Print Shop

St Lucia

St. Lucia is a volcanic island country located in the Lesser Antilles with the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Caribbean Sea to its west. It achieved full independence from Britain on Feb 22, 1979 but still remains a parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth. The official currency of the country is XCD (Eastern Caribbean dollar) which is pegged to the dollar ($1 USD = $2.7 XCD) but the US dollar is widely accepted. The terrain is mountainous with over 70% of the island covered in rainforest. The official language is English; however many still speak the native language of St. Lucian Creole French. The island is 27 mi (43 km) long and has a maximum width of 14 mi (23 km). Dry season is January to April and rainy season is from May to November. St. Lucia’s most famous feature is its twin peaks located in the southwest part of the island known as “The Pitons” with the “larger” Gros Piton to the south and the “smaller” Petit Piton to the north.

Marigot Bay

Marigot Bay is a second-order administrative region of Castries district located on the western (Caribbean) coast of St. Lucia. It lies 3.75 mi (6km) southwest of Castries just above the halfway point of the island. It boasts a population of 769 people including Marigot Bay and the town of Marigot and is surrounded on three sides by steep forested hills making it a popular hurricane hole for mariners. The north side of the bay is only accessible by boat so a small ferry crosses on demand 24 hours a day.

The bay boasts two restaurants (Chateau Mygo and Doolittle’s), a sandy beach, a dive shop and three hotels (Marigot Bay Resort and Marina, Oasis Marigot and Marigot Bay Villas). With a maximum boat draft of 15 ft in the bay, it allows ships of all size to dock attracting some of the larger yachts in the Caribbean.

Anse Cochon

Anse Cochon is located approximately 30 minutes south of Marigot Bay, and just south of the town of Anse La Raye. Like many of the best beaches of St. Lucia, it’s co-located with a high-end hotel, Ti Kaye Resort & Spa. Although all beaches in St. Lucia are public up to the high tide mark we learned the hard way that the access to the beach is not necessarily public, so, without a boat, getting there can sometimes pose a challenge. As of Feb 2022 this hotel, unlike others in St. Lucia, was not allowing non-guests to enter the property leaving only a small “side of the road” parking spot that also requires a short 1/4 mi (.4km) walk in order to access the public beach.

The beach itself is a small, black sand beach, with a restaurant belonging to the resort on the south side and a designated snorkeling area on the north side. Due to the large amount of boat traffic in St. Lucia, snorkeling areas are marked and asked to be respected for your own safety.

Anse Chastenet

Anse Chastenet is another of St. Lucia’s beautiful black sand beaches thats access road is managed by a hotel and in this case, by two hotels: Jade Mountain Resort and Anse Chastanet Resort. At this beach, the security was welcoming but thorough. About 1/2 mile (0.8km) before you reach the beach (at the last turn around area) there was a security guard that stopped us to ask our intentions. When we explained we were not guests of either hotel and only wanted to use the beach he gave us some directions and sent us in the direction of the beach. Upon arrival our names and phone numbers were recorded, we were instructed the rules of the beach and told that the public area of the beach is on the south (left) side and were asked to respect that.

The beach has a steep drop-off to chest-neck deep water as soon as you enter. The designated snorkeling area is on the south side where the public beach area is located making access easy. You can snorkel out to to where the rock ledge ends before the current picks up and the designated area ends.

Sugar Beach - Anse des Pitons - Jalousie Bay

Sugar Beach or Anse des Pitons has arguably one of the best beach views you can find. With Gros Piton (shown here) to the south and Petit Piton towering straight up on the north edge of the beach you’re surrounded by mountains on a beautiful black sand beach located inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site - “Piton’s Management Area”. It’s apparent from the sheer beauty above and below the water that an extensive effort has been made to maintain the natural beauty of this area.

Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Hotel which manages a hotel that covers the entire beach area were welcoming to us as non-hotel guests, instructing us where to park and calling a free shuttle for us. On the beach is a restaurant and various water sports facilities that you’re also allowed to use at your own cost. The only request of the hotel is to stay in the designated public beach area and to be respectful to hotel guests. We didn’t have time to snorkel while here but it’s supposed to be the best on the island since it’s a protected marine site.

