St. Lucia is a beautiful Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles filled with lush tropical rainforests, luxury hotels, the Pitons (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and plenty of activities to keep you busy. The island is popular with honeymooners and couples celebrating anniversaries or other major milestones. I vacationed on St. Lucia with my husband and we both agreed that this was one of the best Caribbean islands we have been to. Part of what makes is special is the luxurious accommodations so be prepared to spend a fair amount on your St. Lucia getaway. In this article, I will show you where to stay, things to do, and a sample 1 week itinerary in St. Lucia.
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Please note that while St Lucia makes for a great getaway, it is a volcanic island and does not have the best beaches in the Caribbean. If you are dreaming about lounging on a white sandy beach that stretches for miles and miles, then I would recommend a coral island like the Bahamas or Cayman Islands.
Where to stay in St. Lucia
Although it’s a small island (27 miles long and 14 miles wide), getting around St. Lucia can be slow due to windy and bumpy roads. The island is divided into different regions and your first decision in planning your trip will be to choose which region you’d like to stay in. Your choices are the North or South side of the island. Fortunately, for you I stayed in both areas and describe the pros and cons of each below:
South side of St. Lucia
The South of St. Lucia was my favorite part of the island. Here, you will be minutes away from the best activities including the Pitons. This region is great for a relaxing vacation at a luxury hotel (choose one with a view of the Pitons) mixed with nature activities during the day. If I was going back to St. Lucia, I would spend a whole week in the South.
We had a magical stay at Ladera Resort, probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. There are only 37 rooms in this adults-only hotel, giving the property an intimate feel. All the rooms have an open wall meaning there are 3 walls and the 4th is open to the outdoors. With the open wall, you will enjoy views of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Pitons in every room. Plus, each room has its own private plunge pool (some are smaller than others depending on room type).
We stayed in the “Hilltop Dream Suite” and had our own full sized, private pool. Normally, I am a pack all the activities in type of person and we end up spending little time in our hotel room. Not at Ladera! The room was fabulous and it was hard to leave the views each day. Although it was pricey, staying here encouraged me and my husband to slow down and spend quality time together. I can’t recommend this hotel enough! The only potential con is that since you are up in the rainforest behind the Pitons, there is no beach access. Ladera offers a shuttle to take you to a local beach, but the best in the area is Sugar Beach so you might want to have a taxi take you there instead. Read my full review of Ladera here or book your stay.
Other popular hotel options in the South include Jade Mountain (offers the open 3 wall concept of Ladera with direct beach access), Sugar Beach (A Viceroy Resort), Rabot Hotel, and Stonefield Villa Resort.
North side of St. Lucia
This region of St Lucia includes Castries, the capital city. It’s also a cruise port and has a busier and more commercial feel than the quiet South side. You will find more all-inclusive, brand name hotels in the North. However, you will be approximately 1.5-hours from popular activities in the South region of the island like the Pitons. This means you will spend more of your 1 week itinerary traveling back and forth if you want to partake in multiple activities in the South part of the island, Overall, if you like all-inclusive resorts and plan to rarely leave your hotel, you may prefer the North.
We stayed at the Royalton St. Lucia Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive, family friendly resort, that also has adult-only areas. My husband and I had never stayed at an all-inclusive before, but we were pleasantly surprised by the Royalton. The service was impeccable, food was great, and the beach was one of the better ones on the island. By the time we stayed here, the South had already captured our hearts, but we still had a great time.
Other popular hotel options in the North include Cap Maison Resort and Spa, Sandals Regency La Toc, and Sandals Halcyon Beach.
The verdict
Choose the South side of the island for a splurge, luxury vacation with nature activities. Choose the North side if you prefer all-inclusive resorts. Or, you can split your 1 week St. Lucia itinerary between regions like we did.
Things to do (South St. Lucia)
Hike the Pitons
If viewing the UNESCO World Heritage site isn’t enough, you can partake in a strenuous hike to the top of Gros Piton. The challenging trail is 3.2 miles and involves lots of elevation and stairs. Make sure you start early, bring sunscreen and water, and get a guide if desired.
