St Lucia Currency

Of to St. Lucia for a week next month, staying All Inclusive at LeSport.
As we don't plan to leave the resort, we don't really want to take much
local currency- we maybe need enough to cover departure tax.
A few questions, if anyone can help.....please.

Can we pay the departure tax by credit card?
Just in case we do leave the resort........We are travelling from the UK so
are ££££Sterling easily exchanged or would $$$$US be better?
Are ATMs plentiful?

TIA

Jan

Jason wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 19:44:53 +0100, Jan wrote:
>
>> Can we pay the departure tax by credit card?
>
> Doubt it.
>
>> Just in case we do leave the resort........We are travelling from
>> the UK so are ££££Sterling easily exchanged or would $$$$US be
>> better?
>> Are ATMs plentiful?
>
> There are plenty of ATMs about, but isn't Le Sport out of the way?
> And I don't remember there being one at the airport, though it is a
> couple of
> years since I went.
>
> If you are only worried about the departure tax, you might as well
> get some US or East Caribbean dollars in the UK before you go. Both
> are readily available. If you take pounds, you'll only have to get
> them changed.
>
> Jason

Thanks Jason
So will shops accept US$$$$ or would we still have to change them into East
Caribbean dollars?
Sorry for sounding a bit thick, my expertise is in SE Asia travel. where in
some countries US$ are a very acceptable currency.

The holiday has been given to us and I've no idea if LeSport is near a
village/town.

Jan

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 22:30:16 +0100, Jan <jan@freeinternet.com> wrote:

>So will shops accept US$$$$ or would we still have to change them into East
>Caribbean dollars?

The shops will accept US$, but you won't get the best exchange rate.
Usually only EC$2.50 for US$1. The fixed rate at a bank is EC$2.67 for
US$1.

Most, if not all, hotels will exchange US$ at the front desk. They will
often give you EC$2.65 for US$1, which isn't bad. I have no idea whether
they will accept UK £. I'd e-mail Le Sport and ask.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

> Of to St. Lucia for a week next month, staying All Inclusive at LeSport.
> As we don't plan to leave the resort, we don't really want to take much
> local currency- we maybe need enough to cover departure tax.
> A few questions, if anyone can help.....please.
>
> Can we pay the departure tax by credit card?
> Just in case we do leave the resort........We are travelling from the UK
so
> are ££££Sterling easily exchanged or would $$$$US be better?
> Are ATMs plentiful?

If you really dont plan to leave the resort, then I dont think you need
worry too much. We went to St Lucia this summer and took some US$, which we
used in the shop at the hotel we were at. I think Le Sport is quite a long
way from anywhere. I seem to recall being concerned that we'd have to pay
the departure tax in local currency (when we'd been to Caribbean before they
insisted on departure tax in US$) but I cant remember what eventually
happened; the resort will know tho and you can change money there if you
need to - it isnt much so not worth making an effort to go somewhere else to
get a better rate of exchange!
Pretty sure you CANT pay the departure tax by credit card tho.
US$ are definitely more useable than UKP.

--
Rita Daggett