St Lucia's pristine beaches are some of the best in the Caribbean

Saint Lucia is a Caribbean island paradise where bananas jostle with package tourism for business.

Located in the eastern Caribbean, Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands and lies about 12 miles south of Martinique and 90 miles northwest of Barbados.

While Saint Lucia's area is a mere 616 square kilometres, it is home to a remarkable range of landscapes - soaring mountains, rainforest jungle, volcanic craters, sulphurous springs, fishing villages, coconut plantations and some of the Caribbean's most pristine beaches.

Eco-tourism reigns supreme in Saint Lucia, with outfitters offering guided treks through the jungle, as well as less strenuous four-wheel drive safaris.

A favourite excursion is to the Diamond Botanical Gardens in Soufriere, home to a volcanic crater and the bubbling, pungent Sulphur Springs with its therapeutic mud baths.

Bananas are the biggest industry on the island and visitors can tour the plantations and see Saint Lucia's rich agricultural lands.

Saint Lucia's famed beaches lend themselves to water sports such as snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, windsurfing and sailing. Swimming is much safer along the island's calmer western coast. Some of the best beaches include the white-sand Pigeon Island, Anse Chastanet - a popular snorkelling spot with white sand and a mountainous backdrop, the black-sand beach at Soufriere, and Marigot Beach - surrounded by palm trees and green hills.

Saint Lucia is dotted with delightful cities and villages infused with French, African, Caribbean and English cultural influences and buzzing with colorful marketplaces.

St Lucia is also a treasure trove of Caribbean history, with lingering evidence of the island's colonial days. The Catholic Cathedral in Castries dates back to the 19th century and is home to a native samaan tree that is over 400 years old. Other towns and villages have many examples of colonial-style houses and estates.

Survival guide

Saint Lucia enjoys a tropical climate, with temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The dry season is from December to May. The best time to visit is between January and April. Saint Lucia is blasted by perpetual trade winds, so be sure to bring along a windproof outer layer for the evenings.

English is the main language spoken on St Lucia, although French, Spanish and local dialect Kwéyòl are also used.