For those of you looking for a great photo opportunity, this is it.  Marigot Bay is one of the most picturesque little harbors in the Caribbean. The stand of coconut trees that line the sand spit guarding the harbor entrance provides that perfect tropical backdrop, especially in the early morning while the water is still flat.  A few snapshots of this while you take in your first coffee of the day, and your friends back home will be really upset.

The surrounding hills provide another great opportunity to capture the harbor on film, with the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea in the background.  You may have seen this before on postcards or travel brochures, as it is a popular photo stop for the many island tours.

Getting There

Marigot Bay is a two-hour sail from Rodney Bay, or a one-hour sail from Soufrière/Pitons.  Tucked away at the back of an inlet that twists slightly and is surrounded by steep hills, you have to be alert to find it.  There is a house with a red roof perched on the south hill guarding the harbor entrance that will help you be sure you have the right inlet.

Simply head right down the middle of the inlet, taking care to watch for the green marker on your left.  Once you have passed the sand spit, pick a spot and drop the hook.   There is an expensive underwater electrical cable that crosses the harbor near the sand spit, so be sure not to anchor near it.  Foul this and you will find the locals not quite as friendly as you hoped.

Believe it or not, there is a small passenger ferry that crosses the harbor entrance at its narrowest part, about 100 feet!  It makes 7,452 of the 18-second crossings a day.  Keep an eye on this vessel.  I have witnessed total pandemonium at certain times of the day when several impatient cruisers are trying to enter the narrow inlet at the same time somebody is leaving, while yet another has decided to demonstrate his lack of anchoring skills right in the middle of it all.  Then, add the ferry to the mix and you have a scene similar to a mark rounding at a Tuesday night Club Race, complete with all the yelling.

This is a tight harbor so don’t be alarmed by the close proximity of your neighbors.  Because there is little wind in here, the boats swing around at crazy angles, and you may find yourself temporarily alongside some new friends.  Hopefully their liquor cabinet is bigger than yours and they invite you aboard for a drink. 

You could optionally rent a slip at the Moorings Base here if you have had enough of your dinghy.  The Moorings have diesel, water, ice, and light provisions if you require a top-up of these essentials.  There is a Customs Office right beside the ferry dock, for you high-flying international travelers.  You can simultaneously clear in and out if you promise to leave St. Lucia within 48 hours.

Protection

Protection is the name of the game here.  This harbor extends well back into the surrounding hills and during a hurricane, there is no better place to be.  You are protected from wind and waves by the surrounding hills, and mangroves line the harbor as an added bonus.

The locals have failed in their quest to encourage water to circulate through the harbor.  It has become quite murky.  Do not go swimming anywhere inside the sand spit unless you have your dermatologist on board. 

There is absolutely no air flowing through here.  The mangrove swamp and lack of breeze make it an ideal home for mosquitoes, so come prepared.  The lack of airflow is counterproductive towards a good night’s sleep, unless you have checked and made sure all the cabin fans work.

As always, you pay a price for protection.

Main Street 

At 100 feet in length, Main Street Marigot Bay is in the record books as one of the shortest in the Caribbean.  So, for an inch-by-inch description, here we go.  It begins at the waterfront with the Ferry Dock, which is large enough to double as a dinghy dock, provided you have mastered the art of squeezing 6 or more dinghies into one available spot.

The Moorings base is to your immediate left, and has a chandlery, small grocery store, showers, and a gas dock.  Customs is in a charming old building, 15 feet away to your right, and shares the structure with the local Police.   There is a garbage disposal on the right, just beyond the Police Station where you will be met by one of the friendliest locals on the island.  A chat with this fellow is worth the $1 EC it costs to dispose of a bag of garbage.

At the 50-foot line, you will encounter a few makeshift “boutiques”, featuring T-shirts, jewelry, coconut art, and grass hats made by locals.  Keep going until you reach Chateau Mygo on your right.  Be sure to head in for a beverage after this strenuous tour, just because you can.

That’s it, the grand tour.

If you do elect to continue, expect to climb a steep hill for about 15 minutes.  At the top of the hill is one of the finest lookout points for the harbor, as described at the beginning of this section.

