Rodney Bay Holidays

This place isn’t like St Lucia’s typical seaside towns, which sing from a sleepy and secluded hymn sheet. Instead, Rodney Bay delivers the same powdery sunbathing spots with a bundle of up-and-at-them extras. Shack-style restaurants close in on the waterfront, and the nightlife’s the best about. It’s also home to the island’s first and only casino, and puts you within chipping range of a scenic golf course.

St Lucia’s beaches are its most talked-about trait, with sandy strips of every shape and size around the island’s coast. Rodney Bay’s Reduit Beach noses to the front of the pack, though. It’s draped along the edge of a chunky peninsula, which means the Caribbean Sea on your doorstep and a flash marina over your shoulder. Tree-smothered peaks are locked in at either end – one’s called Pigeon Island, and has a crumbling fortress studded into its crown.

The Baywalk Mall sets the benchmark for retail therapy. It gives the boutiques of the capital, Castries, a run for their money, with everything from jewellers to swanky leather stores. And when you’re done with shopping malls, Rodney Bay Village grabs the baton with both hands. This part of town’s home to Gros Islet – a colour-splattered neighbourhood that’s famous for its high-volume, high-tempo street parties. Fresh-from-the-grill snacks break up rounds of beer and rum punch, and live DJs keep the crowds satisfied.