Saint Lucia travel guide

Background

History

Even though some St Lucians have claimed that their island was discovered by Columbus on St Lucy’s day (13 December, the national holiday) in 1502, neither the date of discovery nor the discoverer are in fact known, for according to the evidence of Columbus’ log, he appears to have missed the island and was not even in the area on St Lucy’s Day. A Vatican globe of 1520 marks the island as Santa Lucía, suggesting that it was at least claimed by Spain. In 1605, 67 Englishmen en route to Guiana made an unsuccessful effort to settle, though a Dutch expedition may have discovered the island first. At this time the island was inhabited by Caribs. There are Amerindian sites and artefacts on the island, some of which are of Arawak origin, suggesting that the Caribs had already driven them out or absorbed them by the time the Europeans arrived, as no trace of the Arawaks was found by them. The Indians called their island Iouanalao, which may have meant ‘Where the iguana is found’. The name was later changed to Hiwanarau and then evolved to Hewanorra. In 1638 the first recorded settlement was made by English from Bermuda and St Kitts, but the colonists were killed by the Caribs about three years later.

In 1642 the King of France, claiming sovereignty over the island, ceded it to the French West India Company, who in 1650 sold it to MM Houel and Du Parquet. There were repeated attempts by the Caribs to expel the French and several governors were murdered. From 1660, the British began to renew their claim to the island and fighting for possession began in earnest. The settlers, who were mostly French, developed a plantation economy based on slave labour. In 1782 Admiral George Rodney led the English fleet from Pigeon Island in an epic assault on the French navy, on its way to attack Jamaica. During the French Revolution, Victor Hugues used his base in St Lucia to support insurrections in nearby islands. The guillotine was erected in Castries and the island became known by the French as St Lucie La Fidèle. Britain invaded again and fought a protracted campaign against a guerrilla force of white and black republicans until it was finally pacified by General John Moore. In all, St Lucia changed hands 14 times before it became a British Crown Colony in 1814 by the Treaty of Paris. In 1834 Britain abolished slavery.

From 1838, the island was included in a Windward Islands Government, with a Governor resident first in Barbados and then Grenada. In 1885 St Lucia was chosen as one of Britain’s two main coaling stations, selling Welsh coal to passing steam ships. By the end of the 19th century Castries was the 14th most important port in the world in terms of tonnage handled. In the 20th century, however, the rise of oil brought decline. In 1935 coal workers went on strike and a warship was brought in to quell violence. In 1937 sugar workers also went on strike and gained a small increase in wages. St Lucia’s first trade union was formed in 1939, a movement which grew into the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP), led by George FL Charles (1916-2004). Universal adult suffrage was introduced in 1951. The SLP won the elections in that year and retained power until 1964. George Charles was the first Chief Minister and pushed through several constitutional reforms, enhancing labour legislation for the benefit of workers. The sugar industry declined and bananas were promoted as suitable for smallholder production, eventually dominating the economy. The United Workers’ Party (UWP) then governed from 1964 to 1979 and from 1982 onwards. In 1958 St Lucia joined the West Indies Federation, but it was short-lived following the withdrawal of Jamaica in 1961 to 1962 . In 1967, St Lucia gained full internal self-government, becoming a State in voluntary association with Britain, and in 1979 it gained full Independence.

From 1964 until 1996 the UWP was led by Mr John Compton, who held power from 1964 to 1979 and subsequently won elections in 1982, 1987 and 1992. In 1996 Mr Compton retired as leader of the UWP and was replaced as Prime Minister and leader of the party by Dr Vaughan Lewis, former Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), who led the party into the 1997 elections. The May 1997 elections were a triumph for the SLP, who had been in opposition for 25 years apart from a brief period from 1979 to 1982. Led by Dr Kenny Anthony, they won 16 of the 17 seats, with the UWP gaining the single remaining seat, a result which took even the SLP by surprise. In the December 2001 election the Labour government was returned with a smaller majority (14 seats). Its popularity had slipped in areas hit by the banana crisis and the world economic downturn with its knock-on effects on the tourism industry. By the 2006 elections, the tide had turned firmly against the government and after a hard fought campaign, the UWP was returned to power. The elderly John Compton came out of retirement to lead the UWP, which won 11 seats against the SLP’s six, and at the age of 82 was sworn in as Prime Minister.

