Welcome To St Lucia

Whether you are still considering visiting St Lucia or you have already decided, this page will introduce you to aspects of St Lucia that I believe might be most important to you. So think of this page like your private tour of my island as there is so much more than just great photography for you to discover while you’re here.

How To Navigate This Website

While this page allows you to discover a great deal about St Lucia all in one place, the rest of the site is devoted to all of the photography you can experience with me.

To explore the site just click any of the icons above and you’ll discover more about my St Lucia Photo Tours, Wedding Photography, Trash The Dress Photo Shoots … and so much more.

So just jump in and immerse yourself then shoot me a message to let me know what you think, or better still – join our forum and come hang out with some really cool friends of mine…

About St Lucia

Just 3 ½ hours flying from Miami, 4 ½ hours from New York, 5 hours from Toronto and 8 hours from London, St Lucia is truly a tropical paradise and a nature lover’s dream.

The island is a bit more expensive to get to than its more northern Caribbean neighbours, however this gives the island an air of exclusivity as it is the traveler who seeks that extra special vacation who generally takes the effort to seek us out.

And once you arrive you will immediately see why we are called The Helen of the West Indies.

St Lucia Weather

St Lucia’s weather is best described as Tropical, however it is a bearable tropical warmth due in large measure to the strong cooling influence of the north easterly blowing Trade Winds originating off the west coast of Africa.

Because of St Lucia’s mountainous terrain these winds get pushed upwards as they travel across the island resulting in regular afternoon showers primarily on the central and western parts of the island. However because of Saint Lucia’s shape the northern part of the island experiences far less rainfall than the rest of the island and it should come as no surprise that this is the side of the island with the most resorts.

Being fairly close to the equator there is only about a 10 °F difference in temperature year round and about a 30 °F difference between daytime temperatures and nighttime temperatures at St Lucia’s highest elevations.

St Lucia Rainy Season

There is a rainy season from June to November and a dry season from December to May. June to November is also the hurricane season, however because St Lucia is fairly south in the Caribbean island chain hurricanes tend to miss us as they generally veer further north due to the tilt of the earth’s axis. This makes ummer a great time to visit, especially as airfares are lower then.

So think of the St Lucia weather as ideal regardless of the time of year you choose to visit

St Lucia Tours

Okay so having just discussed St Lucia weather this seems like a great time to explore the outdoors and what better way to do so than with St Lucia Tours. There are tours in St Lucia for just about every age group, interest and fitness level. A trip to Soufriere is a must and it’s great both by land and by sea. There are a number of boats to choose from so if you like it fast and furious a speed boat could be the perfect choice. And if you prefer to go at a more leisurely pace then a catamaran is the way to go.

Going to Soufriere by sea you will get to see both our rugged coast line as well as tucked away little beaches, quaint fishing villages and maybe even a fisherman or two heading back to port or out to sea. However the icing on the cake comes when you round the bluff at the entrance to the Soufriere harbour and Petite Piton looms up at you straight out of the ocean. The view is simply breathtaking and has to be experienced to be truly appreciated.

Go horseback riding, or golfing if that’s your thing. Head over to Pigeon Island and climb up to Fort Rodney, go shopping in downtown Castries or join me on one of my St Lucia Photo Safaris.

Whatever you do, just remember that to discover the real essence of St Lucia you must venture out of your resort and there’s no better way to do so than with a few St Lucia tours

St Lucia Map

Know how when you are going any place new you like to have a map to help you figure things out? Well I thought that I’d include a St Lucia map just for you and shed some light on what happens where to help you get your bearings long before you get here.

You will most likely land at Hewanorra International Airport down in Vieux Fort on Saint Lucia’s southern tip. Most hotels are on St Lucia’s north western coast and you have a choice to drive or to take the helicopter. The drive is about 90 minutes while the chopper ride is about 20. Since most flights arrive in the mid-afternoon you will get your first glimpse of St Lucia on your drive or chopper flight to your resort. Gros Islet is the town on Saint Lucia’s northern tip and the Rodney Bay Strip is where a lot of the action in this area is at. From restaurants to malls and a bit of night life, there’s plenty to check out in the Rodney Bay Village

The city of Castries is about 10 miles south of Gros Islet and Castries is the seat of government in St Lucia and also the island’s commercial center.

