SAINT LUCIA

OVERVIEW

• When: 13 February – 16 February, 2026
• Where (accommodations): Stonefield Villa Resort
• Transportation: American Airlines flight from Miami (MIA) to Saint Lucia (UVF), driver from Golden Ticket (WhatsApp +1 758 286 6062), and driver Peter (WhatsApp +1 758 713 9207)
• Sights/attractions: Sugar Beach, Snorkeling excursion (booked through hotel), Church of the Assumption in Soufriere, Tet Paul Nature Trail, Soufrière Drive In Volcano and Sulfur Springs, Piton Falls Waterfall, Toraille waterfall, Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens & Mineral Baths
• Food/drinks: The Mango Tree (at Stonefield Villa Resort), Garmaii Boutique and Diner, Dasheene (at Ladera Resort), Rabot (at Hotel Chocolat)

81st country for me, 69th for Sean: Saint Lucia was a perfect long-weekend getaway from Miami. We do not plan trips around Valentine’s Day, but it is always lovely (pun intended) when the President’s Day weekend coincides with this holiday. We never know when our two-month stays in Miami Beach will end (I hope never!), so while we are here, we take advantage of the direct flights to the Caribbean. We left Miami on Friday morning and returned Monday night. Three nights was a good amount of time to both relax and explore this beautiful island.

Fun fact- though it might be a legend, that Saint Lucia is the only country named after a saint and a woman- Saint Lucy of Syracuse. Saint Valentine’s Day on Saint Lucia sounds like a perfect combination if you ask me!

ACCOMMODATIONS

Make sure you do your research on what you want to do on the island before booking your hotel. Even though the island is not that big, it is not easy to navigate. Driving is on the left side of the road, and the roads are extremely winding and mountainous. Normally, Sean drives in pretty much every country, including on the ‘opposite’ side of the road, but after reading a lot of Reddit posts about Saint Lucia, we decided to spend the money on the drivers for our own peace of mind and safety. If we had a week, we probably would’ve considered a rental, as it’s a lot cheaper than using taxis and drivers, but for three days, it simply was not worth the hassle.

That being said, decide which side of the island you want to explore the most and make that your base. There are two airports in Saint Lucia. I am not sure what airlines fly in the northern one, but at least for us, all flight searches were going to UVF, located in the south. Soufriere town and the surrounding district had the most activities we wanted to do; therefore, we chose our accommodations close to there. It was also just an hour away from the airport. I am very happy with our choice and would recommend this area (and the hotel) to anyone visiting Saint Lucia.

Stonefield Villa Resort

We arranged an airport pickup through the hotel ($150 USD round trip for a 1-hour drive each way), and while chatting with our driver, Peter, we also booked him for a half-day tour on Sunday. I had another driver set up, but Peter’s price was more reasonable, so we agreed to have him as our main point of contact for the drives in Saint Lucia.

As soon as we arrived at Stonefield Villa Resort and saw our villa, we were in love.

Each villa has its own individual pool, plus there is a large shared pool right near the restaurant. And of course the view of the Caribbean Sea and the Piton mountain- can’t ask for a more romantic setup. My lovely Valentine had flowers waiting in the room as well as champagne and chocolate covered fruits which we devoured immediately.

The hotel service was impeccable- we asked to book a snorkeling tour for the next day, and they arranged that on very short notice. There is a spa, and we got great massages on our last morning. Breakfast was included with the stay, and we enjoyed it alongside the amazing views every morning.

They also provided a simple cell phone to use during our time on the island. I am not going to lie- we had a hard time figuring out how to use Nokia with the buttons and hung up instead of answering the call on a few occasions. It was indeed very useful to have when we wanted to call a taxi or to reschedule an excursion.

All in all, from the location to the service, to the comfort, and the views, we loved this hotel and were actually happy the flight was delayed by five hours so we could spend more time here.

ACTIVITIES AND SIGHTS

On Friday evening, we relaxed in our villa and at the pool, but the first morning on the island, we had activities planned- there is no time to waste!

Sugar Beach (Jalousie Beach)

Located between the Petit Piton and Gros Piton mountains, this white sand beach is considered one of the most (if not THE MOST) beautiful beaches in Saint Lucia. To get to the beach, you need to be dropped off at the entrance of the Sugar Beach Viceroy resort and then walk down the hill or take a shuttle.

All beaches in Saint Lucia are public, which means hotels cannot restrict access to them, but they do have some power. For example, at least half of the beach was taken over by the chairs and umbrellas that were available only to Viceroy guests. They used to sell day passes, but during the busy season, this was not an option, so we could not rent the shaded chairs, even though plenty of them were empty.

