Best Beaches in Soufriere | Ultimate Guide

One of the main attractions of St. Lucia is the amazing beaches that dot the west side of the island. And Soufriere is home to some legendary beaches with the world-famous Pitons in view. Plus the beautiful emerald water lines the beaches is one of the most majestic sights. In this guide, I am going to go over the best beaches in Soufriere. Additionally, the best snorkeling spots, how to get to each beach, and if there is a restaurant on site or nearby. So let’s dive into the best beaches in Soufriere.

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Sugar Beach (Jalousie):

Sugar Beach is the most beautiful beach in Saint Lucia, and home to the 5-Star resort by the same name. But they’ve also imported white sand, soooo… the beach is somewhat artificially propped up. But it doesn’t get much better than being sandwiched between the world-famous peaks on either side of the beachfront, Petit Piton & Gros Piton.

Sugar beach was once a sugar plantation in the 18th century. The resort is spread across more than one hundred acres of tropical forest.

All beaches are public in St. Lucia even if there is a big resort just a few feet away. So you are free to swim anywhere along the beach, but the resorts own the furniture that sits on the beachfront. Out of respect for the resort, choose somewhere to set up your beach spot away from their paying hotel guests.

If you really want to use the chairs, you could potentially ask how much they charge for day use. Or consider eating at the restaurant in exchange. Life in Saint Lucia isn’t very cut and dry, so you can almost always work out some deal with the locals and/or resort staff!

Snorkeling at Sugar Beach:

You can snorkel all along the beachfront of Sugar Beach, but along Petit Piton in the Anse Piton Marine Reserve is some of the best snorkeling on the island. It is roped off with buoys and you will most likely see many other snorkelers in this area.

Many tours stop here and let their guests snorkel for about 30 minutes – 1 hour. But if you’re patient and hanging at the beach for the day, there will be times between tours when you might have the reserve all to yourself. 

If you don’t go with a tour, you will need to bring your own snorkel or rent one. Most tours include a snorkel in their package price. Sugar Beach guests have access to free snorkel gear and other non-motorized water toys. 

You can often rent a snorkel from the local vendors. There are lots of local vendors sitting right along the Anse Piton Marine Reserve shoreline and I’m sure they would love to rent you a snorkel or point you toward a local who is renting them. Expect to pay $10+ to rent snorkel gear. If you plan to snorkel more than once on your vacation to St. Lucia, consider bringing your own snorkel. 

Be sure to stay in the roped-off section. Many boats take the corner near the end of Petit Piton rather close. Also, directly on the other side of the pier is where the boats park. So avoid snorkeling in this area.

How to get to Sugar Beach:

There are a few different ways to get to Sugar Beach. 

1. Stay At The Resort: The first option, is by staying at Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort. Expect to pay $600+ per night in off-season and $1000+ per night during peak-season.

2. Water Taxi: Probably the most common route is by water taxi. Water taxi’s run from most other nearby shores to bring you over here. The cost is around $50-60USD per person (roundtrip). So, if you choose this route, we suggest spending the day over here. Be sure to book your water taxi home with the driver to ensure you get back.

If you are staying in a hotel, resort, or Airbnb, they will most likely be able to help you get a water taxi booked. Or if you walk down by the Soufriere town center, really anywhere along the water’s edge, many of the locals can help you get a water taxi.

3. Driving: The most budget-friendly option is to drive to the beach if you are renting a car. But the resort doesn’t always allow you to drive directly down to the beach.

Because the road is owned and maintained by the resort, they can allow or turn anyone away from entering their resort. But there is a day-use lot that they sometimes let the public use. I would expect to pay a small fee to be let into the resort. It also probably depends on how busy the resort is or how full the lot currently is. You are more likely to be let into the lot during non-peak season. We’ve heard it’s hit or miss. 

But during peak season, you might be turned away from the public lot. Where you might have to park before the entrance and walk down to the beach. 

We don’t have personal experience with this route, but we also heard there is a nice guy up the hill that lets you park at his house. He charges around $20USD for day use. If this is the route you have to take, expect to walk 1 mile down to the beach, and back up a steep hill at the end of the day. 

So driving here does provide some uncertainty, but nonetheless, if you expect to walk a part of the way, then you will be close to one of the most beautiful beaches and some of the best snorkeling on the island. 

4. Taxi: Of course, another way to get to Sugar Beach is by Taxi. This way, you can get through the entrance booth and down to the beach. You can probably expect to pay $20+ each way.

5. Tour: There are many tours that bring you to Sugar Beach. Many of them are for snorkeling, but you can also find water tours that can bring you to different local beaches. And Sugar Beach is one of the nicest ones to visit.

