Office Address
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Phone Number
+1 7584602257
Email Address
info@tripcarib.com
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
+1 7584602257
info@tripcarib.com
How far is Secrets St Lucia from the airport depends entirely on which airport you land at. From Hewanorra (UVF), where almost all international flights arrive, it is roughly 36 miles and about 80 minutes by road. From George F. L. Charles (SLU), the small airport near Castries, it is about 3 miles and roughly 10 minutes. The resort sits at Choc Bay on the Gros Islet Highway, between Castries and Rodney Bay.
The mileage is the part booking sites tell you. The 80 minutes is the part that actually shapes your arrival day, and it catches people out because 36 miles sounds like a 40 minute drive anywhere else.
St Lucia has no highway. The road from Hewanorra runs up the west coast through mountains, villages and long stretches of bend after bend, and you rarely spend much time above 40 km per hour.
It is a genuinely beautiful drive, and plenty of our guests say it was their first favourite memory of the island. But it is real driving time, and planning around 40 minutes because the map says 36 miles is how people end up arriving hungry, flustered and after the restaurant has closed.
Our drive times guide has the same figure for every resort area if you are comparing options.
Secrets sits about ten minutes from SLU, the small airport at Castries.
If your routing gives you the option of connecting through another Caribbean island into SLU rather than flying direct into UVF, you turn an 80 minute drive into a ten minute one.
That is not automatically the right call. A smooth direct flight into UVF often beats a tight connection that saves an hour on the ground, especially with luggage. But it is worth knowing the option exists, and most Secrets guests never realise it because the booking sites only quote the UVF distance.
Our UVF versus SLU guide explains how to tell which airport your ticket shows, which is worth two minutes before you book anything.
Pre-booked private transfer. The price is fixed before you fly, your flight is tracked, and a driver meets you in arrivals with your name. On an 80 minute route after a long-haul flight, that certainty is the whole point.
Licensed taxi from the rank. Works fine. Taxis carry blue number plates beginning with TX. Agree the fare and the currency before you ride, since fares here are set by route rather than metered. Typical prices for this route are in our taxi rates guide.
Rental car. Possible, but driving is on the left and the west coast road is steep and winding. Most first-timers are happier taking a transfer on arrival day and having a car delivered later, which our is renting a car worth it post covers honestly.
One thing that is not an option: there is no Uber or Lyft in St Lucia. Whatever you choose, arrange it rather than assuming you will sort it at the curb.
Eat something before you leave the airport. Land at 4pm, reach the resort around 5:30pm, and you are fine. Land at 8pm and you are checking in near 9:30pm with restaurant options thinning.
Use the restroom before setting off. Stops are limited on the northern stretch.
If anyone gets travel sick, prepare before you leave, not halfway through the bends. Our guide to St Lucia's winding roads has the practical fixes.
Departure day starts earlier than you think. For a 3pm flight from Choc Bay you are leaving around 10:30am once check-in time is added. Our departure timing guide gives the numbers.
Here's the mistake we see every week. Check-out at Secrets is noon, so guests with a mid-afternoon flight check out, have one last lunch by the pool and plan to leave at 12:30. For a 3pm flight from Hewanorra, that is about two hours too late.
Here's how it adds up. The drive from Choc Bay to UVF takes about 80 minutes, and you need to be at the airport at least 3 hours before an international flight. There's one more thing arrival day never shows you: Secrets sits just north of Castries, so every trip to UVF goes through the city first. On weekday mornings, roughly 7 to 9am, Castries traffic can add 15 to 30 minutes before you've even cleared town.
| Your flight leaves UVF at | Leave Secrets by |
|---|---|
| 11am | 6:30am |
| 1pm | 8:15am (rush hour, so leave earlier) |
| 3pm | 10:30am |
| 5pm | 12:30pm |
| 7pm | 2:30pm |
The rule we give every Secrets guest: leave 4.5 hours before your flight, and a little earlier on a weekday morning.
Notice that the noon check-out only lines up with a 5pm flight. For earlier flights, you leave before check-out. For evening flights, you have a few hours to fill. Ask about late check-out when you arrive rather than on your last morning, because it depends on availability. If it's not available, leave your bags with the bell desk and keep swimwear and a change of clothes in your carry-on, so you can enjoy one last swim and still travel home comfortably.
Book the return trip when you book your arrival transfer, and confirm your pickup time with your driver the night before. If you're thinking of the shared resort shuttle instead, read our Hewanorra airport shuttle vs private transfer comparison first, because shuttles stop at other hotels on the way to the airport too.
Choc Bay is well placed. Rodney Bay Marina and its restaurants are a short drive, Pigeon Island is about fifteen minutes, and Castries and its market are around ten. You are also well positioned for day trips south, though Soufrière and the Pitons are a proper drive away, as our rundown of the best things to do in St Lucia explains.
What time should I leave Secrets St Lucia for UVF airport? About 4.5 hours before your flight, and a little earlier on weekday mornings because of Castries traffic. For a 3pm flight, leave by 10:30am.
How long is the drive from Secrets St Lucia to UVF? About 80 minutes, and up to 1 hour 45 minutes in Castries rush hour.
How far is Secrets St Lucia from Hewanorra airport? About 36 miles and roughly 80 minutes by road.
How far is it from the other airport? About 3 miles from George F. L. Charles (SLU), roughly 10 minutes.
How much is a taxi from UVF to Secrets St Lucia? Expect a fare in line with other northern routes. Agree the price and currency before you ride, and see our route price list for typical figures.
Is the drive difficult? Not for a local driver, though it is winding. It is a demanding first drive for a visitor who has just flown overnight.
Should I pre-book my transfer? For an 80 minute route, yes. It fixes the price and means someone is waiting whenever you land.
Secrets St Lucia is about 80 minutes from Hewanorra and ten from the smaller northern airport. Book the ride before you fly, eat something before you set off, and enjoy one of the better airport drives in the Caribbean.
Book both ways together and the return trip costs less.
Book your fixed-price transfer to and from Secrets St Lucia with flight tracking and a driver waiting in arrivals.
