st lucia?
- Thread starter kkott
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Did all inclusive at Grande St. Lucian. Its been 11 years ago but that resort was secluded and felt safe for sure. Went to Pitons and did the hot spring/volcano tour. It is pretty unreal. Vibe was laid back at resort. Not crowded and relaxing. We did have to walk through town because a power line was down and we walked to boat from there that was part of excursion.. Our guide said it is safe, but stay with him. Island is small but to our resort it was a bit of a drive.
we looked at all-inclusives and several resorts and then found this awesome 1BR condo on Airbnb for less than $200/night. It's a collection of 3-4 condos, fenced and gated with it's own infinity pool and awesome views of the bay. Couldn't pass it up, so we're rolling the dice a bit and will get a car and be doing shopping for food and liquor.
I got ripped and started looking at resorts. Looks like a winner. If you were a good looking 20 year old girl I’d say it might not be safe. You would have to pay someone to mug your ugly as though.
It's okay if you like sun, crystal clear water, lots of skin, tropical drinks, and a Caribbean island vibe.
It's been over 10 years, but I don't remember any safety concerns (other than a small barracuda while snorkeling).
Phuck... I guess I'll make do!It's okay if you like sun, crystal clear water, lots of skin, tropical drinks, and a Caribbean island vibe.
I spent eight winners in the Caribbean. Lived ashore in Antigua for two of them. Was working cruise ships enlarged private yachts most of the other time. Personally I don't consider St Lucia to be very safe. In fact I would avoid it.
In general I would consider the French islands to be the safest and the most expensive. Also the best maintained.
Most crime in the Caribbean doesn't go reported because it scares away the tourists
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VanPastorMan
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This is for you or anyone else on this thread. Anybody been to Mackinaw Island in Michigan? I saw a video on it years ago and wondered what people thought about the place. Thx in advance.
welp, too late! You're the first to even mention it not being safe, so that's interesting to hear. But, we already booked the trip, so we'll see. Thanks for the feedback though, I'll let you know how it goes!
Assume you mean Mackinak Island.
Nothing but fudge and horse shit.
Actually it's very scenic. Not cheap, at least not staying at the Grand hotel. Fine for a visit to see it, wouldn't return.
Barbados? Seemed pretty damn nice there. Also not cheap.
I have never had an issue in any Caribbean islands but gotta use common sense...
St Lucia has a population of 180,000 and as of September 1 there were 60 murders so far this year. The record is 71 but that is likely to be eclipsed because there was still 4 months to go. Hoosiers probably aren't the best source of information about violent crime in the Caribbean. Google is a good source for that type of information.
So are you saying that's a low murder rate? Sounds high to me, but it's probably relevant (for me at least!) how many were tourists? I think Charlotte here has about 100 murders a year, but that's in a population of over a million.
Never been to St. Lucia. My favorite relaxed Caribbean destination is Anguilla. Double it up with St. Martin if you want more nightlife
It's a very high murder rate. In 1992 I was in a bar in Belize on a little island called Caye Caulker. It was Columbus Day and about 11:00 at night somebody pulled a knife on somebody else and then somebody summoned one guy's brother who came back with a machete and killed the guy right there. One eyeball rolled to the side of his face. About 500 people lived on the little Island and the next day I asked the dive operator how often something like that happened and he said about twice a year. "Everything here gets settled with knives."
Don't display any fancy cameras or jewelr.y. Dress very casually so that nobody would expect, right or wrong, that you have any money
kkott on the way to the beach in St Lucia after a night of winning big at the baccarat tables.
That's funny you mentioned that. Wife and i went to Ambergris Caye about 7-8 yrs ago, and went to the Caye Caulker/Split/snorkeled the reef for a day
The younger men locals on Ambergris have that not to be trusted vibe going on. I have been to a handful of Caribbean islands, and Ambergris is the only one i didn't trust the locals. I felt safe, but sure as hell didn't trust them.
Heard there are many parts of Puerto Rico that are not very safe, and while I felt very safe in St Thomas in the tourist areas, there are places there off the beaten path I wouldn't feel safe in. Our plan is to rent a car and drive all over St Lucia, so we'll see. I've watched and read a lot of tourist details and all have indicated the main cities and beaches all feel safe. I'll let you all know!
I have lived in barbados and antigua. Just go to one of them. If you are looking to party or want an island a bit more advanced then it's Barbados. If you live beaches and just want to chill then go to Antigua.
Too late: leave Thursday, and can't wait! Weather looks awesome, the place we're staying looks awesome and I need some warmth and a break! Every day the forecast is the same: 72 low and 84 high!
