Beaches in Saint Lucia come in all shapes and sizes, colours too. Saint Lucia is a perfect Caribbean destination for romantics, families, and singles looking for a tropic beach to chill on.
St Lucia beaches come in to colour choices, volcanic black sand beaches and all well known golden or white sand beaches as they are better known. When it comes to beaches in St Lucia there are a few things you should know; firstly the majority of the beaches around the island of St Lucia are public beaches. What this means is even though you may be staying at a resort on the island you may still have to share the beach with us locals.
Ok, we are a tourist orientated island and most of the time we leave the areas in front of hotels well alone to allow you holiday makers all the privacy and peace you expected and paid for.
Now lets get back to the beaches. In the north of the island you will find some of the most popular beaches St Lucia has on offer, Pigeon Island Causeway, Reduit Beach, Smugglers Cove, Cas en Bas t name a few, Reduit Beach being one of the most popular.
Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay is a beach used by a number of hotels in this area, many of which are directly on the beach – beach front property at its best.
The next one to mention which is in the general area is Pigeon Island causeway. This beach was predominantly used by locals, or at least the majority of it. This local beach has only in the last few years started to share itself with hotels. Presently there are two developments located here – Sandals Grand and The Landings Resort.
But for the most part the beach is easily accessible, but can be a bit stony as this is due to the fact that the entire causeway was actually backfilled and manufactured to join the main land of St Lucia to the Pigeon Island now a National Park. Within the park you can find a few more small cove beaches ideal for relaxing and soaking up some sun.
Note. the Pigeon Island National Park is not free to get into, you pay a small entrance fee locals and foreigners alike which goes towards the maintenance of the park. Also worth mentioning at this point is that the Park is also the location of many island activities, like the well know St Lucia Jazz Festival (now known as Soleil – Saint Lucia Summer Festival) – trust me when I say this is a truly beautiful location. If you ever visit you will see why some many people choose the area and these beaches to get married on.
Swimming and Snorkeling: Most of the beaches on the west coast Caribbean Sea side of the island are ideal for all that you would expect from a Caribbean beach. The waters are calm and clear, great for swimming and snorkeling. Some better than others.
Diving and snorkeling are big business here in St Lucia, that is why you will find the beaches to be such popular locations. You may find that many of these beaches are used by hotels, touring catamarans, cruise-ship visitor and locals alike. Usually never all together so the beaches are comfortable and can be enjoyed by all that use them.
As you near the southern part of the island you will find the sand starts to change colour turning darker as you get to the Soufriere area. This is due the the volcanic activity is the area leaving the sand grains overly dark. A unique experience for many who have never been to a black sand beach. The one thing to note here is as the beaches are a lot darker in the south this also means that the sand on beaches can get rather hot so remember to carry sandals, slippers or something if you are planning a trip to one of these beaches. Where are they you ask? Soufriere, Anse Chastanet area are the most common.
We are an island, a tropical island and that means not everything is completely accessible by car, some of the real nice beaches can mainly be accessed by boat. So ask around when you get here. If you are the adventuring type try a water taxi or a full day out on a private boat tour these guys will know where to go to suit your individual needs.
I mentioned earlier that we are a tourist destination and may of the top beaches presently have hotels on them, although the beach can be accessed this doesn’t mean all that is on the beach can be used freely. Many of the hotels may have placed beach huts, beach umbrellas, restaurants and toilet facilities and the rest for their guests not for general use. So at least be wary of this, there may be a charge to access or to use beach facilities. If you know where you are going ask you driver or guide to ensure no disappointments / disagreements with any security staff. The charge to use these facilities range from a small fee to use the umbrellas and chairs to a larger fee for a full day pass which would allow you generally full access to all that the hotel guests have. Also keep in mind that there are no life guards on any beach on the island so you need to pay attention to and warning signs or red flags on the beach as these indicate bad or dangerous water conditions, you should avoid swimming when you see them.
Some of the more popular beaches in Saint Lucia can get a little crowded at times, but as mentioned before there are always alternatives, this way you can be assured some success when looking to swim the day away or find that romantic, intimate beach you always wanted. Here is a list of some of the south coast beaches you can consider, these include beaches such as Anse Cochon, Anse Chastanet, Soufriere, Anse de Sables, Sugar Beach, Anse Des Pitons, and many others.
After reading all of the above you may be asking what about the other side of the island – the East Coast. The beaches on the east coast have a different feel all together. These aren’t the best for swimming as the water can get rough and the rip tides and be very dangerous. If you do plan to head over to the other side let people know that you are. The roads and be rough and hard to pass but if you do you will be in for a treat. What the east coast beaches lack in swim-ability make up in beauty. These can be great hiking spots, ideal for photographers – if you’re looking for spectacular beaches and a chance to take incredible photos of the wildlife, the east coast beaches are excellent.
Some of the better know beaches include, Cas en Bas, Donkey Beach, Secret Beach, $5 Dollar Beach (the local name), Anse Louvet, Anse Comerette and Grande Anse Beach.
When it comes to beaches in Saint Lucia there are many amazing beaches to choose from, you are sure to find something that will suit your requirements.
