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.