I think you should definitely consider going to St Lucia. It's a really beautiful island with very friendly locals. We're of an age when we prefer to have a nightcap looking out over the Caribbean rather than going out to late night bars - but in St Lucia music is all around you and you can't help but feel the rhythm wherever you are!

You should probably look at staying in the north of the island, where there's lots of nightlife around Castries and Rodney Bay. Castries is the capital and it's probably not recommended to be out on your own very late in quiet areas, but Rodney Bay is buzzing and safer. If you find a bar frequented by locals I'm sure they would be very welcoming.

To give you an idea of what's available have a look at this page from the St Lucia Tourist Board's website http://www.stlucia.org/activity/nightlife.asp.

We have been to Jamaica 4 times (Negril 2 times and Montego Bay 2 times). We have been to St. Lucia one time.

We love Jamiaca a lot. It is the atmosphere that we enjoy and the beautiful beaches in Negril. However, we don't venture out too much. We wouldn't go off shopping without a tour.

St. Lucia is a beautiful island! We enjoyed our trips out exploring the island and felt safer when we were out and about. We stayed near the Casteries. However, the beaches are not as pretty and there was less atmosphere on the resort.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses.

I'm really quite torn, maybe i'll go on two holidays (wishful thinking)

Not been to St Lucia, but have been to Jamaica 3 times now and absolutely love it. Jamaica is great to walk out of resort as long as you use common sense. We do it all the time and have never had any problems. Don't wear expensive jewellery, don't "flash the cash", stick to the main streets/tourist areas. As anywhere in the world, you will always get some "bad pennies", but by sticking to the tourist areas you should be fine. You will more than likely get the following when walking out:-
Asked if you want a taxi/hair braided/come and see my shop etc., Asked if you want some ganja (or more politely, if you have any "bad habits" or "want to party" ). If someone asks if you want them to show you e.g. where the shopping area is, beware as they will ask for a tip for being your "guide".
Having said that, you will get all this in just about any Caribbean country so there's not much difference between them all. It's not constant hassle, but you will get some.
As this would be your first visit, it could feel quite intimidating, but just remember that this is their culture and at the end of the day they are just trying to feed their families. Just go there expecting this to happen and say no politely with a smile and they will leave you alone. The other option is to actually chat to them, they really are very friendly people and love talking to tourists. If you get them on to the subject of Premiership football, you have a friend for life It would be a massive shame to go there and stay in resort all the time. There are so many wonderful people and things to experience but go with an open mind and with the knowledge that you will get hassled at times, and you will love it.

One thing which I cannot stress enough is that the sun in the Caribbean is far, far stronger than the sun in Europe and will seriously fry you if you are not careful. So cream up or cover up ALL the time. I know it sounds like common sense but I see so many people who get absolutely fried and then they say that they go to Spain etc. every year and "are used to the sun". They learn the hard way that they aren't used to the sun at all

Keith