By SaraH GrEavES-GaBBaDon

THEBeach
Lover’sGUIDE
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St.
Small Headline
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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
it’s a shore thing
Photography by Zach Stovall
68 Caribbean Travel + Life
Whether you’re into idyllic sunsets (at
Anse La Bas, left) or water-sports thrills
off a wind-whipped coast like Anse Des
Sables, this island’s got you covered.
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CaribbeanCaribbean
Travel + Life
Travel
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A
s
you
drive
through villages that appear
to consist of little more than
a few bounteous fruit stalls
and a tiny, colorful rum shop,
swerving disturbingly close
to precipitous cliff-drops over
breathtaking coastal
vistas, you can’t help but be
enchanted by St. Lucia’s
dramatically mountainous landscape. But in
addition to all the vertical
scenery, the island has plenty
to offer beach lovers.
peaks and valleys
While swimmers at Forbidden
Beach relax in the shadow of Petit
Piton, fishermen ply their trade on
its northern side at Soufrière (left).
Although long, sweeping strands are few and far between,
St. Lucia has charming strings of intimate coves sprinkled
with caramel, golden and black sand, plus a few noteworthy
white-sand strands. Bring your mask and fins, because there
is much superb snorkeling to be done. Most visitors flock to
the west-coast beaches that front the calm Caribbean. The
Atlantic side is rugged and sometimes tricky to reach, but it
shelters secluded spots that reward the journey.
SOUTHERN
STRANDS
Where to Stay
Catch a cab from Hewanorra International Airport in the
southernmost town of Vieux Fort, and in less than five minutes you can be flat-out on the sands at one of the island’s best
Atlantic strips, Anse Des Sables. This mile-long, windswept,
white-sand swath curves into an east-facing half-moon bay
that embraces the Maria Islands, a pair of protected islets
that provide sanctuary to species of snake and lizard found
nowhere else. Park in the shade of an almond or sea grape
tree, and you’re only steps away from one of the island’s
best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots. (A steady windward
breeze during the December-to-March windy season makes
this an exceptionally safe location for beginners.) Sun seekers can rent lounge chairs from the beachfront restaurant ($2
for the day plus a $10 deposit) or simply spread a towel on
the sand beside outbound vacationers catching some lastminute, pre-check-in rays.
NOVEMBER
2008
The 254-room, all-inclusive Coconut Bay Resort & Spa is a
five-minute walk from Anse Des Sables, on what it claims
is the island’s largest resort beach, Coco Bay. One side of the
hotel is reserved for adults; the other is family-friendly, with
a large water park. Rates start at $420 in low season ($570
high). 866-978-6226; coconutbayresortandspa.com
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Balenbouche Estate, a family-run bed-and-breakfast just
south of the village of Choiseul, offers four homey one- and
two-bedroom guest cottages on a former sugar plantation
just a short walk from quiet beaches. From $80 in low season
($120 high). 758-455-1244; balenbouche.com
Where to Eat
Toss on a cover-up and head over to The Reef Beach Café on
Anse Des Sables. Feast on fresh fish or a seafood roti under
the trees, or ascend to the loft level, where a small deck offers
an enviable vantage point. 758-454-3418; slucia.com/reef
Hot Stuff
Surfers can rent equipment, and novices can take lessons
from genial French instructor Franck Simonbouhet at Anse
Des Sables’ The Reef Kite + Surf shack. School’s in from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. daily (the shop closes from mid-July to October).
A three-hour kitesurfing lesson costs $125; windsurfing lessons are $90 for three hours, and kayak and paddleboat rental is $10 an hour. 758-454-3418; slucia.com/kitesurf
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71
the morning commute
St. Lucia has a charming string
of intimate coves sprinkled with caramel,
golden and black sand, plus noteworthy
white-sand strands.
The limpid waters off Anse Cochon provide
ideal conditions for local fishermen.
