A serene and stunning eastern Caribbean island, St Lucia’s lush landscape is punctuated by a pair of dramatically tapered volcanic mountains peeking out of the tropical jungle, called the Pitons. Amid the trees are beautiful botanical gardens, banana and cocoa plantations, rainforest trails, ziplines and waterfalls, among many other delights to discover.

With a mix of fishing villages and luxury resorts, you can enjoy chilled-out holidays to St Lucia or experience the celebration of a lifetime, as many people choose to marry and honeymoon on this dreamy island. St Lucia has both volcanic black-sand beaches and magnificent white ones, with exotic sea life swimming around the shores for you to see when you dip your toes in, or there’s a variety of dive sites where you can get up close and personal.

May to November tends to be the low season, ideal for bagging those cheap holidays to St Lucia without missing out on any of the incredible weather – just missing the crowds!

Natural beaches

St Lucia’s beaches, be they light or dark sand, all have the same things in common – they’re unspoilt, uncrowded and backed by luscious tropical scenery. Many hotels offering St Lucia All Inclusive holidays boast their own private cove, or you could choose to relax on a secluded strip backed by coastal mangroves with tropical birds for friends.

Reduit Beach is cited as one of St Lucia’s best beaches and is also one of the more lively, where you’ll find quite a few bars for those all refreshing cocktails. Its two-kilometre length is backed by low rise hotels and dotted with beach bars like Spinnaker’s at the northern end, where you can get a nice cold drink and some delicious grilled fish or a jerk chicken sandwich.

On the other side of the island, to the east, Grande Anse beach is a similar size but with a completely different feel. It’s peaceful and secluded, which makes it the perfect nesting ground for huge leatherback turtles and iguanas.  This fine white sand is a popular spot for tourists but due to it’s ginormous size and half crescent shape, there’s plenty of space for it to never feel crowded. Soufriere is the furthest from here but just an hour and a half drive, while resorts like Castries and Corinth, are just around 40 minutes away.

You could spend days lazing about the beaches here, the hot sun and beautiful views are truly inviting.

In the water

When the lure of St Lucia’s uber-clear water tempts you away from the gorgeous sands, there are spectacular diving and snorkelling opportunities as well as sports to try like windsurfing and kayaking. Windsurfing conditions are particularly good on the east coast, with Sandy Beach on the southeast getting some of the very best winds. As well as natural coral reefs and sponge beds to dive around, there are a number of artificial reefs that have formed around shipwrecks too.

A stunning black-sand beach on the west coast, Anse Chastanet Beach has a marine reserve off its shores, which is known for excellent scuba diving and snorkelling conditions. Another top snorkelling spot is Jalouise, also known as Sugar Beach, where one minute you can be looking down at unusual sargassum trigger fish in the warm water and the next up at the towering Gros Piton mountain.

Even if you’re sticking to a tight budget, buy a snorkel from one of the shops and take yourself out to see what colourful marine life is around.

Exploring nature

There are numerous options for getting among nature and exploring the green interior of St Lucia. A popular rainforest trail is the one leading to the 15-metre-high Toraille waterfall that pours over a cliff into a botanical garden.

If you’ve brought your walking boots, the Pitons on the southwest coast are prime territory for hiking. Gros Piton is less steep and rewards your climb with scenic vantage points across the water and much of the island. All you need is yourself and your hiking boots and you can get exploring St Lucia.

Or in the northwest, Pigeon Island National Park is a tranquil area with a remote beach and a museum where you can learn of St Lucia’s history. As well as hilltop views, visiting the underground rum bar beneath the ruins of a fort is a must – the perfect reward after some exploring. Admission to the National Park is very cheap and you can explore the grounds yourselves, or if you wish, you can pay more and opt for a tour guide – but, if you’re making the most of a cheap St Lucia holiday, exploring yourselves can be much better.

For an unusual day out, head to the mud baths and bubbling Sulphur Springs at the inactive Soufriere Volcano. It’s the only volcano in the world you can drive into and walk right between the Sulphur Springs and pools of steam . On the way to the summit you can take a dip in the hot mud baths, said to have therapeutic qualities for your skin due to the mineral content. The mud baths are thought to help detoxify the body – it’s the perfect stop at the end of the holiday to heal any sun burn.

Mixing music and food

The area around Gros Islet and Rodney Bay is the liveliest spot in St Lucia to spend an evening. Near Reduit Beach are bars serving rum and the local Piton beer, plus, you can visit Treasure Bay Casino for cocktails and roulette from 11am. Or GLO Nightlife in Gros Islet, a small but busy club to dance alongside the locals and try out salsa dancing. Whether staying All Inclusive, or on a cheap holiday to St Lucia, be sure to experience St Lucia once the sun sets for the full experience.

Around the island you’ll find steakhouses, seafood restaurants and lots of places serving spicy Caribbean classics, plus, mac and cheese – something of a traditional dish in St Lucia. As the island’s geared up to honeymooners, there are plenty of top class places to eat offering romantic settings, such as The Cliff at Cap with sensational clifftop sea views. You’ll also come across Indian, Asian and Italian flavours among much more, so there really is something for everyone.

If you like some jazz with your food, visit in May and you can sample some of the free and paid for events that take place during the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival. There are 15 venues including a large outdoor stage in Rodney Bay, no wonder it’s St Lucia’s nightlife hot spot, plus, street parties and celebrations of food from gourmet chefs.

Days filled with relaxation and picturesque views followed by flavoursome foods, exotic drinks and plenty of dancing – St Lucia holidays sound great, right?