For my aunt's 40th birthday this year, my mother, two aunts, and I spent a week in St. Lucia. We had a wonderful time and, to this day, are still fondly reminiscing on our vacation every day. It was the perfect mix of relaxation and exploration and I loved every bit of it! Even taking the pandemic into consideration, we still had a great time. If you're looking to visit anytime soon, here's a list of my favorite COVID certified activities. All activities were booked through the front desk of our hotel, Stonefield Villa Resort.
ATV Tour
We started off our trip doing one of my FAVORITE activities to do while abroad, ATV riding. Island ATV tour guides took us on an exciting 2.5-hour ride perfect for adrenaline junkies like me and leisurely riders like my mom. We rode through the forest, to an old sugar mill, across the Devil's Bridge, through a river, and even onto 2 black sand beaches! We had moments where we casually drove along the path while our tour guide pointed out different types of vegetation and explained the island's history. But we also had moments where I could put the pedal to the metal and feel the wind (and debris) in my hair as I tried to keep up with the tour guide in front of me LOL. I've gone ATVing multiple times but this may have been my favorite experience to date! The cost of booking this excursion (transportation included) through the resort was $264 USD for two people.
Gros Piton Climb
On the second day, we decided to try to hike the Gros Piton. If you've ever come across pictures of St. Lucia, it's highly likely that you have seen the two Piton mountains, an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the island's most iconic landmark. The Gros Piton is the bigger of the two, measuring 2,579 ft high. The Petit Piton is slightly smaller at 2,425 ft. Although the Gros Piton is taller, it is actually less steep than its counterpart, which is why it is the more popular option for both tourists and locals alike. The guides said it typically takes about 2 hours to get to the top and about 2 hours to get back down.
As for me and my family though, it took 45 minutes to an hour just to get to the first viewing point, which is a quarter of the way up. And we STRUGGLED the whole time. I honestly don't think it was the elevation itself as much as it was the intense rockiness of the path (didn't get many pictures on the rocky areas because I was too busy trying not to die). We were literally stepping on and across boulders, rocks, more boulders, and more rocks almost the whole time. I was actually concerned multiple times that I might sprain my ankle on the way up. We laughed because we were hot, tired, and took so much longer than what the guides said to only make it to the first stop that we gave up and turned back around LOL. A mess but it's something that I would still recommend trying because I heard the views are spectacular and plenty of amateurs do make it to the top. The cost of booking this excursion (transportation included) through the resort was $216 USD for two people.
Stonefield Resort Escape Spa
We also planned for a relaxing day where we would get spa treatments and chill at the resort. We figured after hiking to the top of the mountain (we thought!) and with it being my aunt's birthday day, we figured what better way to celebrate! My mother booked the Back, Neck, and Shoulder Massage for 30 mins for $85 USD. The rest of us booked an hour-long Swedish Massage for $120 USD.
Malgretoute Beach
We also took the free resort shuttle to a nearby beach to relax for a few hours. When I booked our stay, Stonefield was offering a beach lunch package that included a free picnic basket of food that we could take with us. They offered us a few different food options and we all got the jerk chicken sandwich. It came with fries, water bottles, and the Piton local beer.
The beach itself was nice and relaxing. The sand was a rockier texture and a darker brown color but the water was still clear. The staff was super attentive, coming to check on us regularly to make sure we didn't need anything. There's also a popular local that comes to the beach on a boat to bring fresh fruits for smoothies and other things.
Sulphur Springs/Diamond Falls
The Diamond Botanical Gardens is a beautiful site filled with tons of trees, flowers, and other vegetation. Our tour guide, Alexander the Great, went into detail about all of the different plants on the property and even let us touch and smell some of them. Towards the end, we even got to stop and take pictures by the Diamond Waterfall.
After the botanical garden, our driver took us over to Sulphur Springs. This area is considered the world's only drive-through volcano because it is all technically inside a very large crater (I believe this is what the guide said). Brace yourself because sulphur smells a lot like rotten egg, especially when you first enter. The guide explained this is actually considered a good thing because no sulphur smell could be a sign of active volcanic activity. Honestly, though, the sulphur smell wasn't prominent all over the area, more so at the beginning. The main reason people visit the attraction is that it will supposedly make you look 12 years younger! The mud baths are supposed to be really good for detoxifying the body and healing sun burns, eczema, arthritis, sore joints, etc. We didn't put it on our face so I can't vouch for the age-defying mechanisms. However, while we were in St Lucia, we got bit by mosquitos consistently and it made our bites feel PHENOMENAL! We felt so good that we didn't even want to shower for a while after we got back to the resort. The cost of booking this excursion (transportation included) through the resort was $130 USD for two people.
Canopy Adventure - Dennery (Ziplining)
My mother and one aunt went ziplining with Treetop Canopy Adventure on our last day. They said 10 out of 10, would highly recommend! My mom said it was cool being up so high, seeing all of the wildlife, and exercising without even feeling like she was. The guides were super funny, interactive, talkative, and helpful. Everything was great! Check out my Instagram for videos! The cost of booking this excursion (transportation included) through the resort was $260 USD for two people.
Snorkeling
My other aunt and I decided to go snorkeling with Solomon Water Taxis & Tours. This was a first for me so I was really looking forward to the experience. It did not disappoint in the slightest! Our guide took us out on a boat for maybe a 20-minute ride to the snorkeling location. They provided the goggles, snorkeling tube, pool noodle, and a life jacket and set us free! I think we spent about 45 minutes floating and looking at all of the coral and fish below us. Check out my Instagram for videos! It was cool for my first time and now I can't wait to do it again, hopefully near an actual barrier reef. The cost of booking this excursion (transportation included) through the resort was $150 USD for two people.
It was so easy and convenient to book these excursions through the resort, have transportation included, and have all of the excursions charged to the room for a one-time payment at checkout. I'd recommend any and all of the activities listed!
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