Central
Standouts
Donkey Beach
Smugglers
Cove
••
•
••
•
Pigeon Island
Reduit Beach
•
Secret Beach
Anse Lavoutte
Cas en Bas
Forbidden Beach
•
Grande Anse
•
Anse Louvet
CT+L Beach Report
•
Anse La Raye
Anse Chastanet
Castries
•
Anse La Bas
Anse Cochon
•
★
•
La Toc
✈
•Choc Bay
Vigie Beach
•
Access Granted
ST. LUCIA
•
Dennery
••Anse Mamin
•Soufrière
• Petit Piton
•
• Gros Piton
There are no private beaches on St.
Lucia, and all beachfront hotels must
post signs directing public access to
their shores.
Getting Around
•
✈
•
Honeymoon Beach
Taxis are plentiful; negotiate price
beforehand. If you’re game for
mountainous terrain and narrow,
winding roads, major U.S. car rental
companies have offices in St. Lucia
(drive on the left). Local operator Beez
Car Hire offers vehicles from $60 a
day. 758-451-3029; beezcarrentals.com
Undress Code
Anse Des Sables
Nude and topless sunbathing is
discouraged.
Best Beaches for …
14 miles
Family Fun
Pigeon Island; Reduit
Food
Anse La Raye; Dennery; Reduit
Local Flavor
Anse La Raye; Choc Bay; Vigie
Strolling
Anse Des Sables; Cas en Bas;
Choc Bay; Reduit; Vigie
Peace + Quiet
Anse Lavoutte (Five Dollar Beach);
Donkey Beach; Honeymoon Beach;
Secret Beach
People Watching
Choc Bay; Reduit; Vigie
Sunsets
Pigeon Island; Reduit
Windsurfing + Kiteboarding
Anse Des Sables; Cas en Bas
72 Caribbean Travel + Life A 30-minute drive north of Anse Des Sables along the westcoast road is the sprawling, 320-acre resort Jalousie Plantation, where the Piton valley’s lush rainforest gives way to picturesque Forbidden Beach. The peaks soar majestically over
either end of the small, clear-water cove, which was magically transformed from black- to white-sand with a shipment
imported from Trinidad. Take advantage of the all-inclusive
hotel’s abundant water sports (diving in the offshore marine
reserve is particularly good), and then raise the red flag to
summon refreshment right to your lounge chair.
Formerly the island’s capital, Soufrière is now a woefully
ramshackle waterfront village most famous for nearby attractions, such as Sulphur Springs and Diamond Falls and
Botanical Gardens. One of Soufrière’s best-known beaches is
Anse Chastanet (accessed via the classic resort of the same
name; ansechastanet.com), a quarter-mile beauty dotted
with a procession of thatch-roofed palapas and leaning coconut palms. There’s excellent snorkeling in the marine reserve
at either end of the beach, and venerable outfitter Scuba St.
Lucia runs frequent dive excursions, open to day-trippers as
well as hotel guests.
About a 20-minute drive up the coast (and 166 steps
down a circuitous timber staircase from Ti Kaye Village Resort), Anse Cochon is a palm- and almond-tree-bordered ginger-sand beach. The sea is crystal clear, but take care around
the large stones at the entrance to the water. Beach chairs,
umbrellas and kayaks are free to hotel guests and patrons of
Kai Manje, Ti Kaye’s beachfront restaurant and bar.
Beautiful Marigot Harbour is popular with the yachtie
crowd, but the tiny beach at its entrance is a gem hidden in
plain sight. Anse La Bas, the white-sand spit that dissects the
bay, is a local favorite, shaded by coconut palms with whitestriped trunks that stretch skyward. Rent a beach chair for $5
and watch local children shriek with delight as the tall ship
Brig Unicorn (used in the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean)
makes its twice-daily passage.
Where to Stay
Even die-hard beach lovers will find Ladera’s awe-inspiring
Soufrière location, 1,100 feet above sea level between the Pitons, hard to resist. The 32-suite resort’s three-walled accommodations open to spectacular sea views, and rates include
complimentary daily shuttles to nearby Anse Chastanet and
Jalousie beaches. From $340 in low season ($605 high).
