• What to know if you go

Ladera (ENLARGE)

Guests at Ladera, a 21 suite, six-villa property on St. Lucia, wake up to the great outdoors. Each guest room has its own plunge pool.

Anse Chastanet. (ENLARGE)

Anse Chastanet and its 'resort within a resort,' Jade Mountain, are on a 600-acre estate, with two beaches, two spas, water sports, tennis courts, guided walks, 12 miles of mountain biking trails and a large diving operation. Most rooms have walls only on three sides.

Coco Palm Hotel (ENLARGE)

The Coco Palm Hotel on St. Lucia has 71 rooms with amenities such as internet access, cable TV and DVD players. At $125 a night, it is less expensive than many island resorts.

You never forget your first glimpse of the Pitons, the wild and rugged signature peaks of St. Lucia.

My husband and I were on a catamaran, cruising along the isle's undulating western coast, where colorful fishing villages tumble down to the shore, as if expelled from the forested hills above. Lulled into a vacation coma by the warmth of the sun, the rhythm of the waves — and the proof of the captain's rum punch — we were unprepared for the primordial drama of the Pitons.

Their massive, rocky bulk, partially robed in dense swaths of jungle, thrusts nearly half a mile straight up out of the Caribbean Sea. With their steep slopes forming a pair of almost cartoonishly perfect cones, these pointed peaks frame a white crescent beach to create a scene that seems cribbed from a computer-generated movie set, too ideal to be real.

Not surprisingly, St. Lucia is popular with eco-tourists intent on hiking Gros Piton, touring Soufrière's bubbling pit of sulfur billed as the world's only "drive-in volcano," and exploring the island's 19,000 square miles of rain forest. It is also a popular destination for honeymooners, enchanted by the notion of escaping to a lush and largely undeveloped island. And now, with new properties like Cotton Bay Village offering multi-room villas, kiddie clubs and nanny service, this 238-square-mile isle is making a bid for families, as well.

Read on to find a resort that is right for you.

Ladera

The 21 suites and six villas that comprise this boutique property, perched on a mountain ridge at 1,100 feet between the Pitons, are most notable for what they lack — namely, a fourth wall. All accommodations at Ladera have only three walls, providing a dramatic, open-air view of the mountains and the Caribbean Sea below.

The innovative design, which incorporates tropical timbers, local stone, terra-cotta tiles and whimsical touches like seashell-shaped sinks, makes each room feel a bit like a treehouse — but with amenities you never dreamed of as a kid.

An intimate spa, Ti Kai Posé, offers treatments that range from a hot volcanic stone massage to reflexology, aromatherapy and traditional Swedish massage.

Although the resort has no beach of its own, you can take a complimentary shuttle to a local beach. Or opt to enjoy the resort's swimming pool next to a peaked roof complex housing Dasheene, Ladera's renowned restaurant, and the bar. Better yet, just slip out of bed and slide into your own private plunge pool — a popular feature in every guest room.

Ladera's prime location and unusual architecture have earned multiple accolades from Condé Nast Traveler. Readers voted it the "Best of the Best" in the world in 2005, and the resort garnered a perfect score in the categories of Design, Location, Rooms and Food in the magazine's January 2006 "Gold List" issue.

When you're at Ladera, you're encouraged to abandon modern distractions and surrender to Mother Nature. There are no telephones, no TVs and no air conditioning in the rooms, but there are plenty of insects, frogs and lizards to keep you company, especially at night (hence the netting hanging from the beds).

Rates from $310, double or single occupancy. No children allowed. 1-800-738-4752, www.ladera.com.

Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain

Just north of the Pitons, Anse Chastanet and its exclusive new "resort within a resort," Jade Mountain, combine an unplugged approach to relaxation (again, no phone, TV or AC) with an emphasis on exploring and honoring the environment. On this 600-acre estate, there's plenty to do: two beaches, two spas, water sports, tennis courts, guided walks, 12 miles of mountain biking trails and a large diving operation.

Anse Chastanet encompasses a combination of beachfront rooms and hillside retreats, which are tucked into the dense foliage of Morne Anse Chastanet. No two rooms designed by architect/owner Nick Troubetzkoy are exactly alike, although they combine elements such as tropical woods, hand-crafted teak and mahogany furnishings, and jalousie windows that welcome tropical breezes. The resort's famous guests have included Harrison Ford, Jeff Bridges and Tyra Banks.

But celebrity spotting aside, the biggest buzz lately has been about Jade Mountain, which opened in October 2006. Troubetzkoy took a more contemporary approach with this new development, incorporating concrete "Bridges to Infinity," which lead to the rooms, dubbed "sanctuaries." Each unique sanctuary has a private infinity edge pool, which is lined with jewel-toned recycled glass tiles. Rooms range from 1,400 square feet to more than 2,000 square feet, with the most spacious affording the most impressive views.

Like Ladera, a few of the 49 rooms at Anse Chastanet and all 24 luxury accommodations at Jade Mountain have forgone a fourth wall to create a space open to the elements. You'll actually pay a lower rate if you want a room with four walls.

Rates at Anse Chastanet are from $265, double occupancy; $245 single. Children ages 6 and older are currently allowed, but starting Dec. 19, only children 12 and older will be allowed. www.jademountainstlucia.com.

Ti Kaye Village

Ti Kaye, the patois term for "little house," is a cozy arrangement of gingerbread-trimmed cottages that was literally carved out of a hillside overlooking the Caribbean seven years ago. An enterprising young businessman named Nick Pinnock bought 11 1/2 acres in Anse Cochon, halfway down St. Lucia's west coast, in the 1990s. At the time, there was not even a road to access the parcel, which was overrun by the jungle. "Six of us hacked it out with machetes," recalls this hands-on local entrepreneur, who also acted as his own general contractor.