Pigeon Island Public Beach

Although ALL beaches in St. Lucia are public, Pigeon Island Public Beach is one of the few that does not have a hotel that manages beach access (if not arriving by boat) making it a truly public and easily accessible beach. Located in Rodney Bay on the northern end of Reduit Beach the parking is free and plentiful and there are multiple restaurant/bars located along the beach making this a one stop shop to have all of your needs catered to. One thing I haven’t mentioned much yet is the presence of beach vendors on almost all beaches of St. Lucia. Since all beaches are public, local St. Lucian’s are allowed to access and sell their goods and services on the beach. With Pigeon Island Public Beach being popular with the many cruise ships that dock at St. Lucia daily, there was a steady stream of beach vendors approaching us at all times, inside and outside of the water (more on that later). Beach vendors aside, the white sand and calm blue water were an absolute delight and recommended to anyone who’s a true beach lover.

L’Anse la Raye

Although we didn’t visit Anse la Raye, we did pass through each time we drove south from Marigot Bay. Anse La Raye is the first town south of Marigot Bay and has a “local” feel to it. Its name comes from the French “Bay of Rays” due to the many skate fish or rays located in the bay. The main industries are fishing and agriculture with a population of 6,247. It’s known for its Friday Fish Fry that attracted locals and tourist alike before COVID. While we were there the Fish Fry was not officially being held due to the concerns over large crowds; however, word had it that the locals still get together on Friday nights, although, not at the same scale as in the past.

Soufriere Beach

Soufriere Beach takes up only a small portion of the coastline in the town of Soufriere but offers stunning views of Petit Piton. Although the beach is small the views and plethora of local amenities offer a perfect place for a swim and some food. The town itself boasts 7,935 people and is the largest in the southern part of the island. Until the early 1800’s Soufriere was the capital of St. Lucia before it was changed to Castries. The economy is largely based on tourism due to the large number of attractions in the area including the two Pitons (Gros and Petit), the Sulphur Springs and Toraille and Superman waterfalls. The large number of attractions also make this a great place to stay on the island with some of the most prominent hotels located nearby.

Soufriere and The Pitons

The views in and around Soufriere are some of the best in the Caribbean. The famous Pitons coupled with the mountainous landscape St. Lucia offers allow for some amazing memories (pictures). This view is from the only road that leads to Soufriere from the north. As is typical when driving in St. Lucia, you’re normally either driving up or down a mountain and when there’s a break in the trees there’s always a stunning view. Shown here is the town of Soufriere with the backdrop of the Pitons. The valley at the base of the round hill on the left is the location of the Sulphur Springs. You may be able to notice that there are no tree on the west (right) side of the hill due to the high concentration of sulphur. If you look close you can see the constant gaseous emission that allows pressure to escape avoiding pressure build up that can lead to dangerous explosions.

Dennery

Dennery is located in the Eastern half of St. Lucia at the midpoint of the island. If you arrive to the major airport in St. Lucia (Hewanorra) in the south it’s likely that your journey to your final destination will take you through Dennery as it’s the quickest and “least winding” route to the main tourist areas in the west and north of the island. The towns major economies are fishing and farming of lima beans, bananas and tropical fruit. We didn’t get to spend much time here to get the feel of the town but the views from the lookout on Micoud Highway provide a great perspective of the town. If you look close you can see the fleet of fishing boats is in today due to high wind and rough seas. Although less of a tourist area there are still some beaches and waterfalls that you can visit here.

St Lucian Beach Vendors

One thing to note about St. Lucia was the persistent presence of beach vendors. It’s part of their culture and to be expected when you visit St. Lucia. One of the great parts of St. Lucia is that all beaches are public with free access to the high tide mark. This fact also allows local St. Lucian’s to access the beach and use it to make a living. There are many ways to view the beach vendors, some are bothered but their aggressive tactics but if you can understand that they’re only trying to make a living you can take advantage of their hospitality and enjoy a fresh pineapple cocktail served from a boat while you’re swimming in the Caribbean Sea. In general all vendors we encountered were friendly and respectful but this is how they make a living so at times they tend to be aggressive. This boat is famous at Pigeon Island Public Beach selling cocktails directly out of fresh pineapples with local rum. The vendor pulling his boat, selling cocktails while on the phone in the ocean with an “Everyday I’m Hustling” shirt on is a great example of how these some people make a living here.

