How to Find Cheap Hotels in Castries, St. Lucia

Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, is a port of call for cruise ships traveling the Caribbean. In addition to its many resort hotels, Castries offers cheap accommodations in the form of boutique hotels, self-catering villas and vacation apartments.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Map of St. Lucia.
• Passport.
• Computer with Internet access to make reservations.

Know Your Destination

1. Cool off in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a 19th Century stone edifice with a richly painted interior that shows both Caribbean and African influences.

2. Shop the Castries Central Market, which offers many local arts and crafts for considerably less than you would pay at the resort hotels.

3. Bring your sunscreen along to Malabar Beach, Choc Beach and La Toc Beach, and remember to take lots of pictures.

4. Be sure to sample the local rum and microbrew beer, if your tastes incline in that direction; they are said to be very fine.

Booking Your Accommodations in Castries, St. Lucia

5. Include an Internet search on 'vacation apartments' and 'vacation rentals' in your online search for cheap accommodations in Castries. Apartment alternatives do exist. To book accommodations, contact Saint Lucia's Tourism Information Centre at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources, below).

6. Ask any contacts you may know in the cruise line business about reputable accommodations in Castries.

7. Book cheap passage on a cruise to St. Lucia yourself; do a web search on 'last minute cruise bargains' to begin your research. Cruise lines are often willing to fill cabins at a bargain rate rather than leave them empty.

8. Search for hostels with a wary eye; although most of the facilities you will see are not actually hostels, they may be cheap accommodations of good quality.

Tips & Warnings

• Enjoy the beach. One need not be a guest at one of the resort hotels to lay down a towel and swim; all beaches are public.
• Inquire about their security arrangements before making reservations at any hotel in Castries. During 2006, at least five visitors in boutique St. Lucia hotels have been robbed at gunpoint in their rooms, and some of these incidents have involved assault and rape.
• Exercise caution about your valuables and your person. Avoid walking away from the main streets or on secluded beaches, and do not leave valuables unattended at the beach.
• The level of medical care available in Castries is not as high as in North America or Europe. For example, no hyperbaric chamber is available on the island; divers who suffer from decompression illness must be evacuated to receive treatment.
• Avoid wading or swimming in fresh water in St. Lucia to avoid parasitic worms that cause schistosomiasis, or bilharzia.