The Good Family Hotel Guide: Jalouise Hilton, St Lucia

Mood

Mood

Swish, colonial-style resort nestling into a forested hillside with the 3,000-foot Les Pitons volcano summits towering above.

Accommodation

Individual, pastel-shaded cottages - one and two-room - scattered around the 325-acre resort. Some have private plunge pools. A shuttle busferries guests up and down steep gradients.

Refuelling

Four restaurants including the Bayside on the beach for barbecues and The Pier for elegant casual dining. Special children's dining room whereunder-5s eat free; 6-12s pay half price eating from any menu.

Beach

There is a beach of fine, golden sand in front of the resort. This is imported from Guyana, which punters prefer to St. Lucia's volcanic black sand.

Activities

A spa and fitness centre, squash, tennis, scuba diving and the full gamut of water sports. For children, there is a creche, a club where sports andother activities are supervised, and a Learning Centre which organises field trips to explore the island's volcanoes, rainforests and sulphur springs.

Fellow Guests

Americans and British; fewer French, Germans and Italians. Many well- off families withchildren, taking advantage of childcare activities.

Sample Prices

Total cost for a family of two adults and two children for a week, £2,634 in low season (May, June, September and October), rising to£3,274 from January to Easter, with Harlequin Worldwide Travel (01708 850300). Prices include flights, transfers, B&B and mostactivities and sports.

Address

Jalousie Hilton Resort, Soufriere, St Lucia, West Indies, Tel: 001 758 459 7666, Fax: 001 748 459 7667, email: JHR_gm_sec @candw.lc.

UK bookings: 0345 581595