ST LUCIA is paradise. As long as it doesn't rain for three days solid ("we haven't had this much rain all year, " said the hotel barman) and British Airways don't lose your bags forcing you to buy clothes from the resort gift shop and walk around looking like an extra from Saved By The Bell:

Spring Break for two days until a nice man in a customer service call centre in Tennessee gets them back for you. But, aside from that, the small Caribbean island beside Martinique and Antigua is just stunning. The landscape is divided between rainforest, a volcano, and sheer cliffs that drop to deserted beaches where the many gated resorts lie facing the surf.

We stayed in Coconut Bay, a converted Club Med on acres and acres of coconut groves with restaurants, bars (including a swim-up-to-the-counter deal in one of the several pools), a fantastic spa, a diamond shop, a cheery looking section where you can dump the kids for the day, a small gym, a smaller disco, and of course a beach on the Atlantic side of the island.

The rooms are spacious and clean and the food is excellent; you can choose from the daily varying buffet, a poolside takeout that serves hot dogs, burgers and the like, a Chinese restaurant and an Italian eatery. It's an all-inclusive spot, which means you can drink as many cocktails as you want - may I recommend the Dirty Banana, a delicious coconut and banana smoothie laced with a large amount of various types of local rum - just as long as they don't run out of bananas and an esteemed journalist from the Sunday Independent tries to break into the kitchen to find some more. At one o'clock in the morning.

You really needn't leave the resort, but although St Lucia is waking up very slowly to tourism, there are definitely a few outings that I would recommend.

The best of these are activity sports, and don't stop reading, because you don't need to be a seasoned triathlete to master any of them. I sure as hell am not (see:

'Dirty Banana'). First up is tree top zip lining. A nice man who used to be in the SAS will hook you on to various zip lines that skim the rainforest canopy high up in the tree tops. It's the best - and most exhilarating - way to see this unique environment, flying over creeks and chasms past parrots and other exotic birds.

Around the corner is an idyllic waterfall and pool. Hop across a small stream where Rastas fish for crabs and you feel deep in the jungle. The water is freezing and refreshing, and may I say it's the perfect place to re-enact a Timote shampoo ad.

If you're feeling a need for more speed, 31then check out an ATV (all terrain vehicle - those quadbike things Ozzy Osbourne is fond of falling off) tour. We were led through a mud trek before dramatically coming to an opening in a meadow that was perched on a cliff top looking over to the Atlantic and between untouched and unfortunately inaccessible beaches. But the best way to see the island is to take to the high seas.

St Lucia was once a haven for pirates, its craggy coast full of secret coves and caves, and even the ships from the Pirates Of The Caribbean film reside here. We spotted one when we went out on a catamaran that skimmed splendidly around the island while the crew filled us with rum and traditional Caribbean food. You can jump off for a spot of snorkelling, or dock at one of the duty free zones to stock up on incredibly cheap cigars and, yes, more rum (try to get a few bottles of Captain's Reserve here because the airport duty free frequently runs out due to its popularity). It's probably the best shopping you'll do on the island, bar a few trinkets from some gift shops near the various tourist spots. If you do get the chance, try to wrangle some coffee dried and ground that day at a market - it's dark, strong and will give you more than enough energy for the day.

Other local produce that will delight the chefs among you include nutmeg, vanilla essence and raw chocolate.

The Botanic Gardens are also worth a look. You can pluck coco pods from the trees and eat the soft sweet goo that surrounds the beans (it tastes like Sprite), be tempted to steal the gorgeous array of flora before dipping your toes in a volcanic waterfall that sloshes around deep brown like a prop that Willy Wonka forgot.

The only thing I could fault St Lucia on is, apart from the bars and restaurants in the resorts themselves, there are very few other options for entertainment or food. There's no strip, and local bars don't really exist visibly, and certainly are not for tourists. And if black sand isn't your thing, make sure you check out which side of the island you're staying on, as the dormant (but rather violently bubbling when we visited) volcano fertilises many of the beaches.

It certainly is a long way to go to flake out at a resort, but St Lucia is one of the few accessible Caribbean outposts that is not yet riddled with the trappings of visible tourism and crime. The people are delightful and warm, the scenery is breathtaking, and. . . did I mention the rum?

THE FACTS GETTING THERE British Airways flies from Gatwick, stopping off in Antigua from around �1,200 depending on time of booking STAYING THERE Double rooms in the Coconut Bay start at �240 per night, and this includes all food, alcohol and amenities www. coconutbayresortandspa. com