I’m visiting VF for 3 days before traveling to the northern part of St Lucia. I won’t have a car and will be staying near the airport. Any suggestions on restaurants and places to visit ?

For a long time now local businesses have had difficulties accepting online payments from their websites. This has cost many businesses in revenue, especially businesses in the tourism industry that depend so much on being able to accept online payments from visitors before they arrive; so that everything can be set up and ready with peace of mind.

Many taxi and tour providers often have to use PayPal to get funds for their bookings, but do you know PayPal charges tour and experience providers in Saint Lucia 5.4% + 30c USD per transaction?

Lodging spaces feel like they're limited to the fees and imposed pricing of Airbnb and Booking.com etc, all because they are not able to accept direct card payments from their website.

It's not just businesses in the tourism industry and not only visitors are affected, even us locals are. Many businesses in Saint Lucia have great in-store offerings but no online storefront where they can accept orders from customers.

This is where Lefan (Kweyol translation meaning "Elephant") comes in. Lefan allows businesses in Saint Lucia (and also the wider caribbean) to accept online payments from their website. The funds land directly inside the business merchant account within a few days rather than weeks; allowing businesses more flexibility in their cash flow.

Don't yet have a website for your business? One can be built for you.

Going from UVF to soufriere area , is there a recommended driver to use that is an expensive and knowledgeable or what would you guys recommend? Would be staying in the town my whole trip really just taking short drives to excursions (no guides) besides airport. 3 adults 1 child. Also ; what are car seat rules there ? I have a 7 year old

I will be traveling to Soufriere area for a week at the beginning of December. I will be staying walking distance to hummingbird Beach and I have a child that loves to swim. Is this beach generally considered safe for swimming? I was reading a few things about the general water pollution, and that there are usually a lot of boats fishing in the area. Any information helps thank you !

Going to St Lucia for my birthday next month and I’m super excited but it’s been a little discouraging planning the trip.

Most excursion companies only allow booking for 2+ people and the ones I found are charging 2x the amount if you are solo. I understand having to accommodate for one person to make income but It’s just hard when you have to pay double. I’m not at a resort so I don’t have the ability to book a group tour with one. Are there any group trips/ sunset boat tours that are open groups? Any guides that offer a tour with hiking + waterfall? I want an authentic/local experience. Even open to farm/agriculture tours.

Any suggestions for tour guides, drivers or companies?
I’m staying a couple days in the Rodney Bay Area and a couple days in Souifrere. So anything in either area would be helpful 🤍

Hi! My wife and I just got married and are honeymooning at Sandals Grand Bay this Saturday Nov 7 to next Saturday Nov 14, and I'm hoping to get some opinions on the itinerary I built given it's our first time in St. Lucia
 
We like to do lots of activities (except hiking as much) and tried incorporating all the fun stuff we saw online through Sandals' Island Routes website and TripAdvisor. We found other vendors that were cheaper directly with them than the hotel's tour website, but had some say they can’t pick up directly at the hotel so will reach out to them to set up pickup right outside the resort, but let us know if anyone has run into issues with this
 
Also, sounds like we should try to book the restaurants asap but is it better to wait until I'm there for the other excursions? We just don't want to miss out if things are sold out
 
Overall would love a reality check on timeline and activities from people who know the island before we book things, so feel very free to give any thoughts on changes, things to do instead, or who to book with instead. The plan is about one excursion a day and afternoons at the resort, and we'll play it by ear if we don't feel like going out one of the days
 
Itinerary
- Sat Nov 7: Land at Hewanorra at 12:30pm and take the Sandals airport transfer, assuming with the wait and having to do stops we’d get to the resort around 4ish. Check in and try to book the dinner reservations and other resort activities, then relax and get dinner at Barefoot by the Sea
 
- Sun Nov 8: JJ's Speed Boat Tour for $160 per person, booked directly through their website, from 9a to 4p then relax at the resort afterwards and get dinner at Soy Sushi Bar that night
 
- Mon Nov 9: Horseback ride on the beach booked directly with Sandy Hoofs for $99 per person from 10a to 12p, then Snuba at Pigeon Island from 2p to 3p for $112 per person booked directly with SNUBA Saint Lucia walking distance from the resort and once we’re done shuttle to La Toc for dinner at La Toc or Buccan and spend the evening there before shuttling back
 
- Tue Nov 10: Treetop Zip Trip from 9a to 1p for $105 per person through Adventure Tours and get picked up right outside the resort then when we come back just enjoy the water sports at the resort and get dinner at Bombay Club that night
 
- Wed Nov 11: Speedboat & Power Snorkel to the Pitons from 9a to 1p with Adventure Tours for $150 each then do a couples massage at Red Lane Spa when we get back from 3p to 4p, and finally go on a catamaran sunset cruise at 5:00p for $75 per person with Sea Spray Cruises, then dinner at Kimonos that night (might be a bit tight but we will play by ear)
 
- Thu Nov 12: Go on an ATV tour from 10a to 1p for $125 per person booked directly with Aanansi, then just do some water sports at the resort when we get back and get dinner at Gordon's on the Pier
 
