A bit of history: after slavery on St. Lucia was outlawed in 1838, thousands of indentured workers were brought over from India, and many eventually settled here. Apsara, the candlelit beachside restaurant at the Anse Chastanet resort, reflects this diversity, with a menu that’s primarily Indian with local influences. Most of the meat and breads are prepared in a tandoor oven. Dessert might include tandoori-baked pineapple and masala coffee mousse. The easiest way to get to the restaurant (it’s open to non-guests) is by water taxi. Reservations are recommended.

Situated in an open two-story dining room on a wooden deck overlooking Marigot Bay, the main restaurant at the Discovery resort has one of the island’s prettiest settings. The chef likes to experiment with Caribbean-inspired dishes, many made with organic ingredients from St. Lucia’s farms and plantations. A nice touch is the “local cuisine menu,” a nightly prix fixe that showcases Caribbean cooking in dishes like breadfruit-crusted shrimp with pickled papaya and mango salad, rabbit served with sweet potato and plantain and a tropical fruit gratin. The rest of the menu has a more classic Continental slant, but is heavy on fresh seafood.

Short of scaling the Pitons, the open patio at Dasheene is as close as you’re going to get to the two mythical rocks that jut out of the Caribbean Sea like ancient natural pyramids. Part of the Ladera resort situated 1,100 feet above sea level, Dasheene had been in the capable hands of chef Orlando Satchell since 1998 (he was the first St. Lucian chef to be invited to cook at New York’s James Beard House), but is now helmed by chef Nigel Mitchel, who favors local ingredients and updated takes on traditional island favorites. The breezy setting is one of the Caribbean’s most romantic. Come early enough for cocktails at sunset, when light pours into Dasheene and tints everything the color of melted amber.

In the 1960s, the cozy Hurricane Hole on the marina at Marigot Bay was one of the Caribbean’s most famous bars and places to see and be seen. And while Sophia Loren no longer lingers over rum punch here, the dark-wood decor and polished central bar have been lovingly restored by the owners of Discovery at Marigot Bay. It’s a nice restaurant for a light lunch—the menu consists of salads, panini, burgers and seafood dishes—or cocktails before dining at Boudreau.

From Stephanie Pliakes, who recently vacationed on St. Lucia with her husband, Harry: “One of our favorite restaurants was the Mango Tree at Stonefield Estate, near the Sugar Beach resort, which has the most amazing setting for sunset and a great barbecue night on Thursdays.”