1

"would like to stay within walking distance of Rodney Bay Village" -- will you have a car? You can get decent public transport to/from Rodney Bay, but if you don't have a car and you want to be able to walk, I think that most of the hotels within walking distance are going to be larger properties. That's not to say it's a row of high rise mega resorts, but I wouldn't characterize them as smaller boutique hotels.

St. Lucia has more lodging options in a wider variety of price ranges than most other Caribbean islands and, while I would normally tell people not to risk showing up a Caribbean island without a reservation (particularly if they are wanting budget rooms and are dependent on public transport), if you decide to go to St. Lucia in April without reservations AND if you have car and are willing to consider other parts of the island if necessary in order to get lodging of your suiting, I don't think you'd have a problem finding a bed if you go after the first week of April (Easter week). The later in the month the better.

In addition to Rodney Bay, there are several budget guest houses in the nearby Gros Islet area (though you might characterize many of these as dumps) and lots of other lodging choices down in the Soufriere area. Ideally, for an 8 day trip I would probably split my time staying in the Rodney Bay/Gros Islet area for about 4 nights and Soufriere for 4 nights. If you are driving from Rodney Bay down to Soufriere (where many tourist sites are located) it can take you a good couple of hours round trip to drive down and back, so keep that in mind.

2

We stayed in Marigot Bay in April of last year. We rented a lovely villa on the hills overlooking the Bay and we found it on VRBO. It was affordable (around $200 a night) and had it's own private pool and all the amenities you'd want. I would recommend doing something like that if you are looking for cheaper accommodations than the hotels. You can rent a car for $40 - 50 a day (expensive, i know!) but it is worth it to see the entire island and visit all the different beaches!!! Warning that the roads are very, very curvy!!!

3

Boutique/small hotels in R.Bay I'd recommend places such as Coco Palm, Bay Garden Inns, Ginger Lili to name a few. This type of travel seems adventurous. I wont discourage you to try it, but I would advise that you call the hotels I recommended just to give you an idea of what to expect. Have you arranged for a taxi from the airport? You can make such reservations over at www.ekarib.com