St Remy Plantation

Traditional Soufriere plantation house (sleeps 2-6), fully staffed and with an aristocratic guest book, a pool and magnificent tropical gardens

Tucked away in the hills above the small town of Soufriere, this elegantly faded and charismatic plantation house is owned by the redoubtable Mrs Joan Devaux, whose French colonial family built it in the 1940s as a summer retreat. Now in her eighties, she continues to oversee not only the house but also Soufriere Estate, the home of the town’s exquisite botanical gardens and hot mineral baths. Set on the old coast road, near Fond Doux plantation and the resort of Ladera, it has creamy paintwork, shuttered windows, rocking chairs, wraparound verandas and doors that sometimes lead to other rooms, sometimes to nowhere. Chic, it’s not; character, though, it’s got in bucket-loads.

St Remy has its own gardener, cook and security guard, as well as a battalion of pugnacious hummingbirds that turn the gorgeous powderpuff tree by the pool into a constant whirring of wings and shrill battle cries. From the shade of a bed beneath the gazebo, you can see Gros Piton, across valleys spilling bamboo trees, mangoes, breadfruit and breathtakingly beautiful dogwood. This is the ultimate ‘do-nothing’ destination: lie back and listen to the distant lowing of cattle, flip open a Piton beer and watch the tropical colours slowly fade to grey as dusk descends.

Highs

• The beautiful gardens have been admired by many, including (it’s said) Princess Margaret
• The bird life is spectacular - if you’ve been hoping to photograph a hummingbird, now’s your best chance
• There’s a lovely big swimming pool, from where you can pick fresh mangoes straight from the tree
• This is a timeless place - it’s easy to feel that the world stopped a couple of decades ago
• There’s a relaxing pace to life here - you can eat when you want, help yourself to a pot of Earl Grey, pad around barefoot and sprawl on the veranda: the only person you have to please is yourself

Lows

• This is not one for beach addicts - you might glimpse the sea, but you’ll need exceptional eyesight
• Nor is it the place for those in search of action or nightlife - sleepy Soufriere isn’t geared up for tourism
• Unless you’re used to it, having staff around for so much of the day might feel inhibiting
• The bathrooms could do with updating and there are no ensuites
• The furniture at St Remy is middle-aged - but if stylishness doesn’t matter to you, you’ll find this is an unpretentious, comfortable home that will linger in your thoughts long after you leave