The accommodations, inspired by a one-bedroom country home that caught Pinnock's eye, include 33 air-conditioned guest rooms divided between 19 private cottages and 14 duplexes. Each features a king or queen-size four-poster bed, an outdoor shower, and louvered doors that open to a wide, red-roofed veranda equipped with a pair of rocking chairs and a hammock built for two.

Several of the cottages have a private plunge pool, but all guests are welcome to use the resort's free-form swimming pool, which offers views of the Caribbean Sea. A 166-step wooden staircase descends to the secluded beach below, where guests will find a casual beach bar and grill, water sports and the Island Divers dive shop. (Wreck divers, rejoice! The remains of the Lesleen M lie just offshore.)

The resort's primary restaurant, Kai Manje, is in a breezy pavilion atop the bluff. At night, draped with gauzy curtains and lit by flickering candles, the atmosphere is incomparably romantic. But what truly sets this Caribbean restaurant apart is the climate-controlled wine room, which features more than 100 different wines, making it, according to the resort, the largest and most diverse selection on St. Lucia.

Rates from $160, double or single occupancy. Children must be 12 or older. 758-456-8101, www.tikaye.com.

Coco Palm Hotel

The Coco Palm Hotel, located in lively Rodney Bay Village, is right in the heart of the action. Rodney Bay, a 15-minute drive north of Castries (St. Lucia's capital), is ground zero for St. Lucian nightlife, and there are plenty of restaurants and watering holes (in addition to the hotel's own bistro and bar) within walking distance of this French Caribbean-style property.

At the cheerful, four-story hotel, which is swathed in bright yellow stucco and topped by a distinctive red peaked roof, the emphasis is on affordability and convenience. Each of the 71 rooms and 12 suites combines traditional mahogany furnishings with contemporary touches like glass-block showers, and rooms are chockablock with amenities, from Internet access to cable TV and DVD players.

All this technology might serve as a disorienting distraction, but a decorous palette of sunny Caribbean colors like lemon yellow, lime green, tangerine and sky blue reminds you that it's time to turn off the tube and catch some rays. You can also choose from a variety of spa services, from hot stone massage to hair braiding, which can be performed on the hotel's roof-top deck, in your room or in a tropical garden.

The most coveted accommodations in the hotel are the six swim-up rooms, where you can literally step off your patio and into the pool. But if you would rather bake your body in the sand or frolic in the surf, St. Lucia's popular Reduit Beach is a short walk away.

Rates from $125, double or single occupancy. Children of all ages welcome. 758-456-2800, www.coco-resorts.com.

Cotton Bay Village

If it takes a village to raise a child, then Cotton Bay, situated on St. Lucia's northeastern Atlantic Coast, is the village where I would want to be raised. This brand, spankin' new property, which officially opened at the end of January, has a strong focus on families.

Accommodations include: pool apartments with one, two or three bedrooms; three-bedroom townhouses; three-bedroom beach villas; and the Osmond-size, four-bedroom Cotton Houses, which come equipped with a private pool, housekeeping and butler service. The Cotton Houses sleep up to 10, so even the littlest kid brother can count on getting a bed instead of a sleeping bag. And every elegantly furnished accommodation features all the comforts of home, including a washer and dryer, microwave, cable TV and a DVD player.

The Hummingbird Children's club and a daily program of activities for older kids and teens are designed to keep progeny of all ages amused — or at least as amused as chronically jaded teenagers can allow themselves to appear. For an extra charge, the resort can provide nanny service, too.

You've got to feed a hungry family, as well, and Cotton Bay offers plenty of options, from an Italian-themed deli to a kids-only snack bar to a fine dining restaurant that serves up Italian, French and Californian fusion cuisine. (Of course, the knee-biters would probably be just as happy with some microwave mac and cheese scarfed down in front of the TV at the beach house.)

The resort can help you work off those calories by arranging kite-boarding, kayaking, windsurfing, scuba diving or horseback riding. There's also a nearby 18-hole championship golf course for Dad and an ooh-la-la spa for Mom.

The only drawback to such an ideal family vacation? The wailing and gnashing of teeth you'll have to endure when you round up your brood for the return flight home. And that's just Dad we're talking about.

Rates from $250 per unit. Children of all ages welcome. 1-800-544-2883, www.cottonbaystlucia.com.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Delta now offers nonstop flights from Atlanta to St. Lucia's Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) in the southern village of Vieux Fort. Delta reservations: 1-800-241-4141, www.delta.com. American Airlines and American Eagle service St. Lucia's George F.L. Charles Airport/Vigie Airport in Castries. American Airlines/Eagle reservations: 1-800-433-7300, www.aa.com. Expect to pay about $700 round trip.

Helicopter flights

Many visitors who fly into Hewanorra International Airport opt to take a helicopter ride from the airport for a bird's-eye view of St. Lucia's stunning scenery — and a quicker commute to their resort. St. Lucia Helicopters Ltd., 1-758-453-6950, www.stluciahelicopters.com.

Activities

Most resorts will book an array of activities for you, from scuba diving to rain-forest tours to whale-watching (in season).

Hiking

It is illegal to access trails without the permission of the Forest and Lands Department. Guided hikes can be arranged through many hotels, or by calling the Forest and Lands Department at 758-450-2078. To arrange a guided hike of the Pitons, call the Piton's Tour Guide Association at 758-459-9748. Note: Most hikers choose to hike Gros Piton, which is steep and arduous, but it is considered to be less difficult and dangerous than Petit Piton. Hiking on Petit Piton is not recommended.

Passports

Valid passports are required for all visitors.

Information

St. Lucia Tourist Board, 1-888-478-5824, www.stlucia.org.