Economy

St Lucia has the largest banana crop in the Windward Islands, but production has slumped and the industry is in turmoil. Farmers have suffered because of low prices, storm damage and labour disputes. Greater competition in the European banana market, particularly after EC unification in 1992, is leading to diversification away from bananas; cocoa, coconuts, dairy farming, flowers and fisheries are being encouraged.

There is some light industry, but tourism is the major employer and foreign exchange earner. Some 250,000 visitors stay on the island each year, and numbers are increasing. New hotels are being built and existing hotels enlarged, boosted partly by the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Efforts are being made to attract more yachting visitors. Rodney Bay Marina was sold in 2006 and the new owners are planning to put in more and better berths for larger craft. Marigot Bay has had a facelift and another marina, Landings, is soon to come on stream.

Culture

There is a good deal of French cultural influence. Most of the islanders, who are predominantly of African descent (though a few people of Carib descent are still to be found in certain areas, noticeably around Choiseul), speak Creole/Kwéyòl, a similar language to French, and in rural areas many people, particularly the older generation, have great difficulty with English. There is a French provincial style of architecture; most place names are French and about 70% of the population is Roman Catholic. The French Caribbean also has an influence on music, you can hear zouk and cadance played as much as calypso and reggae. The Folk Research Centre has recorded local music. Musical Traditions of St Lucia has 32 selections representing all the musical genres, with information on the background of the various styles. Lucian Kaiso is an annual publication giving pictures and information on each season of St Lucian calypso. In the pre-Christmas period, small drum groups play in rural bars. Traditionally, singers improvise a few lines about people and events in the community and the public joins in. The singing is exclusively in Kwéyòl, wicked and full of sexual allusions.

One of the Caribbean’s most renowned poets and playwrights in the English language, Derek Walcott, was born in St Lucia in 1930. He has published many collections of poems, an autobiography in verse, Another Life, critical works, and plays such as Dream on Monkey Mountain. Walcott uses English poetic traditions, with a close understanding of the inner magic of the language (Robert Graves), to expose the historical and cultural facets of the Caribbean. His books are highly recommended, including his narrative poem Omeros, which contributed to his winning the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature. Other St Lucian writers worth reading are the novelists Garth St Omer (The Lights on the Hill) and Earl Long (an MD in the USA), and the poets Jane King-Hippolyte, Kendal Hippolyte, John Robert Lee (Artefacts) and Jacintha Lee, who has a book of local legends. New authors to emerge in the 21st century include Anderson Reynolds, with his novel Death By Fire, and Michael Aubertin (head of the Dept of Culture) with his period romance Neg Maron.

St Lucia has also produced painters of international renown. Dunstan St Omer was born in St Lucia in 1927 into a Catholic family and is best known for his religious paintings. He created the altarpiece for the Jacmel church near Marigot Bay, where he painted his first black Christ, and reworked Castries Cathedral in 11 weeks in 1985 prior to the Pope’s visit. St Omer and his four sons, Alwyn, Luigi, Giovanni and Julio, have also painted other countryside churches (Monchy and Fond St Jacques) and a quarter of a mile of sea wall in Anse La Raye, while Giovanni and Julio installed the new windows in Castries cathedral. Llewellyn Xavier was born in Choiseul in 1945 but moved to Barbados in 1961, where he discovered painting. Galleries in North America and Europe have exhibited his work and his paintings are in many permanent collections. Xavier returned to St Lucia in 1987, where he was shocked by the environmental damage. He has since campaigned vigorously for the environment through his art. Environment Fragile is a recent work created from recycled materials embedded with shards of pure gold and can not be bought. It is given to those whose ‘voice can be heard above the din of global commerce’. You can visit the artist’s studio, T4509155 for an appointment, but he also has a gallery at the Rodney Bay Marina.

