Soufriere, St Lucia in One Day

Take Me Baaaaaaaack to Soufriere!

As I write this, we are in the throws of the COVID19 pandemic in New York City. There are torrential downpours and grey skies outside of my window. There are many places I’d rather be right now. As ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ plays in the background while I type, I decide I’d rather be on an island with no shortage of sunshine. I imagine green palm trees blowing around lazily, strong rum punch, and world class sunsets. Immediately, memories of St Lucia flood my mind warmly. I specifically think of my one lavish day on the island spent in Soufriere.

Speaking of piracy and robbery, Amanda (my best friend) and I got the trip for a steal. (I’m sorry, but the stupid jokes are going to come hard and fast, I am, after all, a parent now.) We paid a little over $400 for a round trip flight and hotel combo for a long weekend in Marigot Bay, St Lucia. The cheap price is due to our willingness to visit during hurricane season, but that was a risk worth taking.

Just a “Romantic” Destination?

Typically, St Lucia is famed as a romantic spot for newly married couples. We might have been the only couple on the island NOT in a romantic relationship.

Marigot Bay is secluded, and is only accessible by a small ferry that takes a minute or so to get across the bay. Besides relaxing and eating, there isn’t too much to do in the old bay. Our driver from the airport offered to take us around Soufriere, the busier part of the island for the day – and so we did just that. 

The Pitons  

Our day began with a drive to see St Lucia’s world famous Pitons! The Gros & Petite Pitons is a UNESCO world heritage site. They are two looming, mountainous volcanic plugs that sit side by side. The Pitons are the symbol for St Lucia and largely what makes the island so famous. They are also what sets St Lucia apart from other islands. If you are visiting Soufriere, particularly for one day, this is an obligatory stop.

The Pitons are so famed and beloved that the local beer is named after them…Piton beer!

The enormity of the Pitons is incredible. I’ve never felt so small in my life – mostly because I eat so very much. Seeing the Pitons from anywhere on St Lucia is a humbling sight. The two mountains dwarf anything and anyone within their vastness. Our guide asked, “Can you believe that some people hike the taller piton? It takes about eight hours!” My fat ass could not believe that people spend their free time doing that when there is rum punch to drink and Caribbean treats to eat. I think viewing them from afar was a grand enough way to enjoy them.  

Stinky Serenity in Soufriere

The next stop was the sulfur mud baths. They’re slimy, they’re gray, and they’re stinky. But the benefits far outweigh all of that. It was nice to visit a place in Soufriere where locals actually hang out. There were far more of them than tourists, which was exciting to see. The baths are said to heal or help eczema, arthritis, sun burns, and just about most diseases and ailments that one can imagine. 

Before we even got to the baths, we were given a tour of the surrounding park. It was fascinating to see the fruit trees that are native to the area. Produce like mangoes and cashews grow in the park. It was interesting to see the actual sulfur springs. Not nearly as interesting to smell them.

The sulfur experience is a unique one. First you paint yourself, or each other, with white therapeutic mud, and then let it dry. If you really feel like being weird or creeping your tour guide out, ask them to paint you. Some guides even do really cool designs with the mud if you want a good picture. 

After the white mud dries, you make your way into the murky black water and relax. The experience is not to be taken too seriously though! Nearly all of us strangers were laughing together about how crazy we looked with the mud all over our bodies, and especially our faces. 

Be Careful!

Our guide timed our stay in the bath, which is necessary when visiting the springs. He has seen people who stay in the water too long and collapse once they get out. The temperature of the water is so warm that it causes varying degrees of weakness in the body. Some guests even need to be dragged out of the water! I’m pretty glad my one day in Soufriere didn’t end with me laying on the pavement unable to move. As soon as I got out of the water and onto the side of the bath, I felt my legs go to jello – my body had never been so relaxed in my life!

Be sure to wear a suit that you don’t mind throwing out afterwards. You definitely will smell like sulphur. I was REALLY self conscious about this because we still were planning to see more of Soufriere, and now smelled like a baby’s doo-doo diaper. However, locals are entirely accustomed to the smell. The sulfur springs are so highly used that no one ever comments or says, “Why do you smell like you have never showered in your life?” 

After the experience, our guide bought us two fresh coconuts to drink. A serious man on the side of the road hacked two open with a machete, and our guide paid him. I loved the informal, matter-of-fact tone of the transaction. The giant machete gave us this all natural look of terror and wonder seen below. 

Boucan at Hotel Chocolat

If you are looking for a restaurant that has the best views on St Lucia, look no further than Boucan by Hotel Chocolat. Our guide was so nonchalant about this place and framed it merely as, “a nice place to have lunch.” Boy, did he undersell it! Having only one day in Soufriere might stress you out, because in that case you need to pick the perfect lunch spot. Look no further…

Let me cut to the chase. We were one of exactly two parties that were present for lunch. I couldn’t wrap my head around this because these are the views! As we waited for the staff to get our table ready, we kicked back with a cocktail and enjoyed the scenery.

The menu is centered around cacao. That means almost everything on the menu has cacao in it, including the burgers, scallops, and even the gazpacho. I ordered the Boucan “roti” because it deemed itself as a dish native to St Lucia.

For dessert, we ordered the “genesis of chocolate.” It was a history lesson as much as a meal. It’s a nine stage tasting which tells the story of cacao from its most bitter to its sweet finalized product, all in the best taste and gastronomic genius, of course. The dessert is rounded out with a shot of drinking chocolate. 

This was probably the most lavish dining experience I’ve had while traveling. I highly recommend it to anyone, and cannot wait to return. This will be a definite stop every time I visit St Lucia.

Rum and Coke (How Dare I?)

Our last stop of the day was to go rum tasting. We stopped at a road side rum venue with a wondrous panoramic view. If you only have one day in Soufriere, PLEASE make it involve rum tasting! St Lucia is famous for its rum, and for good reason.

Our guide introduced us to this man seen below, Morgan, who was the procurer of all types of rums. I don’t remember that his name was actually Morgan. Captain Morgan is a rum, so I thought I’d roll with it. We were given a small shot glass of all the rums on the table (wooooo boy!) If you count them, there are eighteen in total.

Morgan started us off with very sweet and creamy options. Some tasted like a smoothie, or ice cream. The rums got stronger and less candy-like as we ventured down the table. Knowing that I’m terrible at taking shots, I asked Morgan (now I’m thinking his name was Terry.) I asked Terr-Morgan if I could purchase a bottle of Coke to chase my rum. He and our guide looked at me as if I asked if I could drink out of the toilet. 

It made sense. I had definitely insulted Terr-Morgan. St Lucia is one of the finest creators of rum, and here I am attempting to sully the taste of his homemade creations with soda. I really couldn’t go without it though, or I’d puke out the rum. Somehow I think that the latter would have been worse. Terr-Morgan didn’t say anything after giving me the Coke, but I could see the hurt in his eyes.

Strange Discoveries and New Favorites

My favorite rum wound up being a type infused with passion fruit. It was homemade, authentic, and had hundreds of passion fruit seeds inside. True story: I declared this at customs when back in the US. I thought that any type of agriculture product needed to pass inspection. Unsure if pomegranate seeds soaked in booze made the cut, I got in line just in case. I waited forever to see a customs agent who then laughed at me really loudly, and told me I didn’t have to declare the bottle. 

After some purchases of rum at the road side stand, I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks in the gift area. It shone like a beacon of yellow absurdity. What…what was…banana ketchup!? It’s a condiment that is apparently popular in St Lucia, not at all so much in the US. It’s indeed a ketchup minus the tomatoes. Like all good local food, it was invented during a time of necessity when tomatoes were not available. There are no tomatoes in it, but there are vinegar and spices.

Courtesy: St. Lucia News

We enjoyed a wonderful time in Soufriere, St Lucia during our one day adventure! I’m so glad that Amanda and I were able to see some of the unique features of the island!