ST LUCIA: Fun in the sun for all the family

Jan 12 2008 by Ginny Warner, Liverpool Daily Post

Ginny Warner enjoys a break with her family on a paradise Caribbean island

WHIZZING through the treetops, 100ft above ground, wasn't quite how I'd expected to experience the lush beauty of St Lucia's rainforest.

"Come on, Mum," said James, 16, as I stood on the zip-line platform with my knees knocking. "You can do it."

Several members of our party, including a couple of American women of "a certain age", who were "trying new experiences", had already taken off, whooping as they went, and my son, behind me, was keen to get going.

I couldn't chicken out now. I stood nervously while the guides clipped my harness on to the twin cables, took up the sitting position as instructed... and stepped off, trying not to think about the huge drop below me.

There was a whoosh of air, a whizz of the zip-line, and I landed on the next platform within seconds, having not taken in any of my surroundings!

Having got one under my belt, I started to get the hang of it and enjoy it a bit more, although I still didn't see an awful lot of wildlife. I suspect most of it had been scared off by all the foreigners hurtling through the trees.

James and his new friend, Adam, 14, however, loved it and wanted to do it all again, even if their outfits of hairnets, hard hats and gardening gloves weren't the coolest of teenage gear.

During the 30-minute journey to the Rainforest Canopy Adventure, our driver Neville had pointed out and stopped to show us - breadfruit and starfruit trees, mahogany, nutmeg and cinnamon trees, bamboo, and of course bananas, the island's second biggest industry after tourism.

We also saw a flamboyant tree of magnificent red blooms and very long seed pods which local people dry out and use as percussion instruments.

I'm relieved to say the second sightseeing trip we organised to the island's former French capital, Soufriere, didn't involve re-enacting a Bushtucker Trial from I'm A Celebrity.

Our driver this time, Edmund, was a fascinating guide and happy to stop for us to take photos of places of interest en route, including fishing villages, Laborie and Choiseul, and St Lucia's famous twin mountains, the Pitons, which are a World Heritage Site and said to be Oprah Winfrey's number one place to see.

First we went to the Sulphur Springs, "the world's only drive-in volcano".

Part way in we joined informative local expert Christina for a close-up look on foot, and to "enjoy" the delicate eggy aroma.

Visitors can see pools of boiling mineral-rich mud, which is said to have health-giving properties, and clouds of steam shooting 50ft in the air.

One crater is named after a guide called Gabriel, who was badly burned when the volcanic crust crumbled as he tried to get a closer look. He lived to tell the tale but would have preferred a less painful route to fame.

Edmund then took us to the Toraille waterfall for a refreshing dip before driving to the nearby Botanical Gardens and the Diamond Falls.

The magnificent gardens are very peaceful, and teem with wildlife such as lizards and birds, including the Antillean bullfinch and iridescent hummingbirds. For a small extra charge you can take a spa bath.

We ended our trip in Soufriere itself, whose impressive waterfront area was the setting for the film Romancing The Stone.

In between trips we were happy to relax at our hotel, Coconut Bay Resort & Spa. My teenagers spent hours in the pool, playing games such as volleyball with their new friends, or splashing about on the waterpark slides and in the "lazy river".

They also worked their way through the menu of non-alcoholic cocktails at the swim-up bar and sampled the burgers from the beachside grill.

I relished the escape of the adults-only pool, where I could soak up the sun and read my book with only the sound of birds singing and the Atlantic waves breaking on the beach as background - rather than the music and happy holiday noises around the family pools. The Atlantic breeze was very welcome with the temperature in the mid-80s and high humidity.

One of the highlights of the holiday for my 14-year-old daughter, Lizzie, was being pampered at the hotel's spa.