Welcome to another of our Best of St Lucia with our readers. We wouldn’t have this amazing blog without including our readers. The goal is to show you how amazing St Lucia is and why it’s the place to be. You do not have to take our words for it. Here is another amazing review of the island by one of our readers. This is the best of St Lucia with Emily.

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Where did you travel from, and why was St. Lucia your destination of choice?

We traveled to St. Lucia from London. We chose St. Lucia as we knew we wanted to go to the Caribbean but wanted more than just a beach holiday. As a child, a friend of mine went and I remember seeing photos of the Pitons and thinking I would love to go there. All these years later and we did!

How was your transfer from the airport to your resort or guesthouse?

We rented a car from Hertz, so drove ourselves to our accommodation. Our experience with Hertz on the island was a little different. They don’t have a stand at the airport so all the documentation was done in the boot of a car! Also you don’t have any base insurance cover so you either have to buy their insurance for $15 USD a day or 3^rd party insurance cover. However, having a car was so useful. We were able to see so much more of the island and had freedom to see sights when and wherever we wished.

Where did you stay on the island? 

We decided to separate our stay in to two parts. Firstly, we went to the north of the island and stayed in an AirBnB in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet for a week. This was great as it seemed to be the hype of activity on the island, with amazing beaches, restaurants, shops and resorts. It was all very modern and had everything we needed. For our last two nights, we headed down to Soufriere and stayed in the secluded resort that is the Stonefield Villa Estate. We were so pleased we did this as it gave a completely different flavour of the island.

What activities did you do while in St. Lucia?

We did a variety of activities whilst in St. Lucia. One of my favorite was the catamaran tour we did with Endless Summer cruises. We were picked up at 8 am from Rodney Bay Harbor and began the journey down to Soufriere, with a stop at Windjammer landings to pick up some other guests. You are able to choose between the mud baths or the volcano, we went for the mud baths. We first stopped at a waterfall and then went on to the mud baths. Both were great to see / do but there were a number of other tours there at the same time making it rather busy. We then went to the Fond Doux plantation and the Bamboo restaurant for lunch. The food was great and in such a peaceful setting, we also had a talk on how Hotel Chocolat produce the cocoa. Our final stop was a snorkeling stop, which again was somewhat overcrowded but there was some great marine life around. Another highlight was the Gros Islet ‘Jump Up’ party on a Friday night. It has a mix of both tourists and locals and you are able to fully immerse yourself into the local culture. We chose one of the street food stalls and the lady was so friendly. The food was great, we even tried some plantain and cod salad!

When we were in the south of the island, we did the Tet Paul nature trail which is a short 40 / 45 minute walk with amazing views of both Pitons. We also went to the Ladera Resort for cocktails whilst watching an amazing sunset, followed by dinner in the spectacular Boucan, Hotel Chocolat.

What were the main attractions you visited? 

We visited a number of beaches including Pigeon Island, Reduit Beach and sneakily Sandals Grande resort as well. We visited Marigot Bay which is pretty and full of expensive yachts but for me the beaches don’t compare to those by Rodney Bay. Although you have to pay a small fee to enter Pigeon Island it has two beaches, restrooms and a restaurant and you can also walk up to Fort Rodney and US signal station. We also visited the Castries and the local market. Castries is the capital of St. Lucia and also where the cruise ships come in. The market was bigger than we anticipated and is a great place to pick up some souvenirs. The streets are lined with butting  colors of the flag.  Derek Walcott Square is another place to visit. As we drove down south, we passed through the little town of Anse la Raye. It is a small fishing village,  so colorful and cute!

 How would you describe the food and what were the places that you ate at?

As we were staying in an AirBnB we had the flexibility to eat in our apartment or go out for dinner. Whilst in Rodney Bay we went to Buzz’s Seafood, which was really good. I was so impressed with the quality of food and the adventurous menu. We also tried Matthew’s Rooftop and Café Ole for slightly cheaper food and Spinnakers for cocktails. In Soufriere restaurants in the resorts can often be quite expensive as it’s so secluded and they have a captured market. An overall highlight of the trip for me was our visit to Boucan, Hotel Chocolat and for me the cost of the food is similar to the other resorts but completely justified. Each dish has chocolate incorporated somehow and the volcano desert is unbelievable. The local dishes were really tasty and often consisted of meat or fish, with some rice, salad and plantain salad.

What time of year were you there and what was the weather like?

We were there in the middle of March and from what I’ve heard were really lucky with the weather. It was around 27 – 30C (81 – 88F) and only rained in the evenings or early mornings. Also our host told us that it has recently started to heat up so we were very fortunate.

What were the people like on the island?

I found most people really friendly on the island and often willing to help you out whenever you needed it. Our tour guides loved telling us about their culture and I loved hearing about it! I’m severely allergic to nuts and people were really accommodating, it also helped that nuts are barely used in cooking there. 

What is your best memory of St Lucia?

A favourite memory for me was lying by our pool at Stonefield, surrounded by rain-forest, looking over the ocean and the Petit Piton.

Source: stonefieldresort.com

What you  Would you recommend St.Lucia to your family and friends? 

Yes, well I already have! I love posting on my Instagram and already people are saying how amazing it looked there.