Soufriere is another noteworthy place on your St Lucia map. With the Pitons, the drive-in volcano, botanical gardens and mineral baths all down there it is little wonder why a visit to St Lucia is incomplete without a trip to Soufriere.

Also south of Castries on the western coast is the fishing village of Anse La Raye, home to Saint Lucia’s world renowned Friday Night Fish Fry. This happens every Friday night same as in Gros Islet while Dennery has a similar fish fiesta, but on a Saturday night.

So there you have it in a nutshell – a round-up of some points of interest on a map of St Lucia.

St Lucia All Inclusive

A St Lucia all inclusive vacation is a popular option for many vacationers. In fact the all inclusive style of vacationing has become quite popular having gone way beyond what it used to be back in the days when the French resort, Club Med introduced the style in the 1950s.

On the upside all inclusive resorts generally allow you to get considerable bang for your buck as you pay one fixed price for a vacation that covers your accommodation as well as your food and drink. These hotels usually offer fast foods such as burgers, hot dogs and pizza throughout the day and often late at night long after their regular restaurants have closed.

All inclusive resorts are able to operate this model successfully based in part on high occupancy which allows them to make ultra large volume purchases at preferred prices. However the downside to all of this is that sometimes the quality and variety of the food and drink is not the same as you would get at a hotel with a paying meal plan.

All inclusive resorts tend to have a lot more activities than a regular meal plan hotel as these activities allow vacationers an opportunity to work off some of those extra calories from all of that “free food” and booze, not to mention give the bars and restaurants some time to recharge.

Also because just about everything is laid out for you there’s a tendency by all inclusive vacationers to remain at their resort rather than venturing out and exploring local bars and restaurants. As a result there’s a greater chance that you will not discover the true essence of St Lucia when staying at an all inclusive resort.

Now having said so this it does not mean that a St Lucia all inclusive resort is not the best choice for you. Think of this information as a heads up on what you can expect at an all inclusive; making you better prepared to discover the real St Lucia just beyond your hotel – if you can pull yourself away from all that your all inclusive has in store for you.

St Lucia Resorts

No discussion about accommodations in St Lucia can be complete without touching on St Lucia resorts in general, especially having just shared some insights into the St Lucia all inclusive side of things. Resorts in St Lucia have traditionally featured meal plans, meaning that you pay for food and drink separate from your accommodation. The way this works is that you simply state your name and room number when making a purchase at your resort and your name shows up on the cash register as the amounts are rung up. You then sign the tab and settle the bill at the end of your stay.

While a large share of St Lucia’s room stock is all inclusive there are still a number of resorts with meal plans, though the demand for all inclusive services has led some of these hotels to feature an all inclusive option. Soufriere has a fairly high non-all inclusive room count which comes as no surprise as Soufriere is home to some of the higher priced and more exclusive accommodations here.

So when you think of resorts in St Lucia it’s fair to say that there is a cross section of resort types with a strong leaning towards the all inclusive model, though meal plan hotels also abound.

St Lucia Restaurants

Exploring St Lucia is simply incomplete without checking out the restaurant scene. From rustic beachside set ups to trendy restaurants there’s a lot to check out on St Lucia’s culinary scene.

Rodney Bay Village boasts the highest concentration of restaurants in Saint Lucia. From Indian to Chinese, French to American, there’s more than enough to tickle your taste buds.

In recent times popular restaurants serving really great flare have sprung up in the heart of the Gros Islet town. Because this side of town is not as expensive commercially as Rodney Bay, the food tends to be spectacular and the prices are a sheer delight and restaurants such as Flavours of the Grill and Golden Taste immediately come to mind.

And your visit to St Lucia is incomplete without a visit to Orlando’s in Soufriere. Chef Orlando has been the head chef at a number of really fine St Lucia restaurants and now having his own allows him to explore some really spectacular creations…trust me – you’ll be blown away

Another really popular place is the Castries Market. Lunch here is quite popular with cruise ship passengers who get to experience a true taste of Saint Lucia. One of the most striking things about the Castries Market food stalls is their food display which is simply mouth wateringly inviting. Little wonder that National Geographic rates the Castries Market among the top 10 food markets in the entire world!

So there you have it – A short introduction to St Lucia for the vacationer.

Hope you enjoyed the ride…

One Love,

Friends for Life

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