If you want to really experience the beauty, do not sleep in late. We arrived before 10am and found it to be peaceful and truly gorgeous. We were also lucky to get the chairs (with no shade) that were free and available on the right side of the beach. But only two hours later, right around noon, the atmosphere changed. More and more people arrived by boats, a lot of them from the cruise ships- the initial magic kind of evaporated, and we were glad we came early.

Initially, we planned to stay until 2pm and go on a snorkeling tour, but seeing all the people, we decided to move the tour to 12.30pm. We enjoyed the fresh fruit platter from the boat-bar, had the coconut, and decided that this was enough time on this beach.

Under The Sea

We did not bring our GoPro camera, so there won’t be any proof of the beautiful underwater world of Saint Lucia, but there really is one! As the tour was private, we agreed with the captain that, after snorkeling, they would drop us off in Soufriere town, where there are more lunch options, rather than bringing us back to the Sugar Beach.

We stopped at three different snorkeling spots, but the best one by far was the coral garden near Anse Chastenet beach. The tour was about 2 hours, and it was nice to not only snorkel but also to see the island from a different perspective. $160 USD for both of us on a private boat was not cheap, but not wildly expensive given Saint Lucia’s prices overall.

Soufriere

I think I may have expected a bit more from this town, but I also had to remember that this is not Saint Lucia’s capital. The capital is up north, where most cruise ships dock, and I am sure it is much more developed.

We walked around, had a delicious lunch at Garmaii Boutique and Diner, passed by the Church of the Assumption, and called a taxi to take us back to the hotel.

I am glad we tried the local national Saltfish dish, but apart from that Soufriere town would not be my destination to visit.

Tet Paul Nature Trail

On Saturday, we relaxed on the beach and snorkeled. However, for Sunday, we had a much more active day planned. Nothing too crazy, just fun and enough activities to get a good feel for the island. It does get hot in Saint Lucia, especially midday, so we arranged an early breakfast and left by 8.15am. The first activity was the Tet Paul Nature Trail hike, which I think is an absolute MUST while on the island.

There are other, much harder hikes, such as the Gros Piton hike, that would take up most of the day, but we are not here to torture ourselves. Also, I’ve read in my research that the views from the Tet Paul Nature Trail are better, which was a final factor in choosing this hike. At the entrance, you have to pay a small fee, and there was a guide who offered to go with us alongside some other people. She was waiting for a family, and we asked if we could just go alone, which you absolutely can! We were by far faster than the guide with the group- even with stops for photos we were coming down when they showed up.

The hike is really easy- I did it in my Birkenstock sandals. No need for hiking boots, and you won’t be scaling rocks. Some of the paths have stairs, and when you see Stairway to Heaven, you are right near the top! The view is absolutely breathtaking, there is a little hut selling beer, and even two cute cats to pet! I do not advise picking them up. I tried and got a nice little scratch as a souvenir.

The hike took us about an hour total, but we spent some time taking in the views. I would really suggest this to be an early morning activity, because a) there was nobody there, and you can enjoy the place without cruise ship crowds, b) it might be warm, but not scorching hot, so it’s a lot more pleasant.

Soufrière Drive-In Volcano and Sulfur Springs

Who doesn’t love the stinky, muddy, bubbling baths? What if that was inside the crater of the volcano that you can literally drive into? Soufrière Drive-In Volcano is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean, and a very short drive from our hotel. It was our next stop after the hike, and once again, we were trying to beat the tourists coming from the cruise ships.

It does not look like a typical volcano with a pointy crater, but you can smell it from far away. The smoke and bubbling mud are visible from the fence, which was put there after several accidents and severe burns that occurred when people fell into the boiling puddle. We did a little tour of the volcano first, and it was very informative with interesting facts and history.

Afterwards was the time for the mud baths! We wore dark bathing suits on purpose, because we knew what we were getting into. You cover yourself with gray mud, let it dry, and to make it more fun, use the black mud on top for the ‘body art’.

Once you feel your skin has soaked up enough minerals from this sulfur mud, you get into the muddy pool to wash it off. When we arrived, it was not that busy, but soon after buses carrying tourists arrived, which was a cue for us to leave. There are very weak showers to rinse off afterwards, but I would suggest just staying in a bathing suit if you are planning to visit nearby waterfalls. You will get wet anyway.

It is a fun activity if you are staying near Soufriere, and I must say- the skin felt VERY soft after these full body mud masks!

Chasing waterfalls

Saint Lucia has many waterfalls all over the island, so when we found out that at least three of them are close by to Soufriere, I added them to our itinerary.

Piton Falls is a short walk from the parking area, and there were only a couple of other people swimming when we arrived.

It is a warm waterfall, and the pools of water are also pleasant temperature if you want to take a dip. We had changed at the sulfur baths, so we only walked in and rinsed our feet.

Toraille Waterfall was much busier. This one is cold, and a strong stream of water pours into the pool below. There is an option to stand under it, but we didn’t want to get wet or wait in line for a photo with the waterfall pouring over us, so we decided that seeing it from the side was good enough.

There was a lady selling various breads, and one of them was coconut bread- it was amazing and a perfect snack to hold us over until lunch!

Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens & Mineral Baths

Last stop before lunch- Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens & Mineral Baths. The drive was very short, so we simply could not miss it.

The botanical gardens are really lush and beautiful. There were lots of exotic tropical flowers in full bloom; it was peaceful and quiet.

Besides admiring the plants, we also had one more mineral soak experience! There are warm mineral pools to bathe in, so we didn’t pass up the opportunity to ‘heal all ailments’ and to possibly look 10 years younger!

Before leaving the gardens, there was one more waterfall to see. We really are chasing waterfalls today!

This entire excursion was done by 1pm, and then we took our driver out to lunch. The restaurant we had in mind was closed, so we went to Hotel Chocolat and had a great lunch at their Rabot restaurant (where we will return to have dinner the same day).

We were glad we came for lunch here, because dinner was after sunset, so we’d miss this gorgeous backdrop.

We were back at the hotel by 2.30pm and had the remainder of the day to relax and enjoy the amenities. The previous driver wanted $260 USD for these short drives, Peter agreed to do it for $200, so with lunch, it ended up being basically the same. Saint Lucia is not a cheap destination, but the tour was definitely worth it.

Dinners on the Island

We had four dinners in Saint Lucia, and all were great. We really didn’t have bad food on this island. The cuisine is influenced by Creole, Indian, and African cultures, and it shows.

On Friday, the first night on the island, we didn’t want to leave the hotel and had a lovely dinner at The Mango Tree restaurant on the premises. The food was fresh, and the view was spectacular.

We also had our last lunch and dinner here because our flight was delayed. Luckily, we didn’t go to the airport; we waited for the plane to take off from Miami before asking for the transportation. This allowed us to have dinner in a nice setting and not get on the plane starving.

This restaurant is great for sunset as you can see the sun set right into the Caribbean Sea.

Another beautiful setting is at Ladera resort, Dasheene restaurant, and it is also perfect for sunset. The view is of the Piton and the sea, but here you might want to go a bit earlier because the sun will hide behind the mountain.

This is where we booked our Valentine’s Day dinner. While waiting to be seated, we chatted with a nice couple, who took these candid shots for us! As for dinner itself, it was a pre-fix multi-course meal with a bit of a steep price point. The food was good, but as we agreed at the end of the night, not $400 USD good. I guess we paid for the view and the ambience, which was indeed lovely.

Our favorite dinner was on Sunday, at the Rabot restaurant in Hotel Chocolat. It was a perfect combination of flavors, ambience, and price.

And that completes our Valentine’s weekend in Saint Lucia!

CONCLUSION

All the Caribbean islands we have visited have their unique charms, advantages, and disadvantages. Some you fall in love with, some check the box and never return, and others are somewhere in between. Saint Lucia falls more towards the first category- very close to falling in love with! Tobago and Cuba are still our favorite Caribbean islands, but Saint Lucia trails close behind. There is a lot to love. First- the views are incredible, especially seeing the Piton mountains from different angles. Nearly every picture with the Pitons looks like a postcard. We also loved the hotel and the food, which is very important to us as foodies. People were friendly, though we didn’t spend enough time to have many conversations with the locals.

What we didn’t love was the cost- it is a very expensive island to visit. From the hotel, to the food, and especially the transportation. Every 5-10 min drive was 15-20 USD, which is an exorbitant cost when you think about it. We talked to some people who paid over 400 USD to go to a fish fry party on the northern side of the island, just about 1.5 hours away. We also were not wowed by the beaches. Sugar Beach was good, but with most of it occupied by fancy hotel chairs, it didn’t feel secluded nor as peaceful as many other beaches that we have seen in the Caribbean. Anse Chastenet was great for snorkeling, but the beach itself was not impressive. Maybe there are some small, nicer beaches we didn’t get to visit, but they couldn’t even come close to Tobago’s, Cuba’s, or Puerto Rico shorelines.

We are very glad we stayed in the Soufriere area and were able to enjoy the drive-in volcano, the mud, the mineral baths, and visit several waterfalls. I could not imagine having to do a half-day tour if you stay on the northern side, as both the winding drive and the cost would be very inconvenient.

All that being said, Saint Lucia makes a great little getaway for a long weekend!