Welcome To Twin Peaks

Chocolate-making, ziplining, thermal mudbaths and walk-in volcanoes. What’s not to love about St Lucia

- Tracey Davies

Even in the radiant sunshine, I felt the shadowy presence of twin peaks. I was standing on the terrace of our pretty villa, one of dozens staggered into the jungly hillside, breathing in the fragrant scent of papaya and banana trees, and a rampant bushel of honeysuckle, which had a blurry hummingbird hooning into it like a student at a free bar.

If I craned my neck up to full stretch, I could just about see the green peak of Gros Piton to my left, and the granite tip of Petit Piton to my right. Behind me, I heard pitter-patter-splash in stereo as my 11-year-old twins, Nancy and Lola, ran and jumped into our private pool, oblivious to our breathtaking proximity to St Lucia’s most famous natural features.

We were spending half-term week at Sugar Beach, Viceroy’s heavenly resort nestled between the Pitons, the defining, UNESCO-protected landmarks of the island. Built on the site of an 18th-century sugar plantation, the resort’s colonial-style whitewashed villas tumble down to a crescent of sugary white sand lined with obedient palms and bookended by the Pitons. ‘It’s as close to heaven as we’re gonna get, girls,’ I grinned, swishing a goblet of requisite rum punch.

Although widely considered a honeymoon hotspot, St Lucia is actually a great place to bring the kids. A herd of brightly coloured vintage tuk-tuks buzz guests around the winding roads of the hilly resort. ‘Goodmorning, Lola and Nancy, and how are you this fine sunny day?’ grinnedMichael, their favourite driver, as we hopped into Papillon, our azure-and-scarlet chariot, to whizz down the hill to breakfast. The girls gave him an easy high-five and quizzed him on the best pancakes (chocolate, naturally).