Tourist Information
Embassies and Consulates
Danish Consulate, Cap Estate Golf Club, PO Box 328, Castries, T4508522/3, F4508317. Embassy of the Republic of China, Cap Estate, Gros Islet, PO Box GM 999, T4520903, F4529495. French Embassy, Clarke Avenue, Vigie, T452-2462/5877, F4527899. Italian Vice Consul, Reduit, PO Box GM 848, T4520865, F4520869.
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Netherlands Consulate, M & C Building, Bridge St, PO Box 1020, Castries, T4522811, F4523592. Organization of American States, Vigie, T4524330. Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Morne Fortune, T4522537. UK, British High Commission, NIS Building, Waterfront, PO Box 227, Castries, T4522484, F4531543, open Mon-Fri 0830-1230. Venezuelan Embassy, Casa Vigie, PO Box 494, Castries, T4524033, F4536747, open Mon-Fri 0900-1430.
Tourist Offices
St Lucia Tourist Board, Pointe Seraphine, PO Box 221, Castries, St Lucia, T4525968, F809-4531121, www.stlucia.org There are Tourist Board information centres at the Pointe Seraphine Duty-Free Complex; George F Charles Airport (most helpful but closed for lunch 1300-1500), T4522596; Hewanorra Airport (very helpful, particularly with hotel reservations, only open when flights are due or leave), T4546644 and Soufrière (very helpful, local phone calls free), T4597419. The Tropical Traveller is distributed free to hotels, shops, restaurants etc every month and contains some extremely useful information. The St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association publishes a tourist guide, Visions of St Lucia, PO Box 545, Castries, T4525978, F4527967, also of a high standard and widely available.
Tourist Offices Overseas
France ANI, 53 Rue François Ler, 7th floor, Paris 75008, T47-203966, F47-230965. Germany Postfach 2304, D-61293 Bad Homberg 1, T06172-304431, F06172-305072. UK 421a Finchley Road, London NW3 6HJ, T0171-4313675, F0171-4317920, stlu...@pwaxis.co.uk USA and Canada 9th Floor, 820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017, T800-4563984.
Tour Companies & Travel Agents
Most hotels will arrange tours (US$40-80) to the island’s principal attractions around Soufrière either by road, boat or helicopter. Coach tours are cheaper and are usually daily in high season, falling to once or twice a week off season. Alternatives are to go by boat (easy between Castries and Soufrière, some hotels have their own boats: Anse Chastanet, Jalousie Plantation, Windjammer Landing and Sandals) or by helicopter (recommended for a spectacular view of the sulphur springs). From Pointe Seraphine a north island helicopter tour costs US$40, 10 mins; south island US$80, 20 mins; a heli-hike with tour of Atlantic beaches and Cactus Valley US$65, T4500806; helicopters can also be hired for airport transfers, US$85 from Pointe Seraphine to Hewanorra, also pick-up from some hotels, St Lucia Helicopters, PO Box 2047, Gros Islet, T4536950 and Eastern Caribbean Helicopters, PO Box 1742, Castries, T4536952 at Vigie airport. Local tour operators offer highly recommended plantation tours; Errard, Marquis and Balenbouche offer fascinating insights into colonial history and local environments.
A tour of a working banana plantation, US$50, is recommended, you see a lot of the country and see and taste a lot of native fruit and vegetables. There are now ten sites which comprise the St Lucia Heritage Tourism Programme, T4516220, including La Tille Falls, Fond d’Or Nature and Historical Park, Fond Lattisab Creole Park and the Folk Research Centre. Costs vary from EC$5-30, depending on the activities offered. More are being developed.
St Lucia Distillers has an excellent rum factory tour with tasting, shop for purchases, south towards Marigot, T4514258. You can take a carriage ride through the north of the island, or spend an evening cruising into the sunset with as much champagne as you can drink. There are also day trips to neighbouring islands: Dominica US$215, Grenadines including sail, US$199, Barbados US$225 and others. The National Trust runs excursions to Maria Island and Fregate Island Reserve, see Flora & Fauna. The main tour agencies are St Lucia Reps/Sunlink Tours, T4528232, F4520459, www.stluciareps.com. Spice Travel, T4520866,Solar Tours, T4519041; Barnards Travel, T4522214. In Vieux Fort is Rainbow Option Tours & Services, run by Nadine Edwards (T4548202), Paula Edwards (T4549156) and Julius James (T4545014). ATV Adventures have guided ATV rides, T4526441, F4522810, mcto...@candw.lc, PO Box 99, Castries.
Maps
Maps of the island may be obtained from the Land Survey in the last government building. At 1:50,000 they are the best but not 100% accurate. Ordnance Survey, Romsey Rd, Southampton, UK (T01703-792792), produce a map of St Lucia in their World Maps series which includes tourist information such as hotels, beaches, climbing and climate. The Tourist Board map is free.
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