• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Family Travels on a Budget

Travel with kids: theme park family deals, cruise ships for kids and best cruise lines for teens and other cool places to visit, including adult getaways

  • Home
  • Travel guides
  • Cruising
  • Destinations
    • USA
      • Alabama
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Louisiana
      • Maryland
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • Ohio
      • Oklahoma
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • South Carolina
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • Virginia
      • Washington, DC
    • World
      • Bahamas/Caribbean
      • Canada
      • China
      • France
      • Mexico
      • Spain
  • Interests
    • Adventure
    • Arts/Culture
    • Beaches
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Girlfriend Getaways
    • History
    • Kid Fun
    • Romantic Escapes
    • Teens and Tweens
    • Theme Parks and Zoos
      • Disney
      • Universal Studios
      • Other Theme Parks
      • Zoos
  • Reviews
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Products
    • Tech
    • Books
  • Travel Tips
    • Air Travel
    • Budget
    • Packing
    • Planning
    • Roadtrips
  • At home
    • Recipes
    • Shopping
    • Staycations

Home Β» Destinations Β» Discover St. Lucia

Discover St. Lucia

January 6, 2016 by Karen Dawkins 14 Comments

As an Amazon affiliate, and affiliate with other businesses, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Pin
Share
Tweet

Discover St Lucia

In October, Rob and I took a long anticipated cruise to the Southern Caribbean. There are so many stories to share, but none is as special as this one. It’s a story of love and adventure and dreams come true. Like any great story, though, there’s a twist…. a sudden plot twist with unexpected tragedy — and a hero to the rescue. Amazingly, the story is completely true! Intrigued?

St. Lucia heart

When planning our celebration getaway, my husband’s only request was time to relax. Easy enough — we were cruising WITHOUT the kids! My wishlist was a bit longer, but I trimmed my list to my top 5 wants so he’d have some relaxing time. My top wish was to see the Pitons of St. Lucia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We booked a tour and counted down the days. As our vacation approached, the weather forecast for St. Lucia grew steadily worse — rain, rain, rain! I wasn’t sure I’d get to see them after all. BUT, the day arrived bright and sunny, with light puffy clouds across the sky. We got up early, headed off for a big breakfast, and then grabbed our bags — including my “good” camera! This was a dream come true! I needed photos — lots of photos.

St. Lucia with James Tours

We chose independent tour operator, James Tours, for our St. Lucia excursion. James Tours came highly rated on TripAdvisor and on Cruise Critic. The tour far exceeded our expectations and I heartily recommend James Tours to anyone spending a day in St. Lucia!

St. Lucia’s roads are quite narrow, typical in the Caribbean. There are loads of switchbacks throughout the hilly island, making driving difficult for those not familiar with it. I am glad James drove us rather than try to explore the island on our own.

Our first stop provided a souvenir shopping opportunity and great views of our ship in port. We also stopped at a banana plantation to learn about the island’s banana industry and taste some local products made with banana. Yes, we even got to eat bananas fresh off the trees.

St Lucia Cruise Ship

St. Lucia with the Adventure of the Seas behind us

St. Lucia Banana Plantation

Enjoying a fresh-picked banana

After climbing the mountain on St. Lucia’s zigzag roads, we rounded a bend and I caught my first glimpse of the Pitons. Moments later, James stopped the van so we could get out and take a few photos (or more than a few).

First glimpse of the Pitons St. Lucia

So exciting! The Pitons are getting closer!

 

St. Lucia's Pitons from the mountainside

The UNESCO World Heritage Site, Grand and Petit Piton in St. Lucia

Along the way, we enjoyed a traditional Caribbean lunch under a shaded canopy, with drinks and dessert. We stopped for a mud bath at Sulphur Springs, the world’s only “drive-in volcano” and then went to a waterfall for a quick dip.

St. Lucia Toraille Waterfall

We conquered the cold pounding of Toraille Waterfall. πŸ™‚

Of course the highlight of the trip, for me, was seeing the Pitons throughout our journey, including the great views of the Petit Piton from the beach in Soufrière. I took enough photos to fill a book!