The last week in January is Nobel Laureate Week, with lectures celebrating the two Nobel prize winners produced by the island (Sir Arthur Lewis and Derek Walcott). They were both born on 23 January. Other events include the annual Arts Awards, during which the Cultural Centre is packed, http://www.stlucia-arts.com.

Getting around

Bus is the cheapest means of getting around the island. St Lucia’s buses are usually privately owned minibuses and have no fixed timetable, so they may not run when you want them to. The north is better served than the south and buses around Castries and Gros Islet run until 2200, or later for the Fri night jump-up at Gros Islet. There are several car hire companies on the island, some of which are open to negotiation, but it is cheaper and more reliable to hire in advance. Castries roads are very congested and there are lots of one-way streets. The West Coast Road is full of mountain curves but has less traffic than the East Coast. Together they present a very scenic drive round the island. If you’re cycling, the best way to get round the island is anti-clockwise, thus ensuring long but gradual uphills and steep, fast downhills.

Ins and outs

Getting there

St Lucia is well served with scheduled and charter flights from Europe and North America and you can often pick up quite cheap deals on package holidays. Connections with other islands are good and it is easy to arrange a multi-centre trip. Some flights come via Antigua, and some via Barbados. You can also get to St Lucia by sea from the French Antilles.

St Lucia

Air

Check in is 3 hrs before a flight, kill time on the beach at Vigie or at Anse des Sables.

Airports

St Lucia has 2 airports: George F Charles Airport (formely Vigie), T4521156, mainly for short-hop inter-island flights only (2 miles from Castries, taxi for US$7.50), and Hewanorra International Airport, T4546355, in the Vieux Fort district; there is an air shuttle to Vigie by helicopter, 12 mins, US$90. Alternatively a taxi to Castries costs US$60 (though, out of season, you can negotiate a cheaper rate) and it will take you 1½-2 hrs to reach the resorts north of Castries. A cheaper service is the St Lucia Air Shuttle, run by Paradise Tourist Services, Rodney Bay, behind Julian’s Supermarket, by reservation only, US$17.50 one way, US$33 round trip, per person, credit cards accepted, T4529329. You can also negotiate a ride with 1 of the transfer buses from hotels for EC$40, enquire at St Lucia Reps, T4569100, http://www.sunlinktours.com. If you are travelling light you can walk to the main road and catch the minibus or route taxi to Castries, or if you are staying in Vieux Fort you can walk there, but be careful of the fast traffic. No baggage storage yet available at Hewanorra. Try to arrange it with one of the Vieux Fort hotels.

Airlines

Air Canada, Bridge St, Castries, T4523051, Hewanorra T4546249, toll free 1-800-7442472. Air Caraïbes, George FL Charles Airport, T4530357. Air Jamaica, Hewanorra Airport, T4548870, Reservations, T1-800-5235585. American Eagle, George FL Charles Airport, T4521820/1840. British Airways, 15-17 Brazil St, Clico Building, Castries, T4527444/3951, Hewanorra Airport, T4546172. Caribbean Airlines, Micoud St, Castries, T1-800-5382942, Hewanorra Airport, T4545075. LIAT/Caribbean Star, George FL Charles Airport, T188-8445428. St Lucia Helicopters, Island Flyers Hangar, George FL Charles Airport, T4536950, http://www.stluciahelicopters.com. Virgin Atlantic, Hewanorra Airport, T4543610, toll free T1-800-7447477.

Boat

Look out for schools of dolphins on the crossing to Martinique; the view is good from the upper deck.

