Soufrière & South St. Lucia
This is the St. Lucia of the photographs: the two Pitons rising straight out of the sea at Soufrière, rainforest down to the water, and a handful of resorts built into the slopes to look at them. It is the honeymoon end of the island, an hour of mountain road from the international airport and almost two from Rodney Bay's beaches and bars. The south coast at Vieux Fort, beside that airport, is the other half of this guide: flatter, windier, Atlantic-facing, and a transfer of minutes rather than an hour. Between the two, the west coast's coves hold the island's quietest all-inclusive.
- Airport
- Hewanorra (UVF) at Vieux Fort: Soufrière 45–60 min, the Vieux Fort resorts 5–10 min
- The setting
- The Pitons, a UNESCO site
- resorts on hillsides and in coves rather than on long beaches
- Best for
- Honeymoons, the view, snorkelling off Anse Chastanet, a resort beside the airport
- Trade-off
- Smaller beaches than the north and no walkable restaurant strip
- Season
- December–April dry
- June–November wetter (hurricane belt)
Where Soufrière & South St. Lucia splits
The resort areas are not interchangeable. What each one is actually for.
Soufrière & the Pitons coast
The volcano's slopes and the coves beneath them, from Anse Chastanet round to the coast north of the town: hillside resorts facing the Pitons, the island's best reef snorkelling from the beach, and a transfer of an hour from the airport. Pick it for the view and for a stay that is mostly about the resort.
Start with Jade Mountain, five-star, adults-only.
Vieux Fort & the south coast
The flat southern tip beside the international airport: a reef-protected Atlantic beach with a trade wind on it, a transfer measured in minutes, and family and adults-only resorts side by side. Pick it for the shortest airport run on the island and for the wind, if you kitesurf.
Start with Serenity at Coconut Bay, five-star, adults-only.
When to go to Soufrière & South St. Lucia
Climate normals for Hewanorra (Vieux Fort); the hills above Soufrière run wetter, and our verdict on each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily high | 84 degrees Fahrenheit | 84 degrees Fahrenheit | 85 degrees Fahrenheit | 87 degrees Fahrenheit | 88 degrees Fahrenheit | 88 degrees Fahrenheit | 88 degrees Fahrenheit | 88 degrees Fahrenheit | 88 degrees Fahrenheit | 87 degrees Fahrenheit | 86 degrees Fahrenheit | 84 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Rainfall | 3.7″ | 2.6″ | 2.4″ | 3.4″ | 4.4″ | 7.5″ | 8.1″ | 8.9″ | 8.4″ | 9.2″ | 7.7″ | 5.2″ |
| Verdict | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Shoulder | Shoulder | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak | Shoulder | Prime |
Sweet spot. December–April; rainy season runs June–November, heaviest September–October.
Storm risk. In the belt, June–November, with September and October the peak odds; the rainforest above Soufrière is the flip side of the wet season.
Sargassum. The south coast at Vieux Fort faces the Atlantic and catches it in season; the west coast around the Pitons is generally clear.
Figures are long-term climate normals for Hewanorra (Vieux Fort); the hills above Soufrière run wetter, good for planning. They are not a forecast.
Soufrière and the Pitons
Soufrière is a small fishing town at the foot of the Pitons, and the resorts around it are built for the view: on the hillsides above Anse Chastanet, on the ridge between the two peaks, in the coves to the north. Gros Piton, the larger, is a guided half-day climb; Petit Piton, the steeper, is for looking at. The Pitons Management Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the reef off Anse Chastanet is the island's best snorkelling from a beach.
The beaches are coves rather than strands, and some of the most famous rooms on the island have a wall missing where the sea view should be. It is a stay that happens mostly at the resort, with dinner in the town or at a neighbouring property, and that is the point of it.
Vieux Fort and the west-coast coves
Vieux Fort is where the island's long-haul flights land, and the resorts beside the airport sell the shortest transfer in St. Lucia: off the plane and on the beach inside a quarter of an hour. The coast here faces the Atlantic, so the beach is reef-protected rather than glassy, the trade wind blows most afternoons, and the kitesurfers gather on the strand beyond. The Pitons are a day trip from here, forty-five minutes up the coast road.
Between Castries and Soufrière, the west coast's coves at Anse la Raye and Anse Cochon hold cliff-side cottages and a reef of their own. They are an hour from either airport and far from everything else, which is exactly what they sell.
When to go
December to April is the dry season and the prime. June to November is hurricane season across the island, with September and October the peak odds, and it is also when the rainforest above Soufrière is at its greenest. The west coast around the Pitons is sheltered from the Atlantic swell and generally clear of sargassum; the south coast at Vieux Fort faces the Atlantic and catches both, so a Vieux Fort stay in the wetter months deserves a look at the beach reports.
Beyond the resort
Sulphur Springs, the drive-in volcano with its mud baths, is minutes from Soufrière, and Diamond Falls and its botanical garden are nearer still. The Tet Paul nature trail is the short walk with the Piton view. From Vieux Fort, the Maria Islands nature reserve sits offshore and the lighthouse at Moule à Chique looks down to St. Vincent on a clear day. Catamarans run up the west coast to Marigot Bay, and the road north to Castries is a rainforest drive in itself.
Where the Soufrière & South St. Lucia resorts are
5 resorts mapped stars are five-star properties
The best all-inclusive resorts in Soufrière & South St. Lucia
The Soufrière & South St. Lucia properties we would actually book.
Where to stay in Soufrière & South St. Lucia
The resort areas we cover, and which properties sit in each.
Soufrière & the Pitons coast
3Vieux Fort & the south coast
2Resort chains in Soufrière & South St. Lucia
The brands operating here. The ones we rank in full link through to the chain, what its plan really covers, and every resort of theirs we track.
Soufrière & South St. Lucia, head to head
Price, flights, sand, food and safety, compared honestly.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Soufrière or Rodney Bay better for an all-inclusive?
Soufrière for the Pitons, the honeymoon setting and snorkelling from the beach, at the cost of small beaches, an hour's transfer and nowhere to walk to for dinner. Rodney Bay for calm swimmable sand, a restaurant strip and the island's biggest resorts, with the Pitons as a day trip. Our ranking below orders every southern resort in our catalog by real guest data.
How far is Soufrière from the airport?
About 45 minutes to an hour from Hewanorra (UVF) by the coast road, which is steep and winding; resorts arrange the transfer. The Vieux Fort resorts are five to ten minutes from the same airport. From Rodney Bay in the north, allow close to two hours by road, or take a water taxi down the west coast.