any of our stops and never felt rushed. It was $50 pp and well worth it.

[dbdpLuv2Cruise]

Our party of 8 would highly recommend Fabian's Taxi Service. He is extremly professional but very personable. We spent the day with him on November 27 when our cruise ship docked in St. Lucia. His rate per person is extremly reasonable and he provided cold drinks (including rum punch!) and samples of local breads and cookies. His rate also included admission to the Diamond Botanical Gardens and Waterfall. He is a guide who knows his home and it's history, he had a wonderful sense of humor and plans his time so that you are able to see and do as much as you like.

Give Fabian a try! We assure you that you won't be disappointed.

 

See you next cruise.

[LisaRae]

We have been to St. Lucia twice. First time went with Frank, and just last month went with Serenity. Serenity was awesome. Our ambassador was Sherma, who is the sweetest young lady. She showed us all around St. Lucia. We did the zipline tour, but you can do all kinds of tours through them. They set everything up, meet you at the port, take you everywhere, and take such good care of you. John is the person who corresponded with me by email, and I also spoke to him on the phone several times on their 1800 toll free phone number. I just felt very comfortable dealing with them.

 

Any questions, email me at lkyle@cfl.rr.com.

[kclinusa]

We just did with Cosol during crusing Carnival Destiny 12/23.

 

We were satisfied with their service with the price we paid. It was fun during the whole trip.

 

It definitly is the best choice for the St. Lucia.

[butterfly2]

We took the Cosol tour on Thanksgiving day 2007. This tour may not be right for everyone. If you don't mind crowded vans, spending 80% of your dan inside a small van (6 hours), visiting overcrowded stops due to Cosol having too many vans in one place at EVERY STOP, having no beverages available except for 2 planned stops in 7 hours and having potentially lousy fellow passengers in your van then this tour is for you. You also need to be OK with going up steep, dangerous mountain roads all day long. If you can fill your van with fun people then you have a decent chance at a good day. The island itself is beautiful, but you have to be willing to suffer a bit to see it if you are as unlucky as we were on this tour. Make sure your ship is leaving later than 4PM on the day of the tour. Our driver got us back only 15 minutes before sailing.

 

I have read many GREAT comments of Cosols Tour, but wondered if others have missed or come close to missing the ship.

[celticd1]

I have read many GREAT comments of Cosols Tour, but wondered if others have missed or come close to missing the ship.

 

This thread will probably help you out...

 

Cosol Tours ever been late?

 

We toured with Cosol in January of 2007. Our driver had us back in plenty of time. I would suggest that you double check with your driver about your expected time of return to the ship and be sure to remind him which ship you are on. If there are 2 or more ships in port, they will be leaving at different times so you may be put in vans according to which ship you are on.

 

We LOVED this tour! One of the best we have taken.

 

Yes, you will be in a van for much of the day (sightseeing, the view is beautiful!).

Yes, there will be others in the van, up to 12 max I believe (new friends!).

Yes, the stops can be crowded (small island, popular attractions, large influx of cruisers at one time=pretty much the same as most ports! LOL).

Yes, the roads are steep, windy and a little nerve rattling (if you've seen pics you know that there are many mountains, and one of the main attractions is to see the Pitons).

 

But in the end it is all worth it! :D

[maizy123]

I have been trying to get more information about Synergy Juniros tours, but I don't know where to look -- do you have a website or something I could use? What is the cost?

[nanfromatlanta]

We took the Cosol tour on Thanksgiving day 2007. This tour may not be right for everyone. If you don't mind crowded vans, spending 80% of your dan inside a small van (6 hours), visiting overcrowded stops due to Cosol having too many vans in one place at EVERY STOP, having no beverages available except for 2 planned stops in 7 hours and having potentially lousy fellow passengers in your van then this tour is for you. You also need to be OK with going up steep, dangerous mountain roads all day long. If you can fill your van with fun people then you have a decent chance at a good day. The island itself is beautiful, but you have to be willing to suffer a bit to see it if you are as unlucky as we were on this tour. Make sure your ship is leaving later than 4PM on the day of the tour. Our driver got us back only 15 minutes before sailing.

