Wednesday, April 1, 2015

St. Lucia (retrospective)

I've been a lot of amazing places in my life, but since many of these trips occurred before the inception of this blog, I haven't shared them here before!  This post is part of a sporadic series I featuring some of the destinations I've visited that have not been previously published on Adventures in Aubreyland.

After a cold winter, it's easy to find your mind drifting off to warmer climates.  I noticed a few of my friends posting old photos of trips to St. Lucia on Facebook, and it reminded me of my trip to the island back in 2008.  It's a popular honeymoon destination, especially with the number of all-inclusive resorts.  I stayed there at Sandals Regency La Toc for a week, and it was a really wonderful vacation!  (Confession:  I went there with my ex, but I remember the trip fondly because I met a couple that would become my friends ever since!)

My favorite photo from St. Lucia...  because obvi.

The resort was on the older side, but that afforded a great price.  We booked the most basic room, but we were upgraded to a nicer suite with plunge pool.  There were 4-5 restaurants at the time, and I think we tried them all.  The all-inclusive everything was really nice.  There was a swim-up bar at the pool, activities, and more.  The beaches at St. Lucia are kind of small, but I'm more of a pool girl myself.  I liked the frozen drinks a lot... :)


I also recall that because there were three Sandals resorts, we were able to travel between the three.  We ate meals at the smaller resort, Halcyon Beach, as well as the newer bigger resort, Grande St. Lucian.  I remember thinking that I wasn't sorry we didn't pay more to stay at Grande St. Lucian, because we got to see all the resorts and use the money saved to spend on excursions.  Because excursions were my favorite thing in St. Lucia.

The resort offered a number of excursions you could book when you get there, so we took advantage.  There was a bike ride to a water fall, which was a little nerve-wracking as I didn't have much experience on bikes with gears and it was very hilly.   But the group moved slow enough I was able to walk the bike up the steepest hills when I had to.  The waterfall was a disappointment as it wasn't flowing really well, but the banana plantations and other views made it worthwhile!

Waterfall Bike Ride

We also went ziplining in the rain forest, which was a great adventure for someone who is afraid of heights like me.  You can see on my face it was a little nerve-wracking, but the rush was pretty amazing!  I loved the views, and some of the platforms were up in the canopy on platforms.  You spent a lot of time up high.  This is the excursion where I met my friends EM and CM, so I loved it the most of the trip.

Rainforest Zipline

Another memorable excursion was riding horses, especially when we went bareback into the water.  Now, this looks and sounds cooler than it is.  The reality is, everything that touches the horse's back gets covered in horse hair.  So... yeah.  Bikini and horse hair.  But it was still pretty awesome to be out there in the water enjoying the coastline.

Horseback Riding

The only thing I didn't love about St. Lucia?  If you get motion sickness, the drive from the airport and around the island can be a little nauseating.   Pack your Dramamine, and you'll be fine!  I'm not sure I'd go back to St. Lucia given it's a fairly long flight, but it's a great destination because it's not as impacted by hurricane season and it's English-speaking for the most part.  There's also a lot to do, as you can tell from the excursions I described.  The motto around the island is "No Pressure, No Problems" and that's how I felt about the island.  No one was in a hurry, no one was pushy, everything was relaxed!  A pretty sweet vacation for sure.


2 comments:

  1. Love your travel posts Audrey. Great post-I love the concept of going back to share old trips. Husband and I honeymooned at an all inclusive in the Dominican Republic. It's not the cheapest (though it sounds like you got a great deal), but it's definitely something that everyone should try at least once in their lives

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  2. Thanks Jasmine! I love going back when people ask me for travel tips to certain places. It brings back great memories. Knowing we are both planners, there are also times you get sick of doing all the work and just want a no-brainer trip! All-inclusives have their pros and cons. Spending all day eating and drinking and enjoying the sun is a major pro!

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