Saint Lucia in 7 days
- Irene
- Jan 22
- 8 min read
In Saint Lucia you will find the perfect combination of activities and a relaxing holiday. With stunning turquoise waters, beautiful green mountains and the sun shining what else could you possibly need?
General advice: in our case, we like to rent cars whenever we travel as we do not like to do organised trips. However, I would point out that it was not always easy to drive in Saint Lucia. First of all, I would highly recommend renting a 4x4 and preferably a small size as the roads are quite narrow. The reason for recommending a 4x4 is because many roads do not have tarmac so it can be tricky to drive a normal car. Looking at the map, the road that goes from the airport to the east side of the island is in much better condition that the one that goes through the west side of the island. Also, it is important to note that they drive on the right like in the UK.
We went to Saint Lucia in November 2024 and unfortunately before we went, we read that crime has been going up on the island in the past few years. Therefore I would recommend taking extra measures such as not driving during the hours of darkness, not wearing jewellery when you are visiting sightseeing spots, not leaving anything inside the car, and googling the dangerous areas that you should avoid. From our research the areas we found that were better to avoid were the neighbourhoods in Castries of Wilton’s Yard, Leslie Land, Chaussee Road, Marchand and Morn du Don, and the waterfalls in Anse la Raye.
Where to stay: we stayed at “Ti Kaye Resort & Spa” and we absolutely loved it. We loved that is was an adults only boutique hotel with not that many rooms (I believe they only had around 30), located on one of the best beaches on the island, “Anse Cochon”. The service was fantastic and the place so beautiful. We went for an all-inclusive pack (which is not something we usually go for) and it was perfect as we were doing activities during the day but having drinks, breakfast, snacks and dinners at the hotel so it actually turned out cheaper than pay as you go. Also, I loved that even though it was all inclusive, the meals were served in the restaurants with a menu that changed every day.
When to go: I would avoid going from June to November as this is the rainy season, so ideally try to go from December to May. We went at the end of November and it rained a bit during the night but in general it was sunny the whole time.
Day 1: Arrival
We arrived in the afternoon and picked up the rental car from Sixt at Hewanorra International Airport. Important to note that it was one of the very few times that they asked for our international driving license so make sure you have it with you. The airport is really small and there are only a couple of rental car companies but it was quite efficient even though pricey compared to car rental in other countries.
The drive to hotel took around 1.30h. The first 45 minutes were on the east road (which was easier) and once we crossed through the middle of the island into the west road the drive got trickier.
We made it on time before the sunset around 17.30 and after checking in and unpacking we went straight to dinner.
Day 2: South
Start the morning bright and early by going to the “St Lucia's Sulphur Springs”, which is a 55 min drive from the hotel. This is a super touristic spot so you want to be there as soon as possible or just before they are about to close as during the day it is full of people that come on tours from the cruises for the day. We made the mistake of going around 11 am and it was not a pleasant experience at all. It is not a very big space and they just let everyone in at once.
The Sulphur Springs are open from 9 am to 5 pm and you can buy the ticket on the spot, reservation is not needed. You can choose to buy a ticket just for the springs or a more expensive one that includes a tour around the volcano area as well.
Here you will access 4 pools of mud baths that are believed by some to have medicinal properties. After you finish, you can have a shower to remove the mud. It is recommended that you wear a very dark coloured or very old swimsuit as the mud can damage it.
After the Sulphur Springs, you can go to the Rabot Estate just 5 min drive from the Sulphur springs to do the “Tree to Bar” chocolate tour. This activity is again very popular so try to be there as soon as possible and in this case book in advance. Instead of doing this one, we chose to do a different one on day 4 that we absolutely loved!
To end the day’s activities, head to the “Tet Paul Nature Trail” which is a 10 min drive from the stops before .Personally, this was my favourite activity of the holiday. This is an easy walking trail that only takes around 45 min to complete from which you will have amazing views of the Pitons. There was barely anyone here, and I am not sure why as the views were just incredible. I recommend that you wear either hiking shoes or good trainers. The entry fee is $10 and includes a guide. You do not need to pre-book and just have to pay at the entrance.
