What to expect in St. Lucia?

[Tim Ingersoll]

The locals are West Indian by in large. There are some rules to follow when interacting. They are as follows:
1. Always begin any interaction with common courtesy. "How are you today?" is appropriate. Anything less is considered very rude in West Indian culture. This simple rule has changed my Caribbean experience dramatically. Try to get to know your bartender or waitress a little bit the first day. Tip well and smile a lot. You will be a favorite and learn about the island and its culture from the people who live and work there.
2. The island moves on Caribbean time. If you expect service in a New York minute you will be disappointed. Reeelaaaxxx and things will go much smoother. This rule has also changed my Caribbean experience.
3. The island is very poor. Don't let this keep you from seeing the sites. The national park is wonderful (don't miss the beer guzzling pigs). Rent a car one day or hire a guide to see the island. Keep your comments and your attitude positive and it will generally be reflected by the locals you interact with.

BTW this post is not a reflection on bluebubble1995. I am not inferring that the poster is rude or anything else.

 

[bluebubble1995]

The locals are West Indian by in large. There are some rules to follow when interacting. They are as follows:
1. Always begin any interaction with common courtesy. "How are you today?" is appropriate. Anything less is considered very rude in West Indian culture. This simple rule has changed my Caribbean experience dramatically. Try to get to know your bartender or waitress a little bit the first day. Tip well and smile a lot. You will be a favorite and learn about the island and its culture from the people who live and work there.
2. The island moves on Caribbean time. If you expect service in a New York minute you will be disappointed. Reeelaaaxxx and things will go much smoother. This rule has also changed my Caribbean experience.
3. The island is very poor. Don't let this keep you from seeing the sites. The national park is wonderful (don't miss the beer guzzling pigs). Rent a car one day or hire a guide to see the island. Keep your comments and your attitude positive and it will generally be reflected by the locals you interact with.

BTW this post is not a reflection on bluebubble1995. I am not inferring that the poster is rude or anything else.

I've been to most all Caribbean islands and St. Lucia is the least friendly IMO. Aruba would rank the friendliest with Mexico destinations following closely behind. Just my .02. Your advice will help the OP make the most of it though. I've always had the feeling that if you'd buy or partake of drugs with the St. Lucians or Jamaicans they be much friendlier.

 

[firstdive2005]

I love St. Lucia. I had a blast there. I am pretty outgoing and can make the best out of anything though. I love the people of the island. They have a very heavy heritage. Read up on it, it's wild what they went through. Lots of island pirate history too.
When you go on walks outside the resort everyone will say hi this way; you say 'aright', they will answer back 'aright'. Means hello basically but really you are saying 'are you allright, they are saying back 'yes I'm alright'. I think it's a really cool thing to say once you catch it. One person has already posted island courtesy and I concur. Ask the people that you do business with first; 'how are you today'. That starts up smiles. Whenever I did any business with anyone I did it with great ceremony, no rush, island time man.
Be ready for third world visuals when you leave the resort. Tin huts for homes in a lot of areas. Dont get me wrong there is some strong coin on the island but most of it is not local ownership. The island is dependant on the tourist trade.
Safety wise for the most part just be smart. There is crime there but mainly on the locals. It's kinda wierd seeing guys walking down the street with a machete in their hands, thats their work tool.
Diving is a huge passion for me, so my adventure to Anse Chastenet last Dec.08 was great. Did 21dives on 32 in 6 days. But alas I will not go back for the diving alone again. The hotels are killing the reefs with their water runoff. I dont want to spoil your holiday. There is still reef life there but the reefs are slowly dying. You will see it. But you will still have great dives.
Your fiancee will do well, the dives are simple. The wreck there is easy also.
Topside visit the walk in volcano, go for a mud dip in the stream there. Climb the piton, thats a blast. The village that looks after the guiding below it is steeped in history. If you dont want to drive on the wrong side of the road.(You'll need to buy a license first) Ask a worker at your resort if they have a friend you can hire for the day. Usually 80-100$ for the whole day of touring the island, do the loop. The visuals from some spots are breathtaking. The windward side is amazing. O ya if you do the loop just after Choisuel there is a food spot called 'Debbies'. Do eat here. She is the coolest person. The food is great.
This island is so amazing I hope you have the thrills I have had on it. Beleive me when I say this I could go on for hours what to see, but that would ruin your adventure, I have pointed out some but the tons of things in between these places are too cool. If you do a catamaran trip down the island to soufriere, I'll wish you wind at your back and sun in your face. kev

