FEATURE ST LUCIA
ST LUCIA Top Selling Tips...
• The best weather is usually found between December and Easter but prices are highest then too. Suggest travel in May and June for some great deals and still-good weather
• The north and south of the island are very different so suggest a ‘twin-centre’ combining the beaches of the north with the rainforest in the south
• Try a spa treatment featuring some of the mineral-rich mud from the island’s volcanic pools and hot springs
• Rodney Bay is the lively recreation and tourist centre but it’s possible to find a deserted beach or cove all to yourself
• Suggest scuba diving: there are amazing wrecks to be explored and tropical fish to identify
music to be heard at other times of the year as well. Friday nights, for instance, see lively street parties at Gros Islet and Anse-le-Raye with the music, dancing and eating going on into the early hours.
What’s New The boutique Hotel Chocolat opened in late February on the old Rabot Estate cocoa plantation. It sits 1000ft above sea level with a black quartz infinity pool facing the Pitons. Chocolate features in spa treatments and on the menu with a new dessert creation every night. The Jalousie Plantation Hotel,
which nestles on Sugar Beach between the Pitons, has been given a £60-million renovation after becoming part of The Tides brand.
In March British Airways increased
• Take a refreshing dip in a river or under a waterfall as a change from sea bathing
• Keen sailors can take part in one of the island’s many regattas. Landlubbers can enjoy the excitement from the shore with a rum cocktail in hand
• Fabulous island cuisine ranges from locally-caught fish cooked on a simple street barbecue to sophisticated fine dining
• Nature lovers can choose from nearly 30 miles of trails, fabulous flora and birdlife
its flights from Gatwick to Hewanorra International airport from five a week to a daily non-stop service, with most flights now offering first class. The Saint Lucia Carnival in July
promises to be even bigger and better this year. There will be calypso competitions,
steel bands, and dancing as well as a lavishishly colourful parade. Plans are underway for a food and rum festival in October. Smuggler’s Cove opened its brand
new Samsarati Spa this April. On offer are treatments from across the globe like Swedish massages and a Himalayan body polish, with ingredients sourced from organic, sustainable crops.
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
BY LIZ GILL Seeing somewhere from the saddle always gives a different perspective. You travel more slowly and you take in scents, sights and sounds that might otherwise be missed. This is particularly true in somewhere as lush and intense as St. Lucia – all those brilliant tropical plants and flowers, birds and insects – but the extra bonus here is that you then ride out on to the beach and into the sea. That was thrill enough for me but braver, more experienced riders can gallop bareback along the sand. By horseback is only one way to see the
island. If you want to be active you can mountain bike, kayak, sail, snorkel, dive, hike or take a zip canopy tour, whizzing along cables 50ft above the forest floor. Idlers can take the tree-top tram version or lie back on a catamaran cruise.
Tourism Talk JEAN-MARC FLAMBERT
director of marketing UK and Europe, Saint Lucia Tourist Board, UK
“ Although our overall visitor numbers were up nine per cent last year those from the UK were six per cent down. But on-island revenue actually increased so people are spending more. I think 2011 is going to be a tough trading year throughout but overall I’m optimistic as more holidaymakers are becoming aware of the wide variety of places to stay and things to do on St Lucia. “A trip is often more affordable than people first think: our hotel partners currently have some fantastic deals for 2011 to suit every taste and budget.
www.sellinglonghaul.com • June 2011 49
JADEMOUNTAIN
ANSE CHASTANET
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