Palm Frond Cricket

One of the vendors we met that was both aggressive and persuasive was a palm frond artist at Pigeon Island Public Beach. When we arrived to the beach we had planned to eat our Breadfruit Oildown from Bottle and Spoon in the car before going for a swim. To our surprise, the beach was packed with multiple cruise ship tourists and vendors selling anything you wanted. They each would come up to the car offering their goods until one younger gentleman came up and started weaving this cricket out of a palm frond and explaining to us that in school in St. Lucia they teach children how to do this as one possible path in life. Not thinking much about it he handed it to me and I accepted it. I only realized after that we had made a deal and now I should pay for his art. Impressed at his ability make a deal without me knowing and happy to learn a little more about life on St. Lucia we also ask for an angel fish palm frond and reciprocated with a generous payment.

Petit Piton

There are two Pitons on St. Lucia, Petit Piton and Gros Piton and they’re located within close proximity to one another in the southwest of the island making for some stunning pictures. There are multiple hotels on St. Lucia that boast beautiful views of the Pitons but the one we liked the best was Stonefield Villa Resort. This resort is located just north of Petit Piton and every individual villa on the resort is intentionally designed to face and have a spectacular view of it.

Petit Piton stands 2,438ft (743m) tall and is part of the UNESCO Pitons Management Area world heritage site. The 7,190 acre (2,909 hectares) site includes both Pitons (Petit and Gros) along with some amazing coral reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving. It’s possible to hike this Piton; however, many experienced climbers that have tackled it consider it the hardest hike they’ve attempted. I can’t comment from personal experience as I prefer to spend my time underwater instead of above the clouds.

Gros Piton

One of the best views of Gros Piton is from Sugar Beach. From the beach you have a mostly unrestricted view of the Piton from the ocean to its peak. To sit on this sandy “Sugar” beach surrounded by Gros Piton to the south and Petit Piton to the north is a surreal feeling that will make you feel like you’re in a movie.

This Piton is more navigable than Petit Piton and can be climbed without ropes or mountaineering experience but it does take several hours to make it to the summit and back down so it’s best to hire a local guide and start early in the day. Sitting at 2,619 ft (798m) Gros Piton is the second highest point on St. Lucia behind only Mount Gimie which stands at 3,120 ft (950m). The views from multiple points on the mountain are said to be some of the best in the Caribbean.

Stars Over Petit Piton

During our trip to St. Lucia we spent one night at Stonefield Villa Resort for the sole purpose of having an unrestricted view of Petit Piton. As a photographer, I’ve come to appreciate and seek out quality of the view from wherever we stay. As the pitons are one of the main attractions of St. Lucia, we didn’t think we could pass up spending one day/night gawking at the beauty and scale of the pitons. After carefully considering different hotels that all offer stunning views of the Pitons we settled on Stonefield Villa Resort. Although there’s only a view of Petit Piton, the villa was intentionally constructed to have unrestricted views of it. Our villa actually had unrestricted views of both Petit Piton and the Caribbean Sea. To make the most of our time here we didn’t sleep much taking pictures day and night and soaking in the views as best we could. That included several night photos with the stars behind the silhouette of Petit Piton.

Villa Makambu

When traveling we prefer to stay off resort and almost always rent our own vehicle. Finding a place to stay is almost always our first step to traveling because we feel the right accommodations are crucial to a successful vacation. The challenge to find the best place considering things like location, view, water access and cost is always an exciting one. It becomes an eloquent dance to balance all factors to find the “best” place. Finding a place to stay is also a great way to learn about a new destination. When selecting housing you’re forced to figure out what you want to see on the island, begin to learn driving distances and start to craft your vacation.

For this trip, Villa Makambu was the perfect location for us. Located in Marigot Bay it has a central location on the island allowing for the easiest driving access to both the north and south. Coupling that with the view from high on the hills of Marigot Bay and the shared pool that overlooks the bay and the choice was easy.

Sunset from Villa Makambu

The Caribbean boasts some of the best sunsets that exist. On the western coast of any Caribbean island the ocean extends for miles providing the perfect backdrop for stunning sunsets. On the right day, at the right time, with the right cloud cover you can’t count high enough to capture all of the colors that can be seen. During our trip to St. Lucia our villa didn’t have an unrestricted view to the west so our opportunities to see sunsets were limited. On this day, we were in the right place, at the right time to see the sun put on a show. The silhouette of the palm trees and the color transition from the bright yellows and oranges at the horizon to the dark blue sky provide a pleasing visual spectacle that cameras can only begin to allow you to appreciate. Being there in person and watching as the colors transition can’t be replicated with a still photo but I still did my best to capture its beauty.

Petit Piton from Stonefield Villa Resort

Broad Winged Katydid (Microcentrum Rhombifolium)

Dennery - Fond d'Or Nature Historic Park