866-290-0978; ladera.com
Also near Soufrière, Jalousie Plantation has a stunning
beach, hillside villas with plunge pools and its own helipad
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wave runner
Full speed ahead
at Anse La Bas.
for visitors arriving from the airport by helicopter transfer.
From $300 in low season ($700 high). 800-544-2883; the
jalousieplantation.com
Guests are welcomed with palm-leaf leis at Ti Kaye Village
Resort, a low-key, old-school Caribbean retreat above the
sands of Anse Cochon. Colorful wooden cottages on stilts
boast wraparound verandas and outdoor showers, and some
have private plunge pools. From $175 in low season, including breakfast ($280 high). 758-456-8101; tikaye.com
Add central location and marina views to the list of
Discovery at Marigot Bay’s assets, which include 35 rooms
and 57 sleek, spacious suites decorated in a “Philippe Starck
meets Harry Belafonte” style. There’s a twice-daily complimentary water taxi to Jalousie’s beach and to Anse Cochon,
and La Bas is a two-minute ride away via the hotel’s unique
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73
Explore the ruins of
an 1 8th‑century sugar
plantation at Anse
Mamin, where you can
swim and snorkel
off a beach so
secluded it feels
all your own.
solar-powered ferry, the Sunshine Express. From $330 in low season, including
breakfast ($710 high). 888-452-8380; discoverystlucia.com
Where to Eat
Tea on the veranda at Jalousie Plantation’s Palm Court is an elegant afternoon
interlude, complete with finger sandwiches, classical music and a breathtaking
mountain backdrop, smack in the center of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. $14
per person. 800-544-2883; thejalousieplantation.com
On Friday nights all roads lead to the legendary “jump up” and fish fry at
Anse La Raye, a beachfront village where tourists and locals congregate with a
Piton beer in hand to feast on steamed fish, conch stew, bowls of spicy creole
shrimp and bakes (bread baked over a traditional coal pot). Speaker boxes line
the street, blasting everything from soca to ’80s hits, and the karaoke club really
swings. Many area hotels offer a round-trip shuttle to the village. Dress casually
and bring cash — preferably the local currency, Eastern Caribbean dollars.
There are few dinner spots more romantic than Rainforest Hideaway, a
small and elegant restaurant on a candlelit deck over Marigot Bay. Velvety,
simply beautiful
Thai-spiced pumpkin-and-coconut soup and the chile-infused shrimp-andThe quest for the perfect
St. Lucian beach leads
scallop entrée are delicious standouts. Open nightly except Tuesday. 758to all manner of pastoral
451-4485; rainforesthideawaystlucia.com
pleasures (clockwise from
top right): horseplay
along Anse Des Sables;
a relaxing pause at Anse
Lavoutte; the happiest
hour at Anse Chastanet;
easy riding on Pigeon
Island; nature’s splendor at
Toraille Falls in Soufrière
and a warm welcome at
Pigeon Island’s Jambe de
Bois restaurant.
Hot Stuff
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore 12 miles of bike trails that wind
through the ruins of the 18th-century sugar and cocoa plantation at Anse
Mamin. At the small cove on the edge of the property (a 10-minute walk along
the shore from Anse Chastanet), you can swim and snorkel off a beach that’s
so secluded it feels like it’s all your own. 758-457-1400; bikestlucia.com
NORTHERN SIGHTS
Visitors staying near the teeming waterfront capital of Castries can enjoy
their pick of worthy beaches. The shore at La Toc is an attractive, goldensand sweep (although swimmers are cautioned about the frequently rough seas).
Challenging road access means this beach is all but limited to guests of Sandals
Regency Golf Resort & Spa, which presides over the shore.
On the other side of town, parallel to the runway at George Charles Airport, Vigie Beach is populated by a lively mix of departing tourists, taxi drivers
engrossed in heated domino games, strolling couples and joggers. Gnarled almond trees and parked cars border the busy strand, punctuated by food stalls
that open for breakfast as early as 5 a.m. Another city spot is breezy Choc Bay
(enter from The Wharf Bar & Restaurant), which faces the unfortunately named
Rat Island.
