My wife and I recently spent eight days on winter holiday in St Lucia. The majority of the time we stayed at a studio apartment at the Bayside Villa, just outside of Castries. We tend to avoid packaged experiences and touristic "destinations" in favor of immersion in local places and culture, and the Bayside Villa seemed to offer an affordable and pleasant place to spend our nights in St. Lucia. We were satisfied on these counts and more. The proprietors, John and Shirley, were wonderful hosts, very accommodating and generous in both time and advice. They helped us to get our bearings and to feel at home in Castries / St. Lucia. Once, at the beginning of our stay, their bright and engaging teenaged son even accompanied us to town and gave a charming tour of downtown Castries. We got to know a few locals and felt comfortable hanging out there, although the bulk of our time was spent on day-trips to beaches, hikes in national parks, and nearby towns and villages. For all of these the owners provided excellent recommendations. (We eventually spent a couple of days in Soufrieres and found Castries to be much more cosmopolitan and accessible, especially as a base of operations for other sights and activities in St. Lucia.) As advertised, there is a beach within easy walking distance (La Tac). Although this beach is dominated by a Sandals resort, it is nonetheless very pleasant, especially if you arrive early in the morning and more or less have the water to yourself. There are numerous beaches to be found within half an hour of Castries, accessible by taxi or, as we preferred, local buses and water taxis.
The apartment itself was commodious enough for basic needs, and we managed to cook several nice meals in the little kitchen. We also spent many mornings and evenings on the porch dining, drinking, and watching the boats and ships come and go on the harbor. The view of the bay and Castries is spectacular. . . . All in all, an enjoyable and memorable stay, thanks in no small part to the kindness and thoughtfulness of the owners. We would definitely return!