Travel Notes: St. Lucia shines as Caribbean island jewel

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Linda Strait is manager of Great Southern House of Travel, a full-service travel agency in Springfield.|ret||ret||tab|

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St. Lucia is a beautiful, friendly Caribbean island that defines the word "paradise." It is approximately 240 square miles of volcanic mountains (the Pitons may be the most photographed mountains in the Caribbean), rain forests, beautiful beaches, banana plantations, fishing villages and charming, well-spoken people.|ret||ret||tab|

We were told on a recent visit that children in grade school are taught the value of tourism. They are educated to the fact that the many visiting tourists have worked hard to earn the vacations that bring them to St. Lucia, and that tourism helps provide jobs, etc. |ret||ret||tab|

We witnessed their grateful attitudes many times when school children would wave at our open-air trucks and vans and yell "Hi, tourists!"|ret||ret||tab|

We stayed at one of the all-inclusive resorts on St. Lucia and were treated very well by groundskeepers, front desk personnel and everyone we came into contact with. They were very quick to make eye contact, greet you and remember your name.|ret||ret||tab|

St. Lucia's history has been a political ping-pong ball since the mid 1600s, bouncing back and forth between French and English rule at least 14 times. As a result, both influences are very strong on the island. |ret||ret||tab|

English is the official language, but you will hear Creole spoken, and the predominant religion is Roman Catholic. St. Lucia gained its independence from England in 1979, and is now a member of the British Commonwealth.|ret||ret||tab|

As expected on an island, much of the draw is based on water activities.|ret||ret||tab|

The sandy beaches are varied from very white to beige and black around the volcanoes. Waves are much more powerful on the Atlantic side. On the Western (Caribbean) side, it is much calmer.|ret||ret||tab|

Scuba diving and snorkeling are best in the Soufriere (a fishing village) area. The beach and reef just north of Soufriere are considered one of the 10 best dive sites in the Caribbean with more than 150 species of fish.|ret||ret||tab|

Fishing charters can be arranged for white marlin, mackerel, kingfish, and sailfish.|ret||ret||tab|

Sailing and windsurfing are other options equipment and instructions are available at most hotels. Catamaran tours are available, which often include a "land" portion. |ret||ret||tab|

We opted to take a catamaran trip that passed by the Pitons and included a stop at Soufriere. |ret||ret||tab|

From Soufriere, we boarded vans that took us to Sulphur Springs (a drive-in volcano). On our return trip, we stopped in Marigot Bay, a beautiful bay full of sailboats and surrounded by luxury homes.|ret||ret||tab|

One fun experience was a mountain bike trip into the rain forest with a stop for swimming under a waterfall. Our local host had a great sense of humor and a lot of knowledge about his island. He included side trips into a banana field, explaining the growth process and that many families may own trees within the same field. They participate in an organized harvesting and respect each other's properties.|ret||ret||tab|

The major shopping area is Castries, where you will find an open-air market of vendors selling woodcarvings, woven straw articles and banana ketchup among other souvenir items. Duty-free shopping is available at the cruise terminal, and you can find more fine woodcarvings, batik and other items at locations throughout the island.|ret||ret||tab|

December through May is the driest and coolest time to visit St. Lucia, with temperatures during the day ranging in the 70s and 80s and night temperatures in the 60s and 70s. |ret||ret||tab|

The rainy season is June through November, which usually means short, intense showers. Temperatures can reach into the 90s.|ret||ret||tab|

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