 

[Polar_diver]

Wife and I were at Sandal Regency in Ste.Lucia late October 2008. Hotel grounds are great and food was the best we ate in a all inclusive. Great people, just take time to say ''hi'' and smile. Only down side is the beach. Sea may be quite rough at time and once in the water, forget about soft sand... In fact my wife got a toe broken on one rock.

We dived every day and it was fine. Good crew, good DM and nice dive sites with great viz. I found the dives a little bit short (based on the ''first at 750 psi gets the whole group out''). As we are slow divers (take pictures and often stop to give closer look at animals) I also found that DM were going too fast. But at times they had to because of less experienced divers for which finning is the only way to control buyancy.

So, I would go to Sandals Regency for a dive vacation, but would surely dive there during a vacation...

You can see my pictures (both in and out of water) at Picasa Web Albums - Christian

PS make sure your wife brings her wedding ring... Every woman we met at Sandals had a huge diamond ring

 

[Ladydee55]

Congradulatiions on you up coming Wedding. When are you going to ST Lucia. My Husband and I are also going to Sandals in May for our Anniversary. I dive and he doesnt. So keep me informed on what info you find out about.

 

[Ladydee55]

My husband and I are going to Regency Sandals in May and you info was very help to read. Can you tell me how good is their dive equipment? I am debating wether to take my own because of the airline bagage cost now. And do I need to call the resort and make reservation for dives now before we go.

 

[trigfunctions]

There are great places to snorkel in St. Lucia too. The beach at Anse Chastenet and the beach on the south side of the Pitons both have protected areas for snorkeling. We saw an amazing amount of fish and creatures there - just as good as diving!

 

[lefemme36]

Sort of agree with bluebubble...I haven't personally been there but heard from family the island is simply beautiful I also understand like all the other islands, that if your looking to get yourself into trouble you will find it, be self disciplined and you will be fine. Enjoy your honeymoon and wish you and your bride to be a healthy marriage.

 

[Polar_diver]

My husband and I are going to Regency Sandals in May and you info was very help to read. Can you tell me how good is their dive equipment? I am debating wether to take my own because of the airline bagage cost now. And do I need to call the resort and make reservation for dives now before we go.

No need to do reservation if you wish to dive. Just go to the nautical sport hub at the left side of the beach. Your first dive will have be a ''check dive''. They do those only on the afternoon dive. As far as their gear is concerned, I can't tell as I always bring my own. Our life can depend on our equipment. I know that mine is well maintained and I know what to expect...

 

[Fouremco]

My husband and I are going to Regency Sandals in May and you info was very help to read. Can you tell me how good is their dive equipment? I am debating wether to take my own because of the airline bagage cost now. And do I need to call the resort and make reservation for dives now before we go.

My wife and I dove with Sandals Regency last month (see earlier post). She took her reg, computer, mask and snorkel, while I took my full gear. I prefer my BPW, while she's happy using a conventional BCD. The only issue we had was that I'd been told by Sandals' head office in the States that they had integrated weights, only to find that they used weight belts. Not a big problem, but my wife probably would have brought her own BCD had she known, as she dislikes weight belts.

From what I observed, the equipment looked relatively new and well taken care of. Sandals tends to run a very conservative (safe) dive operation, and I believe that extends to their equipment.

Our airline allows two checked bags per person, so there was no extra cost involved in bringing our gear. If we would have had to pay, we would have only taken regs, computers and masks. The first two items we always take as carry-on anyway.

Enjoy!