2 Best Hotels in Montserrat

Overflowing with character and characters, this rain-forest retreat is a photo album in the making, with memorable snapshots that include gardens framed by emerald hills and azure sea; colorful cocktail hours brimming with bonhomie and island gossip; and evening entertainment featuring hotly contested board games, comical calypso concerts, karaoke, ghost stories, or Montserratian dialect lessons. Warm and witty Lou and Shirley Spycalla treat guests like family, offering such complimentary extras as island tours, snack baskets, Wi-Fi access, Skype calls, beach transportation, and a cell phone loaner when hiking or beachcombing. Separate entrances guarantee privacy in the two snug, self-contained units (the poolside room is larger). If you'd rather not cook, you can feast family-style in the kitchen on enticing themed meals.

This aptly named inn, where rooms and suites are plain but cheerful, is run by dynamo Theresa Silcott, who can take you to beaches and local shindigs and who can brew bracing bush teas using ingredients coaxed from her lovingly tended garden. \"When I'm not cooking for people,\" says Theresa, \"I'm planting the food they eat.\" Locals justly laud her traditional cuisine: the intensely flavored goat water, stewed saltfish, and baked goods are made using cherished family recipes. A sports bar lures locals for darts and events on the large-screen TV.