We've been home for some months now, and I've had time to reflect on our stay on St. Lucia, in Laborie, and also at Coconut Bay Resort.
Coconut Bay Resort was luxurious, comfortable, a great place for a wedding and a great place to relax. It cost about $300 per night for the two of us, in October, which is not their high season. That included transport from the airport, our room, all meals and beverages. There were several pools, and indoor and outdoor areas for groups to gather. There were lots of activities available to guests, some included in our rate and some extra. They did a great job with the wedding and reception we attended.
When we moved to our little apartment,
Mango Splash, in Laborie, we had a markedly different vacation experience. Our apartment was comfortable, and just steps away from the beach. Our hosts, Tony and Jan, were wonderful - friendly, and helpful, and had lots of recommendations to make our stay memorable. We paid less than $100 per night here, but we were on our own for meals and beverages, of course. No chocolate buffet, no tropical drinks being served to us in our lounge chair by the pool, like at the resort. Laborie is a small village with no ATM, no supermarket, no souvenir shops, no hordes of tourists and only a handful of restaurants. It gave us a true taste of life on the island.
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| Goat tethered in our yard for a few hours one day, to keep the grass trimmed |
About half-way through our time in Laborie, we were able to move to the
Driftwood cottage, also owned by Tony and Jan, and located just across the lane from their house and Mango Splash apartment. The cottage is a charming place, and the covered porch makes it even more enjoyable. The beach was still only steps away. Both the apartment and the cottage were air-conditioned.
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| Rick sitting on the front porch of our little cottage |
After over a week in this little fishing village, I would say the people we encountered were friendly, and almost everyone asked if we were enjoying our visit. They were proud of their village, and hoped we would appreciate it too. We enjoyed the special events we were able to witness or participate in while we were there. We felt safe walking into town both day and night. Our place had air-conditioning, but lots of the local homes didn't, and we saw old and young people alike outside after dark enjoying the cooler evenings.
On the flip side, there was lots of poverty around us. This is a real fishing village, and many people live at a subsistence level, depending on the food they can catch or harvest from the sea, or take from the trees growing wild all around us. There are many neat and tidy homes, both big and small, but also some very derelict shacks that are homes for local folks. Our hosts tell us that almost everyone has fresh water piped to their homes, but sometimes the pipe ends outside of the house.
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| Conch shells decorate the yard of a neatly kept house in Laborie |
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| Another house in Laborie |
One of the first people Rick met on the beach was Alan, a Peace Corps volunteer from Canada, one of 4 volunteers teaching at the local school. When I heard Peace Corps, it immediately brought to mind a poor, underdeveloped area with no local support for education. That seems sad to me. There are fancy resorts all over the island, and it's true that they provide jobs for lots of local folks, but don't the resorts have to pay taxes? We saw evidence of lots of hardworking, ambitious people in Laborie though, and talked to kids who planned to go to college. We also heard that it's hard to make the boys stay in school when they become old enough to fish for a living.
The weather in October was very hot and humid. We might have done more sightseeing, but the heat really sapped our energy. I think we'd go back at a different time of year next time, just to see the difference. The ocean was nice and warm though, and we spent lots of time in the water.
Though we didn't see all of the island of St. Lucia, we found our little corner of it to be most enjoyable and charming. Whether we make it back here again, or not, it will always be a highlight of our travels.
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| Mother hen and her chicks walking down the sidewalk of the main street in Laborie |
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| The view from our beach in Laborie |