Express des Îles, links St Lucia with the French Antilles and Dominica, reservations T4565000, http://www.express-des-isles.com, or Cox & Co Ltd, William Peter Blvd, T4522211. You cannot buy a ticket at the dock, so remember to buy weekend tickets in advance as the office is shut then. Tickets ordered in advance and collected at the dock cannot be paid for by credit card. The fare is the same to whichever island you are going to, EC$195 one way, EC$218 with a stopover, EC$275 return. Port taxes must be paid on departure from each port. Check timetables before planning a trip. They vary week to week and month by month. There is no service for 3 weeks in Jun and for 3 weeks end-Sep-beginning of Oct. Sat is usually the best day for a day trip, you get there in time for coffee and a croissant, with plenty of time for sightseeing and eating well but sometimes the boat doesn’t leave until 1600. Customs clearance can be tedious with several hundred passengers. Sailing times to Fort-de-France 1 hr 20 mins, Roseau 3½-4 hrs and Pointe-à-Pitre 5¾-6 ¼ hrs.

Water taxis

ply between Soufrière waterfront and Anse Chastenet; it’s easier than driving the awful road.

Bus

Bus stands in Castries are at the bottom of Darling Rd on the west side of the gardens and extending back to the multi-storey car park on Peynier St. Route 1 is Castries to Gros Islet, Route 2 Castries to Vieux Fort, Route 3 Castries to Soufrière, Route 4 Vieux Fort environs, Route 5 Castries central zone. Each route then has sub-routes, eg Route 1A is Castries-Gros Islet, Route 1B is Castries-Union- Babonneau, etc.

Short journeys are only EC$1.25, rising to EC$2.25 Castries to Gros Islet, or to Soufrière, EC$10; from Gros Islet to Rodney Bay EC$1.25; from Castries to Vieux Fort EC$6; children half price. With oil prices rising in 2005, fares are expected to go up. Ask the driver to tell you when your stop comes up.

Car

Driving is on the left. Filling stations are open Mon-Sat 0630-2000, selected garages open Sun and holidays 1400-1800. They only sell unleaded fuel, at EC$9.50 per US gallon.

Car hire

It is often cheaper to organize car hire from abroad. You can only hire a car if aged 25 or over. The cost is about US$50-100 per day, with discounts for weekly rates. Some car hire companies are open to negotiation. Optional collision damage waiver is another US$10-22 per day. A 5% tax is added to everything. A 1-day licence costs US$12, or US$21 for up to 3 months. If arriving at George FL Charles (formerly Vigie) Airport, get your international licence endorsed at the immigration desk (closed 1300-1500) after going through customs. Car hire companies can usually arrange a licence. Check for charges for pick-up and delivery. If dropping off a car at George FL Charles Airport you can sometimes leave the keys with the tourist desk if there is no office for your car hire company. Alto Rent-A-Car, Castries, T4520233, Hewanorra, T4545311. Avis, Hewanorra, T4546325, George FL Charles Airport, T4522046, Pointe Seraphine, T4522700, and lots of other locations, reservations T4516976. Budget, T4529887, Hewanorra, T4547470, www.budget stlucia.net. Candida, Rodney Bay, T4527076. Cool Breeze Jeep Rentals, Soufrière, T4597729, Castries, T4582031. Courtesy, Bay Gardens Inn, T4528140. Hertz headquarters at Rodney Bay, T4520680, Hewanorra, T4549636, George FL Charles, T4517351. National, Massade, Gros Islet Highway, T4508721, also at Lobster Pot, Beanfield, Vieux Fort, T4546699, and at Pointe Seraphine, T4530085, carrental@candw.lc. TJ’s, Rodney Bay, T4520116.

Motorcycle

Wayne’s Motorcycle Centre, Vide Bouteille, T4520680. Rents motorbikes; make sure you wear a helmet and have adequate insurance.

Taxi

Registered taxis have red number plates with the TX prefix. Minibuses have the T prefix.

