The Rough Guide to St Lucia, Rough Guides. (Paperback 1858289165)

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The Rough Guide to St Lucia
Author: Rough Guides

INTRODUCTION St Lucia more than lives up to the paradisal Caribbean stereotype: a glorious mix of honey-sand beaches, translucent waters sheltering reefs swarming with tropical fish, lush interior rainforests and a thriving culture that encompasses literature and theatre as well as music and dance. However, in contrast to other islands in the r... more »egion, where the tourism infrastructure has been steadily expanding since the 1960s, St Lucia has only recently begun to attract visitors in any number. As a result, tourism has a much lower profile here, and this low-key feel is one of the island’s biggest assets. With little of the jaded hustle that can mar more established Caribbean destinations, you’ll find St Lucia a relaxed, informal and incredibly friendly place to visit, especially if you venture out of the heavily touristed enclaves in and around Rodney Bay and take the time to explore Marigot Bay, Soufrière and – even more authentic – the small villages of the Atlantic coast and the south. Here, you’ll find plenty of inexpensive, no-frills guesthouses, roadside dining establishments and open-air village markets. If you’d rather take advantage of the more established tourist facilities, be aware that those that do exist are typically top-notch and predominantly designed for the rather well-to-do, with luxury hotels, world-class restaurants and large duty-free malls to indulge in the odd shopping spree. It’s probably best to shoot for a range of experiences, and there’s really no reason not to: St Lucia’s 616 square kilometres are ripe for exploration, and though a rental car is the optimum way to get around, bus links to most areas are good and taxis are always available. If it is beaches you’re after, you’ll probably head first to the tourism strongholds of the northwest coast, where scores of hotels and restaurants are clustered in Rodney Bay and on the stretch between that village and Gros Islet. Reef-fringed swaths of white sand along this stretch of coastline justify its "Golden Mile" nickname. There’s plenty of historical intrigue – as well as more idyllic seashores – at former pirate hangout and British military bastion Pigeon Island, on a spit of land just northwest of the tourist enclaves; the remains of stone forts scattered throughout the area are a telling reminder of the fierce Anglo-French battles for possession of St Lucia, which saw the "Helen of the West Indies" change hands more than a dozen times. South of Rodney Bay, the bustling capital of Castries is also worth visiting, with its grassy town square named after St Lucia’s Nobel Prize-winning author Derek Walcott, and a clamorous, colourful market that provides vivid insight into everyday island life. Castries is also surrounded by some decaying fortifications, such as Fort Charlotte and La Toc Battery; the odd wondrous beach is also within easy reach of the city. These days, visitors are gravitating more and more to the south of the island, where the pace is slower and the bays are lined with brightly painted fishing boats rather than the garish concrete of resort hotels. With a deep-water harbour framed by St Lucia’s best-known landmark – the monolithic twin peaks of the Pitons – the attractive, laid-back town of Soufrière boasts gorgeous colonial architecture as well as unusual stretches of dark grey-brown volcanic sand. Within reach of the town are numerous attractions: sugarcane plantations established by French and English colonists have been opened up to the public or transformed into botanical gardens, while the bubbling, malodorous La Soufrière Sulphur Springs have been re-packaged as the world’s only "drive-in" volcano. These mineral-rich waters have been harnessed at nearby Diamond Estate, where you can take a restorative bath in an outdoor pool. Southern St Lucia is also the most convenient starting point for excursions into the rainforest-smothered mountains of the interior forest reserves. Laced with hiking trails, abundant with swimmable waterfalls and home to some rare and exotic wildlife, the forests provide an absorbing alternative to beach life; perhaps the most accessible of these, if you’re staying in the south, is the Des Cartiers Rainforest, inland from the east coast highway. While you’re out this way, see more of St Lucia’s tropical environment at the protected nature reserves along the southeast coast: the Fregate and Maria islands are home to magnificent frigate birds and endemic lizards, while pristine offshore reefs make for great snorkelling. Windswept, wild and pounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the spectacular beaches of the east coast are better for hiking than for swimming, and leatherback turtles visit more regularly than tourists. A fusion of French, British and African traditions, St Lucia’s Creole culture is an intriguing mix: while the official language is English, the lingua franca is a mellifluous, French-based Patois that employs African vocabulary and structures. Similarly, the local cuisine blends French traditions with island ingredients, focusing on local seafood and root crops originally imported from Africa on slave ships. However, the most conspicuous – and exciting – expressions of St Lucia’s culture are its festivals, Christian in origin but African in character. Carnival is by far the biggest event, a colourful, animated round of frenetic parties, calypso contests and parades of revellers decked out in wild costumes portraying spirits and devils – probably most exuberantly celebrated in the Castries area. If you’re not lucky enough to be in St Lucia for Carnival, or for the more intimate summer saints’ festivals, you haven’t entirely missed out. The St Lucian propensity for partying is indulged each Friday when the tiny village of Gros Islet is overtaken by a classic West Indian "jump-up", a street party where tourists and locals alike descend for a night of eating, drinking and dancing under the stars. St Lucia’s fastest-growing event, the annual Jazz Festival is a more sophisticated gathering, with some of the genre’s biggest names performing under the palm trees of Pigeon Island, as well as in grassy spaces down in Vieux Fort, in the south.

ISBN-13: 9781858289168
ISBN-10: 1858289165
Publication Date: 2/24/2003
Pages: 288
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Publisher: Rough Guides
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
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Heidi D. (hlz21) reviewed The Rough Guide to St Lucia on 4/3/2007 + 11 more book reviews

Good for general information for a first time visit to St. Lucia. My husvand & I found it handy since we'd never traveled any place like this before. It gave good ideas for restaurants, shopping & sight seeing.

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