We travelled to St. Lucia with our 8-year-old Kidsetter in tow. There really is nothing quite like the Caribbean islands.
We were eager to take a day trip on a 16th century replica of a Spanish Galleon. We sailed along the Island’s West Coast to Soufriere with the view of the majestic Pitons.
We sailed out to view the Pitons from afar then past Anse Chastanet.
We stopped at a cove around Anse Cochon for a 45-minute swim to cool off. We had the opportunity to jump off the galleon or use the ladder. We took the ‘chicken’ version akas ‘the ladder’. I’m a very poor swimmer so thankfully the crew provided noodles if you needed them…. Yes please !! The depth was about 40 feet. I prefer our Kidsetter to have the safety net of using a noodle as well.
Next, we sailed in and around the stunning Marigot Bay and our guide pointed out things of interest.
We had worked up a thirst after the swim and were provided with some refreshments on board.
Our Kidsetter is enjoys making new friends and it wasn’t long before he a fellow traveller. I was pleasantly surprised as a guest approached me asking if he was my son, I replied ‘Yes’. He said that he had to use the rest room and our Kidsetter was wandering the ship and saw the man holding a drink and said he could mind it whilst he used the restroom. The man was blown away with his politeness. Wow !
Our Kidsetter loved the Spanish Galleon so much that when he learnt that the next stop was Soufiere and our sailing was coming to an end he decided to evoke a mutiny and overthrew the captain of the ship so we could keep sailing the beautiful seas !
Much to our Kidsetters disappointment the mutiny did not last long, and we arrived at Soufiere.
We boarded a bus to drive us up to the mountain to visit Morne Coubaril Estate. The view from the mountains is simply breath-taking.
Upon arriving at Morne Coubaril Estate we instantly appeared to step back in time imagining what life was like on this Caribbean island in the 18th century. Our guide led us through a small village of replica stick huts similar to those used two centuries ago by local villagers.
Our guide demonstrated how the once operated mule-driven sugar cane mill.
Wandering the herb and spice garden we learnt about the many plants and herbs and how they are used.
We enjoyed the interactive and live demonstrations of de-husking coconuts, the drying process of coconuts and sampling the coconut water.
We were served lunch in the Monplaisir family’s grand estate house.
We ate a delicious Creole buffet style lunch which included fried fish with their local hot sauces, sauteed local vegetables, carnival rice, Caribbean chicken curry, bread, salad with home-made lemon dressing. Drinks were not included, but not very expensive.
Soufriere’s backdrop of the Pitons, sea and rainforest provides a picture perfect setting for a visit to this laid-back and relatively undeveloped town in the south of St. Lucia for all Kidsetters alike.
