Where to drink in St Lucia, from swish bars to street parties
These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Note that our writer visited pre-pandemic.
If you want a lively night out, head for Rodney Bay Village, where at a dozen or so bars and clubs you can knock back bottles of the local Piton beer, hang out with locals, try your hand at karaoke and dance the night away. Elsewhere on the island, life after dark is much lower key. For the full experience though, be sure to join in at one of the street parties where giant speakers belt out Caribbean music.
Gros Islet Jump Up
Every Friday night, the fishing village of Gros Islet lays on a good street party. Stalls sell barbecued fish and chicken, whelks and crabmeat, potent rum brews, and bottles of Piton beer chilled in giant coolers. You eat off plastic plates at communal tables, giant loudspeakers belt out Caribbean beats, and crowds gather to watch local exhibitionists strut their stuff. Though you should watch your belongings and unaccompanied women may get more attention than they wish, the atmosphere is generally good natured and fun.
Address: Gros Islet, north of Rodney Bay Village
Contact: @fridaynightstreetparty
Prices: ￡
Opening times: Every Friday from around 8pm until late
Coconutz
Coconutz has an inauspicious setting, set behind a car park at one end of Rodney Bay Village's main bar/restaurant drag. But it's the most reliably lively nighttime venue in the resort. The open-air set-up is very casual, with pink pool tables one end, a self-service cantina offering burgers and tacos at the other end, and screens showing sport in the bar area. All that, and inexpensive drinks, attract a happy mix of locals and tourists. Most nights things get busy from around 10pm, when the music ramps up.
Contact: @coconutzslu; 00 1 758 723 0751
Prices: ￡
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Anse La Raye Seafood Friday
This "fish fry" is an alternative Friday night street party to Gros Islet's. Locals cook fish, lobster, crab cakes, conch, shrimp and octopus stew at booths along the waterfront street, and you dine at communal tables. Though there's loud music and drinking, it's less intense and more family-friendly than Gros Islet's weekly knees-up, with more focus on the food. You can eat very well for under ￡10.
Address: Anse La Raye, south of Marigot Bay
Contact: @AnseLaRayeSeafoodFriday
Prices: ￡
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The Cane Bar
An ice-cool, ice-white rum bar at Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort. Unusual rum-based cocktails such as Lava Flow (rum, strawberry nectar, orange juice, mint leaves) compete for your attention with fierce air-conditioning and striking photos and modern art. A rummelier can guide you through the choices, you can feast on superior sushi and sashimi, and have a game of snooker at the full-size table.
Contact: 00 1 758 456 8000; viceroyhotelsandresorts.com
Prices: ￡￡￡
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Treasure Bay Casino
St Lucia's first, and so far only, casino, is located upstairs in the Baywalk Mall in Rodney Bay Village. You can bet on the slot machines and roulette, blackjack and poker tables. It's all very casual, and fun if you're in the mood, and on busy evenings there's a real buzz to the place. There's no dress code, and no passport or ID needed.
Contact: 00 1 758 459 2901; treasurebaystlucia.com
Prices: Free entry; minimum bet US$1 (75p) for roulette, US$5 (￡4) for blackjack