Sherman's Travel

St. Lucia — Situated in the eastern Caribbean, St. Lucia is a volcanic, still largely under-the-radar paradise made up of black- and white-sand beaches, lush rain forests, history-filled banana and sugar plantations, and scalable mountains. On the northwest coast is the capital and business epicenter of Castries, a busy cruise port and marketplace. Further north is Rodney Bay, the most developed area for dining, liming (or relaxing, as the locals say), and lodging; the rest is a relatively unspoiled palette of quiet valleys, waterfalls, and fishing villages. After 14 tug-of-wars with the British and the French, remnants of both regimes remain, as evidenced in subtle touches like the French-named streets and towns or the afternoon tea tradition at area resorts.