Anyone been to St. Lucia in the winter?

[kbarro1]

I am hopefully getting married December 12, 2009 (we haven't set that official date with our venue yet) and we are wanting to go to St. Lucia for the honeymoon. I was wondering what the weather is like there in December...if we can lay out by the pool and do the beach thing while we are there. I was also wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to where to stay. I have looked at Sandals and like it, but welcome any suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Octavia]

St. Lucia doesn't really have seasons in the hot-warm-cold sense, so you should be fine. I was there in January and it was in the low-mid 80s every day. The water was a touch chilly, but only because they'd had some storms before we went that stirred things up...and by "chilly," I mean in the 70s (I'm a big baby).

We rented a villa and I have a personal thing against Sandals, so I can't help too much with hotels. A lot will depend on your budget -- there are some GORGEOUS resorts but the nicer, the pricier.

ETA: I just realized this is in SMTR -- you might want to message admin to have it moved to BWW or Hangout!

 

[kbarro1]

Thanks for the info! That''s what I thought...that there weren''t really "seasons" of temperatures, but I just wanted to make sure. Which villas did you stay at (if you don''t mind me asking)? My dream would be to have a private villa with a pool, etc. Our budget is going to be about $5,000-6,000.

I forget that you have to post in certian regions

not so computer saavy! I will write to admin. Thanks!

 

[Octavia]

We stayed at Sunwest Villas. I think there are four different apartments, but all share one pool so the pool is only semi-private. The apartments are gorgeous and the owner, Greg, is a great guy. I think he said that they were booked up for a good long time, but it wouldn't hurt to check and if you're really interested in renting a villa, I'm sure he could recommend some other good places if he doesn't have availability.

The one thing to note is that most rental villas aren't right on the beach. Ours was a good 20 minute walk downhill to the closest beaches (which of course meant walking back uphill afterward!). I didn't mind, but if you're looking for absolute convenience to the beach, you pretty much have to stay at a resort. However, by law, all of the beaches on the island are public access (although it doesn't stop certain resorts from trying to blockade "theirs") so even if you stay in a villa there are plenty of beaches to choose from. Also, I'd definitely suggest renting a car if you stay at a villa.

I liked not staying at an all-inclusive because we got to try some of the excellent restaurants in Rodney Bay without feeling guilty about wasting money we'd already paid, and we also had a few relaxed dinners at home. Beware, though, it's not much cheaper to buy groceries than to eat out. Hands down the BEST food I had was in the Pigeon Island national park, at this little restaurant that looks like a shack called Jamb de Bois. Delicious rum punch and live music at night, too!

 

[jcrow]

kbarro1 - hey louisiana neighbor! - i just saw your BR home in the house thread.
we went to st lucia in nov. of 06. i have pics in a thread on ps somewhere. we stayed at ladera and ti kaye. LOVED LOVED LOVED ladera, and was meh about ti kaye.

 

[jcrow]

here''s my thread.

 

[kbarro1]

Date: 6/2/2008 9:44:28 PM
Author: jcrow
here''s my thread.

I think I might have just found my honeymoon spot! Ladera is everything that I wanted in a honeymoon and is within our budget!!!! I have been dreaming about Jade Mountain, but it was a little to pricey! Thanks a ton!

Oh, and while I know we probably want to spend a lot of time with just the two of us, is there a lot to do like around town, places to see, things to do, markets, etc?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

We came thisclose to going to St. Lucia and staying at Ladera for our honeymoon instead of going to Hawaii--our travel agent said that every single person who goes there falls head over heels in love with it. We still plan to go, it looks so wonderful.

I think winter in the Caribbean is the best time to go...there''s nothing better than going to the airport in the middle of winter and stepping off the plane in 80-degree temperatures. The air and water temps are still very, very warm and it''s just a beautiful time to go.

 

[kbarro1]

It truly looks amazing! Everything I could have ever dreamt up for our honeymoon! I guess you see these places in movies and sort of know they exist, but you never think it is a possibility for you! Open fourth wall, private plunge pool, view of pitons, oh I can feel that St. Lucia air now....too bad I have to wait a year and a half to get married.....

 

[jcrow]

Date: 6/2/2008 10:20:18 PM
Author: kbarro1

Date: 6/2/2008 9:44:28 PM

Author: jcrow

here''s my thread.

I think I might have just found my honeymoon spot! Ladera is everything that I wanted in a honeymoon and is within our budget!!!! I have been dreaming about Jade Mountain, but it was a little to pricey! Thanks a ton!

Oh, and while I know we probably want to spend a lot of time with just the two of us, is there a lot to do like around town, places to see, things to do, markets, etc?

sooo glad to have helped out

honestly we didn''t go into town. we just drove through one of them to get to ti kaye from ladera. and i don''t think i''d recommend doing so. not that it''s bad or anything, think new orlean''s FQ but MUCH more poor. but, on the island, there''s the volcano to see, the springs, the beach ( OOOH! that beach!! ), snorkeling, sailing, etc. we didn''t do much but relax in our villa and hang out in our private pool. it was ALL we were looking for. no rush. no decisions. just relaxation. we did go to the beach and it''s glorious and hubs snorkeled. i''d recommend both.

if you have any other further questions, i''m here to help

 

[jcrow]

ooh, and i never mentioned weather...

like i said, we went at the end of nov. i wore tank tops and skirts/shorts/summer dresses during the day. light long sleeve at night. the weather was WONDERFUL. since it''s high up, it''s breezy. but not a hot breeze or cold breeze. perfect breeze, if that makes sense. it was really nice.