Weather & Hurricane Policy

Saint Lucia Weather

St. Lucia is sufficiently close to the equator that it does not have well-defined seasons. This means that the weather is warm and balmy all year round which makes it an excellent year round vacation destination. Afternoon rains are more common between June and November and these are usually a refreshing interlude. It would be very unusual to have constant rain showers for an entire day or several days at a time.

Hurricanes

The Atlantic hurricane season is often mislabeled as the Caribbean hurricane season. Storms can affect the whole region including the US East Coast, gulf states, Caribbean as well as Mexico and Central America." This "so called" hurricane season lasts from June through November. Even if it is called a season, the frequency of hurricanes varies greatly from year to year. We always like to remind travelers that the Caribbean stretches over a region of more than 1 million square miles. Therefore, what happens in one part of the Caribbean will often not have an effect on other parts of the region. Not every hurricane therefore may directly affect your travel plans.

Saint Lucia is located in the southeastern region of the Caribbean basin. The active core of the hurricane belt (that part of the open ocean where the storm systems typically gain strength over warm, open water) is located far north of the St Lucia's location. Hurricanes usually gain strength as they move west toward the U.S. and toward the islands in the north of the basin. Most weather systems with hurricane potential that affect Saint Lucia are therefore often immature and weak, not much more than a rain storm.

Historically, only 14 hurricanes have moved within 60 miles of Saint Lucia since 1850. Of those, only one has been Category 4 and one has been Category 3. In the past 37 years, only one hurricane affected Saint Lucia directly, in 2010. In 2017, hurricane Maria as a category 2 storm, passed north of Saint Lucia with minimal impact. The risk of a hurricane hitting St. Lucia is the same as the risk in New York.

Hurricane Policy

When there is a hurricane in the region, we are often asked about our hurricane policy.

1. If a tropical weather system develops but the forecast does not indicate said system will pass over within 50 miles of Saint Lucia, our regular cancellation policies apply.
2. If a tropical weather system has been classified as a tropical storm and the Saint Lucia government has issued a formal tropical storm warning (but not a hurricane warning) and such weather system is forecasted to pass over or within 50 miles of Saint Lucia we will allow a reservation to be cancelled and we will hold the deposit for a future reservation. The future reservation may be subject to blackout dates and the possibility of higher rates.
3. If a tropical weather system has been classified as a hurricane and the Saint Lucia government has issued a formal hurricane warning, we will allow the reservation to be cancelled and a full refund of the deposit will be given or alternatively the deposit can be held for a future stay.
4. If a weather system is active in Saint Lucia, any hotel guest wanting to leave, having to leave, or unable to fly to the island because of weather issues in Saint Lucia will naturally go penalty free.