TRAVEL POINTERS Flying time from London to St Lucia is about 9 hours . British Airways has direct flights from London Gatwick to St Lucia . Virgin Atlantic has direct flights from London Gatwick to St Lucia .
TWO-CENTRE RECOMMENDATIONS Antigua , Grenada , Barbados , Martinique .
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS Banana plantations . Creole architecture and gaily coloured houses in the villages . Jazz festival in May . Creole dishes of plantain , breadfruit , yam and christophene . Exuberant flowers , parrots and humming birds . Lush rainforest walks . Waterfalls , sulphur springs and botanical gardens . The poetry of Nobel prize winner Derek Walcott . Fishing towns of Anse la Raye , Canaries and Soufrière .
GETTING OUT AND ABOUT The west coast road from Castries to Soufrière has a good surface and width but just winds up and down the length of the coast . The scenery is dramatic and well worth experiencing by hire car . Boat trips along the coast are also possible and afford breathtaking views of the mountains . Signposting in Castries is almost non-existent , so be armed with a detailed map and be prepared to get lost a little . South of Castries , Soufrière and Hewanorra airport are well signposted .
FACTUAL INFORMATION Capital : Castries . Airport : Hewanorra International Airport in the south and Castries Airport in the north ( Liat ). Size of the island : 238 square miles . Population : 142,000 approx . Average temperature : About 26 degrees Centigrade .
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