My gf had 2 airline vouchers for 2 different airlines that needed to be used before the end of the year, so we were hamstrung in places we could go that were served by both airlines and had flights that worked timewise. I like what I've researched about St Lucia though and am looking forward to it.
Checking in from St Lucia, and will give a full report on return. But, it's been wonderful! We're staying in a sleepy little town called Marigot bay which you'd find sleepy if you want night life, but is dreamy if you like gorgeous ocean views and the laid back Caribbean lifestyle. Heaven if you could bring or rent a boat! Our villa is first class. Most beautiful place/view I've ever stayed in personally. I'd love to come back with a few friends, which would make it perfect because there's a great outdoor/small infinity pool area that needs to be partied on! We've visited beaches to the north and south and are doing a sailing trip today. Not doing the Pitons hike because my gf is worried it might be too strenous, but I wouldve done that for sure. No safety concerns that we've encountered. There were areas that we locked doors and rolled up windows as precautions, but normal "don't go there" type concerns when in basically a third world country. The people couldn't be nicer, friendlier and more accomodating. Service staff have been excellent and there are about 4 restaurants where we are that are good, but not high end. If you use normal travel precautions, it's great and the views, weather and people are outstanding.
Back and not a ton to add, but I really loved St Lucia. The coastline and topography is just stunning. Seems like it's far better known as an international vacation destination than an American one. The most common comparisons I heard were Fiji and Bali, if that gives you an idea of how amazing the scenery is. Coastline is stunning with steep volcanic mountains everywhere and the beaches were all excellent soft sand and gin clear water. Weather was also perfect, basically 74/86 every day. This is the beginning of their high season so a good time to go as it's the end of the rainy season, but I don't think rates jump until Xmas. Direct flight from Charlotte was 4.5 hours and they are an hour ahead. We did an airbnb rental that was terrific: awesome views everywhere, an infinity pool, and 5 minutes from the town of Marigot Bay. It was between the 2 largest cities of Castries (biz center where most cruise ships docked) and Soufriere, which is I think the capital or old capital and a large fishing village near the Pitons. Most tourists stay on the Carribean side, and there are a variety of options, most all-inclusive it seems ranging from about $400/person/night up to $2500+.Checking in from St Lucia, and will give a full report on return. But, it's been wonderful! We're staying in a sleepy little town called Marigot bay which you'd find sleepy if you want night life, but is dreamy if you like gorgeous ocean views and the laid back Caribbean lifestyle. Heaven if you could bring or rent a boat! Our villa is first class. Most beautiful place/view I've ever stayed in personally. I'd love to come back with a few friends, which would make it perfect because there's a great outdoor/small infinity pool area that needs to be partied on! We've visited beaches to the north and south and are doing a sailing trip today. Not doing the Pitons hike because my gf is worried it might be too strenous, but I wouldve done that for sure. No safety concerns that we've encountered. There were areas that we locked doors and rolled up windows as precautions, but normal "don't go there" type concerns when in basically a third world country. The people couldn't be nicer, friendlier and more accomodating. Service staff have been excellent and there are about 4 restaurants where we are that are good, but not high end. If you use normal travel precautions, it's great and the views, weather and people are outstanding.
We opted for the airbnb, which was like $180/night and then ate out and did a couple grocery runs and probably spent $300 on groceries including rum, so that was definitely the budget way to go. Prices in Marigot Bay weren't unreasonable and there were about 5 restaurants there. We saw more rainbows in 5 days than I've seen in my life. Probably 10-15 per day on average. They pop up out of nowhere (as do the rainshowers) and then are gone in 5 minutes. We didn't have any bug problems until the last night and then I got attacked because there was no breeze and by then we were sleeping w windows open and fans, but did use AC that night after the bugs got bad. Driving is the main issue. Euro history so you drive on the left side and drivers seat is on the right. Roads are poorly maintained and narrow. Much like Euro driving in Italy, Scotland, etc... from what I experienced. Strongly consider using shuttles and drivers. Boat shuttles to destinations are a good and not slower option. I'd try and not rent a car again when I go and we do plan to return. It's a poor third world country, but with standard travel precautions, we never felt unsafe. People were super nice everywhere. Not a ton of nightlife where we were but I'm sure you can find it at the bigger resorts. If you want sun, sand and scenery in a laid back Caribbean vibe, it should rank very highly with you.
PS, and on my return we're 2-0 and leading the B10... also not bad!
No, but I still outkicked my coverage. It's mostly a couples destination so not as much eye candy as other locales, but still some obviously.
I just meant she's a great woman and looks great too! But, keep in mind, I'm 58 and she's 56. What's the best way to post your own pic on here? I'll post one or two of us if I can, but it won't be cheesecake! Still was a blast and the island and water are amazing.
