Rodney Bay

Rodney Bay is where most of Saint Lucia's tourism sits: a sheltered west-coast bay with Reduit Beach along it, a marina cut into the lagoon behind, hotels, restaurants and the island's nightlife. The marina is the finishing line of the ARC rally, which brings a few hundred yachts across the Atlantic from the Canaries each year, and the arrivals in December are worth being there for. Pigeon Island is at the northern end of the bay.

History

The bay is named after Admiral George Brydges Rodney, who built his fort on Pigeon Island, a 44-acre island at its northern end that was artificially joined to the mainland in 1972 and declared a national landmark in 1992 (Wikipedia, Rodney Bay).

The landscape

• Reduit Beach - the long sheltered strand along the bay.
• The marina arrivals - the ARC yachts coming in from the Atlantic in December.
• The lagoon - the cut marina behind the beach.
• Pigeon Island - at the northern end, joined by a causeway.

When to go

December to April is the dry high season. The ARC yachts arrive through December, and the welcome for each boat on the dock is genuinely worth watching. Gros Islet's Friday street party is next door.

Before you go

It is the developed part of the island and looks it, with hotel and apartment building along the beach and a commercial strip behind. Reduit Beach is busy and worked hard by vendors and watersports touts. Prices are the highest on the island. It is convenient rather than beautiful.

Nearby

Pigeon Island is at the northern end; Gros Islet is alongside.

Key facts