If you are short on time, a boat tour is a great way to see all the best beaches in Soufriere. But personally, we loved having the whole day to spend here and just relax and take in the beautiful views on our own schedule.

Food & Drink At Sugar Beach:

There is also a restaurant on site that is open to the public, Jalousie Grill. The restaurant resembles the price of the resort and is quite expensive. But they do offer many different lobster dishes, which we didn’t find much of at the best restaurants in Soufriere. They also have a bar and offer beer, wine, and specialty cocktails.

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Anse Chastanet Beach:

A close second behind Sugar Beach for the best beaches near Soufriere is Anse Chastanet Beach. Also, a very luxurious resort sits on this beach. But as mentioned above, the beach is public, so you are allowed to use the area, but not the beach chairs or palapas. 

During non-peak season, you might be able to rent out the beach chairs and palapas for the day. There were many available when we visited. 

The only negative of this beach is the lack of view of the Pitons.

Snorkeling At Anse Chastanet:

Anse Chastanet Beach is another great place to snorkel in Saint Lucia. 

Again, you can snorkel all along the beachfront, but there is one main area that has the most marine life. Along the bluffs on the left, you will find a roped-off section and a platform where you can easily climb in and out of the water. 

This is another popular spot for tours to take large groups, so you can expect to be in the water with many other guests. But there will definitely be times that are quieter in between the tours. 

Be sure to stay within the roped section, as there is heavy boat traffic outside the ropes. There is also a very strong current around the cliff side and many of the boats cut that corner close. 

If you aren’t on a tour, there is a hut that rents out snorkel gear adjacent to the snorkel area.

Another popular spot to snorkel is at a jetty and pier which is located to the right of Anse Chastanet. It is about a 5 minute walk from the beach. There can be strong current here, so be careful and pay attention to your surroundings. 

It is suggested to have a flag or inflatable float if you are to snorkel outside roped-off sections. Boat often whip through shallow sections that aren’t roped off. We find that our orange dry bag filled with air makes a great makeshift buoy marker.

How To Get To Anse Chastanet Beach:

There are also a few different ways to get to Anse Chastanet.

1. Staying at the resort: Similarly to Sugar Beach, one of the best ways is to stay at Anse Chastanet Resort. Expect to pay $450+ per night during non-peak season and $900+ during peak season. Or their partner resort up the hill, Jade Mountain. Jade Mountain is a unique open-air concept resort with possibly the best views on the entire island!

2. Water Taxi: You can also get a water taxi here. It will cost you $50-$60USD per person. But it’s honestly nice to be dropped off right on the beach.

3. Drive to the beach: There is a free public parking lot near Anse Chastanet Resort. We were really only a few miles from the beach and chose to drive there. But the road is no joke! The road is paved, but VERY steep in sections and has many potholes, so be sure to take your time. There are a few blind corners, so be sure to honk your horn to let other drivers know you are coming. There are no special turns, the road just leads you down to the resort, where they will direct you to the public lot.

4. Taxi: Of course, another way to get to Sugar Beach is by Taxi. This way, you can get through the entrance booth and down to the beach. You can probably expect to pay $20+ each way.

5. Tour: There are many tours that bring you to Anse Chastanet Beach. Many of them are for snorkeling, but you can also find water tours that can bring you to different local beaches. And again this is one of the nicest ones to visit.

Food & Drink At Anse Chastanet Beach:

The Anse Chastanet Beach has a wide array of different restaurants on their resort. But the restaurant on the beach is Trou au Diable Restaurant. Which serves local cuisine, fish dishes, and light grub. They also have a bar.

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Anse Mamin Beach:

Anse Mamin Beach technically is in the same area as Anse Chastanet, but Anse Mamin feels even more remote and serene. And it has the best natural sand of any of the beaches on this guide. However, it requires an additional 20 minute walk from Anse Chastanet Beach. Which can be a hassle, but also helps keep it more quiet. Walk past the pier/jetty that separates the two beaches until you run into another beach that has beach chairs and palapas. There is a dirt service road that is easy to follow along the shoreline.

If you want your own “private beach”, continue walking toward the big rocks that sit in the water (see picture above for reference). Just on the other side of those rocks offers some privacy away from the main resort guests. 

Honestly, the walk from the public parking lot for Anse Chastanet was probably close to ½ mile, but it set us up for an awesome beach day. We brought our own picnic lunch and drinks so we didn’t have to pay premium prices. Or book a water taxi and they can drop you right at your destination!

Food & Drink At Anse Mamin Beach:

At Anse Mamin Beach, you will find the Jungle Grill which has beef, fish, chicken or vegan burgers with light appetizers. They also have a bar located on site. Oh, and there’s a bathroom.

