Mango-shaped St. Lucia is one of the Caribbean’s lushest islands. Just 27 miles wide and 14 miles across, St. Lucia manages to combines French-Creole warmth and hospitality with English sophistication.

Sandy white beaches cover the west, where the calm Caribbean laps at St. Lucia shores. Boat trips and beach activities rule the day. There’s also horseback riding, tennis, and scuba diving to enjoy on St. Lucia.

Picturesque plantations and fishing villages are among the sights to see in St. Lucia. The island’s history is revealed at colonial garrisons at Pigeon Point in the north, atop Morne Fortune just outside Castries (the capital), and at Soufriere, the old French capital.

Trekking through St. Lucia, honeymooners cross acres of fern-filled tropical forest inland. This extraordinary island also contains a tropical rain forest, mineral baths, Diamond Falls, and twin peaks that extend upward for nearly a mile.

Sulphur Springs is home to a seven-mile wide volcanic crater that visitors to

St Lucia a can drive to; swimming and soaking in hot springs are also not to be missed. Diamond Falls splashes into a volcanic pool below known as the Diamond Mineral Baths .

Shoppers can find fine art and crafts at the Choiseul Craft Center, on the south coast of St. Lucia. Castries and Soufriere feature traditional Caribbean marketplaces, and Pointe Seraphine holds a world of the duty-free treasures.