Although St Lucia is well-known tourist destination, it's comforting for the discerning visitor to know that bananas are still its biggest business, making it very possible to find small and intimate hideaways.
Known as the "Helen of the West" because of its rich natural beauty, St Lucia seems to offer usual tourist Caribbean cocktail of lush tropical forests and beautiful beaches, but its topography and ecology can't be matched. Its twin coastal peaks, the primeval Pitons, soar 2,000 feet up from the sea making them a dramatic landmark on an Island that is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide. Soufriere volcano is also the world's only drive-in volcanic crater, while the rain-forests, with their wild orchids, giant ferns and brilliantly-plumed tropical birds, are among the Caribbean's finest. In addition, the island possesses world-class facilities for golf and tennis, brilliant markets and its stunning reefs, sheltered bays (such as Marigot), and well-equipped marinas are prefect for water-sports.
Having been inhabited long before colonial times, St Lucia also offers a rich body of cultural French and English heritage with some African thrown in for good measure. The French/English mix is embodied at sites like Pigeon Island, as well in its brilliant cuisine and passion for cricket.
It's this diversity that makes St Lucia so attractive.
