Resorts in St Lucia
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St. Lucia (Loo-sha) is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, with some of its finest resorts. The heaviest tourist development is concentrated in the northwest, between the capital, Castries, and the northern end of the island, where there's a string of white-sand beaches.
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The rest of St. Lucia remains relatively unspoiled, a checkerboard of
green-mantled mountains, valleys, banana plantations, a bubbling
volcano, wild orchids, and fishing villages. The island has a mixed
French and British heritage, but there's a hint of the South Pacific
about it as well.
A mountainous island of some 623 sq. km (243 sq. miles), St. Lucia has
about 160,000 inhabitants. The capital, Castries, is built on the
southern shore of a large harbor surrounded by hills.
Castries
The capital city has grown up around its harbor, which occupies the
crater of an extinct volcano. Charter captains and the yachting set
drift in here, and large cruise-ship wharves welcome vessels from around
the world. Because several devastating fires (most recently in 1948)
destroyed almost all the old buildings, the town today looks new, with
glass-and-concrete (or steel) buildings rather than the French colonial
or Victorian look typical of many West Indian capitals.
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Soufrière
This little fishing port, St. Lucia's second-largest settlement, is
dominated by two pointed hills called Petit Piton and Gros Piton. The
Pitons, two volcanic cones rising to 738m and 696m (2,421 ft. and 2,283
ft.), have become the very symbol of St. Lucia. Formed of lava and rock,
and once actively volcanic, they are now covered in green vegetation.
Their sheer rise from the sea makes them a landmark visible for miles
around, and waves crash at their bases.
Rodney Bay
This scenic bay is a 15-minute drive north of Castries. Set on a
man-made lagoon, it has become a chic center for nightlife, hotels, and
restaurants -- in fact, it's the most active place on the island at
night. Its marina is one of the top watersports centers in the
Caribbean, and a destination every December for the Atlantic Rally for
Cruisers, when yachties cross the Atlantic to meet and compare stories.
