Travel Guide of St. Lucia for: Marigot Beach Club Rating: Pearls
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St Lucia Summary
Pros
- 80 to 90 degrees Farenheit (27 to 32 degrees Celsius) beach weather, year-round
- Gorgeous mountainous terrain
- Whale watching off Vigie Cove
- Excellent scuba diving near Anse Chastanet
- Windsurfing at Anse de Sables Bay (challenging) and Cas en Bas beach at Gros Islet (easier)
- Mineral baths at Sulphur Springs Volcano Park, near Soufriere
- Artisan carvings, silk-screen textiles, and batik clothing at the markets of Castries and Soufriere
- Creole cuisine (green figs, salt fish, curries, and fresh seafood) and abundant fresh fruit (mangoes, papayas, and coconuts)
- Potable tap water, though bottled water is recommended
Cons
- Few restaurants or shops for tourists outside the resorts
- Long, bumpy, hour-long taxi rides to some resorts; driving along the winding, narrow, poorly maintained roadways can be nerve-wracking
- Virtually no public transportation (mostly unmetered taxis available)
- Hurricane season June through November
What It's Like
Unlike more developed Caribbean islands, such as Aruba and the Bahamas, the sparsely populated island-nation of Saint Lucia still maintains a sense of unspoiled, exotic beauty. Its landscapes of pristine beaches and mountainous terrain are among the most stunning you'll find anywhere in the Caribbean (and that's especially true at Jade Mountain). But it doesn't offer much in the way of dining, shopping, or nightlife for its tourists, apart from the few jazzy rum punch joints hugging its cruise ship ports. Once you're at a resort, you're pretty much going to stay there unless you opt for a guided tour of some kind. Though crime is minimal, poverty is apparent; many fishing villages are largely made up of haphazard shacks, and panhandling is common. In some areas, the juxtaposition of the haves (yachtsmen) and have-nots (locals) can be striking. But the island is relatively safe and the population is largely friendly and accommodating to travelers.
Map of Hotels -- St. Lucia
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Facts
| Languages: | English, French |
| Airports: | Hewanorra International Airport at Vieux Fort (UVF) |
George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU) |
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| Time Zone: | |
| Peak: | Dec. 15 - April 15 |
| Off-Peak: | Sept. 15 - Dec. 15 |
| Hurricanes: | June 1 - Nov. 30 |
| Vaccines: | No |
| Currency: | |
| Electric Current: | 220 volts, 50 cycles AC |
110 volts, 60 cycles (standard U.S.) at some resorts |
