St Lucia

St Lucia Holiday

St. Lucia is an island of amazing natural beauty offering many diverse attractions to inspire and fulfil, arousing your senses and leaving you with many happy memories.

Its most famous and breathtaking sight has to be the Pitons in the southwest: twin volcanic peaks rising majestically and dramatically from the water. From Soufriére in the southwest you can drive to the entrance of La Soufriére volcano with its bubbling sulphur hot springs, rich in minerals. The surrounding countrysideis filled with luxuriant rainforest and an abundance of banana plantations.

The main beach areas are on the northwest coast about 20 minutes drive from the capital, Castries. Here the beaches are relaxed, the nightlife is active and the harbours and villages are filled with a laissez-faire, West Indian atmosphere.

This beautiful island midway between Martinique and St Vincent boasts some of the best scenery in the Caribbean-rugged green jungles, undulating agricultural terrain, dazzling beaches and the volcanic, cone-shaped Pitons. There's even a dormant but still bubbling volcano called Soufrière that can be viewed from inside without any danger.Francophiles love St Lucia for its French atmosphere. Many place-names are French-from the capital, Castries, to Vieux Fort on the southern tip of the island. The official language is English, but most of the 150,000 inhabitants also speak French patois, a remnant of the days of French colonization.

While St Lucia (pronounced LOO-sha) remains agricultural, with bananas the most important crop, tourism is developing rapidly. There are provisions for all sorts of summer sports, and you can enjoy good music every night. And indulge in the excellent native cuisine, with its fresh seafood, coconuts, bananas and spicy Creole dishes. Not forgetting the rum.