Our next stop on the cruise was St. Lucia. This island was by far the prettiest. It had beautiful mountains, covered in green forests, that were delightful to look at. I had booked a private taxi with driver to take us around the islands. Because there was so much to see this day, there was no time to spend at the beach. If you’re not interested in natural attractions, there are some nice beaches here, that include snorkeling.
We were first taken to a view point from which we could see the bay and our cruise ship.
Continuing on our drive, the driver then stopped at a roadside banana plantation. Bananas are huge in St. Lucia, and most roads have plantations alongside them. We saw some banana flowers, and bananas growing on the plants, and were able to take some jams and chips at the roadside shop. The mother & daughter who owned the shop were extremely friendly, and my daughter loved playing with them.
St. Lucia’s top attraction is the Pitons, two mountains in an iconic shape, along the bay. We were taken to a view point from which you could snap some photos with the mountains.
For lunch, we were dropped off at a local restaurant, which had a fixed price buffet. Since we were vegetarian, our choices were limited. But we were still able to find some rice and beans, and other veggies at the buffet, and all the food tasted local and fresh.
After lunch, we were taken to a hot springs area where there was some active volcanic action going on. To get to the steam vents, you went along a pretty walking trail in the forest.
Towards the end of the driving tour, the driver stopped by a local shop and had us sample local Caribbean beer. He had also brought homemade rum punch that he let us sample through the day, which was incredibly nice of him. We ended the driving tour with a stop at another view of the Pitons.
Back on the cruise ship, we spent some time on the deck looking at St. Lucia’s stunning coastline.