Fares are set by the Government, but the US$60 Castries-Soufrière fare doubles as unlucky tourists discover that there are no buses for the return journey. Sample fares are: Castries-Gros Ilet US$25, Rodney Bay-Gros Ilet US$10, Rodney Bay-Pigeon Island US$10, Castries-Soufriere US$70, Castries-Vieux Fort US$60, Castries-Anse La Raye US$30. If in doubt about the amount charged, check with the tourist office or hotel reception. You can see a copy of the fixed fares at the airport. At rush hour it is almost impossible to get a taxi so allow plenty of time, the traffic jams are amazing for such a small place. A trip round the island by taxi is about US$25 per hr for 1-4 people, with an additional US$5 per hr for a/c.

Banks

Scotiabank, William Peter Blvd, Castries, T4562100, Corner High St and Chaussee Rd, T4523797, Rodney Bay, T4528805, Vieux Fort, T4546314. FirstCaribbean International Bank, William Peter Blvd, Castries, T4523751, Bridge St, T4561000, Rodney Bay Marina, T4529384, Vieux Fort T4546255, Soufrière, T4597255. RBTT Bank, Micoud St, Castries, T4517469, Gablewoods Mall, T4522265. Royal Bank of Canada, William Peter Blvd, T4569200, Rodney Bay, T4529921. Nearly all banks have ATMs.

Embassies and consulates

Cuba, Rodney Heights, T4584665, embacubasantalucia@candw.lc. Mon-Fri 0930-1400. France, Vigie Rd, T4556060, F4556056, Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 0800-1500, Wed 0830-1300. Germany, Gros Islet, T45080500, karencave@candw.lc. Netherlands, M & C Building, Bridge St, Castries, T4523592, peterd.mc@candw.lc, Mon-Fri 0800-1630. Norway, Ward & Company Building, Bridge St, Castries, T4522216, Mon-Fri 0800-1630. UK, British High Commission, NIS Building, Waterfront, Castries, T4522484, F4531543, Mon-Thu 0800-1600, Fri 0800-1300.

Medical

services

As on most Caribbean islands, there periodic outbreaks of dengue fever so take mosquito repellent.

Pharmacies

: in Castries, on the Gros Islet Highway, in Gablewoods Mall and in JQ Charles Mall, Rodney Bay.

Post offices

Main post office is on Bridge St, Castries, Mon-Fri 0830-1630, poste restante at the rear. Other branches in Gablewoods and JQ’s Malls (open on Sat 0830-1230). Postcards to Europe EC$0.75, to the USA, UK and Canada EC$0.65, unsealed cards EC$0.50; letters to Europe EC$1.10, to the USA, Canada and UK EC$0.95. DHL Worldwide Express, 20 Bridge St, Castries, T4531538. Federal Express, Castries, T4521320. LIAT Quick Pak, 20 Bridge St, Castries, T4560455. Parcels Express, Vide Bouteille, T4527211. UPS, Castries, T4525898. Erands Courier Services, Cadet St, Castries, T4526709, erands911@hotmail.com.

Telephone

Cable & Wireless, Digicel and AT&T, http://www.attwireless.com/caribbean, all with offices on Bridge St, Castries. Charges vary, depending on time of day and day of week. Pay phones use EC$0.25 and EC$1 coins or cards. Cable & Wireless phone cards are sold for EC$10, EC$20, EC$40 or EC$50 plus tax (a EC$10 card costs EC$11); with these you can phone abroad. There is a credit card phone at Vigie Airport operated via the boat phone network, daily 0800-2200. Call USA, T1-800-6747000; Sprint Express, T1-800-2777468; BT Direct, T1-800-3425284; Canada Direct, T1-800-7442580; USA Direct phone at Rodney Bay Marina, or T1-800-8722881. If you want to dial a toll-free US number, replace the 800 with 400. You will be charged a local call.