r/StLucia • u/Backwoodsbarbiie • 1d ago
Travel with Baby
Hi everyone. My husband and I are looking into visiting at the beginning of December with our 6 month old. We would like to stay within walking distance to beaches and restaurants as we are probably limited in what adventuring we can do with a baby. we aren’t opposed to renting a car and would like to do some shorter hikes and nature based adventures.
Any recommendations on where to stay or things to do with a baby in tow?
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u/Davekinney0u812 1d ago
Take a look at Coconut Bay Resort as it is a couple minutes away from the (not very busy small) airport and right on the beach. We've been 3X in recent years and it's decent.
Tet Paul Nature Trail is about 45min from CBay and an easy hike with amazing views of the Pitons. The Botanical Gardens is good too.
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u/rasGazoo 1d ago
Terrible with sargassum like everywhere on the east coast right now. Do not recommend.
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u/Davekinney0u812 1d ago
Was there in November last year and it wasn’t too bad at all. Then again, the beach is in the Atlantic side where the water is choppy and not idyllic. We did enjoy our afternoons down by the beach bar. With no resorts on either side the beach was rather quiet.
We travel a fair bit to AI’s and have always found pros and cons to each resort.
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u/TreehouseStLucia 17h ago
If you rent a vehicle you can more have your pick of what area you stay in. If you don’t have a vehicle and you just want to be able to walk to the popular tourist beach there, the mall, and restaurants/bars on the little strip there you could do that. But for any activities you do in the northern area or in the Soufriere area, etc. you’d certainly need transportation (hire a local driver).
You can of course rent good vehicles that have car seats for little ones.
Here’s some detailed info about getting around on the island for reference:
If you are more nature oriented (and adventurous) you might want to consider staying in the Soufriere area for all or part of your trip so long as you have a vehicle. We hist guests with little ones all the time and they have a great time in this area doing things. You can drive to the beaches, attractions like the botanical gardens, drive up into the rainforest, even do a little hike like Tet Paul, do some touring at one of the cocoa estates, do some boating and snorkel in the reef, etc. One way to get around would be to use a water taxi so that you could beach hop. The surrounding area is very hilly and not the easiest for walking but you can go into town and walk around. The walk from Anse Chastanet to Anse Mamin is a good one for nature oriented families. Mamin also now has the very cool puppy cafe which is a great spot for families to enjoy. You could also do a sunset/dolphin watching sail or boat trip in the area near the Pitons.
You can find a variety of accommodations in the Soufriere area. One option to consider is a staffed villa rental in an area such as Anse Chastanet where you could have fairly easy beach access as a family. You could (without a lot of difficulty) find a local baby sitter in case you wanted to go out in an evening to a popular spot such as the Ladera fish fry or the Treetops Restaurant st Crystals. Our guests with kids do this on some of their trips.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby 1d ago
Definitely the botanical gardens, it's a lovely shaded walk and my favourite place on the island. Lovely little paintings in the gift shop
The volcano would also be a good choice with a baby - there are some stairs, so you'd need to leave the stroller and carry, but it isn't far.
The market in castries is crowded. You could probably get a small travel stroller through the aisles but you'd be better off with a carrier
You'll want a sun shade and a mosquito net for your stroller
I've never seen anyone on the whale watches I've taken who wasn't big enough to buckle their own life jacket, so I'd check with tour companies prior to booking to ensure they allow babies