The Caribbean is popular for a good reason – it’s gorgeous!  As I am not quite the sun and sand kind of girl (yet), I’ve avoided the Caribbean cruise for a long time, much preferring the cities and ports of the Mediterranean.  When my cruise friends invited me to join them, I jumped at the opportunity to not travel solo.  The cruise would stop at a variety of islands and my friend took the lead to book the tours for the group (I had previously booked all of the Med tours).  I was happy to hand this task off as I was on a work trip to London and would have less than 10 hours at home from my London flight to turn myself and suitcase around and jump on a new flight (this is how I ended up with ten pair of black shoes but that’s another story chalked up to jet lag).  After a week of work in London, I was happy to see the sun, the sand and the clear waters especially in St. Lucia.

I had heard so many honeymoon stories about St. Lucia so never really considered it a destination for me – either with friends or solo.  Well, I was quickly proved wrong with just a few hours on a day tour to Jalousie Beach (french for jealous and yes, I was).  My friend booked our group with Spencer Ambrose tours (prices vary). This five-hour tour included time on Jalousie Beach (about 3-4 hours) as well as a coastal tour. The best part is that we weren’t with a bunch of cruise folks – we had a good portion of the beach area to ourselves.

St. Lucia Coastal Boat Tour

On the boat ride (about 20 minutes), I quickly relaxed with the sun on my face laughing that only two days prior I was fighting for space on the Central Line tube commuting to work in London. And then I heard a collective “wow” – the Pitons were ahead and they were stunning.  I really was gobsmacked (too much time spend with Brits) by the incredible scenery all around me as I had no expectations of St. Lucia.  It was then that I realized a few hours was not going to be enough, I would need to return (I would return with my family years later on the Disney Wonder ship and tour the treetops of St. Lucia).

Jalousie Beach St. Lucia open to the public

When we arrived at the beach of Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort Hotel I was surprised to learn that no beach is allowed to be private, all are public.  We decamped to the free beach chairs at the far end of the beach by the snorkelling area.  It was funny as I suddenly felt like a shoobie (my uncle Bill said that was what they used to call the daytrippers from Philly who would visit the Jersey shore).  It was definitely a case of haves/have-nots – you could pay to rent deluxe or padded beach chairs in a special area at the resort or stay on the free beach chair side (we stayed on the free side).  My friends rented snorkel gear while I found an umbrella and hid under it (I’m so pale that my dermatologist doesn’t like me in the sun at all, she acts like I’m a vampire going to explode in the sun but in reality, I burn no matter what I do).  With a towel around me, my sunscreen lathered on (my friend was mad that it was so thick that she might not tan!), I opened a book and just enjoyed the view.

Lunch was included in the price (nothing fancy but still good). After we ate, my friend wanted to go into the water, she persuaded me to join her.  We crossed over to the resort side of the beach and walked along the water before finding a good spot to go in.  Seeing my feet in the clear water was a joy and the warm waters was so inviting that we ventured out a bit further only to have my friend start yelling.  She was stung by something so we quickly ran out to find help (we both have that kind of luck – if not her it would have been me – I figure my layers of sunscreen prevented anything from biting me lest they lose a tooth!).  She had a quick reaction which was dealt with by hotel beach staff and that was the end of our water venture as we returned to our books.

Coastal Views of St. Lucia

After the excitement of the stinging fish, it was time to head back.  On the return boat ride, we stayed close to the coastline to view a bat cave and the natural bridge, used as a film location.  Being on the water always makes me happy (I’m a water sign so makes sense?) and then I had to laugh when the whole boat pointed up to a fancy villa and said “they stayed there on the Bachelor”.

I don’t watch the Bachelor but know enough to say that I’d give both St. Lucia and Jalousie Beach a rose to stay around a bit longer.