St Lucia

[tony2000]

Hi all !

Our daughter is getting married in St Lucia next month[msnsmile2]
and we will be there for the great occasion, What i am
not too sure off, is, do the local shops etc accept the
US dollar or do they only use the Eastern Carribean Dollar?
Anyone any ideas please ?
Tony

[SteveandJan]

Here is some information on the currency

While the official currency of St. Lucia is the Eastern Caribbean dollar(EC), U.S. dollars are widely accepted at most businesses on the island. In fact, prices are quoted in U.S. dollars at many St. Lucian resorts, restaurants, and tourist destinations.

The EC is available in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills. EC coins are minted in $0.01, $0.02, $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, and $1 denominations. The exchange rate is fixed to the U.S. dollar at $1(EC) = $2.70(USD) but is floating for all other currency.

Although U.S. dollars are accepted in many establishments throughout the island, don't be surprised if you get change back in EC from local businesses. Always be sure to determine whether street vendor and taxi prices are quoted in U.S. dollars or EC dollars, as they often won't be specified, and you will rarely be corrected on your mistake if you pay in U.S. dollars. An agreed-upon rate may be far higher than expected when cab drivers ask for the fare in U.S. dollars.

Hope this helps[msnsmile]

[drino]

You would be better of using eastern carab' dollar...something like 4 to the pound is it?
we had better value in antigua few years back[msnsmile2]

[E. Cosgrove]

It is about 7 years since we went to St Lucia but US $ were universally accepted and the locals seemed to prefer them![msneek]

[tony2000]

Thank you friends for your valuable information.
From my grade 3 CSE maths, & from my interpretation
of the above messages looks like items will be much
more expensive if we pay in US dollars ?
Tony

[ukman]

You will be good with whatever currency you have, £, $ or EC, best thing is to always banter or establish a price which you are happy with from the start.