1 destination · 10 things to do

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is the Caribbean island that looks like a postcard someone exaggerated: two volcanic spires, the Pitons, rising straight out of the sea beside a bay of steaming sulphur vents, rainforest-draped mountains, banana and cocoa estates and a west coast of calm water that was made for catamarans. This guide books the island properly. Hike Gros Piton with a guide, soak in the mud at the Sulphur Springs crater near Soufrière, wander the waterfall and mineral baths at Diamond Botanical Gardens, sail the leeward coast on a catamaran with a snorkel stop, ride the aerial tram or the zip lines through the rainforest canopy and spend an afternoon among the cannons and beaches of Pigeon Island National Landmark. It adds the gentler stops that make a trip, from the sheltered harbour of Marigot Bay to the Tet Paul Nature Trail's panorama of both Pitons. Then it matches you to a bed, from the Pitons-facing villas of Sugar Beach and a family-friendly hillside at Windjammer Landing to a beachfront base at Rodney Bay, a boat-access hideaway at Marigot Bay and a small Soufrière guesthouse, because on an island this mountainous, where you sleep decides how long the drives are.