The Downtown Hotel Soufrière

... to be a great experience. We felt like part of the family. Bailey and Gina opened the kitchen and allowed Steve to bartend. After all, they were busy preparing our gormet dinner. We met some great people (Hello, Kim and Meg). Once daylight came, we realized that the view from Bay Hill Towers must be the best in St Vincent. And... we could see Bequia from our room.<br><br>...so close but still a million miles away (we thought about swimming it)<br>

We hired a driver for transfer from the inernational airport to the Rodney Bay area (~ 1 hr 20 min drive). I would highly recommend the serives of Paul with Fabian Tours St. Lucia - info@fabiantoursstlucia.com. Thanks for all of the good info about St.Lucia, Paul.<br><br>Enjoyed our night at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort. Our room was ...

... us for a cliff hanging St. Lucian drive that will surely require us to change our pants. <br><br>Stay tuned for more exciting news from paradise...<br><br>P.S. If you are feeling generous, please click on the following link to make a donation. I realize it is always good to know the cause, if you are giving. All funds will go directly to ...

I was finally off on my fam trip to St Lucia! Having met with the 8 other travel agents from all over the UK and Genevieve (the representative from the St Lucia Tourist board) at Gatwick airport, and finding everyone in the group was lovely I was feeling confident I would have a great time. We even had our own check in desk &#8211; the VIP treatment had started already! <br> The flight was as expected from a ...

... so the thought of spotting a bottlenose dolphin or a monkey is filling me with the excitement of a kid at Christmas! Perhaps zip wiring and snorkelling will help get me up close and personal with some of the wildlife St Lucia has to offer. I am also looking forward to trying some local food. I love cooking and eating, but the extent of my knowledge of Caribbean food is Levi Roots&#8217; Reggae Reggae ...

... overlooking the sea, bar and restaurant overlooking the Caribbean sunset. On Rodney Bay itself there are a number of ordinary hotels but the ones that stand out are The Landings located in a marina very like Chelsea Harbour in London ...

... the villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries---filled with colorful fishermans houses. At Soufrie're about 8 km farther south, old wooden buildings line the streets. From far we saw the spectacular dark green cone shape coated with lush forest peaks of Petit Piton (736 meters) and the Gross Piton (795 meter) create a magnificent backdrop! This Caribbean landscape seems too good to be true! This ...

... off the ship, we followed our guide to our air-conditioned mini bus where we drove through the capital (Castries) viewing the colourful buildings, houses and landscape. Picture perfect.<br><br>Our first stop was at Morne Fortune where we had a dramatic overview of the harbour below and of the town. Far away, the island's trademark "The Pitons" could be seen. The view was breathtaking. At that exact moment, I thought to myself ...

... getting air and burning fuel and basically having a good time..... Boxing Day we went on an island adventure tour in an open top extended Land Rover Defender. This took us up into the hills of St Lucia and down the coast to some fishing villages and waterfalls. The island has some stunning bays one which was where "Doctor Doolittle" (the original) was made and is now home to some famous people such as Oprah, although she's probably got a house on every island in the Caribbean!

... gas. After this, I was pretty much exhausted, as the physical exertion was done in over 30 degree heat and extreme humidity. I went back to the hotel, and met some American couples who were there on honeymoons or love retreats, and quickly passed out asleep. This morning is Good Friday, so getting a bus back up north may be tough. Tonight I stay in Gros Islet again, before my flight to St Vincent in the morning. Only 10 more days until my first Aussie match...