Rodney Bay Travel Guide (Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia)

Named RODNEY BAY after eighteenth-century British commander George Brydges Rodney, the current incarnation of this former American army base is a compact but fully fledged tourist resort, sandwiched between the glorious if overcrowded Reduit Beach and the shops and yachting facilities of Rodney Bay Marina. The mangrove swamp that once separated the villages of Rodney Bay and Gros Islet has been replaced by a man-made harbour channel, which opens out into a deep-water lagoon dotted with bobbing yachts. From the Castries-Gros Islet Highway, the main road into town (look for the sign to Rodney Bay) is on the left side, just before JQ's shopping mall, thwe harbour and marina.

The settlement itself is quite small, and most of the activity is split between the beach and the Rodney Bay Marina . The marina is considered by many to be among the finest in the Caribbean, with plenty of slips and full services for boaters as well as a few somewhat grotty and unappealing restaurants, banks and gift-shops. The complex is also a good spot for booking watersports : numerous operators are based here, and activities range from scuba diving, deep-sea fishing and pleasure boat cruises, to windboard, sailboat, car and motor-craft rentals. At the south end of the marina, just after you turn into Rodney Bay from the highway, you can hop on the rather touristy ferry to Pigeon Island (tel 758/452-8816; US$10).

Behind the marina lies the original reason for Rodney Bay's growth into a tourism epicentre: the inviting, easily accessible Reduit Beach , around 1km long and among the prettiest on the island, with a wide swath of fine white sand, a generally calm surf, and views of Pigeon Island to the north and the coastal hills to the south. Don't be fooled into thinking you've found a Caribbean haven though: the beach is generally packed with the well-oiled bodies of the area's visiting sun-worshippers and is not exactly a secluded hideaway. Unsurprisingly, it's also lined with places to stay, many of them large-scale but low-lying concrete blocks sitting directly, and intrusively, on the beach, and their proximity adds to the general crowded feel. The beach hotels provide chairs and umbrellas for their guests, and many will rent them out to visitors staying elsewhere for a daily rate of around US$10.