mbonova's St. Lucia Travelogue / Travel Journal

Arrival at Vieux Fort - Pitons

We left the grey skies of Atlantic Canada and the unusually mild winter, in anticipation of a week of being pampered in the West Indies, St. Lucia to be exact. The Sandals Regency Resort and Spa at La Toc was our destination. Our expectations were met once again by the staff of Sandals Regency Resort & Spa. For anyone who has experienced the guest treatment at Sandals, let me assure you, we were not dissappointed.

We arrived via Air Canada Vacations out of Toronto, Ontario at Hewannora Airport at Vieux Fort on the southern most tip of St. Lucia. Just off the runway we could see the "Scotiabank" sign, which gave us - for some reason - a sense of "being home." - not! But that is a Sandals note about returning guests. The 35 miles drive to Castries in the north was truly cultural, it took over an hour. The drive along the Atlantic coast was either up, down or around. No wonder the French and English kept losing the battle for ownership. I was out of breath just driving. The scenery was breath-taking and our local cabbie (arranged by Sandals) gave us a local perspective. A short drive through the rainforest brought us from Dennery to Castries, on the west side of St. Lucia (Carribbean).

Arrival at Vieux Fort - Pitons

True to Dr. Butch Stewart's vision of what an all-inclusive vacation should be, on our arrival at the front door, we were met by the Bell staff who quickly organized our luggage and sent us off to our welcome meeting and site orientation.

No stone is left uncovered during indoctrination. Moving guests through such a process is quick and easy and - surprisingly - most pleasant. Time enough to stop and take that deep breath before the real vacation starts. Everyone is processed rather quickly and shortly after arrival you are in your room and ready to hit the pool deck or beach.

The Sandals Regency can boast about their restaurants, their wait staff, and ambience. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how wonderful we found all of the food. Taste was awesome and presentation superb. We couldn't really pick a favourite as we tried them all. If you want to dress up, La Toc (French) is a more formal setting. The Pitons, you can dress here as well, was an open venue and the speciality fresh catches of the day were wonderful. We ate most of our lunches at Arizona's were you can come in from the sand for a snack or full meal. The Pavillion, located in the main part of the resort, was our favourite for breakfast. Lunches were buffet and dining poolside also had its attraction. In all totally, wonderful and we managed not to put on too much. Of course, at all sites, libations are include for domestic products. The Piton draft is quite a smooth pale ale. Canadians who enjoy "Keith's" will enjoy this as well.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the resort has an eleven hole "executive" golf course on site. If playing 18, the additional two holes come into play to give a sense of variety - quite nicely. The course is tight and is one better than managed than bombed. Caddies are mandatory. They know the course inside out and their advice on putting lines should be heeded. If you're not used to the heat, make sure you take water with you. There are several water stops on course as well.

Marigot Bay

Make sure you take in some of the tours. It's a great way to learn about St. Lucia, its people, their way of life and customs.

Myriad escorted tours and excursions are offered, at reasonable prices, by local companies. You can pick what best suits your pace: from a slow shopping trip through the local markets or a little more intense venture through the "Duty Free Shops" near the cruise liner tie ups. This is a gated area for customs and immigration purposes no doubt.

Another package is the "Land and Sea" offered by Carnivale Cruise Lines. An informative journey along the west coast, stopping at an overlook of Marigot Bay (Blue Lagoon fame); the fishing village of Anse La Raye; a roadside stop with the "Boa Man"; the sulfur springs near the Pitons; and the Botantical Gardens near Soufriere. After lunch overlooking Soufriere, we boarded a catamaram for our return trip to Castries stopping for a swim along the way. The water was warm and somewhat more salty that we are used to in Eastern Canada. Of course, we were able to quench our thirst along the way - which kept us cool.