There is something about St Lucia, a particular Eastern Caribbean Charm. The island has admittedly terrible roads, it’s missing signs and directions, yet no matter where  you’re  heading  it’s  lush , beautiful and culturally immersive.  The capital city isn’t  overly  enticing  though  during  carnival  it  feels  as  though  all  the  energy  in  the  world  is  stemming  from  Castries.

The  drive  from  the  air-port to the north of the island takes an unnecessary hour and a half, but then again, we have all waited longer in traffic with far less of a view in our grey skies of London .When  our  lives  are  on  autopilot  or  moving  at  a  pace  of  extremes  we  tend  to  expect  a  vacation  will  whisk  us  away  to  a  dreamlike  state  with  rainbows  cascading every mountain, champagne at the snap of fingers, and consistently perfect  weather.  If  you  walk  into  St  Lucia  with  these  notions  you’ll  remain  unimpressed.

On the other hand, if you allow yourself the pleasure of letting St Lucia get under your skin, it will in the most incredible way. They say this is the only country in the world named after a woman, it was fought  over  by  the  French  and  English  14  times  and  considered  the  Helen  of  the  West  Indies.  The  French  influence  in  Lucian  Creole  language  is  thick  though  curiously  you’ll  hear  the  locals  blaring  country  and  western  classics  just about anywhere. Coconut water straight from the fruit is handed to you on the highway leading into Rodney Bay, there are surprises at every turn.

We  danced  with  those  who  were  considered  the  upper  echelon  business  owners  alongside  Rastafarians,  tourists,  and  fishermen  at  the  Friday  night  Gros  Islet  street  party.  We  drove  jeeps  through  mango  plantations  to  secret  beaches  with  locals  who  had  us  eat  from  trees  along  the  way.  We  sang  karaoke  with  foreign  bankers,  investors,  and  Lucians  following  a  game  of  pool  with  some  of  the  most  beautiful  Caribbean  women  we’ve  ever  seen.  My travel partner (allegedly)  had a romantic night watching the sunset and sinking into the sulphur springs under nothing but moonlight - evidently overstepping the cordial rule of sharing far too much info.

I learned how to bhangra to Soca music  paddleboard and found my self Scuba diving under the pitons with the ever increasing sound track to Jaws echoing from within.  We dove  towards  the  base  of  a  volcanic eruption, rode horses in the ocean, had bottles of stunning wine with hoteliers, tried the traditional herbs of the lands and drank bush tea curing our hangovers the following mornings. There are scandalous and sexy stories, pure untouched landscapes, fabulous parties,  incredible  hotels, commercial opportunities via its Citizenship by investment program and  warm  wonderful  people.  We  left  no  stone  unturned,  no  event  unattended  in  order  to  bring  the  authentic  experiences  and the stories of communities.  Take time to dismiss your preconceived notions, take away your expectations, let St Lucia be what it is, a destination that will unlock your curiosities to life.

More to follow:

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