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Paradise Beach:

About 10 minutes from downtown Soufriere you will find Paradise Beach. To the far left side of the beach, directly under Petit Piton is Paradise Hotel. This hotel is much smaller than Sugar Beach and Anse Chastanet.

The beach didn’t have the nicest beach frontage and was covered in seaweed. Plus the shoreline was pretty rocky and had broken seashells. But once in the water, it was the clear warm Caribbean water that everyone loves.

The beach is public and you are allowed to use the beach to the left, away from the hotel. Unless you are interested in using the hotel beach chairs. The cost for day use of the beach chairs & umbrellas is $15 per person. 

Snorkeling At Paradise Beach:

The best place for snorkeling at Paradise Beach is directly out from the hotel shore. They actually have a rock wall built up so there isn’t access to the beach directly in front. But right around the floating pier, there will be access to some great snorkeling. 

There were also many scuba divers near this area. But, like most beaches, you can snorkel anywhere along the shoreline. But be careful of boat traffic around this area. Best to have a flag or buoy to alert boaters.

Few snorkel tours come here, so you might enjoy more peace and solitude here away from the crowds. 

How To Get To Paradise Beach:

1. Staying at Paradise Hotel: The easiest way to have access to this beach is by staying on site. This resort is set up a bit differently than your typical resort. There are a total of ten bedrooms throughout the cottages, one cottage has four rooms, another has three, another has a double bedroom, and lastly, there is one intimate cottage with a single bedroom.

2. Water Taxi: Similarly to above, you can get to Paradise Beach by water taxi.

3. Driving: It was a bit confusing on how to get here, because there is no sign. But at the bottom of a steep hill, your turn right you have to pass through a gate that says ‘Private Property/ Authorized Personnel only‘. No one was in the hut when we arrived, so we turned around to see if there might be a different entrance. 

Quickly, we ran into a local on the road who gave us confidence that indeed that was the entrance to get down to the beach. So we proceeded with caution. Luckily when we arrived near the beach we were greeted by a staff member that helped us park our car in the public lot.  

4. Taxi: You can also get here by regular taxi. They will drop you off just feet from the beach. 

Food & Drink At Paradise Beach:

There is a restaurant at Paradise Hotel, but not much information about it online. We sadly did not visit this restaurant, but after reading reviews it seems like most people are very satisfied with the price, quality, and service here. 

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Soufriere Beach Park:

Soufriere Beach Park was probably one of our least favorite beaches in Soufriere, which is a shame since we were staying about a minute walk from this beach. And really the views from this beach are spectacular! But the biggest negative is that there was lots of broken glass and trash on the beach. And there are a lot of locals around pestering you to buy goods or services, which made it hard to relax and enjoy.

One of the main resorts that sits on this shoreline (The Hummingbird) was closed due to covid. So maybe maintenance of the beach has gone downhill since covid? But still, it can still be a nice, easy and free way to enjoy a beach day in Soufriere. The beach has black sand and an amazing view of Petit Piton. As well as a beautiful lush bluff on the right side. 

Snorkeling At Soufriere Beach Park: 

Snorkeling is not very popular here. You are welcome to snorkel along the shore, but also be careful of boat traffic around this area. But there isn’t much reef to see around this area. But along the bluffs on the right side is likely the best snorkeling.

Food & Drink At Soufriere Beach Park:

There is the Seashell Restaurant and Big Red Maximum Chill bordering the shore if you are looking for a drink or a good bite to eat. Both offer local cuisine at a standard price. 

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Beach Day Essentials For the best beaches in Soufriere:

• Beach Towel
• Beach Bag
• Reef-Safe Sunscreen
• Collapsible Cooler 
• Insulated Water Bottle
• Snacks or picnic lunch
• Waterproof Phone Case
• Go Pro
• Snorkel
• Waterproof Bag for valuables
• Waterproof Speaker or Headphones (We personally love our waterproof JBL Charge 3 Speaker)
• Kindle/Book
• Insulated Koozie

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Takeaway | Best beaches Near Soufriere

Soufriere truly has some amazing beaches and some awesome snorkeling opportunities. And really the view of the Pitons will simply never get old. Especially when you get to also stare out at the beautiful emerald water that lines the shores. Many of the beaches also have restaurants, so you can simply spend the whole day here.

Also, be sure to check out some of the best hikes in St. Lucia as well! En Bas Saut Waterfall was our favorite for getting more remote on the island.

We hope this guide provides everything you need to know about the best beaches in Soufriere. Be sure to check out some of the other best attraction in Soufriere to add to your bucket list.

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