Day 3: Castries Market
Castries Market is open from Monday to Saturday and starts around 10 am. Saturday is the most popular day to go to the market and this is another very popular activity to do.
Our hotel offered a picturesque 30 minute boat ride to Castries market which I thought was a great way to avoid the difficult roads and the issues around parking and at the same time enjoy the coastal scenery as you cruise past the villages of Anse La Raye and Marigot Bay, experiencing the island in a different manner. In Castries you can go shopping at Pointe Seraphine and La Place Carenage, visit the Vendors Arcade and tour the historic Castries Market.
Day 4: South and chocolate experience
As mentioned before we chose to make chocolate at “Cacoa Sainte Lucie” which is just a 30 min drive from the hotel and it was a great experience, I cannot recommend it highly enough. We chose the “Chocolate Heights – Hands on Workshop” and went first thing in the morning which was the right choice as we were alone! We learnt about chocolate and made our own chocolate bar. The price per person was US$45. Even if you do not want to do the activity, I would recommend to stop here as this is also a beautiful shop where they sell great products obviously made out of chocolate and they also have a great restaurant and cafeteria on the top part of the shop with amazing views.
Afterwards, on the way to the ”Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens”, you can stop at “Mirador Piton Santa Lucia”, which is quite impressive and there you also have a few stalls selling souvenirs.
Driving 20 minutes from Cacoa Sainte Lucie, you will find “Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens”, six acres of beautiful botanical gardens which ends at a beautiful waterfall. Note that swimming at this waterfall is not allowed. It is a very relaxing activity that you can do at your own pace and will take you less than one hour to complete. The entrance ticket can be bought there and there is no need to book in advance. You can get just the entrance to the garden for US$7, or also get an extra ticket for the hot spring baths access for an extra $6. I would not recommend getting the hot spring baths as to be honest it did not look at all appealing.
A place I would not recommend is Tortaille Waterfalls. This is a waterfall where you can swim at, but it was incredibly busy and quite small. Basically as soon as we arrived we left. You can definitely skip this one.
Day 5: Beach ot boat trip
As mentioned at the beginning, our hotel was located on a very famous beach surrounded by coral reefs which was perfect to do snorkelling. The hotel provided us with all the snorkel gear and also with guided snorkelling activities for the guests so we decided to spend a full day just swimming and snorkelling in the bay without having to travel to other parts of the island.
An alternative plan you can do is to book a full day or half day boat trip. However, it is very important that you choose a boat that takes maximum 12 people otherwise the experience can be completely overwhelming and super crowded. The boat most probably will take you snorkelling around Soufriere and The Pitons to snorkeling spots with a variety of fish, sponges, and soft coral.
Day 6: North
This day we started quite early leaving the hotel at 8 am to get to Rainforest Adventure at 9 am. We pre-booked a package that included 3 activities which were: Aerial Tram + Nature Trails + Canopy Zip Line, all of this in a beautiful rainforest. As we booked in advance on their website directly the price was reduced to US$85 per person which I felt was completely worth it. It took around 4 hours to complete all the activities.
We started the day by taking the Aerial Tram which was really cool and quite similar to a ski lift to get to the top of the mountains, all while one of the guides explained interesting facts about the rainforest, wildlife and the nature around us. Once at to the top, we did a short walk to get to the 8 zip lines. Once you finish the zip lines, you will have to do a longer walk back to the aerial tram that you will need to take again to go back down. It is very important that you wear appropriate shoes such us hiking boots or good trainers for this activity.
Day 7: Last day
On our last day we decided to chill at the hotel by the beach until it was time to go back to the airport for our night flight. It is important to mention that the rental car companies at the airport close quite early, I believe around 6 pm, so you might have to hang around the airport for few hours if your flight is overnight.
In summary, this was a very good trip to combine activities during the morning and relaxing by the beach or pool in the afternoon.
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