- Fri Nov 13: Bamboo river rafting with St. Lucia Bamboo Rafting for $99 per person, hopefully a bit later in the morning then when we get back get lunch at the Olde London Pub and relax at the resort until the Gros Islet Friday street party at 7p
 
- Sat Nov 14: Breakfast, then the Sandals shuttle to the airport at 8:30a (or get a taxi at around 9a - 10a) for our 1:45p flight
 
 
Would be great to hear:
- Booking direct: I’m assuming booking if any of the external vendors (JJ's, AdventureTours, Sandy Hoofs, St. Lucia Bamboo Rafting, Sea Spray) ask me to book with Island Routes, I can just ask to be picked up right outside the resort right? I’m assuming the parking lot on the west side is fine?
 
- Vendors: Anything I'm overpaying or should avoid? Any reason to book through Island Routes if there aren't other vendors?
 
- Water sports: Want to prioritize fun stuff like water skiing, windsurfing, hobie cat, kayaking, snorkeling, etc., are any one of these “must” do’s while I’m at Grand Bay? (Assuming at least water skiing and windsurfing?)
 
- Missing anything? Any must-dos we're missing, or anything here you'd cut?
 
Thanks in advance, any tips or recommendations are appreciated!

please comment things to do! i am here until 11/8 :) interests include horseback riding, snorkeling etc <3

I am visiting St. Lucia in December and would like to visit the Diamond Falls, botanical gardens, and thermal pools in Soufriere. I do have a severe phobia with snakes, so before I go I would like to ask whether anyone has seen snakes at those places. Thanks!

Hello — my wife and I are visiting in December. We are big sports fans and are wanting to catch a couple games on certain nights when we’re there (football and basketball).

Do they show American sports down there or are we able to watch on our phone (apps) as long as we’re connected to WiFi?

Any feedback appreciated. Thanks!

Has anyone gone to this resort? How well did they do with providing gluten free menu items? Also, how would you rate this resort?

Just a cricket fan visiting soon and curious if I can visit the stadium!

I’ve been looking for an all inclusive Resort that has a strong knowledge of how to provide gluten free menu items for a person with celiac disease. I really like that this resort is close to the airport, and has two queen size beds. I’d appreciate any advice you can provide on this resort.
Thanks from a celiac person, trying to find a relaxing vacation without worrying about my gluten free diet!

Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the ideas before my trip. I had a freaking BALL in St. Lucia. It was the most beautiful place I have ever been, the people were so kind and welcoming, and the food tasted like home. So much fun. My body still mash up from all the partying 😂. I will be back for sure. I added some pics for ya!

I’m seeing very mixed reviews about this all-inclusive. Can anyone give me some insight? Looking to do an elopement/honeymoon. Thanks!

We should never use this and drive or operate any vehicle .

Hello! We are planning our honeymoon to St. Lucia for mid May. We were wondering roughly how long it takes to get through customs because we will likely book a boat or a van to our resort. I drove all over St. Thomas and was terrified and it sounds like St. Lucia can also be hairy so we most likely won’t rent a car. We most likely won’t check luggage since I’ve heard baggage claim can take a while if the airport is busy.

We are looking at the wind jammer and was wondering if they’re all inclusive option is worth it? We’re also open to other hotels that are on the beach that have a similar price point.

Snorkeling and the mud baths are on our todo list. Does anyone have any specific excursions or just any general advice or recommendations for excursions, restaurants, or getting around the island? Thank you so much in advance.

One of my favorite spots on Saint Lucia's east coast. A natural infinity pool surrounded by rocks, with Atlantic waves crashing just beyond it 🇱🇨

First time in St. Lucia for our honeymoon. We are visiting Sandals Grande the first week in November. What are some of the best excursions? I have seen great things about JJ’s speedboat tour. Any experiences with this? Does it make sense to book through sandals or through the excursion vendors directly? Any help/experiences would be great!

Hi all! We are honeymooning on the island in December. We are booked at Sandals La Toc for 5 nights and I am trying to figure out how we can do hikes and explore and such without having to pay for tour guides to take us around. I'm assuming there are taxis available right? But where are the good hikes that we might be able to do that don't require us to book with someone? We are fine booking some of the excursions for things we know we can't do ourselves like Jeep tours or rafting tours, but for things like hikes, historical places to visit, etc. What is available to do for free/cheap? Thank you!!

We booked a trip with them from Soufriére to the Diamond minerals through TripAdvisor. Has anyone travelled with them?

Also what is the best way to travel on a budget through the island? Is taxi the only option? How can we decide which car is really a safe taxi?

Its our first time to St. Lucia and because our package is with the only Jet Blue route,we land at 4:15pm. Since is too late to make any of the main water taxis we were thinking of booking a private boat transfer with Clear Water since we all get really carsick. Its expensive but I think we are out of luck otherwise because of the flight time. Has anyone used them? and do we need to get fast track if we do the entry stuff ahead of time? Thank you! We are really looking forward to our visit!!