Ladera Resort

Perched on the mountain ridge between the two Pitons – and more than 1,000 feet above the sea – elegantly rustic Ladera is considered one of the most sophisticated small inns in the Caribbean. The approach to the furnishings, food, and service is definitively local, specifically eco-friendly, and superbly unique.

This ethereal honeymooners' hideaway dispenses with modcons like TVs, phones, and even air-conditioning. But the sweeping views of sparkling Jalousie Bay and the Pitons from this breeze-filled ridge top (some 1,100 ft. above sea level) make flat-screens and other digital playthings ho-hum by comparison.

Anticipate "the experience of a lifetime" at this ecolodge built with Caribbean timber, local stone, and terra-cotta tiles on the site of a former cocoa plantation. It's in "a calm, beautiful, garden setting" on a forested ridge overlooking the Pitons and the sea.

While the open-walled rooms and mountainside perch are not for the faint of heart, the... resort has some of the most astonishing vistas of any resort in the Caribbean. You'll wake up to St. Lucia's twin Piton hills – massive green mounds that emerge 2,400 feet high from the teal ocean – and you’ll dine eye level with them, too, at the excellent Dasheene restaurant.

Ladera Resort is an adults-only, luxury hotel set on a forested ridge overlooking the Pitons. With private plunge pools and lots of local furniture, the resort's... rooms, which are completely open to the elements on one side, make a bold impression.