Saint Lucia Adventure & Activity Fam Trip

I have just returned from an amazing trip to Saint Lucia, organised by the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. The main purpose of the trip was for them to showcase a lot of the activities on offer on this beautiful island – and there are a lot!

We were on the island for a week and managed to cram in lots of activities as well as visiting 18 beautiful hotels. I will write about the hotels separately, for this blog I am just going discuss the activities.

Helicopter Transfer From Hewanorra Airport, Saint Lucia

The first exciting activity was on arrival at Hewanorra Airport. You can choose to transfer to your hotel by helicopter (currently approx. £150 each way) and this avoids the hour and a half windy road transfer to the north of the island. It is an amazing experience and if you wish to see video footage from the helicopter visit our Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/CaribbeanBoutique/

SEGWAY TOUR ON SAINT LUCIA

On our first day we visited several hotels but then in the afternoon we were all treated to a fabulous Segway Tour. None of us had done this before and we were all a little nervous. However, after a quick lesson and a few minutes practicing in the compound, we all quickly gained confidence and set off on our tour. The guides looked after us well and kept an eye on those who were a bit nervous. They also gave us the opportunity to go a bit faster if we wished. We stopped off at view points and places of interest and they gave us some interesting facts about the island, its history and some of the flora and fauna.

Lisa on a segway

We finished our tour at Marie’s Bar where we all enjoyed one of her famous rum punches or a Piton Beer. This was a fabulous activity and I would definitely do it again.

As the Segway tour finished in the centre of Rodney Bay, myself and my colleague decided to stay on for a while and wander around the town. There is a shopping mall, some nice restaurants and of course many bars where we had to try another rum and coke before wandering back to our hotel.

Marie’s Bar

Day two included more hotel inspections and a lovely hosted lunch at beautiful Cap Maison. (Watch out for the blog on this hotel coming soon!).  After lunch we enjoyed a guided walk on Pigeon Island. The guide gave us a brief history of the island, which is actually no longer an island as it has been joined to the mainland by a man made causeway. The path got a little steep towards the end but the views from the top were amazing!

MARIGOT BAY RIDGE CLIMB, SAINT LUCIA

View from Marigot Bay Beach Climb

Climbing Marigot Bay Ridge

By day three we were staying at Marigot Bay Resort & Marina. Opposite the hotel is quite a high hill where we would be undertaking the ‘Marigot Bay Ridge Climb’. We were warned that this was quite steep and strenuous and they were not wrong! At one point we were pulling ourselves up by rope! However, we got a great sense of achievement at the top and the views of the bay below were breathtaking and well worth the climb.

Our other ‘activity’ for day three was a visit to Castries Market. This is a fabulous experience and a great place to interact with the locals and purchase your souvenirs, gifts, T-shirts etc.

SULPHUR SPRINGS AND MUD BATH, SOUFRIERE

Day four started with a site inspection of Ti Kaye Resort where we were given some time to sample the snorkeling on the beach. It was an amazing experience with so many different types of fish. It was like being in a live version of ‘Finding Nemo’.

In the afternoon we were taken to the famous Sulphur Springs and mud bath. The smell wasn’t particularly pleasant but we all put our swimming costumes and got into the mud pool. We covered ourselves in the mud and then once dry, rinsed it off in the warm water. My skin felt lovely and soft after this treatment.

Sulphur Springs Mud Bath

BIRD WATCHING AND MOUNTAIN BIKING IN THE RAINFOREST

A very early start on day five, to walk along the beach from Anse Chastanet and into the rainforest for a spot of bird watching. The guide was very passionate and knowledgeable about his subject and we enjoyed a lovely morning walk at the same time!

After breakfast we were then taken to Emerald Estate Farm where they grow products for use at Anse Chastanet. You can have a tour of the farm and smell and taste samples of the herbs, fruit and vegetables grown there.

Later that morning we were back into the rainforest for a bit of mountain biking. This was great fun, not too strenuous (though there were other, more strenuous routes if you wanted).  The guides took great care of us whilst pointing out interesting plants & birds in the rainforest.

After lunch we then had a bit of beach time and another chance to do some snorkeling. This is one of the best places on the island for snorkelling and diving.

Phew! This has been a busy, action packed day but great fun!

‘BEAN TO BAR’ EXPERIENCE, HOTEL CHOCOLAT

Day six saw us visiting Boucan by Hotel Chocolat where we sampled the ‘Bean to Bar Experience’. ie we made our own bar of Hotel Chocolat, starting by crushing the beans and stirring them to a paste (phew, this took quite a while), then adding the other ingredients, stirring again then putting to set for half an hour. The hardest part, though was, once it was set, eating the chocolate before it melted in the heat!

TET PAUL NATURE TRAIL, SAINT LUCIA

After lunch at Ladera (another fabulous hotel with fantastic views of the Pitons), we took a hike on the Tet Paul Nature Trail. A fabulous guided walk with fantastic view points to have your photo taken with the back drop of one of the Pitons.

Piton View

ZIP-LINING THROUGH THE RAINFOREST

Our last morning was one of the best activities – zip-lining through the treetops! This was very nerve racking at first, having to step off the high platforms onto nothing, but once you got used to it, it was very exhilarating. The last ride gave us a fabulous view of the pitons from the wire.

That afternoon, we finally got some leisure time on the beach at our final hotel – Sugar Beach.

All of these activities were amazing and great to have a go, but actually, what could be better than lying on a padded sunbed, on a soft white sand beach with a view of a Piton either side of you. The warm sea lapping at your feet and a Piton Beer in your hand!

Watch out for future blogs on some of the fantastic hotels which we stayed in and visited on our tour.

This blog has been written by Lisa Mousley of Caribbean & Exotic Boutique Luxury Holidays. Lisa is a Caribbean specialist and has visited the area many times.

If you would like more information on holidays to Saint Lucia contact us on 01706 507175 or email lisa@caribbeanboutique.co.uk

Visit our Saint Lucia page for more information on the island and the many hotels there – https://www.caribbeanboutique.co.uk/caribbean-destinations/st-lucia/