Bananas. For years this crop was the mainstay of the economy in St Lucia. But when the fruit business went pear-shaped a decade ago, a more viable and lucrative source of income for this eastern Caribbean island was found. Tourism.

Luxury resorts were developed on the southwest coast. More followed on the north where the bays are plentiful and the beaches superb. Today the natural beauty of St Lucia, bathed all year round by tropical sunshine, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year to its warm water shores.

Unlike some of its more well-known neighbours in the West Indies, St Lucia has been careful with its tourist development. Most of the countryside remains unspoilt by commerce, with resorts for the most part confined to small pockets of this 238 square mile isle.

Wishing to extract myself from the long march of the Irish winter, girlfriend and I booked a stay in a four-star hotel in Rodney Bay on St Lucia’s northeast coast. Location-wise, we couldn’t have asked for much better, with a string of fine restaurants and the island’s finest beach, the Reduit on our doorstep.

This was to be our home for the next two weeks and we quickly adjusted to the St Lucian lifestyle, where the daily temperature turns everybody into a sun lounger lizard.

Bookending one end of the beach was Pigeon Island, once a U.S military base, now a national park and one of the highlights of St Lucia. The island (actually no longer a real island with the water dredged to join it to the mainland) has two summits which offer contrasting but spectacular views of St Lucia.

One peak provides a glimpse of the mountainous interior of the island, while the other vantage point reveals a panoramic view of the Caribbean with the French-owned Martinique visible in the distance. In between hilly ascends, history buffs will learn something of the island from the nearby museum, military cemetery and Interpretative Centre.

The most famous sight on St Lucia is the twin peaks of the Pitons. Dominating the southwest coast of the island and breathtaking to behold, Petite Piton and Gran Piton rise to over 2,000 feet and can be climbed by the more adventurous visitor.

Framed by lush vegetation and the cobalt blue of the Caribbean, this UNESCO World Heritage site is the natural symbol of the island and forms the quintessential picture postcard of St Lucia.

Close to the Pitons and often referred to as the world’s only drive-in volcano, La Soufriere Sulphur Springs was once an active volcano measuring some 13 kilometres in diameter before it collapsed around 40,000 years ago.

Today the Springs provide a daily geological show for visitors, with boiling hot waters and pungent gases bubbling up to the surface on a continuous basis. One of the island’s main attractions, La Soufriere Sulphur Springs are a real curiosity and for a small fee you can hire a guide who will take you through the sights, smells and history of a volcano which could, in theory, erupt anytime in the future.

Away from the gorgeous scenery and golden sandy beaches, St Lucia has a history which makes it one of the more interesting islands in the Caribbean. The English first landed here in 1605 but the French set up a colony in 1635 and the two countries then proceeded to fight over the island for the next 200 years.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, St Lucia went from British to French rule, swapping hands 14 times before English rule eventually dominated.

The country was granted full independence in 1979, though it is still a member of the British Commonwealth. English is the official language but the French influence still prevails, not least in the use of Creole, which is the chosen dialect for most natives. (Most children speak Creole first and don’t learn English until they attend school).

Creole has its origins in the days of slavery when landowners attempted to communicate with their African captives. The language is a loose mixture of French, English and African tongues with a smattering of Spanish thrown in for good measure.

St Lucians are proud of their indigenous language and everywhere you go on the island you will hear it spoken. Creole is not just a language, though. Each year islanders celebrate a series of Creole festivals covering music, folklore, arts and cookery.

For a long-haul getaway anytime of the year, St Lucia packs an awful lot into a small space. If you get tired of lounging around (as if you would), 31% of the country is covered in rainforest and is just waiting to be explored. There are waterfalls, nature trails, bird sanctuaries and botanic gardens, all within short driving range.

The coral reef is worth the travel alone and you can swim, snorkel and scuba dive to your heart’s content. And did I mention the people, which is after all what makes a holiday for me. Everywhere we went we were asked by the locals “What do you think of St Lucia?” We would always answer the same: the place is beautiful and the people are very friendly. They’ve probably been told it a thousand times before but judging from their expressions, they always seem glad to hear it.