Romantic  : St. Lucia

I love the quieter south side of this truly beautiful island, near the Pitons volcanoes…. impressive views, lush jungle and flowers, great food. Anse Chastenet Resort is a personal favourite, but there are many good choices for honeymoon and "second honeymoon" couples. Deep in St Lucia's mountainous, tropical islands interior almost 1,800 feet above sea level, you'll find 19,000 acres of rainforest and 29 miles of trails running through it. The rainforest is a habitat for rare birds and plants. It's very lush - parrots squawk overhead, orchids scent the air, hummingbird buzz near brilliant heliconia and climbing palms encircle the trees. Diving, snorkeling, sailing, yachting, wind surfing, hiking, golf and trail riding are available, so there's lots to try together.

St. Lucia magic

By Amanda Shanks

The alarm woke me up with a start at 5.30 a.m. My arm waved about for a few minutes before it hit the snooze button, then I realized just where I was, and what day it was. I was on a ship, a dream cruise to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

I looked over at my husband in the next bunk - he was still snoring. After all, we were up dancing until 2 a.m. at the mock "New Year's Eve Party", and with only three hours sleep, there was no way he was stirring.

Today was the day I had been waiting for. Actually, I had waited my whole life for this day. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to see St. Lucia. I have no idea why - I don't remember learning about St. Lucia as a child, and apart from geography classes, did not really know much about it, other than it was lush and tropical. But there was something that was drawing me to this island, something quite overpowering, and I knew that one day I would be here.

I sleepily pulled on my clothes as quickly as I could, and crept out of the cabin. Because of the party the night before, there were not too many live bodies on deck at 5.45 a.m. But we were due to dock at 6 a.m. at Castries, and there was no way on this earth, that I was going to miss it!

I took a deep breath of the fresh air as I emerged from the stuffiness of the narrow hallway, and the warm tones of the sunrise struck me as being different from any I had seen before. There was a light scent in the air, the scent of a tropical rainforest - I assume. I took my place on deck, right at the front and centre of the ship, and watched as the ship was slowly guided in by the small boat operated by the local coast guard. There was a slight morning mist, and through it, I could see the two Pitons rising through the haze, like two majestic lions guarding the island. As we got closer, they became gradually clearer with each minute. I could see the tiny coloured houses stacked amongst the hillside, nestled between the lush green tropical vegetation. I heard the humming sound of a light aircraft and as if it were in slow motion, I watched it land on the airstrip to my left. Perfection.

It was at this moment, that I was overcome by emotion, as tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. Here I was - St Lucia, at 6 a.m. on a bright August morning. A "once in a lifetime" moment, that will stay with me forever.

After breakfast, we took a Jeep tour of the rainforest. Our local guide was so friendly, and took us to meet his friends, one by one. He picked bananas, pineapples, mango and coconut, along the way and gave us a very informative lesson on each. We stopped at his village, where we met his wife and children. As we waited we watched the local people come out of church in their Sunday finest. The little girls were dressed in the most beautiful lace dresses. An elderly lady stopped by our Jeep and chatted with us. We then visited a small roadside market and bought fresh spices and chatted with the stallholders, one of them even offering me a taste of her lunch of fresh fish - caught that morning. After the Jeep tour, we visited the most magnificent beach I had ever seen. As I rested under a palm tree, in the distance, a beautiful horse was being ridden along the beach.

This was certainly a magical place - no wonder I had wanted to come here.

How wonderful to be able to say that I have had a dream come true!