 

Sorry to hear that you had a bad tour with Cosol. Our tour last week was one of the best tours we have ever taken in all of our years of cruising. He delivered everything listed on his web site and more. We were in a new 9 passenger air conditioned van driven by Cosol. Everyone in the van was a passenger on the same ship, and everyone was in a good, fun mood.

 

St Lucia is a very hilly island, and any tour of the island will take you up and down some steep terrain. It is unavoidable. At almost every stop, we were able to sample many local delicacies. Cosol also provided soft drinks, water, rum punch and beer at almost every stop.

 

Prior to the tour, Cosol and his drivers confirmed the ship departure time with us, and promised to have us back in port in plenty of time. We arrived with an hour to spare. This gave us a bit of time to browse through some of the shops at the pier.

 

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to get a good feel of the flavor of the island.:)

[pgh512]

We have been to St. Lucia twice. First time went with Frank, and just last month went with Serenity. Serenity was awesome. Our ambassador was Sherma, who is the sweetest young lady. She showed us all around St. Lucia.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

We too had Sherma as our ambassador on the day after christmas. she was excelent on our private tour. I was soooooo spoiled by the attention and care that was extended to us. I can't wait til this christmas to return and i assure you, we will be using serenity again. They made St Lucia special.

 

Bill

[AfricanGray]

Did anyone take a brief tour? I would like to tour for a bit then shop and eat in Castries? I think I would like to see the Pitons and marigot? bay....am only going for one day on a cruise...thanks

[Eric Vasili]

Did anyone take a brief tour? I would like to tour for a bit then shop and eat in Castries? I think I would like to see the Pitons and marigot? bay....am only going for one day on a cruise...thanks

If you wouldn't mind eating a bit better on a shorter Tour, and exploring Canaries and Anse La Raye along with Marigot Bay, then take a look at this option .... (the new website is still evolving, but you can email him via his Contacts page, and he is quick about replying with more help or even suggesting something elsewhere: he is more concerned about you enjoying your time). ;)

[Beachbum1944]

We just got back from St. Lucia. We did the island tour with sops at Morne View Point, bakery, volcano, pitons, and a beach stop at Ti Kaye Village. It was a great tour with Serenity Tours. We had Sherma as our tour guide. She was a wonderful and entertaining guide. $45 per person or 6 people for the price of 5. I would highly recommend them.

[Lp56]

Is it possible to find a tour guide around where the ship docks. I would prefer not to book ahead. Can you find a van or taxi for a 4 to 5 hour tour after you dock?

Lp56

[gdr]

We just used James St. Prix for our family of four tour of St. Lucia. He was great...formerly a Royal Caribbean employee with excellent English. He had a football in his car that made him an instant hit with our 13-year old.He knew all the ins-and-outs and even bought us homemade bread from a local...it was delicious. Contact him on 758.712.6285.

[stampincheryl]

We had no idea what to do, so we went into the shopping area right off the ship. We talked to a few folks from our ship who had just arranged for tours via the cooperative taxi company that is right there. We chatted with a representative for a few minutes and negotiate our own shortened version of the tour--we started late. It was a 2 hour tour, 6 people---4 adults, 2 kids for 100.00. It was a great bargain. Our tour guide was Andrew Phillips, he was very knowledgeable. If you're up to touring on the fly, I would recommend this type of tour.

[Abberboo]

I have been trying to get more information about Synergy Juniros tours, but I don't know where to look -- do you have a website or something I could use? What is the cost?

 

I posted this on #37 within this chain, here is the info repasted for you. I have done this twice with Junior and he is amazing once in April 2007, again just this past November. My personal opinion is to see St. Lucia by boat due to the way the roads are in St. Lucia long and winding. I hate being crammed in those hot small vans.

