Our trip to St. Lucia was certainly different from our other forays into the Caribbean. Here we didn’t go for an all-inclusive deal, but instead opted to rent a villa, a car and make our own adventure. We were told that the roads were pretty bad, the residents were amazing, and the island itself was stunning. I must say, it was all true.
St. Lucia is a lush and inviting place with many natural wonders that will amaze any visitor. The island sits on the tip of a volcano which is a source of warm springs in various areas of the island. This is also the reason behind St. Lucia’s lush composition and mountainous peaks. The two most famous peaks, called the Pitons, form stunning landmarks in the western part of the island.
We were lucky enough to have an unparalleled view of the Pitons from our villa – without the extraordinary price – and got to experienced them at sunset, day, night and even during a tropical downpour. Each produced a unique and equally amazing effect that is a photographer’s dream.
Having access to a car and a map was enough to entice us to explore the island. The raw and virtually untouched aspect of the island becomes quite real once your try to drive. Off-roading in a Yaris is not recommended in the best of situations; especially not while conquering St. Lucia’s roads.
I must say, there were times when the road trips took on a Russian roulette quality – with every turn leading into the unknown. You could never tell what could appear around the bend. The option ranged from driving on an edge of a steep cliff, pot holes the size of a small car, to a car or bus coming directly at you, or simply another sharp turn into the unknown. To make things more interesting, the street lights (if any) were a rare and brief occurrence. Looking back, there were times when we weren’t sure how this story would run.
The most exciting memory is a trip to a beautiful sea-side resort called Ti-Kaye. To get there, one must complete the “find the road and try not to crash” challenge which was childs play compared to what leaving the resort entailed. Our car died suddenly while driving up a very steep hill that was easily slanted at 75 degrees. Short of rolling back and tumbling back to the beach, we had little choice but to simply get out and try again without all of us in it. Being faced with the possibility of a random vehicle coming suddenly down at us from around the corner we understood that swiftness of resolving the situation was paramount. Needless to say, we didn’t venture to any unknown beach resorts, especially if they were nestled at the bottom of a cliff, after that.
Besides death-defying roads and breathtaking hills, St. Lucia is full of natural warm springs. Our host Hilary took us to the New Jerusalem baths which are mostly unknown to tourists and kept secret by the locals. After a trek through the most remote, untouched and steep trail along the edge of a deathly hill, across a river and make-shift stairs we finally reached the baths. I felt like an explorer conquering the unknown jungles of the Amazon while searching for the mythical and forgotten civilizations. The bath itself was crude in design, but it did what it was supposed to – capture warm water that sprung from the depths of the volcano that is the root of the island in the most unexpected setting.
Enjoying a warm bath in the middle of a tropical island, surrounded by its beauty and undisturbed by other tourists is an experience of a lifetime. It is even more magical in the rain.
To me, St. Lucia will always be more about the wilderness, raw magnificence of its landscape and tropical rainfalls, than a beach-side resort. If you ever make your way to this part of the world, take time to visit Hilary at the Tranquil Villa and enjoy a stay overlooking the Pitons.