Guest post by kyap
Map tips: each color represents a different day. Click a marker to learn more about the spot, and click the star in the map header to save the entire map under Your Places in Google Maps.
Day 1: arrival
Booked a package for our honeymoon through Canary Travel in Ohio, and transportation to our hotel (Hideaway at Royalton) from the airport was included. It’s at the very north/top of the island and was a 2-hour ride with traffic. You can take a helicopter ride, too. The ride to the resort is pretty windy and it was suggested to have motion sickness pills if you get queasy. Checked in and relaxed at the pool for the first day.
Day 2: resort day
Stayed on the resort all day. There are several pools plus the beach, activities, workout facility, plenty to do. Our room had a swim-out pool that connects to others.
Day 3: resort day
We were on the lookout for the timeshare scams and were determined not to get caught in one. The concierge said they had a special breakfast for us (thought it was because of our honeymoon), and included a spa package. Turned out it was the pitch for timeshare. They got us for an hour and a half. But we learned about how and why the bananas taste better here because they’re so much more fresh, and that led us to getting tons of stuff with bananas (ice cream, smoothies, fruit dishes) that was fantastic. So at least we came away with that. Spent rest of the day at the beach and pools.
Day 4: Sandy Hoofs horseback riding excursion
Started the day off with massages in the spa – excellent. We booked an excursion through our concierge to go horseback riding into the ocean, which was really cool. Sandy Hoofs picked us up at the resort, and you get to ride the horses into the ocean (up to their necks). Great experience, lots of fun. I’ve never been horseback riding and had no issues.
Had a wonderful dinner on the beach, make sure to reserve in advance.
Day 5: excursion to Soufriere and Marigot Bay
Booked a 10 hour excursion through Island Routes (https://www.islandroutes.com/caribbean-tours/st-lucia/10/castries/2055/mutiny-explorer-by-land-and-sea/). Soufriere is the “town” right by the 2 pitons, the striking mountains you see in all the pictures of St. Lucia. Took a catamaran from the top of the island to the bottom. It rained a little bit, but it was quick. I wouldn’t let rain in the forecast deter you. Once you dock in Soufriere, you get a personal taxi driver to take you wherever you want to go (volcano, ziplining, etc.). The only downside is that you pay for everything you go in – a 10-second view of a waterfall costs a few dollars, as does everything else.
First stop was the Botanical Gardens – a beautiful waterfall is the highlight.
Next was a Miracle Spring/Sulphur Spring. Put the mud on the areas you need healing, and it was literally a miracle for my sunburned legs.
Next was another waterfall, again a small charge for it.
Stopped at some restaurants, really cool experience playing some of the instruments along with locals in one of them.
Got back to the boat, went snorkeling by the Pitons and sailed through Marigot Bay on the way back. They had food, drinks, and music for the ride back.
Day 6: departure
Had to get to the airport for our flight home. The travel company had scheduled our ride to the airport, so it was nice to not have to calculate how much time we should need and when we should head to the airport.
Additional thoughts:
Overall we loved the resort. They have all kinds of restaurants: Tex-Mex, Hibachi, Italian. The food at the restaurants is good, room service is not that good and took a long time. I liked Calypso, the Caribbean one the best, and my husband liked Grazie, the Italian one, most. Breakfasts were great, huge buffet and different stations to make whatever you want every morning. Everything you can imagine.
They have a different show every night, too: dancing one night, a band another, etc.
Felt like we went at a really good time, the waits at the restaurants weren’t bad at all.
We stayed at the adult-only portion of the resort, but there is a family section as well.
They said it’s ok to drink tap water, but we did bottled water the whole time just to be safe.
The locals were great, one guy came up to us and split a coconut for us – didn’t ask for anything. Another saw my sunburn and put some ointment on it to help.
Beware of the beach flies – the itching is delayed and lasts a while.
They have their own currency but everywhere we went accepted US dollars.
St. Lucia as a honeymoon destination was great. We were left alone, very romantic, but the staff was there for anything we needed. Great weather overall, if it rained, it was brief. If you need any other reason to go, it’s one of Oprah’s 5 places in the world you have to visit.
Traveled in May 2019
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