Okay, now to the
important stuff. How the heck do
you get there? Well, you could try a cargo flight (really!), but if you want to
listen to some reggae and drink some complimentary
wine and champagne, then Air
Jamaica is the way to go. Air
Jamaica operates on Delta Airlines routes, so you
get Delta Sky Miles (I think). Other
possibilities include American Airlines and BWIA.
Here is some information from Air Jamaica Vacation Packages. THESE PACKAGES ARE FOR SEVEN (7) DAYS AND INCLUDE FLIGHT (TO UVF) FROM THE NEWYORK/NEW JERSEY AREA, ROUND TRIP TRANSFERS, ROOM, AND MEALS (WHERE NOTED). Again, depending on your length on stay your fare may be more or less. Click on the hotel links to see pictures and get more info on the specific hotel. Flying time is just over 5 hours.
|
Walking distance from reception venue |
|
| My picks - best bang for the buck | |
 |
All inclusive (transfers, meals, room, taxes) |
 |
European plan (AI without meals) |
| PR | Price per room |
Key
A map of St. Lucia with the location of hotels shown by their index number can be found here. The Key for the following table is given above.
|
Hotel |
Adult |
Child |
Plan | Index
(see Map) |
Comments |
|
Royal St. Lucian |
$1369 |
|
|
37 |
Great property. On a nice stretch of beach. Heart of tourist area. Many restaurants in walking distance. |
|
Rex Papillion |
$1319 |
$619 |
|
33 | Adjacent to the Royal. Not as elegant, but has all the amenities of Royal. I'd save some bucks and choose Rex over Royal if it were up to me. |
|
Rex St. Lucia |
$1129 |
|
|
36 |
Adjacent to Papillion. Oldest of the three properties. Quite nice, but more family oriented. |
|
$949 |
$469 |
3 |
Small property in the heart of the tourist area. In walking distance to the beach (7 minutes). Near all the nightlife and restaurants. |
||
|
Harmony Suites (villa) |
$ |
$ |
|
16 |
Quite popular with European tourists. Its in walking distance to the beach, very near the above hotels. Good place to stay for families. Check the reviews. |
|
Hyatt Regency |
$1309 $2219 |
|
19 |
Right next door to Pigeon Island. Hey, if you can afford it, this is a great place to stay! |
|
|
Club St. Lucia (Odyssey) |
$1459 |
$689 |
8 |
Nice, affordable, with private beach. 18 hole golf course nearby. Great for kids. I really like this spot. |
|
|
Wyndham Morgan Bay |
$1359 |
$469 |
48 |
Fritz and Angie loved it - even after he almost drowned trying to snorkel . Beach isn't as nice as the ones further north. |
|
|
$1229 $1819 |
|
|
47 |
Lovely secluded property. A bit of a hike to get to. Heard they spoil you rotten there. Adults only. |
|
|
$$$ |
$$$ | 38,39 |
If you really want go all out and spends the bucks, then you can't beat Sandals La Toc. Sandals Halycon is not as plush, but worth checking out if you're ready to dish out that paycheck. For the hotels in the north, Sandals wins hands down. |
Package deals with Air Jamaica
Contact Air Jamaica at 1 (800) 523 5585 or Air Jamaica Packages at 1 (800) 622 3009
Here are some deals worth noting (more to come). If you don't go for one of the package deals, these are good bets. These are per room, not per person. Great deals!
|
Hotel |
Regular |
Deluxe | Comments |
|
$83 (PR) |
$96 (PR) |
It isn't luxurious, but its on the same stretch of beach as the above hotels. Great location. 2 mins walk from the reception venue. Its my best bet for the dollar. I've had friends stay there before and they extended their vacation by almost a week! |
|
Here is some round-trip air fare information for August 1 - 7 in case you decide not go with a package deal. These airfare are for flights originating from the NY/NJ area. Prices may vary slightly based on your choice of days. Of course, you don't need to say 7 days, with means, it will cost you less if you decide to visit for a shorter period. But then again, why would you want to go to paradise for anything less a week? This is FLIGHT information ONLY.
|
Carrier |
Adult |
Child |
Airport |
| American Airlines | $610 |
$504 |
SLU |
| Air Jamaica | $719 |
UVF |
|
| BWIA |
$764 |
UVF |
Air fare only (see airport codes at end of page)
There are probably other packages deals with American Airlines and BWIA, but hey, you can find that out yourself - or ask your travel Agent. Here's more information regarding the other carriers.
American Airlines has connecting flights via Puerto Rico. Their schedule is the most flexible. There are many flights to Puerto Rico from the east coast, and quite a few daily direct flights from Puerto Rico to St. Lucia. The drawback with AA is that you need to switch flights and change to the smaller American Eagle Express service to St. Lucia. That leg of the flight is about 2 hours.
Contact: 1 800 433 7300
BWIA:
BWIA also has direct flights to St. Lucia. Leaves from JFK at 7:00am. Service isn't as good as Air Jamaica, and they're known not to have a great on-time record. Typically, the flight stops over in Barbados for 30 minutes or so before heading over to St. Lucia.
Contact: 1 800 538 2942
Airport
Codes:
UVF: International airport in the southern
end of the island. Be prepared for a 45 minutes to a 1 hour drive to the
northern end of the island where the above hotels are
located. Very scenic, but roads are windy.
SLU: Regional airport in the north. Smaller craft, such as American Eagle, use this airport. The hotels are about 20 minutes from there.
Note: If you try to purchase tickets online some of the Air Jamaica flights will be listed as Delta Airlines - its the same thing. Compare flight prices at CheapFares, Travelocity, or Lowestfare.com, just to name a few.
FROM
EUROPE: Virgin Atlantic has direct flights to UVF from London. Other
possibilities include taking a direct flight on British Airways or Air France to
the neighboring island of Barbados and taking a smaller flight (BWIA express,
AA, or LIAT) over to St. Lucia (max 25 minutes flying time). There are many
international (direct) flights to Barbados, so this is a viable option. If you
need more info, send me email.
Travel Sites with reviews, pictures and price ranges for the hotels mentioned that are worth taking a look at:
