Brightsun’s Pocket Travel Guide to St Lucia

Here’s why you should add this exotic Caribbean island to your travel wish list, with useful travel information and more in our ultimate guide.

St Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean island renowned for its stunning natural landscapes, characterised by rainforests, glistening waterfalls, pristine beaches and bays, and volcanic mountains, including the iconic UNESCO-listed Pitons. Every corner of this island has something special to offer visitors, and in this blog, you’ll discover the highlights of Saint Lucia, as well as travel must knows, recommendations on where to stay, and more...

Travel Need-to-Knows

Weather

St Lucia has a warm tropical climate all year round, with lots of sunshine and daytime temperatures averaging at around 28-30 degrees Celsius. The island has a dry season from December to May which is a popular time to travel, offering low humidity and rainfall, and a wet season between June and November, often seeing bouts of heavy rainfall and the occasional thunderstorm – fear not though as even in the wet season there's plenty of warm sunshine!

Entry Requirements

A visa is not required for entry into St Lucia for British passport holders, so long as the passport is valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure.

Getting to St Lucia

You can fly direct to St Lucia from the UK with British Airways that is currently offering a year-round daily flight service from London Gatwick, and Virgin Atlantic offers a 4 times weekly service in the winter from London Heathrow. The average flight time is around 9 hours.

Time Difference

Saint Lucia is 4 hours behind GMT.

Currency

Eastern Caribbean dollars is the official currency, although US dollars is widely accepted.

Getting Around St Lucia

St Lucia has a minibus network that provides transport to most regions across the island – this is a cheap way to get around. The island also offers taxi services and car hire at its airport and at hotels which are bookable in advance. St Lucia’s only water taxi is available from Hewanorra Airport to the island’s north, and the trip takes around 90-120 minutes, with amazing views of the Caribbean Sea en route. St Lucia is also well connected with a ferry service, and there are island hopping tours available to its neighbouring islands of Dominica, Martinique, and Guadeloupe.  

Top 5 Highlights of St Lucia

One thing about St Lucia is that there is fun for everyone! Here's some of the best adventures to look forward to...

Incredible Natural Wonders

Enjoy a thrilling climb or hike up the Piton Mountains, take a mud bath at Sulphur Springs – the only drive-in volcano experience in the Caribbean, enjoy bird watching on the Des Cartier Rainforest Trail, spend a day admiring incredible nature at the Diamond Botanical Gardens and waterfall, and take a refreshing dip at the base of the glistening Toraille Waterfall. The natural settings that you’ll come across in St Lucia will leave you in awe.

Thrilling Outdoor Adventures

Get your adrenaline pumping in St Lucia, with incredible once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experiences to enjoy amidst the backdrop of the island’s natural settings including hiking, mountain-biking, rainforest zip-lining, segway and jeep safari tours, and helicopter rides. Then head to the water for even more fun with scuba diving, snorkelling, sea trekking, and deep-sea fishing, to embark on.

Diverse Retail Therapy Options

St Lucia offers plenty of great shopping opportunities, especially at Castries, the island’s capital. Here you can browse the bustling Castries Market, with local vendors selling fresh food, fruits, vegetables, and handicrafts that make for ideal souvenirs.

There are some awesome duty-free shopping points across the island too, including Point Seraphine and La Place Carenage in Castries, and the Baywalk Mall in Rodney Bay.

Enriching Cultural Tours

St Lucia is a culturally rich Caribbean island, and there’s plenty you can do to immerse yourself into the nation’s heritage. Cultural tours include Creole cooking classes at Gros Islet, a chocolate making experience at the Rabot Estate, the Greenwood Terrace Heritage Experience, and a chocolate heritage tour at the Fond Doux Eco Resort, to name a few.

Exciting Events

St Lucia has a packed-out calendar of events throughout the year...

Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival

Taking place in May each year, the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival is one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated jazz events, celebrating St Lucia’s music and culture. The festival takes place over 7 days, with lots of incredible music to enjoy, from regional tunes played by local jazz artists to favourite international performances.

Saint Lucia Carnival

The colourful Saint Lucia Carnival takes place in the summer, and this year it will be celebrated in July, lasting around 19 days with lots of creative exhibitions to enjoy, a mix of soca, calypso, steelpan, and Lucian music, traditional costumes, carnival bands, and beauty pageants, with fetes on all day and night.

Creole Heritage Month

The month-long Creole Heritage Month takes place every October, celebrating St Lucia’s rich and diverse cultural heritage with a myriad of activities including art exhibitions, beauty pageants, performing arts, and plenty of exotic food. The main event of the festival is Creole day - Jounen Kwéyòl, which is celebrated on the last Sunday of October.

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers

Each year in December, over 200 yachts take part in what is the largest transoceanic sailing event in the world, the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, with a 2,700 nautical mile crossing to St Lucia from Gran Canaria. The sail takes around 2-3 weeks and ends at Rodney Bay Marina; celebrations and concerts take place here to welcome the sailors.

Where to Stay in St Lucia – Our Recommended Hotels

St Lucia boasts a diverse range of beautiful accommodation options, from all-inclusive beach resorts to boutique hotels, cosy cottages, and luxurious apartments. Brightsun recommends the following properties, all of which we offer excellent deals on packages to:

Bay Gardens Inn

Bay Gardens Inn is an intimate property situated in the centre of Rodney Bay Village in St Lucia, offering easy access to a gorgeous beach and local bars, restaurants, and duty-free shops with a tranquil garden setting.

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa

This award-winning all-inclusive resort is located on St Lucia’s south coast, just 5 minutes from the island’s international airport with 7 bars, 8 restaurants, and 5 pools, as well as an oceanfront spa, and access to the island’s largest waterpark.

Sandals Halcyon Beach

Nestled amid lush gardens beside the Caribbean Sea, Sandals Halcyon Beach is another impressive resort with restaurants and bars galore, plus complimentary transfers to the Cap Estate Golf & Country Club and La Toc Golf Course. It’s located in the St Lucian capital, Castries.

Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa

Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa is located just minutes away from Rodney Bay’s shopping, dining, and nightlife attractions, and is considered family-friendly with plenty of water sports opportunities, beaches, pools, kid’s clubs, and dining venues.

Hideaway At Royalton Saint Lucia

The Hideaway at Royalton Saint Lucia is ideal for couples; this adult’s only complex, which is part of the Royalton Saint Lucia, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort offers exclusivity and serenity amidst a private cove and lush palms, boasting gourmet dining experiences, indulgent spa treatments, beachfront cabanas, and tropical cocktails, to name a few.

Book your travel to St Lucia with Brightsun, and look forward to a myriad of special travel adventures. Call us on 0208 819 0531