Marigot Bay, St. Lucia: The Hurricane Hole With the Palms
A deep inlet hidden behind a sandspit, and the prettiest anchorage on the island.
Why Go
Marigot Bay is a narrow, deep-water inlet on St. Lucia's west coast, screened from the sea by a low spit of palms, and it is so completely enclosed that the British navy is said to have hidden a fleet in it by lashing branches to the masts. Whether or not that is literally true, the shape of the place makes it plausible: from outside you would not know the bay was there. It is now a marina and a small resort village, and it is the most photographed stretch of water in the country after the Pitons.
The Experience
The bay is small enough to see across and steep-sided, with green hills dropping straight into it and yachts moored in the middle. A little ferry crosses from one shore to the other because driving round takes far longer than floating over, which sets the pace of the place nicely. The northern shore holds the marina and most of the restaurants; the southern side is quieter, with the sandspit and its palms closing off the mouth. It is small — you can walk the developed part in fifteen minutes — and it is genuinely lovely rather than merely convenient, which is not something you can say about many marinas. The trade-off is that it is a single bay with a single road in, and there is very little to do beyond eating, swimming and getting on a boat. The bay also explains something about how St. Lucia is shaped: the west coast is a series of these steep-sided inlets, and the road linking them climbs and drops between each one, which is why journeys here take far longer than the distances suggest.
What to Try
Eat around the water: Château Mygo is the long-standing one and does the local cooking properly, Doolittle's sits across the bay and is reached by the ferry, House of Seafood and Twou Lapen cover the range, and Roots 2 and Vee's Bar & Grill are the informal end. TzZz Bar & Bites handles the drink. Take the ferry across at least once — it costs very little, runs constantly, and is the correct way to move around here. On the water, Bateau Mygo Sail Saint Lucia runs the day sails, Dive Fair Helen the diving, and Seas The Time Water Taxi the coastal transfers, including south toward the Pitons, which is a far better journey than the road. Inland, St. Lucia Distillers is the island's rum producer and runs tours, and Addventure ATV and Nature's Paradise cover the land.
Insider Tip
Take a water taxi south rather than driving. Marigot Bay sits roughly halfway down the west coast, and the boat run from here to Soufrière and the Pitons takes a fraction of the time the mountain road does, costs less than a private transfer, and gives you the approach to the Pitons from the sea. If you are staying anywhere in the north, this is also the natural lunch stop on any day heading south, and the ferry across the bay is the cheapest fun available.
The Practical Stuff
Marigot Bay is about twenty minutes south of Castries, thirty from Rodney Bay, and roughly an hour and a quarter from Hewanorra International at Vieux Fort. The road in drops steeply down to the bay and dead-ends there. Driving is on the LEFT and a temporary local permit is required. Parking is limited around the marina and easier on the upper road. The bay is walkable once you are in it, and the small ferry connects the two shores throughout the day. It is a well-protected hurricane refuge, which is why boats gather here in season, and it is busiest at lunchtime when day-trippers arrive from the north. St. Lucia is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November.
Common Questions
Why is Marigot Bay famous?
For its shape — a deep inlet almost completely hidden behind a palm-covered sandspit, historically used as a hurricane refuge and a hiding place for ships. It is widely considered the prettiest anchorage in St. Lucia.
How do you cross Marigot Bay?
By a small ferry that runs continuously between the two shores. Driving around takes considerably longer, and the crossing costs very little — it is the normal way to get between the sides.
Is Marigot Bay worth staying in?
If you want somewhere small, sheltered and genuinely beautiful with good food and boats on the doorstep, yes. It is one bay with one road in, so there is little to walk to beyond the restaurants.
How far is Marigot Bay from the airport?
About an hour and a quarter from Hewanorra International at Vieux Fort, where long-haul flights land. Castries is twenty minutes north and Rodney Bay about thirty.
Can you get to the Pitons from Marigot Bay?
Yes, and by water taxi rather than road is the better way — it is quicker than the mountain drive, costs less than a private transfer, and gives you the Pitons from the sea.
Is there a beach at Marigot Bay?
A small one on the sandspit across the water, reached by the ferry. It is a sheltered swim rather than a beach day; Reduit Beach in the north and the Soufrière beaches are the proper ones.
Pair It With
- Château Mygo — Lunch on the water, with the yachts in front of you.
- Seas The Time Water Taxi & Tours — The coastal run south to the Pitons.
- St. Lucia Distillers Ltd — The island's rum, a short drive inland.
