The Davis Family: Beyond Scuba Diving

We spent a week in the beautiful paradise of St. Lucia, and we definitely spent some time diving. However, there was lots more fun to be had....

We hiked...the first day we were there we noticed this huge hill with a fort on it of to one side of the resort. I did a little research and discovered that the hill was Pigeon Island and the fort was Fort Rodney. Apparently, it used to be an island next to St. Lucia where the British guarded against the French. Recently, they connected the island to St. Lucia and build the Sandals where we stayed on the little spit of land in between the island and the "mainland" of St. Lucia. So, one afternoon we walked about 5 minutes down to Pigeon Island and hiked up to Fort Rodney and this higher hill beyond that. It was a fun, steep at times hike, and boy, were there some amazing views up at the top. We just stood up there at the top of world and soaked it all in-beautiful!

(a view of our resort from the top)

(queen of the world)

(the happy couple)

We sailed...Well, on this one I have to say it was mainly Ian that did the sailing. He would go out at least once a day and try his hand at sailing around the bay. I went out with him once and had a great time whizzing through the waves. I was a little nervous about him bumping in to one of the boats in the harbor but he managed to navigate me safely back to shore.

(the sailboats)

(out for a sail)

We drove...When you stay at Sandals you can pay to go on these extra excursions and adventures. They had lots to choose from, and we chose an ATV ride around the island. Neither of us had ever ridden an ATV before, so we were excited to try it. There were about 10 of us in the tour group. We arrived, they gave us a few instructions and a hair net and helmet, and we were off. I was a little nervous about the whole thing because they put me in front right behind the tour guide. However, I was determined to hold my own, so I just watched the tires of the guide in front of me and tried to keep up. I figured if she could get up that rocky hill then I could too. We drove through some beautiful scenery, stopped at a beach for a little break, and even had some fun speeding a little on the way back. Ian said it was fun but made him just a bit nervous, I guess it's a little like diving for me. I was a little glad to finally find something that made Ian a little nervous.

(taking a quick photo break)

(at our stop on the beach)

We relaxed...of course, there was plenty of time for just relaxing. The resort was on the beach and had several lovely pools and jacuzzis for our lounging needs. Of course there were a few bars scattered in the pools including one actually in one of the pools. The hard part was snagging a lounge chair before other people got to them and grabbed all the prime real estate before we could find one, but after some looking we managed to find one each day. I loved camping out and just having the chance to read my book. My favorite beverage to enjoy while I was lounging was a miami vice-pina colada mixed with strawberry daquiri, and they'd bring it to you while you relaxed. Oh, and the massage I got one day out in a lovely garden didn't hurt with the whole relaxing thing.

(what paradise looks like)

(the perfect place for some relaxing)

(pool view)

(view from our room)

(Ian poses on the beach)

(enjoying the sunset)

(yep, still a happy couple)

We ate...Oh my did we eat. We had been looking forward to the food and it didn't disappoint. There were so many restaurants to choose from and so many of them were delicious. Ian's favorite meal was actually the first one we ate there at a place called Barefoot by the Sea where we actually ate with our toes in the sand. He had some ceviche and snapper and loved it. My favorite meal was later in the week when we actually took a drive down to one of the other Sandals resorts on the island. It was a restaurant called Kelly's Dockside out on a pier in the ocean. The views were beautiful and I had a delicious seafood sampler and steak. We ate at a British pub, an Italian restaurant, a poolside buffet, and a crepe and pizza stand. We were not lacking in the food department.

(waiting to be seated at one of our dinners)

(the view and I from Kelly's Dockside)

We swam...While I was there, I knew I had to at least do some practicing for the triathlon I signed up to do in a few weeks. So, they had a beach that was sheltered from the majority of the waves and roped off from the boats. I figured that would be a great place to practice some open water swimming, so I would jump in and swim back and forth. I might not have been fast, but I didn't think I did too bad. At the end of each swim I would be tasting a bit of salt water, but that was quickly alleviated by a trip to the bar and another one of those delicious miami vices, HA!

We flew...Finally, it was time to go home. We were both so sad to go and are already trying to figure out a time to go back as soon as possible. We had to get to the airport, but I definitely didn't want to do the 90 minute windy drive again, so we were excited to take the helicopter. We drove the short drive to the small airport where we would meet the helicopter and waited a few minutes for it to arrive. Then, we hopped in. Ian and I even got the front seat next to the pilot. It was a beautiful experience. It was a little like we were floating over the island. There were some amazing views, especially of the mountains. While it did make my stomach drop a few times, it was still an amazing experience. Plus, we got to the airport in only about 10 minutes.