St Lucia is an island paradise. This was my first (and currently still only) trip to the Caribbean. I chose St Lucia because it was a direct flight from the UK, taking just over 7 hours. I’d been really unwell and felt I needed a break to just stop and relax, and get some sunshine. It worked.

I chose to stay on the quieter side of the island, which meant a 2 hour drive from the airport. The roads are windy and I had to get my cab driver to pull over 4 times for me to be sick! He couldn’t have been nicer about it, was so considerate, and was actually a representation of everyone I met there. The people are so welcoming, so happy, so kind. The island itself is stunning, and I can’t wait to get back to the Caribbean.

It’s also worth noting that whilst St Lucia uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, US Dollars are actually more widely accepted. Tipping is also the norm, especially if you go on any day trips/tours.

Here’s my top 3 and ‘best of the rest’ for St Lucia:

ONE. Beaches (with views of The Pitons)

It goes without saying the beaches in St Lucia are incredible. The ones with views of The Pitons are even better. There are two Pitons in St Lucia – big and small – and both are volcanic mountains. You can climb the Gros Piton, but I chose to do gentler trips instead (it’s a 6 hour hike in baking heat up 2,500 feet)

This was my favourite beach, which is called Sugar Beach.

TWO. Sulphur Springs

Just outside of Soufriere (the ex capital city of St Lucia) is Sulphur Springs. This is a ‘drive in’ volcano. You can go in to the crater of the volcano, then bathe in the sulphur water and then wash it all off in a fresh waterfall.

Sulphur water is meant to have healing properties, give you soft skin and even lower your blood pressure. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me, but it was a fun day trip never the less. It was also good as I had the whole baths and then the waterfall to myself. There’s also a little museum near the crater of the mountain and yup – noone else was in there either.

THREE. Rest and relaxation

What else do you come to St Lucia for? Treat yourself and book a hotel with a private pool, or go on a spa day, or have dinner on the beach. It’s good sometimes to just stop on holiday and recharge.

Best of the rest in St Lucia

• Watersports – You can do everything from kayaking to paddle boarding to kitesurfing. I didn’t feel like being massively ambitious so I went on a speedboat ride round part of the island, and then another tour dolphin watching. I didn’t see any but it was still special watching the sun set out at sea.
• Drinking from a coconut – Go and buy one at a market, chop the top off and drink. It was delicious.
• The food – The fresh sea food in St Lucia is so good. Especially the prawns.
• The cocktails – St Lucia is famous for its rum. Find a nice spot on the beach and spend the late afternoon, evening and in to the night drinking and dancing. Perfect.

Thank you for reading! I hope you found this post useful. Have you ever been to St Lucia? Do you have recommendations for other Caribbean Islands? Let me know in the comments below!