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Vieux Fort
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Jammed with traffic,
VIEUX FORT
is St Lucia's second largest town and its most southerly settlement, a busy commercial centre and the base for businesses which service sprawling
Hewanorra International Airport
, just north of downtown. Both the town and the airport lie on a relatively flat plain that slopes gently toward the north and the south-central mountains, and as the southern tip of St Lucia comes to a point around Vieux Fort, the runway stretches - literally - from the east to the west coast of the island.
Just south of Vieux Fort - in fact, it's St Lucia's most southerly point - lies
Cape Moule A Chique Lighthouse
, reached by bearing left onto New Dock Road at the town roundabout and then left again into the hills, and one of the finest viewpoints on the island. The
Anse de Sables beach
stretches some 2km from the foot of the cliffs here to Pointe Sable, and is the only place to swim near Vieux Fort. A favoured spot for windsurfers thanks to mild surf and the presence of the Club Mistral (Nov-June 8.30am-5pm;
) at its southern end, the expansive seashore is usually windy, with virtually no trees for shade; nor are there toilet facilities except for those at the oceanside bars and restaurants. Also at the south end of the beach is the
Maria Islands Interpretive Centre
(Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; tel 758/454-5014), a small natural history centre as well as the place to arrange a trip to the Maria Islands, which lie about half a mile offshore. The one-room
museum
provides an interesting insight into local ecosystems and history, with displays on Amerindian culture (including skeletal remains and a skull found in the area), as well as on mangroves and marine life. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Saint Lucia,
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