St. Lucia, swimming in Souffriere

Swimming in Soufrière, St. Lucia

St. Lucia's Petit Piton

The Petit Piton, from the beach in Soufrière

I couldn’t have asked for a better day!

What about the tragedy? Or my hero?

Ahhhh… friends, you’ve read this far… I will not disappoint!

We arrived back at the port and headed into the shopping area, surprised to have time to shop. I knew exactly what I wanted, a wire sculpture handmade by a local artist, Paulinus Herman.

We headed straight to his booth and I negotiated a cash discount. Rob didn’t have enough cash in his wallet, so I asked him for my camera bag where I had a few extra dollars tucked away.

He didn’t have it. And then I knew… I’d left it under my seat on the van. PANIC! I made a mad dash to the parking area, but James was long gone. More panic!

The St. Lucia taxi service (which I HIGHLY recommend) has a stand at the parking lot. Many cabbies were sitting there, chatting after work. They recognized my fear and immediately asked what was wrong. I asked after James. They all knew him and told me where he usually hangs out, just beyond the taxi lot. I ran there.

No James.

At this point, I was both sad and mad. Sad that all my photos of my wonderful day and cherished Pitons moment were gone. Sad that I had “ruined” a beautiful day with my forgetfulness (and no, not from too much rum punch). Mad at losing more than $1,000 worth of camera and equipment — a treasured gift from my husband. Mad at myself for being forgetful. And still… panicked.

I returned to the taxi stand not knowing what else to do.

Enter the hero (or in this case heroes)!

The cab drivers pulled out their phones to call and text James. They left voicemails and messages. Two of them jumped into their vans and charged off, my knights in shining armor, searching his regular hangouts. They assured me again and again that they’d find James and my camera before I had to board the ship.

I sat, quietly… My insides were churning. I fought back tears. I apologized to Rob a million times. Deflated.

Time ticked…. we had about 15 minutes left before we had to be back on the ship.

And then…. cab driver number one pulled into the lot, yelling out his window, “We found him. He’s on his way!” A huge grin spread across his kind face, and I began to cry again, this time relief.

The second cab driver came in a moment later also shouting the good news.

And I waited… precious moments ticked by.

Then woosh! James pulled into the lot, right up to the taxi stand, my camera bag sitting by his side. He handed it to me, and yep, I began to cry. Again!

James is a big man, a businessman, pleasant but not quite warm and cuddly. He shifted into park, got out and came around the front. He gave me a big bear hug and chided me for crying (not for forgetting my bag). He told me to go enjoy my vacation. And then he was gone.

I thanked the cab drivers over and over, but they said that’s just what St. Lucians do.

Relieved, I headed toward the ship. The wire sculpture artist was still there, waiting for me. In seconds I made my purchase and headed to the ship.

All with three minutes to spare, thanks to my heroes in St. Lucia!

Saying goodbye to the Pitons

One last glimpse of the Pitons of St. Lucia as we sailed into the sunset

About James Tours

Website: James Touring Service

We took the St. Lucia Land Tour, but there are several options (including the new private family tour), which costs $70 USD/adult as of 2016. Each tour has its own rate.

Know before you go:

  • The order of this excursion may change.
  • The tour stops at various points for views and photos.
  • The swimming location may change due to weather and sea conditions.
  • Complimentary refreshments will be served from coolers.
  • Vehicles are air conditioned and comfortable!
  • Wear water shoes — especially for the beach and waterfall.
  • Bring a towel.
  • Remember to check under your seat after the tour!
Pin
Share
Tweet

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Filed Under: Bahamas/Caribbean, Destinations, World

Please keep in touch. Our FACEBOOK community is active, and a great place to ask questions. On TWITTER, I share great content from destinations around the world. Follow our adventures on INSTAGRAM — we love to answer questions during trips. And, we’re on PINTEREST saving all sorts of great content from around the web.

Comments

  1. Steve says

    November 28, 2020 at 4:41 am

    I really enjoyed reading this story. It’s a great post, I really like it. thanks for sharing with us,

    Reply
  2. Stacey says

    March 27, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    Always have wanted to go there. So beautiful!
    Thank you for the tips and exciting story!

