St. Lucia may have won for World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination in the World Travel Awards last year, making 10 times the island has snagged the romantic title, but there’s more to this gem for those of us looking for something other than a post sealing-the-deal destination.
The 27-mile-long island in the Eastern Caribbean, where the sea breeze carries with it the cool sounds of Saint Lucian Creole French (Kwéyòl) being spoken in the streets and the scent of fresh bread baking in wood burning stone ovens, has its own way of romancing you—and it has little to do with love, lust or otherwise related honeymoon requisites.
St. Lucia speaks to anyone’s senses, whether it’s the commanding presence of the isle’s famed Pitons or the taste of butter melting into the folds of that just-baked bread or the feel of sparkling salt water dancing on your skin, it will all call your name once you’ve departed.
That said, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, do not wait for the love of your life to land in your lap if they haven’t already. Head straight to St. Lucia to see what it’s all about.
Here are five things to do when you get there.
Stop for Dennery Creole bread
The first order of business once you’ve touched down in Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) in Vieux Fort, is to get yourself some Dennery bread. Now, any local will tell you Creole bread from this fishing town that has spawned the raw and infectious new sound of Dennery Segment soca music (more on that later) is a must. Not that anyone will be able to give you a precise address for finding it, but most locals will know where to stop for the roadside treat in Tomazo, Dennery. It’s on the main road if you’re heading from Vieux Fort to Castries and you’ll know it when you see the line of cars parked and salivating people waiting. The bread is baked fresh at the outdoor stand in an outdoor oven by a man who wines while he works, and gets served by a girl well versed in the art of controlling a crowd vying for the hottest, freshest bread the fastest they can get it. Try one buttered with cheese and eat it right away.
Gros Islet Street Party
First and foremost, if you’re not going to be on island for a Friday, you may want to go ahead and rethink your travel plans entirely. The Gros Islet Sreet Party or street ‘lime’ (to lime is to hang out, or a hang out if you’re not yet versed in Caribbean lingo) has been going on weekly on Friday nights for the better part of 50 years. There, you’ll start with the fish fry at Duke’s for fresh catch so well seasoned you’ll be hard pressed not to head back there to taste it again on Saturday night, the only other night it’s on offer. Reggae music from the nearby Irie Bar will compete with the sound of waves lapping at the shore a stone’s throw from where you’ll sit, sipping a rum punch or Caribbean soft drink, like Lemon, Lime & Bitters, better known as LLB. Once you’re good and full, walk into the thick of the fete to jump up and jam to soca, dancehall and Dennery Segment tunes.
Sulphur Springs
Who couldn’t use a life-renewing cleanse? Most of us would be all for anything that promises to make you look and feel younger, and that’s what a dip in Lucia’s Sulphur Springs promises to do. The drive-in dormant volcano in Soufrière (a name that means ‘place of sulphur’) is home to mud baths amid the natural sulphur springs. There, you’ll dip in the warm darkened water and feel the day/the month/the year wash off of you as the sulphur bath and detoxifying mud work their purported magic to heal sunburns, arthritis, sore joints, sore souls even. Head out early if you want to beat the busloads of tourists. Unless you are the busloads of tourists. The experience may be just enough to rid you of bad vibes/bad beaus and see you soon back to the island to give it a run for its honeymoon-ness.
Stroll Soufrière
When you’re done soaking back to your younger days in the nearby Sulphur Springs, head down to the main town of Soufrière, the original capital of the island, which remains one of St. Lucia’s cutest and quaintest colorful towns by the sea. Stop by a street vendor for some freshly fried bake, a fluffy fried dough typically served at breakfast time, and wash it down with some cocoa tea (a hot drink of grated local cocoa, nutmeg and cinnamon) while you take in an up-close-and-personal view of Petit Piton (there are two Pitons, Petit and Gros, or little and big). *Note: Soufrière is where all the finest honeymoon resorts are should you decide at a later date that you’re about that life. It’s also the more lush, rainforest covered side of the island, should you decide you want to spend some time away from it all in the thick of all that’s beautiful in St. Lucia.
Take a dip at Pigeon Point Beach
You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches in St. Lucia, but a good no-fail option that’s largely locals only because the tourists haven’t tapped into it yet (so let’s not tell them about it), is Pigeon Point Beach. It’s a long stretch of aquamarine sea with gentle waves for a serene swim. When you’re done with the water, grab a spot in the shade of the trees and contemplate how sweet life is in that very moment.