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Even by Caribbean standards, St Lucia is absurdly photogenic. Accompanying all the usual brochure-cover wonderment — coral-speckled seas, sublime sandy coves, coconut-laden palms — are jungly, jagged mountains, waterfalls and a drive-in volcano.

The island’s icons are Unesco-protected Gros and Petit Piton, a pair of pointy peaks on its tropical southwestern seaboard. Close by is the colonial-era town of Soufrière, with its pastel-shade façades, plus old cacao, sugar or banana plantations and a series of quiet beaches below leafy hillsides. Further north come the family-friendly resort towns of Rodney Bay and Gros Islet, divided by a manmade lagoon and marina. Rainforest reserves await inland, while eastern St Lucia is a more virgin place of crashing Atlantic surf and sleepy villages.

For all that geographical diversity, the teardrop-shaped island can actually be circumnavigated by car inside a day — although such hurry and scurry would be wholly at odds with its laid-back air.

See the latest rules and restrictions for visiting St Lucia

Main photo: Castries Harbour (Getty Images)

Whichever corner of the island you choose, there’s something beautiful awaiting you. Lapped by warm Caribbean Sea waves, St Lucia’s western flank hosts its dreamiest shores. To the south that includes Sugar Beach, overlooking both Pitons, and the curving Anse Chastanet. If not arriving at these by sea — water taxis from Soufrière or sunset catamaran cruises — you’ll need to pay day fees at each seaside’s namesake resort.

Hosting 50 coral types, the protected waters around Soufrière form St Lucia’s scuba-diving mecca. Inland, treks up Gros Piton take around four hours, or there are gentler, waterfall-bound nature trails to tackle. Just south, Sulphur Springs’ “drive-in volcano” tag is misleading, as there’s no crater or bubbling bowl of red magma on show. Nevertheless, four bathing pools of hot mud still wow — as does the sulphurous stink. Morning is the quietest time to visit.

Gros Islet hosts St Lucia’s best street party — a raucous Friday evening “jump-up”

Fringing horseshoe-shaped Rodney Bay, Reduit Beach is long, clean, clear-watered white-sand stretch — but note that it’s always busy too. On the other side of that lagoon, Gros Islet hosts St Lucia’s best street party — a raucous Friday evening “jump-up” which sees DJs spin calypso or zouk through giant speakers as vendors hawk hot food, beer and rum.

Across a causeway, pretty Pigeon Island merits a visit thanks to its ghostly ruined French and British garrisons and incredible views of the island from the top. Ditto the central Castries Waterworks Forest Reserve, where aerial trams and canopy zip-lines bisect parrot-filled jungle.

The bulk of the options cluster in St Lucia’s west. Though a full spectrum — including self-catering villas with pools and bargain-priced B&Bs — are available, two accommodation types rule the roost either side of the capital city Castries (where cruise ships dock): everything-you-need resorts; and opulent, boutiquey hotels with spas, good dining and a rarefied air.

Southwest St Lucia is where you’ll find most of the latter set. Many overlook beautiful beaches — Marigot Bay and Anse Cochon — or both Pitons, including the futuristic hilltop hotel Jade Mountain. Also here, outside Soufrière, is Green Fig, a new kid on the block that offers treehouse dining, plus some luxury resorts and a series of inland bases on sprawling plantations past and present — including Hotel Chocolat’s Rabot Hotel, amid a working organic cacao farm.

Best hotels in St Lucia

North of Castries, beachside all-inclusives concentrate around Rodney Bay, typically blending restaurants, pools, kids’ clubs, tennis courts, watersports, evening entertainment and spas. Some are palpably posher — the wellness-oriented BodyHoliday, for instance — and some forego beaches in favour of championship golf courses. Most intimate is clifftop Cap Maison, a famously romantic base where two stellar restaurants await.

Most luxury hotels here contain excellent restaurants — often romantically perched above the ocean — but, unlike other Caribbean island nations, St Lucia also offers equally delicious independent dining. Epitomising that is Orlando’s, a cosy Soufrière establishment run by the Caribbean food advocate Orlando Satchell. If you can’t afford his five-course dinners, visit at lunch for fish and chips — grilled triggerfish and fried plantain, in this case.

Across the island, numerous friendly Creole restaurants provide esoteric island staples at low prices. Menus include the classic, tomatoey St Lucian stew of salt fish (cured cod) and green fig (unripe banana). Shrimp rotis, pumpkin soups and banana bread are additional mainstays.

In busy Rodney Bay you’ll also find Thai, Italian and Japanese options, as well as bars aplenty, especially around the marina village. Expect lots of rum cocktails — fresh mango daiquiris are common — but just as many bottles of the local Piton beer.

Not only is the foodie half of Castries’ large Saturday market — where stalls sell cinnamon-spiked gooseberry jam and gigantic avocados — good for a wander, but it’s a useful resource for vegetarians or vegans. So too are the capital’s rastafarian-run “ital” shop-restaurants.

Blitzed by strong Atlantic waves, St Lucia’s escapist east coast is another world entirely. Beside kite-surfers and some sun-seekers on Cas-en-Bas’s silver-sand beach, few of the tourists who visit St Lucia ever come here.

It’s their loss, though, as there’s much to reward day-trippers. From north to south, you’ll find bird-rich mangrove swamps behind Cas-en-Bas, the slow-paced town of Dennery — host to a fun Fish Fiesta each Saturday afternoon and evening — and, slightly inland, Sault and La Tille’s lovely waterfalls.

Most impressive, though, are the large Mamiku Gardens, located around the picturesque hilltop ruins of a former plantation. Here, an extensive collection of tropical orchids and botanical plants accompanies banana orchards.

The slow-paced town of Dennery is host to a fun Fish Fiesta each Saturday afternoon and evening

Consider also visiting the Maria Islands Nature Reserve, which lies off the flat southeastern coast close to Hewanorra International Airport and Vieux Fort. Inhabited by two rare lizards and frigate birds, its two specks have a small beach to swim, a coral reef to snorkel, and pristine forest to stroll; boat trips and tours can be arranged through the Saint Lucia National Trust.

St Lucia’s currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar. US dollars are almost universally accepted too, but expect change in EC dollars — often at dubious exchange rates.

The island has an excellent safety record, and ruinous storms are similarly unlikely; with St Lucia outside the main belt, the risk of a hit in hurricane season (June to November) is as low as it is in New York. A far greater danger is travel sickness: not only are many St Lucian roads in disrepair, but steep mountain routes excel in sharp hairpin bends. If you’re planning to explore, four-wheel drives are near-essential.