Castries, St. Lucia
St. Lucia is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, with some of its finest resorts, while the rest remains relatively unspoiled, a checkerboard of green-mantled mountains, valleys, banana plantations, a bubbling volcano, wild orchids, and fishing villages. The island has a mixed French and British heritage, but there's a hint of the South Pacific about it as well.
A mountainous island of some 623 sq. km (243 sq. miles), St. Lucia has about 160,000 inhabitants. The capital, Castries, is built on the southern shore of a large harbor surrounded by hills. Since the dawn of the new century, World Travel Awards has named it "the world's leading honeymoon destination." At the same time, Natural History Magazine has honored St. Lucia as one of the 50 top eco-tourism destinations in the world.