The Pitons are unmistakably St. Lucia. The sea is unmistakably Caribbean.
January 2017 found us on a land and sea adventure with our friends, Tim and Kelly. Prone to sea sickness, it took us years to talk Tim into a sea vacation at all. However, after researching the electronic sea sickness wristband, shockingly, he was ready to jump onboard, for at least for part of the week.
The first days of our trip we stayed at Coco Palm Rodney Bay Village, in Gros Islet. This hotel is comfortable, with a nice pool, inviting restaurant, and within walking distance to the beach. That checks all of our boxes! Everyone in St. Lucia is kind and welcoming; however, our breakfast waitress was exceptionally so. After discovering Kelly’s and my love of coconut, she personally baked us a coconut cake and brought it from home! Love her!
We spent leisurely days at the beach, and every evening enjoying the sunset from Spinnakers beach bar.
Climbing a mountain and soaking in sulfur mud baths were required, well, pretty much just because Kelly and I can never pass up an opportunity for adventure.
One highlight of our trip was our visit to Millet Infant School. Through our contacts at Hands Across the Sea, we spent a day promoting literacy at a local elementary school. We handed out rubber wristbands, pencils, and fun bookmarks as we read to the students. In a kindergarten classroom, Bill read a book about animals in St. Lucia followed by a lively discussion about which animals St. Lucia and the United States have in common versus which animals are different. The students were so fun and really kept us on our toes!
In obedience to our Savior, we strive to be a blessing to others everyday-some days we do great, other days we fall short. We did great that day! We hope you will find it in your heart to promote literacy through Hands Across the Sea, or to be a blessing in another way that tugs your heart strings today.
Following our time at Coco Palm, we charted Cobain, a Sunsail 41, from their base in Rodney Bay. The boat was perfect for the four of us. We were all ready, willing, and able as we set sail for the Pitons. By “ready, willing, and able” I mean that Kelly and I chatted on the foredeck while the guys did pretty much everything else.
We spent 3 days and nights enjoying the trade winds and the starry nights. The snorkeling was fantastic! The winds were consistent, and actually a little more than we had expected, given that we had a newbie onboard. However, Tim’s bug zapper wristband worked magnificently. In fact, the only time he was even a little woozie, was the morning he forgot to turn it on.
We spent the last couple of nights on island at The Treehouse Villa 2 just outside of Soufrière. This place is literally perched on the side of a mountain, in the treetops, with gorgeous views of the Pitons as well as the sea. The house manager had prepared a traditional St. Lucian meal for us, which awaited our arrival.
A 15 minute walk down the “road”, lead us to Jade Mountain Resort and Anse Chastanet beach where we were welcomed by a refreshing dip in the sea we have become so accustomed to now. Oh, yeah, and maybe a nap.
We all had a great time in St. Lucia. So much so that even the time we spent combing the beach for Kelly’s “lost” credit card, was enjoyable. Kelly later found the card right where she had cleverly placed it-in her hat! It’s ok, a sigh of relief, an umbrella drink, and a good laugh later, all was well.
The end of our St. Lucian vacation soon became the beginning of many more sailing adventures with Tim and Kelly. Yay! We need them, and not solely because Tim is our underwater photographer…
He takes some good landscape shots, too!