 

Here is what I do in St. Lucia, I have done it twice. I just copy pasted this from my cruise review just posted:

 

St. Lucia: We do not book excursions at this port while there are many to do. We are adventurous so when we were here in April, we booked with a man named JUNIOR when we arrive right off the ship under the covered area where the tourism board has St. Lucia materials available about the island. JUNIOR'S excursion is $55 a person and includes the following: power boat ride (with shade) which goes up the gorgeous coast of St. Lucia on the way to the famous Pitons. You can email or call him in advance at the following contact information - Synergy Charters, Junior, Telephone 1-758-715-3484, Email - synergycharter@hotmail.com. The powerboat ride goes up the coast and they will stop to let you see the villages, they go into the coves, we got to see Marigot Bay up close, Anse Cochon which is where the Tikaye Resort is and then you also visit Anse Chastanet which is where the Anse Chastanet resort is (http://www.ansechastanet.com/). After stopping by those areas, we stop at the town of Soufriere - home to the Drive in Volanco and the Torialle Waterfalls. These are the two places all the cruise ship excursions take you to. Admission into these two parks is included. When you get off the power boat, you load into vans and they take our up the scenic drive to the Drive in Sulfur Volanco and the Torialle Waterfalls. We stay at each location for somewhere between 30-45 minutes give or take. After visiting those sites, you head back to the power boat. When back on the boat, you are taken to Anse Cochon which was visited earlier in the day but this time they let you off and you get to enjoy the beach (sand is almost black from the volcanoes), restaurant, water sports and beach. This beach has phenomenal snorkeling. When we were here last in April 2007, they took us to the other beach referenced above, Anse Chastanet, snorkeling is great too - both beaches are amazing. After an hour to an hour and a half at the beach you head back to port. They ensure you are back with at least an hour or hour and a half to spare. I HIGHLY recommend this excursion with JUNIOR.

 

If you want to view photos, I posted many from the excursion on the photos section of this website, just type in St. Lucia and you can see how through this excursion is.

 

Hope this helps if you want a tour of St. Lucia by boat (our preference).

[drogerm]

Here is what I do in St. Lucia, I have done it twice. I just copy pasted this from my cruise review just posted:

 

St. Lucia: We do not book excursions at this port while there are many to do. We are adventurous so when we were here in April, we booked with a man named JUNIOR when we arrive right off the ship under the covered area where the tourism board has St. Lucia materials available about the island. JUNIOR'S excursion is $55 a person and includes the following: power boat ride (with shade) which goes up the gorgeous coast of St. Lucia on the way to the famous Pitons. You can email or call him in advance at the following contact information - Synergy Charters, Junior, Telephone 1-758-715-3484, Email - synergycharter@hotmail.com. The powerboat ride goes up the coast and they will stop to let you see the villages, they go into the coves, we got to see Marigot Bay up close, Anse Cochon which is where the Tikaye Resort is and then you also visit Anse Chastanet which is where the Anse Chastanet resort is (http://www.ansechastanet.com/). After stopping by those areas, we stop at the town of Soufriere - home to the Drive in Volanco and the Torialle Waterfalls. These are the two places all the cruise ship excursions take you to. Admission into these two parks is included. When you get off the power boat, you load into vans and they take our up the scenic drive to the Drive in Sulfur Volanco and the Torialle Waterfalls. We stay at each location for somewhere between 30-45 minutes give or take. After visiting those sites, you head back to the power boat. When back on the boat, you are taken to Anse Cochon which was visited earlier in the day but this time they let you off and you get to enjoy the beach (sand is almost black from the volcanoes), restaurant, water sports and beach. This beach has phenomenal snorkeling. When we were here last in April 2007, they took us to the other beach referenced above, Anse Chastanet, snorkeling is great too - both beaches are amazing. After an hour to an hour and a half at the beach you head back to port. They ensure you are back with at least an hour or hour and a half to spare. I HIGHLY recommend this excursion with JUNIOR.

 

If you want to view photos, I posted many from the excursion on the photos section of this website, just type in St. Lucia and you can see how through this excursion is.

 

Hope this helps if you want a tour of St. Lucia by boat (our preference).

 

So, I take it JUnior doesn't have a website? I love the tour by boat idea. I hate when two 5' wide vans meet on an 8' road! How long was this particular tour? Does it fill up the whole day or do you have time to do other things as well?