From St. Lucia to Dominica: The Perfect Caribbean Island Hopping Route

My name is Mishana Sturdivant and I own Tad Bit Rad Travels. The purpose of this blog is to share tips, tricks, and recommendations to empower my readers to travel efficiently and unapologetically. This is a guide to efficiently island hop across the Eastern Caribbean. I cover what to expect, where to stay and what to do. Enjoy!

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Why visit one country when you can visit 3? The next time you plan to visit Saint Lucia, consider adding nearby islands to your itinerary. Island hopping across the Caribbean is a lot easier than you may think. I enjoyed my 30th birthday island hopping from Saint Lucia to Martinique and ending in Dominica. Each island offered different culture, food, and experiences. I would recommend this experience to everyone willing to take on the adventure.

What to Expect while Island Hopping

The best way to island hop in the eastern Caribbean is by the L’Express Des Iles ferry. The ferry connects St Lucia, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Dominica. We grabbed our tickets in advance online at Directferries.com. It was a pretty simple process but please be advised that the sailings are limited. Routes may be offered 1-2 times a day and only on certain days, so I highly recommend purchasing ferry passes early. When you arrive at each ferry station, you must stand in line to check in for a physical ticket. The attendants will ask for your passport, and fees and will offer to check your luggage. After checking in, you will go through security similar to TSA security checkpoints.  I highly recommend getting to the ferry terminal early, because the lines can be long. After checking in and breezing through security, expect to wait in the waiting area before being instructed to board.

If you get on the ferry station in St Lucia, you will be the first to board and will have plenty of seats to choose from. If you board the ferry in Martinique or Guadeloupe, the ferry will be fuller because seats fill up fast. The ferry has two levels, and the top level doesn’t have air conditioning. The seats are unassigned. This was the most stressful part but it’s part of the experience. I recommend bringing snacks while traveling by ferry. There are concessions on board but the lines are long. You can travel with food and beverages.

Once you land at your destination, you will go through immigration and customs and then pick up your luggage. Immigration and customs lines can be long, but again, you’ll have similar experiences at the airport. I highly recommend booking your ferry transfer to/from your accommodations in advance. It helps make a busy travel day a little less stressful.

Exploring the beach at Saint Luce, Martinique

Recommended Island Hopping Itinerary

Saint Lucia

I recommend you fly into Saint Lucia. Flying to Saint Lucia from the East Coast was the most affordable for me and my travel group. The beautiful beaches, luscious greenery, and friendly locals make Saint Lucia the ultimate beginning of any island-hopping adventure. It sets the tone. There are a few areas that you can stay in including Castries, the main town, Rodney Bay, where the nightlife is, and even Sugar Beach/Soufriere, where all the luxury resorts are with a stunning view of the Pitons. We stayed in Marigot Bay, at Oasis Marigot, an exclusive bay only accessible by boat, for three days. If you fly in on a Thursday, you can spend the first day getting settled and then the next day, you can party with the locals at the Fish Fry Festival that happens every Friday.

Popular excursions in Saint Lucia include a private charter exploring the island by boat, visiting the volcano to see the waterfalls and the sulfur springs mud bath, and wandering around Soufriere.

Sugar Beach in Saint Lucia

Martinique

After spending a few days in Saint Lucia, visit Martinique. Martinique is vastly different from Saint Lucia. Martinique is not built on tourism. Martinique is sort of like a mini-France. It’s a getaway popular with the French. Walking around Fort-de-France (downtown Martinique) felt like walking around Marseille from the looks of the plaza near the marina, the shops, and the restaurants. Almost everything seemed familiar, except the locals were Caribbeans who spoke French. We stayed in Saint-Luce off the coast. This area is known for its lobster. We enjoyed fresh lobster every night.

Martinique is not built on tourism, they are just an extension of France in the Caribbean. Locals speak French, and English-speaking visitors are not as common. There are not many luxury hotels but apartment-style hotels that are optimized for long-term stays. Visitors rent rental cars and buy their groceries. As a visitor, it was difficult to book affordable taxis and find restaurants that offered food delivery or late meals.

Popular activities in Martinique include hiking, climbing waterfalls, enjoying the many beaches, touring the North and South parts of the island, and rum tasting at the many distilleries.

Rum tasting at Rhum Depaz

Dominica

The best way to end island hopping from St Lucia and Martinique is in Dominica. I adored Dominica and wish I had more time on this lovely island. Dominica is the perfect destination for adventure and wellness. There are opportunities to dive, hike, and explore the hot springs. There are also luxury resorts that offer spa and wellness retreats. We stayed at The Jungle Bay Resort in Soufriere. Island hopping and crossing county borders does take a lot of energy out of you. By the end of your adventure, you will most likely be drained. The Jungle Bay Resort staff picked us up at the ferry terminal, handled our luggage to our rooms as we checked in and we immediately changed into our swimsuits to grab lunch poolside. The resort offered all-inclusive dining, off-site excursions, transportation to/from the city center, a spa, and wellness classes. We didn’t have to plan anything. We just enjoyed our last few days in the eastern Caribbean.

The luscious greenery of Dominica, this view is from walking around the Jungle Bay Resort

Honorable Mention: Guadeloupe

St Lucia, Martinique, and Dominica were the islands that I visited but you can also switch to Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe is a French island that felt more Caribbean than French in comparison to Martinique.  I visited Guadeloupe on a separate trip. Guadeloupe has several hotels where you can stay and some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen in the Caribbean. There’s not much to do except island tours, exploring the beaches, hiking, and visiting the other islands such as Les Saintes and Marie Galante. However, Guadeloupe is the perfect island for a remote and relaxing vacation.