Vigie Beach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vigie Beach | |
|---|---|
Beach | |
 Interactive map of Vigie Beach | |
| Coordinates: 14°01′29″N 60°59′05″W / 14.0247°N 60.9847°W | |
| Location | 2 km north of Castries District, Saint Lucia |
| Geology | White sand |
| Designation | Protected |
| Nearby Locations | George F. L. Charles Airport, Vigie Lighthouse, Vigie Point, Vigie village |
 |
  Vigie Beach in Castries District, Saint Lucia |
Vigie Beach is located 2 km north of Castries District, Saint Lucia, running parallel and immediately adjacent to the George F. L. Charles Airport.[1][2][3][4]
It is a protected white sand beach. Immediately opposite the airport departure lounge are a few small food kiosks.[citation needed]
Vigie Beach has been a historic "sea-bathing" destination for over 100 years; a 1927 British Colonial tour guide described it as "the famous Vigie Beach."[5] In the century between the start of organized tourism in the mid-19th century and the commercial availability of air conditioning in the 1950s, sea bathing was one of the few ways to cool off in hot weather.[6] In 1974, Fodor touted the Vigie Beach Hotel's air conditioning, along with the fishing, sand, and amenities.[7]
Vigie Field, now George F. L. Charles Airport, opened in 1941 directly to the south of the beach and across a road.[citation needed]
From 1960 through 1970, the "chronic sand mining" of Vigie Beach, to construct concrete, worsened the effects of hurricanes and made "coastal resources management development" more difficult.[8] Vigie Beach was so badly "effect[ed] by human interference" that "the bay was dredged in 1980 to rebuild the beach."[9]
In 2004, it became the location of a cable landing for the Atlantic Crossing system.[10]