Hike Tet Paul Nature Trail
If the Pitons hike sounds too strenuous for your relaxing Caribbean vacation you can check out the Tet Paul Nature Trail instead. We enjoyed this hike in the morning and felt it was plenty challenging enough! There is still some elevation to handle and in total takes around 30-45 minutes. There is an admission fee of $10 per person. Guides are available though not required and appreciate tips.
Sulphur Springs Park & Mud Baths
One of St. Lucia’s more unique attractions is the “drive through volcano” and mud baths. Once you arrive, you will park your car and be guided on a short walk to see bubbling mud pits and smell the sulphur emanating from the volcano. Afterwards, you can submerge yourself into a series of warm mud baths purported to have health benefits. You should wear an old, dark colored bathing suit if you are going in the mud baths as it may get stained. Personally, I thought this attraction was a bit overhyped and touristy. You could skip it or make it a quick stop.
Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens
A lovely botanical garden with a small waterfall at the end of the trail. This stop is just down the road from the Sulphur Springs so it works well the pair them together. They also have mineral water hot springs onsite that you can soak in for an extra fee.
Tour Soufriere
This is the main town in South St. Lucia and worth a quick stop. You can go shopping, check out the market, and eat at a local restaurant.
Chocolate Tour
The Hotel Chocolat at the Rabot Estate offers two different chocolate tours. The first, “Tree to Bar” is 2.5-hours long and includes lunch. You will take a tour of the cacao groves and make your own chocolate bar. If you are short on time, the “Bean to Bar” tour is only 1 hour long and focuses on making your own chocolate bar.
Boat/Sailing Excursion
When in the Caribbean you want to get onto the water. We did a half day sail and snorkel with Mystic Man out of Soufriere. They offer other tour options including a full day sail and snorkel, sunset cruises, and deep sea fishing.
ATV Tours
We ran out of time to do an ATV tour on our vacation, but we heard from couples at our hotel who tried it that it was a lot of fun. There are a few vendors in the South offering these tours and it would be a great way to see more interior parts of the island.
Things to do (North St. Lucia)
Castries
The capital city of St. Lucia. If you didn’t tour Soufriere, then you should walk around Castries to shop, explore the market, and eat some local food.
Helicopter tour
A splurge activity in St. Lucia would be a helicopter tour. St. Lucia Helicopters runs out of George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU in the North side of the island. I recommend the 30 min tour to shows the whole island. Flying over the rainforest and the pitons was spectacular!
Zip Line/Aerial Tram
Rainforest Adventures St. Lucia offers both fast paced zip lining and a slower aerial tram to explore the rainforest.
Pigeon Island National Park
if you are looking to do some hiking on the North side, this would be a great stop. The island isn’t actually an island anymore; it’s connected to the mainland via road. Once here, you can hike around to see beautiful views of the ocean, explore ruins of military forts, and enjoy one of the two beaches on the island (one is on the Atlantic side and one on the Caribbean Sea side which will have calmer waters). You could spend anywhere from a half day to whole day on Pigeon Island.
Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party
Every Friday night there is a street party in Gros Islet that is popular with both tourists and locals alike. If you want to experience local food and drink, let loose, and dance to Caribbean music, you will love the street party.
Where to eat (South St. Lucia)
Dasheene – This restaurant is onsite at Ladera Resort. Since we stayed at Ladera, we ate quite a few meals here. All were good, though the menu would have benefited from a bit of variety especially for a longer hotel stay.
Rabot Restaurant – This restaurant is onsite at the Hotel Chocolat in Rabot Estate. All the craft cocktails and food are infused with cacao, making for a unique and delicious dining experience. I thought this was the best food we had in St. Lucia.
Any local joint in Soufriere– I highly recommend eating at least one meal off property at any local joint in Soufriere. This will give you a better sense of authentic local cuisine.
Getting here
There are two airports in St. Lucia. The first, Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) is where most travelers will land. It’s approximately 45 minutes from the South region of St. Lucia and over an hour to the North. The second, George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU), primarily serves inter-island flights.
If the idea of driving on windy roads for over an hour to reach North St. Lucia from the airport has you feeling carsick, there are some other transfer options. St. Lucia Helicopters offers quick 10-15 min transfers from UVF to SLU (and back).
