St. Lucia Fast Facts

For agents looking to send clients to St. Lucia, here is an overview of airlift, hotels and restaurants.

The two main airports in St. Lucia are the Hewanorra International Airport (758-454-6644) and the George F.L.CharlesAirport(758-452-2596), formerly VigieAirport.

Hewanorra is in the southern village of Vieux Fort. Airlines that provide service to it include Air Jamaica, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.

For tourist information at Hewanorra, call 758-454-6644. The F.L.CharlesAirport is approximately one mile north of Castries, the main tourist area of the island. Airlines that provide service there include American Airlines/American Eagle, Caribbean Star (268-GO1-STAR) and Caribbean Airlines. Helicopter service is available at Saint Lucia Helicopters Ltd. (758-453-6950). Helicopter tours are $120 one way to Hewanorra. The drive from that airport is an hour and a half.

Hotel Options

Travel Agent was recently on site to see the renovated Smugglers Cove, one of two Almond Resorts' properties on the island. Almond Smugglers Cove, which began a $23 million makeover about five months ago, sits on 60 acres. Rooms were downscaled from 360 to 357. The resort consists of 98 Standard rooms, 84 Deluxe Garden View Rooms, 60 Superior Deluxe Garden View Rooms, 15 Superior Deluxe Beachfront View Rooms and 100 One-Bedroom Garden View Rooms.

Morgan Bay Beach Resort underwent a similar transformation in 2005 when Almond purchased the long-standing property and poured about $25 million into it.

Another $15 million addition, which will include 100 new rooms, including 25 deluxe rooms and 75 suites, is scheduled to be complete by July.

All Almond Resorts offer a 10 percent commission to agents. To book any Almond Resort, call Reservations Manager Scott Bulger at 800-4ALMOND, ext. 126.

Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Resort recently unveiled its ultra-luxury Rondoval Suites. The Ultra Grande Luxe Beachfront Rondoval Suite and the Ultra Luxury Beach Rondoval Suite are 1,400-square-foot circular suites. As is the case with all Sandals properties, agents receive a minimum 10 percent commission. For more information, call Executive Assistant Manager Nadia Polius at 758-455-2000.

We also recommend Anse Chastanet's recently completed Jade Mountain, which is a resort within a resort. We visited the property in April and were stunned at the views provided from room JB5, which has three walls; the front of the room is open. There are 24 such suites in the resort and they all start at a minimum of about $1,000 a night; all have an infinity pool. For an even greater view, recommend room GD1.

JadeMountain offers agents a 10 percent commission. For more information, call Karolin Güler Troubetzkoy, executive director, marketing and operations, at 758-459-7000, ext. 7977.

For off-site local cuisine, recommended eateries include The Lime (758-452-0761), a casual bar and restaurant featuring local and Creole cuisine grills and snacks at inexpensive prices. The Coal Pot (758-452-5566) specializes in French cuisine created with a splash of Caribbean flavor from fresh local ingredients, and The Rainforest Hideaway (758-286-0511), which offers dining in the form of Western/Eastern fusion.