t Fishing Boats on the shore at Soufrière
g Saint Lucia g Contents
t Fishing Boats on the shore at Soufrière
Saint Lucia’s first settlement and former capital during French rule, Soufrière is now a charming fishing town. During the French Revolution, the Revolutionary Council ordered that all French names must be changed, so Soufrière briefly became La Covention.
The town, which has a beach fringed with coconut palms, is divided into two by the Soufrière River. Most of the shops, restaurants, craft centers, and guesthouses are located in the few streets inland from the jetty. Traditional Creole homes with their ornate filigree friezes and elaborate balconies stand out, and the market is decorated with colorful murals.
According to local history, Malmaison, situated on the outskirts of town, is where Napoléon Bonaparte’s wife Joséphine spent her childhood. Other estates in the area include the Diamond Estate, famous for its gardens and therapeutic mineral baths. and visitors can see coconuts, copra and cocoa being processed at the Morne Coubaril Estate.
The Soufrière Volcanic Area is located just south of town. There is a giant crater, formed during an eruption 40,000 years ago, as well as 24 cauldrons of bubbling mud that boil at around 340° F (171° C) within the 304,900 sq ft (28,350 sq m) site. It is advisable to keep to the marked paths; guides can be booked at the entrance.
EXPERIENCE Saint Lucia
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Stay Coco Palm Resort These gabled blocks contain spacious, well-appointed rooms; bag one on the ground floor and step straight from the patio to the pool. ⌂ Rodney Bay Blvd ∑ coco-resorts.com \\\ Ladera Set high above the sea, this unusual luxury resort’s open-sided rooms make the most of the jaw-dropping views. ⌂ Rabot Estate, Soufrière ∑ ladera.com \\\ Anse Chastanet A romantic resort nestled into the hillside, with an on-site spa and easy beach access. ⌂ Old French Rd ∑ ansechastanet.com \\\ |
Marigot Bay is about 7 miles (11 km) south of Castries. Surrounded by lush foliage-covered hills, it is considered among the most beautiful anchorages in the Caribbean and has been the setting for several movies, including the original Dr. Dolittle (1967) and Firepower (1979). The busy marina here is full of local craftsmen at work.
Marigot Bay Resort & Marina is a luxury resort with accommodations nestled in the hillside overlooking the bay.Some of the suites have private plunge pools and most units offer fabulous views of the palm-fringed cove. There are excellent restaurants and a spa on-site, all of which are open to non-guests, too.
Choc Bay, a popular tourist area, boasts a tree-lined stretch of sand with gentle waves lapping the shore. Inland from the bay, Union Trail is a self-guided nature walk. It is an easy looped walk through the rainforest, where the rare multi-hued Saint Lucia parrot can be spotted.
Nearby, Fond Latisab Creole Park, in the Fond Assau community, is part of Saint Lucia’s Heritage Tourism Program. It offers a glimpse of the Creole traditions of preparing cassava bread, cooking on macambou leaves, catching crayfish, and log-sawing to the rhythms of a traditional chak chak (musical instrument) band.
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⌂ Babonneau § 758 450 5461 # 9am–4pm daily
EXPERIENCE Saint Lucia
Artisanal chocolate is on the up in the Caribbean, and Saint Lucia is no exception, with a local industry focused on controlling the whole process, from bean to bar. The rich volcanic soil, high altitude and rainforest water combines to create the ideal environment for cocoa production. Topping the list is global brand Hotel Chocolat (www.hotelchocolat.com), which owns the 140-acre Rabot Estate and a fabulous restaurant with a cacao-infused menu. Anse Chastanet (www.ansechastanet.com) produces Emerald Estate chocolate and boasts a chocolate laboratory. Both offer tours with tastings, and sell their products on site.
t FRESH COCOA BEANS
Across Rodney Bay is Gros Islet, a small fishing village and home to the famous Friday night “Jump Up.” This huge open-air party fills the streets and lasts until the early hours of the morning. Tables and chairs are placed outside and loud music booms from huge speakers, as revelers move from one bar to the next, drinking beer and dancing the night away. It is also a great place to try local specialties from the many street vendors.
t A buzzing street in Gros Islet during the village’s weekly Friday “Jump Up”
One of the most popular yachting destinations in the Caribbean, Rodney Bay has a beautifully landscaped marina with restaurants, bars, shops, and galleries. It is also one of the leading charter centers in the Caribbean. Visit during the day to browse the shops and enjoy a waterside lunch, or at night, when its nightlife venues grow lively.
t Vendors and shoppers flocking to the bustling local market in downtown Castries
Castries is a bustling little city of gingerbread houses that hug the hillsides surrounding the busy harbor. It has suffered four major fires over the last 200 years, but the last one enabled the planners to rebuild the city on a grid, making it very easy to explore. The colorful market on Peynier Street is full of interesting local produce that can be explained by a market guide, available for a small tip at the entrance.
Built in 1899, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception contains many paintings with biblical scenes in which all the characters are black. The cathedral is located on the eastern side of Derek Walcott Square, named for the island’s 1992 Nobel Laureate for Literature.
A hill to the south of town, the Morne, offers a breathtaking aerial view of Castries. Given its strategic position, the French built Fort Charlotte near its summit in the late 18th century, which was later added to by the British. The area is now a protected historic sight and has many restored military buildings.
⌂ Laborie St § 758 452 2271 # 8am–4pm daily
Vieux Fort is close to the southern tip of the island and commands fine views across to St. Vincent. Once the island’s capital and main harbor, and named after a fort built here in the 17th century, Vieux Fort is now the island’s windsurfing center. On its outskirts, the Mankote Mangrove is a favorite spot with bird-watchers.
Farther north along the eastern coast is Savannes Bay, known for its bird reserve. While the west coast is sheltered, the rocky east coast is often battered by Atlantic breakers, making it popular with surfers. Farther ahead from Micoud are the Latille Gardens, which present a blaze of tropical color, exotic fruits, and waterfalls.
Dennery, farther north, is one of the island’s prettiest villages and has a long history of fishing and boatbuilding. Some of the boats are still constructed by hand from trees felled in the rainforest.
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§ 758 454 5014 # Dawn to dusk daily
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§ 758 489 6271
EXPERIENCE Saint Lucia
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EAT The Coal Pot You can watch the fish from your table at this intimate waterside venue. It’s especially pretty at night, and the French-Creole cuisine doesn’t disappoint. ⌂ Vigie Cove, Castries ¢ Sat lunch & Sun ∑ thecoalpotrestaurant.com \\\ Boucan by Hotel Chocolat Gaze at Petit Piton while indulging in creative chocolate-themed dishes. The desserts are unmissable. ⌂ Rabot Estate, Soufrière ∑ hotelchocolat.com/uk/boucan \\\ Martha’s Tables Cheap and cheerful home cooking, served on a seafront veranda. Reservations preferred. ⌂ Malgretoute Beach, Soufrière ¢ Dinner ∑ marthastables.com \\\ |
Experience Saint Lucia
French settlers established Saint Lucia’s first plantations in the mid 18th century along the fertile southwest coast. Cotton was the main crop, though cacao and coffee also featured. But by 1765, sugar had arrived and by 1815 it had taken over. The commercial success of the sugar estates was due to African slave labor, a colonial legacy that has had a lasting impact on Saint Lucia and the Caribbean as a whole.
t Ruins of the old sugar mill on the Balenbouche Estate
PLANTATION LIFE
For the European plantocracy, life was privileged, but for the slaves it was brutal. Inadequately housed and fed, they endured long days of back-breaking work and were frequently flogged or even executed. Unsurprisingly, many slaves rebelled. Following the French Revolution, slaves in Saint Lucia were freed by Republicans. Sensing a threat to their freedom in a British take-over, they formed freedom-fighting groups and attacked plantations.
AFTER EMANCIPATION
Slavery was abolished on Saint Lucia in 1834 and 14,000 slaves were freed, though they were made to serve a four-year “apprenticeship” before fully gaining their liberty. The end of slave labor, and the rise of sugar beet production in Europe spelled the beginning of the end for sugar cane, although it remained Saint Lucia’s main export until the mid-20th century.
PLANTATIONS TODAY
From bijou restaurants to boutique hotels, chic eco-resorts and organic farms to adventure parks, Saint Lucia’s plantations have left their dark histories behind and embraced tourism. They tend to play down the brutality of slavery and focus instead on crafts, skills, and produce (such as cacao) or on their stunning natural surroundings.
t A worker grinding the cacao beans using his feet at a plantation in Soufrière
Experience Saint Lucia
1 One of the buildings at the Fond Doux plantation in Soufrière
Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens and Mineral Baths (Soufrière Estate)
Part of the Soufrière Estate – one of the island’s oldest plantations – was transformed into delightful botanical gardens. Crammed full of colorful tropical plants frequented by hummingbirds, they also contain a small waterfall and hot mineral baths to soak in (diamondstlucia.com).
Balenbouche Estate
A major sugar plantation for almost two hundred years, the estate is now both an organic farm, and an eco-friendly guesthouse and retreat. Guided tours take in the old plantation house and sugar mill (balenbouche.com).
Fond Doux Plantation and Resort
2 Tourists learning about the cacao industry at Fond Doux
This 19th-century plantation estate-turned environmentally friendly resort is also a working organic farm. It offers activities galore, from Zumba to tree-planting, cacao processing to cocktail making, or simply lolling by the pool. Guests stay in restored Creole cottages (fonddouxresort.com).
Mamiku (Estate) Gardens
Formerly home to French aristocrats, a British military post and then a sugar plantation, Mamiku is rich in history. Today, the estate grows cacao, bananas, and coconuts. Enjoy a stroll through the gardens, a spot of bird-watching or hike up to Rainforest Ridge (mamikugardens.com).
The Pink Plantation House
3 The striking Pink Plantation House, now a restaurant
This late 19th-century former colonial estate mansion once hosted British government officials. Now it’s painted pink and is a top lunchtime restaurant, with three artistically designed rooms for rent.