St. Lucia is one of the several volcanic islands in the Caribbean chain, near the southern end between Martinique and Grenada. This volcanic nature gives St. Lucia its very unique and entirely appealing appearance and personality.

At the north end of the island, the topography is only hilly, with some land for golf courses, and numerous beaches for all kinds of interesting hotels and resorts. Moving south, though, the terrain quickly becomes mountainous all the way to the southern end of the island. At the southern town of Soufriere, the landmark Pitons are picture postcard beautiful, the most famous features of St. Lucia; they tower over the town, and an exotic resort, Jalousie Plantation, lies just between them. The entire area around the Pitons has been designated the Pitons Management Area and granted World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This means there are many opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, and general ecotourism. St. Lucia boasts the only "drive in" volcano in the Caribbean, and the botanical garden at Soufriere dates back to the time of Napoleon.

St. Lucia changed hands thirteen times during the French and British wars for control of the Caribbean, and while the British ended up with possession, France actually held the island longer over the years, and St. Lucia is very happy to have a strong cultural attachment to both France and Britain to this day.

Resorts include several very special places, including the aforementioned Jalousie Plantation; Windjammer Landing Villa Resort; Ladera Resort, high on the mountainside over the Pitons; and Anse Chastenet, hillside cottages overlooking one of the best dive sites on the island. Others include three of Sandals' all-inclusive resorts; The Body Holiday at LeSport, for deluxe spa retreats; Rendezvous deluxe all-inclusive for couples; and the Rex St. Lucian, Royal St. Lucian, and Papillon all-inclusive resorts.

Not To Be Missed - The Friday night street party at Gros Islet, at the extreme north end of the island, has been recognized by UNESCO as a truly unique World Cultural Heritage Event.

Click here to read an extended report about St.Lucia...