Anse Chastanet is on the southwest coast of St. Lucia, and it’s not easy to get to from the port city of Castries.
St. Lucia is a very mountainous island with roads that wind around its jagged peaks like a diabolical roller coaster. Danielle hates roller coasters, and even though I like them, after a half hour or so it gets old.
It took us almost an hour to make it by taxi to town of Soufriere, just down the coast from our destination.
Unfortunately, the last 2 miles of road into Anse Chastanet are not in good shape – after a bone-jarring last 15 minutes, we finally arrived.
It was worth the trip (at least for me). The beach is made of dark volcanic sand, which the kids decided wasn’t pretty enough to play in.
It’s heavier than coral sand, though, so it doesn’t cloud the waters, which are the clearest I’ve ever seen at a beach.
The snorkeling was pretty awesome – with water so clear it’s like being in an aquarium. The kids & I found ourselves swimming through huge clouds of colorful minnows, looking down on an incredible array of colorful fish and some pretty coral. When a rain shower came we could feel the drops pelting our backs (and filling our snorkels), but we didn’t let that stop us. Hannah & Ray said it felt like getting a massage.
Danielle didn’t feel like snorkeling that day, so she stayed ashore in a rented chair under a thatched umbrella, keeping our camera gear out of the rain. No crowds here, probably due to how hard this place is to reach.
On the way back, we opted to take a water taxi to Soufriere, meeting our taxi driver there instead of enduring that stretch of bumpy road. It was much more fun!
When we arrived back at the ship an hour later, we were all pretty tired. If only Anse Chastanet wasn’t so hard to get to!
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That did look like it was worth the effort.
I think I would use the boat both ways . More fun & comfort , plus it looks like you get a better view of the island. In any case it looks like a great place to get away from the crowds & relax!!
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