    Reply
  3. Deb says

    February 28, 2016 at 11:37 am

    {Look, I finally read your post–lol}

    Now I must go to St Lucia just so I can meet your hero and maybe drink some rum punch and swim under a waterfall πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Karen Dawkins says

      February 28, 2016 at 1:25 pm

      YAY!!! I hope you get to go. So far, it’s my favorite Caribbean island! Rum punch and people — so fabulous!

      Reply
  4. Katie Baird says

    February 4, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    What a great story! James truly is a hero, and so are all his friends who helped you out! Lucky you got the camera back before your ship left. One of the best vacations I’ve ever had was to St. Lucia where we rented an open-air home with a view of the Pitons. I climbed Gros Piton on that trip and it was a memory I will cherish forever. It’s a beautiful country!

    Reply
    • Karen Dawkins says

      February 6, 2016 at 8:57 pm

      I am totally and completely jealous! I hope I can go back in the next couple of years to take your vacation! I could spend a lot of time in St. Lucia.

      Reply
  5. Tamara says

    January 8, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    I saw St Lucia on a cruise with a friend about 20 years ago and have been wanting to go back ever since. It is so lush and beautiful. Your story about your camera choked me up. I can imagine how I’d feel and the let down after such a perfect day. I’m so glad it had a happy ending!

    Reply
    • Karen Dawkins says

      January 8, 2016 at 2:21 pm

      It’s a gorgeous island. I wonder how much it’s changed since your visit. I’m a bit overprotective of my camera and bags since that trip. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  6. Dana says

    January 6, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    AWWW. Great story and so glad it had a happy ending. St. Lucia is definitively on my bucket list! Looking forward to going there some day!

    Reply
    • Karen Dawkins says

      January 6, 2016 at 3:53 pm

      You would love it. Every single thing about St. Lucia was incredible. I loved the towns, the countryside, the Pitons (of course)… and the people! It’s gorgeous. BTW, if you decide to vacation there, some of the all-inclusive will let you split your week. Two views for the price of one! (Or so I’ve been told — still researching that)

      Reply
  7. Tracy Antonioli says

    January 6, 2016 at 2:40 pm

    I saw that coming as soon as you mentioned grabbing your ‘real camera’. I’m SO glad this story had a happy ending! And I’d have cried, too.

    Also, I love your final bullet point under Know Before You Go. Ha!

    Reply
    • Karen Dawkins says

      January 6, 2016 at 3:52 pm

      YEP!!! Thought you might. I’m not exactly a great mystery writer. πŸ™‚

      That final bullet point will go on every tour recommendation I ever write again! UGH!

      Reply
  8. Yvonne says

    January 6, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    Wow, one impressive story about your travels in St Lucia. I loved the drama bit, I would be crying too, can’t blame you there. Incredibly lucky those drivers were so nice. A place to consider for my future travels. Inspiring.

    Kind Regards,
    Yvonne

    Reply
    • Karen Dawkins says

      January 6, 2016 at 3:51 pm

      Thanks, Yvonne! It was quite the day! πŸ™‚

      Best weather is in the winter months (Jan-March), but the kindness is year round I think. πŸ™‚

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Meet Karen Dawkins

An avid traveler, I enjoy discovering new places: history, culture, and adventure. I love it all! Well, not bugs. I don’t like bugs very much, so I probably won’t visit a bug museum.

Read More

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

**This site may contain affiliate links and sponsored posts for which I earn a small commission to help cover the costs of running a blog.**

We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 Β· News Pro Theme Theme URI: http://my.studiopress.com/themes/news/ Description: A mobile responsive and HTML5 theme built for the Genesis Framework. Author: StudioPress Author URI: http://www.studiopress.com/ Version: 3.0.2 Tags: black, red, white, one-column, two-columns, three-columns, responsive-layout, custom-menu, full-width-template, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready, premise-landing-page Template: genesis Template Version: 2.0.1 License: GPL-2.0+ License URI: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php on Genesis Framework Β· WordPress Β· Log in