St. Lucia

Excerpts from "Discover your swing on a Caribbean gem in St. Lucia"
By Brandon Tucker, Staff Writer for TravelGolf.com

St. Lucia may not be as large or as well-known as Jamaica or the Bahamas. But its beautiful landscape, wide array of activities, and burgeoning golf scene puts it in a class by itself for a truly unique getaway.

This lush island located in the eastern chain of the Caribbean islands is also a poised to become a legitimate golf destination.

Castries -- the capital city of this eastern Caribbean paradise -- is home to 50,000 of the 150,000 residents and is located on the northwest side of the island and just minutes from the Vigie Airport, one of two on the island.

For Golf Course information see this week's Course Review

Off Course

Like most Caribbean islands, expect an abundance of seafood on the menu at most restaurants. Camilla's Restaurant and Bar is located in the heart of the town of Sourfriere and serves fresh lobster and other dishes in a creole sauce. Like many restaurants on the island, Camilla's offers a complimentary rum punch beverage. Many restaurants, such as Josephine's Restaurant and Papa Don's, offer patrons a free bottle of wine. If the free spirits don't work, eateries will often lure tourists in for dinner by means of live steel drum or reggae bands and generous happy hours.

St. Lucia's scenery is breathtaking, which is why most restaurants make a point to provide guests with a front row seat. Mango Tree Restaurant is set in the foothills of Castries and overlooks the island's capital. Eagles Inn also boasts seafood as good as the view of the neighboring harbor and sea.

As a British island, St. Lucia is a veritable hotbed for cricket. Most resorts offer cricket and games may break out in parks year-round. The island also has an abundance of yachting, diving, deep sea fishing, parasailing and jet skiing.

St. Lucia's golf ware are often overshadowed by its spectacular climate and terrain. The middle of the island is scarcely populated due to its mountain range and 19,000 acres of tropical rain forests spread throughout the island. St. Lucia also possesses the world's only "drive-in" volcano: the dormant Mt. Sourfriere, which also has naturally heated sulfur baths.

Within the rainforest itself are 29 miles of trails where visitors can take government-licensed, guided tours of the rare birds and plants that have called St. Lucia home for nearly two-thousand years. Among the wildlife in the rainforests is the national bird, the Amazona Versicolor, which thanks to recent government protection is off the endangered species list. A variety of tours, varying in rigor will take you through different regions of the rainforest.

Upon the arrival of nightfall, the island transforms into a festive scene of music and culture. Most bars and clubs have theme nights and on the weekend there is an abundance of live music on the island. On a Saturday night you can take in jazz at Windjammer and Reggae and Calypso at Anse Chastenet. Or, you could see a belly dancer at Razmataz or have good old fashioned country western music at Bigwood Club. It is also Karaoke night somewhere on the island five nights a week. Le Chalet Nightclub and Gaiety are among a handful of dance clubs on the island that offer a mature, yet fun atmosphere. Walk through the streets of Sourfriere or Castries on any given night and you will hear steel drums and reggae echoing off the mountains and out into the sea.

The above information was supplied by TravelGolf.com.

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