Doolittles

The coconut-lined sand spit that you observed when you arrived is a great place to spend an afternoon.  Given your lack of swimming opportunities, this is as good as it gets, although the water is at least clean.  A rope hanging over the water from a coconut tree provides a great opportunity to relive younger years.  Alternatively, you could tie a hammock to a couple of trees and just relax with a cooler full of cold ones and watch the afternoon pass slowly by.

The beach is part of Marigot Beach Club, and becomes home to an entire Legion of local vendors, aggressively hustling everything from T-Shirts to jewelry.  While aggressive, they are not hostile and will take a polite “no” for an answer, especially if it is accompanied by a friendly smile.  There are just a lot of them.

There are also too many young kids running around this area.  Keep an eye on your personal possessions and dinghy or else things will disappear.  I had a dinghy anchor lifted from right under my nose on my last visit.  (Interestingly, we put the “word” out later that evening, and the anchor was somehow “found” by the locals several weeks later.  I have learned that it is sitting behind the bar at Chateau Mygo, awaiting my return.).

Parts of the original Dr. Doolittle movie (not the Eddie Murphy remake) were filmed here many years ago.  This is why the whole area is known as “Doolittles”.  Having recently seen the film, as near as I can tell they set up a camera near the Police Station and used the sand-spit as a background for a few scenes in the final 15 minutes.  Missing from the film of course was the Legion of vendors that is a permanent landmark today.

The Marigot Beach Club is a charming little place, with cottages tucked away in the dense foliage of the surrounding hills.  They have a great little bar right on the water, important information to know in case the hot sun gets the better of you.

Chateau Mygo

Happy Hour at Chateau Mygo should be permanently marked on everybody’s calendar.  This charming little place has a bar that seems to attract entertaining yachties and locals alike, the atmosphere somehow inspires truth reconstruction and fact re-engineering (English translation: bullshitting).  There you will encounter regular locals such as Benny Prince, charter skipper with Moorings, Victor Paul, Chief of Police, and many many others.  These folks are the friendliest you will find, and to me, a trip to Marigot Bay is a trip to Chateau Mygo for Happy Hour. 

The only downside with Happy Hour here is that I am not in favor of restricting my happiness to just one hour.  A recent trip to Chateau Mygo solved that problem when one of the Suspects removed the battery from the wall clock, extending Happy Hour a full 45 minutes before it was discovered.  That clock is now on the wall behind the bar.  Next time you’re in, ask them about it.

Stay for dinner, the food is outstanding.  The chef is a young fellow who I have met several times (but cannot remember his name just now), and is a real delight to chat with.  He specializes in Caribbean Indian cuisine, although he routinely combines influences from other parts of the world.  The result is something totally new, and quite delicious.

If you are looking for a great breakfast, ask for their breakfast Roti.  It’s an interesting creation that combines standard Roti and breakfast ingredients, and is incredibly delicious.

JJ's Paradise

At the far end of the Bay, you will find a dock with a boardwalk through the mangroves leading to JJ’s Paradise.  Recently moved from the top of the hill, this establishment has a splash pool right beside the bar, in case you somehow overheat.  This place sometimes gets quite busy, especially nights when the steel band is playing.

The food is simply excellent.  Herbert is the Chef, is well traveled, and does a fine job of combining other cultural influences with his local creations.  He is a delight to chat with, as he can sometimes be found at the bar enjoying the afternoon sun.  He has many new culinary ideas, and with a little persuasion, you might be able to talk him into trying some of them out on your palate.

 

JJ is King here.  He has a gold chain with extremely large letters "JJ" hanging across his chest, so there's no mistaking him.  It is customary to stop in and say hello.

The staff here have the perfect Caribbean “parrot” shirt, generally unavailable in most parts of the world.  Not any more - you can find this and a host of other unique designs at the Boutique beside the bar.  On the most recent trip, the Suspects all wore their recently-purchased “staff” shirts out to dinner.    Unfortunately, too many of the clientele wanted us to take their order or fetch them something.  JJ personally assured us that we would need to spend at least a year “behind the scenes” washing dishes before we would be allowed out front. 

Island Tour

A tour of the island is a must (see Overland Tour section), and there is no better place to start than Marigot Bay.  You will experience some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the entire Caribbean.  The tour requires at least a half day, and takes you through banana plantations, fishing villages, steep winding mountain roads, breathtaking views, a volcano, and The Pitons.  I personally recommend the services of Kieran Sonny, who can be reached at JJ’s.  Negotiate a price with him up front, and he will do the rest.