There are also a couple of ferry companies that offer ferries from UVF directly to your luxury beach hotel in North St. Lucia. The ferry can take anywhere from 1.5-2 hours.
Getting around
Transportation is expensive in St. Lucia so you may consider renting a car. Beware that here, roads are mountainous and you drive on the left-hand side of the road. Taking this into account, we opted to hire taxis. I booked our transfers between hotels and to the airport in advance online at St Lu Taxi and Tours. They were cheaper than the rates quoted by our hotels, showed up on time, and drove safely. I also hired a local driver with the help of each of our hotels to take us around the local area. Although more expensive, these drivers were very attentive and willing to make extra stops to show off the local area. If you are not going to split your 1 week itinerary between the different regions of St. Lucia, then it will be easier and cheaper to do without renting a car.
When to go to St. Lucia
Temperatures don’t fluctuate very much in St. Lucia so there is never a bad time to pay the island a visit. That said, the lush rainforest is supported by a rainy season from June – November. This also coincides with hurricane season, although the risk of hurricanes is lower here than in the Caribbean islands further north. Overall, the best time to visit for the least rain would be December – May.
Sample 1 week itinerary in St. Lucia
This sample 1 week itinerary in St. Lucia is how we split our vacation between the South and North sides. If you will stay in the South the entire time, I would add a beach day at Sugar Beach and/or ATV and zipline activities. If you are staying in the North side the entire trip, you should spend at least 1 day traveling to the South to see the Pitons.
Day 1
Arrive in St Lucia, clear customs, and travel to your hotel. We were fortunate that our first hotel, Ladera, included airport transfers in our stay. They sent a private car to meet us and it took about 45 minutes to reach the hotel. If you are heading to the North side of the island, it will take over an hour. Tonight, is a great night to eat dinner at your hotel and get settled into your room.
Day 2
Enjoy your hotel. Part of the appeal of St. Lucia is the luxurious accommodations so take advantage of your hotel today. Relax and get on island time.
Day 3
Now that you’ve had some time to relax, it’s time to leave your hotel and try some activities. We hired a private taxi for the day through our hotel. It was convenient to be able to leave some of our belongings in the car during our activities. Start your day hiking the Tet Paul Nature Trail in the morning before it gets too hot. Then drive to Soufriere and explore the town. Our driver offered to walk around with us and point out spots of interest. Check out the market and eat lunch somewhere local. Finally, check out the Sulphur Springs Park & Mud Baths before returning to your hotel.
Day 4
It’s time to get onto the water! Take a morning sail and snorkel trip to see the island from a different vantage point. We sailed with Mystic Man out of Soufriere for about 3.5-hours. Then, we took a taxi to Diamond Falls Botanic Gardens before returning to the hotel to relax before dinner.
Day 5
Today it’s time to see the North region of St. Lucia. We stayed in our hotel until check-out and then a taxi drove the 1.5 hours to our next hotel near Rodney Bay. Since this hotel was an all-inclusive, we spent the rest of the day getting situated, exploring the property, and checking out the beach.
Day 6
Enjoy your new hotel. Our hotel was right on the beach so we spent the day there. Since we were staying at an all-inclusive, we didn’t leave the property. If you are looking to add more activities to your itinerary, this would be a good time to check out the zip lines or aerial tram.
Day 7
Today we finally left our hotel and splurged on a helicopter tour of St. Lucia. We were a little nervous, but St. Lucia Helicopters was very professional and gave us a smooth ride. The scenery was spectacular! Afterwards, our taxi driver was waiting for us and was ready to take us back to our hotel. Along the way, he made a few stops to show us some beautiful viewpoints of the North region of the island. After our adventure, we spend the remainder of our day relaxing at the beach. If a helicopter adventure isn’t appealing to you, this would be a good day to explore Pigeon Island National Park.
Day 8
It’s time to leave St. Lucia. We hired a taxi to drive over an hour back to the international airport. Although the airport is small, there are food options once you pass security in case you need to each lunch before your flight.
And there you have it, a perfect 1 week itinerary in St. Lucia! This island captured out hearts and we can’t wait to come back again in the future.