Castries’ most popular strand — and St. Lucia’s largest — is Reduit Beach. This
hotel-lined, white-sand stretch is the go-to beach for cruise-ship day-trippers as
well as guests staying in Rodney Bay, the lively adjacent village of restaurants,
bars, nightclubs and hotels. Early-morning seas are calm and flat along this
74 Caribbean Travel + Life NOVEMBER
2008
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Catch a cab from the airport, and in less than
five minutes you can be flat-out on the sand.
full suspension
Hiding out in style at
Anse Chastanet.
more-than-a-mile-long stretch. Shell out $20 on two beach
chairs and an umbrella from Elias, the vendor next door to
Spinnaker’s beach bar, and soak up the scene.
There are two small, child-friendly coves at Pigeon Island,
a 40-acre national park connected to the mainland by a casuarina-lined causeway. You can make a day of it here, exploring the ruins of Fort Rodney, hiking to 317-foot-high Signal
Peak, dining at one of two restaurants and touring the small
museum. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and
showers and restrooms are available. Admission is $5; chair
rental is $2; guided tours are $4.
walk from Reduit Beach, Coco Palm offers 71 tastefully decorated and spacious accommodations, a handful of which are
swim-up rooms with direct pool access from the patio. Rates
start at $165 in low season ($200 high). 866-588-5980; cocoresorts.com
The luxurious new Cap Maison has a panoramic Atlantic
view from its location at Smuggler’s Cove, where 22 villas
(some with roof-terrace pools) overlook the small beach.
Rates start at $405 in low season ($565 high). 758-450-8847;
capmaison.com
Where to Stay
Housed in a thatched former mill house on Pigeon Point,
seaside Jambe de Bois has a small local menu that features
fish, lamb and vegetable rotis for around $5. The restaurant
also sells the colorful original art hung on its weathered stone
walls, offers free Wi-Fi and stages live jazz performances on
Sunday evenings. Open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (until 5 p.m.
on Mondays); 758-452-0321.
76 Caribbean Travel + Life Hot Stuff
Curiously, St. Lucians have a passion for classic country and
western; you can actually hear George Jones on the radio.
Sashay over to Nashville Palace (on Saturday nights on the
second floor of Castries Market) and let the locals show you
how to two-step, island-style.
Where to Eat
NOVEMBER
2008
macduff everton
Thirty-room East Winds Inn combines the personalized service of a small hotel with all-inclusive pricing and a central
Castries location, on the white-sand beach at Labrellotte Bay.
Rates start at $445 in low season ($885 high). 758-452-9941;
eastwinds.com
In the thick of Rodney Bay Village and a few minutes’
The Edge serves inventive “Eurobbean” cuisine in a waterfront setting overlooking the Rodney Bay marina. The atmosphere is sophisticated, with prices to match. 758-450-3343;
edge-restaurant.com
EASTERN
HIDEAWAYS
Atlantic-facing beaches on the island’s craggy east coast are
generally quieter and see less tourist traffic. In the north,
Donkey Beach, Secret Beach and Anse Lavoutte are popular
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with locals and offer white sand and relative quiet, since
they are further off the beaten path. (A four-wheel-drive is
recommended and a short downhill hike may be required,
depending on road conditions.) Lengthy Cas en Bas, a little
further south, is the spot for northern-based windsurfers
and kitesurfers. Continuing south, you’ll find 2-mile-long
Grande Anse and Anse Louvet; their cliff-bordered sands are
reached most easily via the village of Au Leon. Honeymoon
Beach, just past the local winemaker’s shop north of Vieux
Fort, is famous for its romantic, golden-sand cove. Swimmers at all Atlantic beaches are advised to watch out for
strong currents.
Hot Stuff
The village of Dennery, halfway along the east coast, is becoming famous for its Friday-night fish fry and street party. While
its jump-up is on a smaller scale than its west-coast counterpart at Anse La Raye, visitors in search of a casual night out
CT+L
with plenty of local flavor won’t be disappointed.
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