Fodor's Expert Review Oualie Beach Hotel

These creole-style gingerbread cottages daubed in cotton-candy colors sit just steps from a beach facing St. Kitts and are carefully staggered to ensure sea views from every room. Deluxe rooms have mahogany canopy four-poster beds and granite vanities, and studios have full kitchens and sofa beds. Unfortunately, many older rooms are slightly musty, though they received recent refurbishment. Happily, eco-centric Oualie is noted for its wealth of on-site recreational opportunities, from mountain biking to diving, windsurfing to turtle-watching, so you won't spend much time in your room anyway. It's also fairly hopping for a small Nevisian property. The informal restaurant is popular for its barbecue-and-lobster Tuesdays and West Indian–theme Friday nights with live music. You can book spa packages with the on-site but unaffiliated Chill spa. Dive packages and numerous Internet specials, including early-bird discounts, make Oualie an excellent value.