Go, go, go!

NOT even Amy Winehouse on a bad day can spoil St Lucia.

For months there's been a small chance of bumping into her on the way to a local bar after she made the island her home.

Even in Amy's bizarre mind, she knows a beautiful place when she finds one! But thankfully, she returned to London last week after blowing through the island like a hellraising hurricane.

The wild child was homesick for the streets of Camden. Which was great news for the shores of this largely unspoiled, uncommercialised Caribbean paradise.

It is exactly as a child would draw it - white sands round the edges, bright blue sea, and a dense, jungly bit in the middle. Not just a few pine trees, but a proper rainforest draped over high peaks and plunging ravines.

You get your first taste of this travelling from the airport in the south to where the best hotels are in the north west.

It's a 90-minute ride like no other. In the low lying areas the sun will blaze through the windows. As you rise, you might hit a sheet of rain, then mist, then back into sunshine again.

Citrus trees hang heavy over the roadside where locals sell fresh melons, slicing them open with machetes.

At the next hairpin turn you might find a man with a boa constrictor (it's either a photo opportunity or time to put your foot on the gas, depending on your nerves).

Either way, this is the land that pirates once explored. Enjoy it for what it is.

In common with other islands, many of the best hotels on St Lucia are all- inclusive, which means food, drink and watersports are included in the basic price . . . up to a point. At some resorts, that excludes premium drink brands (that is, the famous ones we all know and like) and fewer watersports come free.

To get the five-star treatment you need resorts describing themselves as "ultra all-inclusive" or "luxury included".

Sizzling

Perhaps the most famous of these is Sandals. There are three on the island. The biggest is the Grande, then the Regency, and finally the Halcyon Beach.

We stayed in the Regency. A look at the website will tell you the basics . . . set on a 210-acre estate along a half-mile beach; nine-hole golf course; seven places to eat including a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant (brilliant theatre where the tableside chefs toss food in the air and chop it with cleavers before it hits their sizzling hotplate).

There are also 12 bars, four whirlpools and three pools including the largest freshwater pool in the Eastern Caribbean. The list goes on but what's most impressive is that no one cuts corners - it really is as glossy as its ads. We checked out every grade of room from the entry level (very comfy, huge bed, plenty of space to flop about and a bathroom you'd be proud to have at home) to the posh suites set on a bluff overlooking the bay and complete with butler service.

Yes, butler service. Someone who'll even go down to poolside each morning and put a towel on your chosen lounger!

We discovered that Brits tend to feel a little uneasy about being waited on hand and foot, although Americans take to it like ducks to water. Still, you don't have to use the service - and even butler-free, it's all laid on for you at Sandals.

And by being all-inclusive you save so much. Over a day, we totted up how much extra a couple would have spent staying in a hotel on the island where everything except breakfast was extra.

Just a nice lunch and dinner elsewhere would have cost us £112 a day more - almost £800 over a week, which you need to think about when comparing Sandals prices with non-inclusive. And that's before you start adding on the free watersports. So you'd be forgiven for not venturing out to see the rest of the island. But you must - St Lucia has breathtaking sights.

If you don't take a tour, expect to hire a car from around £22 a day. Helpfully, they drive on the left. No.1 on the sightseeing tour has got to be The Pitons. These are an awesome sight - two fangs of rock standing around 2,500ft out of the sea. You'll get a great view from the town of Soufriere, just beneath them.

Steaming

From there, head for Soufriere volcano, a few miles away, the world's only drive-in volcano. You can park within sight of the steaming lakes of mud.

Some people come here to bathe in the warm waters because they're supposed to help remove skin blemishes.

Don't do it without asking first! There are a few very dangerous spots. Also, if you drink the volcanic water, be prepared to spend the rest of your holiday on the loo. Now head for the capital Castries. This is a bustling seaport within a few minutes of Sandals - made even busier when the huge cruise ships come in.

All along the harbour are duty-free jewellers and expensive watch shops. In today's credit crunch climate haggle hard. We found a watch for half the price it would be in the UK and got a further 25 per cent knocked off.

Finally, on a Friday night try the village of Anse la Reye. Check first, but it's usually public barbecue night when the village fishermen showcase their skills and there's a general street party.

Want more? There's everything from 4x4 Jeep safaris into the rainforest to ziplining 150ft above ground in the rainforest.

But our guess is that another cocktail before dinner will win out in the end. Cheers.

Getting there

SANDALS offers seven nights at Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa on a "Luxury Included" basis from £1,354 per person, including flights with Virgin Atlantic.

Prices based on two adults sharing a La Toc Deluxe Room and based on departures September 2009, booked by August 31. Visit www.sandals.co.uk or call 0800 742 742.

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