Tarzan, once he'd been reclaimed by high society and grown accustomed to the luxe life, would have felt just right at this barefoot luxury resort. Wrapped in tropical forest, Anse Chastanet is basically a series of architect's tree houses, cooled only by trade winds, with the majestic peaks of the Pitons in plain view. The best of the 49 rooms here are the Premium Hillside units: vast, open spaces with only three walls apiece, and one side completely open to the breeze and the view. No froufrou decor could possibly compete, so the furnishings are simple (and mostly made from indigenous materials): clay-tiled floors, chunky wooden furniture handmade by St. Lucians, madras-checked-cotton bedspreads, and woven-wicker lampshades. One room has the trunk of a red gommier tree growing through it; others have giant showers open to the mountains. The more modest rooms are octagonal aeries surrounded by deep-green forest, or comfy beach shacks, all with the same decor. There are no TVs, DVD players, phones, Internet connections or AC. Instead, you'll find a famous dive shop, a new yoga hut, the Kai Belté Spa, and free snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking, and Sunfish sailing. There are 12 miles of private mountain-bike trails, lots of local outings, two excellent restaurants, and an art gallery. Be aware that there's lot of stair-climbing involved in a stay here. Reception and the Piton restaurant are 100 steps up from the shore; the hillside rooms are higher still. Beachside guests can be lazier, since the Trou au Diable dining room is at sea level.

At the northern tip of St Lucia, Cap Maison perches on a cliff like a small orderly village. This cluster of three-storey white buildings features a Spanish (via Caribbean) colonial architectural motif with its characteristic Moorish inflections, painted tiles, and dark wood. The 50 rooms are kitted out with local paintings and richly upholstered furniture (including an oversized chaise longue at the foot of the bed), balconies, louvered shutters, as well as lovely bathrooms with painted ceramic sinks. Some suites come with a private plunge pool but, should you prefer company, there is a small cliff-edge cascading pool as well as a larger one surrounded by chaise longues. At the bottom of a long staircase is a small protected beach for swimming and snorkeling. Resort guests also have access to a new motor yacht for sunset cruises and day-trips (lunch in Martinique, anyone?). The exceptional restaurant, which overlooks the water, expertly prepares dishes like mahi mahi with a garlic brown butter and dark greens. Staff are friendly and solicitous and will arrange meals in your suite or a car and driver, generally catering to your every whim.

Opened by the former St. Lucia director of tourism, Allen Chastanet, in fall 2003, Coco Kreole is a cute, 20-room self-styled boutique hotel across the road from Reduit Beach—and a refreshing antidote to the nearby cluster of giant resorts. Chastanet put a lot of thought into avoiding the typical reception/check-in routine, instead employing "hosts" responsible for tending their own block of rooms. Cable TV with VCR, AC, cordless phones, Wi-Fi, and a pool are the big-ticket extras included in the very small ticket price. The Brown Sugar bar is open all day. The brand-new, pricier Coco Palm has 72 rooms, including a few where (parents of toddlers, beware) the French windows open directly over the pool. Both hotels have exuberant, splashy, island decor, with sun-bright colors, bamboo furniture, and palm-frond prints. If you're staying at Coco Creole, be sure to ask for the recently upgraded though identically priced corner rooms, with updated bathrooms and furniture.

At first glance, the new Discovery at Marigot Bay looks incongruous—built directly into the steep slopes surrounding the bay, it has a ski lodge feel that could fit in Aspen. The 124 rooms are another departure from the cliché of Caribbean design: They are sleek and minimalist, with rich, dark wood furniture and cabinetry that conceals air-conditioning units, kitchen appliances, and wires. Still, the outstanding views from the large verandas, 30 of which have plunge pools (unfortunately, guests above have views of you), are unmistakably West Indian. A walk through the main lobby, decorated with Sharon Marston chandeliers and Louis Ghost chairs, leads to the famous and aptly named Hurricane Bar (the bay is a refuge in bad weather), which was kept intact during development. Recent additions cater to the always lively sailing crowd, so there is a boardwalk leading to an impressive array of clothing and gift shops, a French patisserie, and a full-service spa. Guests also have the use of the Caribbean's only solar-powered boat, which runs across the bay to the beach, restaurants, and bars.

If you want the privileged Piton views and balmy trade winds—without having to sacrifice your high-tech comforts—this is the place for you. The 112 rooms are scattered over a 325-acre property, situated directly between the Pitons on a tropical hillside where a sugar-mill estate stood in the 18th century. Nobody gets the classic two-cone Piton view (you're too near), nor are there any seaside villas, but the beach has beautiful (trucked-in) white sand, the spa and the four restaurants are decent (the spa will be completely renovated by late 2007), and the scuba (ten minutes offshore in the underwater park) is great. All units have TVs and VCRs, AC, and Wi-Fi, although the tropical tapestry bedspreads, louvered closet doors, and fake ikat drapes could use replacing.

Around the bay from Anse Chastanet is the newer, sleeker, but otherwise somewhat similar 25-unit Ladera. Accommodations here (there are rooms, and one- and two-bedroom villas) have no phones, TVs, or AC, and, crucially, no fourth walls. Instead there are Piton panoramas, along with in-room treatments by the hotel's new spa, and private plunge pools for romantic wallowing; this place is all about moonlight and champagne and…well, you know. Children aren't allowed—but given that the resort sits on a cliff 1,000 feet above the sea, that's probably a good thing. The same local artisans who supplied Anse Chastanet seem to have been responsible for the madras linens and clay floor tiles, though this decor is a bit fancier, with its stone walls and polished, mosquito-netted, tropical-green heartwood beds and armoires. There's a big communal infinity pool, and though there's no beach, a free shuttle goes to Anse Chastanet beach as well as Soufrière town. Everyone calls the restaurant, Dasheene, the island's best.

A village unto itself, this 33-room cluster of gingerbread cottages spilling down a hillside (far) south of Castries is delightful for anyone wanting peace and quiet, a good beach, a spot of diving, and a cute little home of their own for the duration. Rooms take up an entire cottage, or half of a duplex, and all have big verandas with hammocks-for-two, alfresco showers, air-conditioners (though most people just fling open the shutters) and—in the best ones fronting the beach—private plunge pools. It would be impossible to object to their whitewashed walls, white bedcovers and drapes, terracotta-tiled floors and wooden shutters. There's a scuba center headed by a native St. Lucian who knows the island's sites like the back of his hand, and a pool for the less adventurous. The two on-site restaurants (one's a casual beach bar, the other is more formal) are very good—all-important in such a remote spot.