There is always a reason to come to St. Lucia

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Whether you want to lounge on the beach, do some sightseeing and exploring, party the night away, or have a quiet, low-key evening, St. Lucia has proven that they are capable of delivering; all you have to do is book your trip, and the island will take care of the rest.

It was another one of those nights; Trish Browning and I were invited to experience a night of great food, amazing entertainment, and the sights and sounds of St. Lucia on the top floor at Hotel X, a new premium hotel experience in downtown Toronto. The team at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (headed by Chief Executive Officer Mrs Beverly Nicholson-Doty), joined travel writers, travel agents, and luxury resort brands for a night we will never forget.

If the night was a representation of what happens on the beautiful island of St. Lucia, I completely understand why there is always a reason to come to St. Lucia. The night was filled, with smiles, joy and laughter as the Board of Directors at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority entertained their guests from start to finish. Trish and I were met with a signature rum punch drink created in a way to experience St. Lucia in that moment. Delectable hors d’oeuvres were circulated throughout the night, and no one can say that they left there hungry.

Along with the signature dishes, and continuously circulating drinks, all attendees danced the night away to the sounds of Juno award winning R&B singer/songwriter Sean Jones, who brought a raw, and contemporary vibe to the classic soul sounds that we all remember and enjoyed. He borrowed tunes from his 200+ live renditions of soulful ballads, funky 90’s R&B, and original material that kept us all stimulated and reminiscing of early times.

To add to all the fun, we were updated on the amazing successes of the island, and the over 100 sites and adventures on the island including:

Mud Bath Magic: It is the worlds’ only drive-volcano. that features a one of a kind hot water bath in mineral rich waters.

Waterfalls: Saint Lucia happens to be blessed with a number of gorgeous cascading waterfalls.

Maria Island: This hidden St. Lucia gem is a haven for nature lovers. Guests have the opportunity to take in breath-taking views, unique flora and fauna, and rare species of wildlife.

Cocoa Plantation Tours: These are available at a variety of locations including: The Marquis Estate, Anse Mamin Plantation, Hotel Chocolat, Emerald Estate, Marine Coubaril Estate, and La Douphine Estate.

Since joining the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Mrs Doty has profitably managed the team, and has worked closely with agencies, institutions, and individuals within the public and private sectors of Saint Lucia at home and abroad. Closer to the end of the night, we were addressed by Mrs Doty, and really learned about why there is so much excitement.

“We had an incredible year, with over 400,000 overnight visitors for the first time ever. That is because of the incredible support we get from the team in Canada. We would also like to mention our airline partners: Air Canada, Sunwing, West Jet, all of them can get you from here to the beaches of St. Lucia tomorrow. With all this bad weather, you might want to take advantage of that.”

“There is so much happening in St. Lucia. We had some new developments happen just this past December. We opened the Royal St. Lucia Turf Club. We also have the new Cabin Resort Hotel Residence and Golf Club coming to St. Lucia. St Lucia currently has 5,000 rooms, and in the near future, we will be adding 2,000 more. There is just so much going on in St. Lucia. In addition to some incredible events, there are some other reasons why you will want to come to St. Lucia: the sulphur springs, the mud baths, incredible vista’s, these are adding to the incredible summer festivals we put on.”

“I want to give a real great shout out to the team and events St. Lucia, who work with Jazz and Lincoln Centre to put on the first of our Jazz events this summer. We just love to party in St. Lucia. St. Lucia Jazz Festival starts off our summer festivals, followed by carnival in June, Roots and Soul later in the summer, and then in the fall, our Creole festival, so there is always a reason to come to St. Lucia.”

St. Lucia has come a far way, and there doesn’t look to be anything stopping them now. After last weekend in Toronto, I am sure that many of you are looking to get out of here. Contact a St. Lucia expert at www.stlucia.org, or call them at 1-800-456-3984. You can also email at information@st.lucia.org.