Laborie, St. Lucia

We were picked up at the resort by Tony, our host at Mango Splash (our next destination).  He got through the security gate and into the resort with only minor difficulty.  He kindly stopped at the supermarket on our way to the apartment so we could get some cash and buy some groceries.  I think it surprised him how much food we thought we needed to buy!  Rick does most of our cooking when we rent vacation homes, so that was our plan here too.  Little did we know how much fun food would be available in our little village.

We drove through the part of town we'd already seen.  As in other towns, the road we'd been on previously, going down to the dock, wasn't the most scenic, thank goodness.  We turned onto the actual Main Street, and headed to our apartment, with Tony pointing out some of the good, local restaurants, bakeries and bars.  Since this had been a British colony, cars drive on the left-hand side of the road.  We decided not to rent a car, and when we saw the traffic, we were glad we didn't.

Downtown Laborie

Downtown Laborie

Our apartment is a small studio on the ground floor of our hosts' home, and right on the beach.  The kitchen is tiny, but has everything we need.  We dumped our luggage, put away the groceries, and took some lounge chairs down to the beach.

Looking south from our spot on the beach

Looking north from our spot on the beach

We understand that all of the beaches on St. Lucia are public.  That's a great advantage for locals and visitors alike, and we had a few other folks hanging out near us in front of our place.  We arrived on a Saturday, so there were lots of families and kids swimming, playing ball, and generally enjoying themselves outside.  The water is warm, and the sandy bottom makes for nice wading.  There doesn't seem to be an undertow, but there are currents as you get out further.  It's a pretty safe place to swim, for young and old.

I know the pictures make this place look like paradise, and it is, but it's also hot and humid, and there are lots of mosquitoes and sand fleas.  There is no truck fogging the neighborhoods for mosquitoes where the regular people live.  And I think we have just joined the ranks of the regular people!

Our hosts, Tony and Jan, transplants from England, are friendly and knowledgeable about the village and the island.  Everyone in the village seems to know them, and they have a steady stream of villagers visiting, or stopping by to borrow snorkel gear and other various and sundry stuff. They said we could expect the local people to be very friendly, and that Laborie is a safe place to walk at any time of the day or night.  Our place is just a block or two from the center of town, so we were in and out many times during our visit here.

Rick cooked a simple supper on our first night in the apartment, but on our second night in town we decided to visit Mama Tilly's place for dinner.  Tony called and made a reservation for us.  Tilly likes to make sure her meals are really special for visitors, so usually requests some advance notice.  Plus, she'll give some menu options, which allowed us to put in an order for lobster for our dinner at her place.

Mama Tilly's is the best restaurant in town.

There are only a few tables in the place, and on this Sunday night we were the only customers.  We had Tilly's undivided attention, and she wanted to make sure we were enjoying the meal.  

We each had half of a lobster, potato salad, fried plantains, rice, and a few other salads.

Dinner was great, and not expensive.  The food, along with a few beers and a Coke, came to EC$90, or about $36 U.S. 

Tilly told us about the big celebration happening on Sunday, October 25. The whole town would be busy this week preparing special food, drinks, crafts and entertainment to mark Jounen Kweyol.  To be ready for the celebration, she sold us straw hats and a cup made from a small coconut shell.  We're ready!