VACATIONS FROM HOME: ST LUCIA AND SANDALS

PARTY ON

Between lolling about at the pool indulging in drinks like “Dirty Bananas” or “Mudslides” or a “Frozen Bob Marley” or, my preference, just a shot of the local rum, “Chairman’s Reserve” with some ice and lime, and scuba diving and bickering over where we want to eat next, there’s little time to explore an island.

(And, an inside note, if you want to make sure you arrive on time for your spa or dinner reservation while at Sandals Grande St. Lucian be sure to avoid drinking too many Dirty Bananas concocted by our favorite bartender Peter at the swim up bar…he never lets your glass get empty.)

Anyway, the indulgent nature of a Sandals resort lends itself to lolling about. Better to linger than to explore, right?

For those so inclined though, Sandals Grande St. Lucian offers plenty of off-campus activities, from zip lining through the jungle, biking through the jungle, jeep tours in the jungle, helicopter tours of the island and taking mud baths in Soufriere.

Scuba diving is always included in a Sandals vacation, but we often find the costs of extra tours prohibitive. Still, we managed to go off-campus a couple of time for mini-adventures.

SAILING AWAY

the S/V Yankee Clipper

There was a time, long ago, that for us exploring our island was imperative. We had been to St. Lucia 18 years ago and sailed out of Rodney Bay on the majestic tall ship S/V Yankee Clipper. She was a three-masted cruise ship that was part of the now defunct Windjammer Barefoot cruises company. The beauty of that adventure was the Yankee Clipper actually used her sails, tacking into ports like Admiralty Bay on Bequia, and St. George’s in Grenda or islands like Carriacou before dropping anchor.

Before we sailed on that adventure we went to a local party that’s been going on for 50 years.

FRIDAY NIGHT JUMP UP

Thirsty…there’s that word again…for local experiences during our first visit to St. Lucia we went to something called Friday Night Jump Up in the nearby town of Gros Islet. This is not an event manufactured for tourism, but a weekly party, held by the locals of Gros Islet. At sundown and stretching till 4am every Friday barbecues are fired up, temporary table-top bars are set up, arts and crafts vendors claim their spaces and the music gets cranked up and locals and tourists dance in the streets. Now called the Gros Islet Dance Party, this has been held for the past 50 years, every Friday but Good Friday.

Gros Islet Dance Party

When we first went 18 years ago it didn’t seem quite so frenetic, and our little entourage decided to return, because Gros Islet is literally just a 5-minute drive from the Sandals Grande St. Lucian. We had to return.

Gros Islet Dance Party

This time it was very frenetic. More like a frat party. It was loud! Everyone danced to music that pulsated from massive speakers in the center of town. We swigged some icy Piton beer, twitched along with the music along with the rest of the crowd, and had a great time.

There was a police presence at the party and despite the crowds it all felt convivial and friendly. Even I danced, and did not break a hip!

Gros Islet Dance Party

We hired a driver to take us to the dance party. Our friends used Tim’s “On Time Taxi Service” to ride up from the airport and we used him to take us to the airport. His fee of $10 pp to the Gros Islet Dance Party was much cheaper than what Sandals would have charged us, plus he walked us through the dance party, kind of giving us street cred wearing his NY Yankees hat.

We recommend “On Time Taxi Services”. Contact Tim at 1-758-285-9601 or ON TIME TAXI EMAIL ADDRESS.

Sandals does provide free airport transfers, but we opted to take the Ferry from the airport and used Mark as a mini tour of the island on the way back. He cost $120.

(The Sandals transport stops at the other two St. Lucian resorts on the way to the airport, so we were early and beat the crowds through immigration.)

Here’s the website for the ferry. FUN TO SEE ISLAND FERRY

PIGEON ISLAND

Another “adventure” we embarked on was hiking the nearby Pigeon Island. At one end of the Sandals Grande St Lucian are the looming peaks of the island that has a fort and a look-out point. Rising dramatically from the water and silhouetted in the sunset pictures everyone takes during their stay at Sandals, the $10 pp entrance fee to this National Park is worth it as it leads to glorious views of Rodney Bay.

Sunset with Pigeon Island

St. Lucia traded hands between the British and the French several times during the 1700s and to this day the French-influenced and indecipherable patois is still spoken by the locals who dance between the local dialect and English readily.

In 1779 St. Lucia was taken by the British and a fort constructed on Pigeon Island. On the higher point, Signal Hill, the British were able to observe the French naval activity out of Martinique.

We made the climb, first to the fort and then signal hill, enduring a thankfully short-lived teeming rain and some loose gravel. We did not see Martinique.

Pigeon Island is now attached to the mainland. In 1972 a causeway was created with dirt excavated when creating Rodney Bay Marina, connecting this historic island with St. Lucia.