Hotel: Coco Palm

At Coco Palm, in Saint Lucia, it's easy to make that giant leap from bedroom to pool.

The boutique hotel's six swim-up rooms close the gap between guest room and pool, eliminating the slog down the stairs or the elevator ride down. Instead, when the urge hits to cool off, guests can simply slide open their glass door and dive in. (The swimmer's view is a bit more awkward, as private space morphs into public space.)

But even if you can't doggy paddle from your backdoor, guests can still enjoy splashing-good views from any of the 30 pool-panoramic rooms, some of which also boast small terraces. The other 35 rooms overlook Rodney Bay and the lush landscape of northwest Saint Lucia, a study of palm trees and flowers, mountains and sea. Meanwhile, the 12 suites are equally divided between the two views. Of course, with a separate living room ideal for lounging, an iPod/MP3 interface, and flat-screen TVs, you might forget to gaze out the window now and then. Even more

At Coco Palm, in Saint Lucia, it's easy to make that giant leap from bedroom to pool.

The boutique hotel's six swim-up rooms close the gap between guest room and pool, eliminating the slog down the stairs or the elevator ride down. Instead, when the urge hits to cool off, guests can simply slide open their glass door and dive in. (The swimmer's view is a bit more awkward, as private space morphs into public space.)

But even if you can't doggy paddle from your backdoor, guests can still enjoy splashing-good views from any of the 30 pool-panoramic rooms, some of which also boast small terraces. The other 35 rooms overlook Rodney Bay and the lush landscape of northwest Saint Lucia, a study of palm trees and flowers, mountains and sea. Meanwhile, the 12 suites are equally divided between the two views. Of course, with a separate living room ideal for lounging, an iPod/MP3 interface, and flat-screen TVs, you might forget to gaze out the window now and then. Even more distracting: the tiled shower, complete with a bench so you can rest between shampooing and conditioning.

Coco Palm, which opened in August 2005, was founded by Allen Chastanet, the local hotelier who was recently named Saint Lucia's Minister of Tourism and established the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival and the new Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival. Chastanet also owns the 20-room Coco Kreole, the sister property that sits behind Coco Palm, and plans to break ground on Coco Plum in the fall of 2007, a new hotel fashioned in a Caribbean art-deco style.

But the sunshine-yellow Coco Palm is his signature property. The four-story hotel brings the bright Caribbean day indoors, with a color palette that falls between aquatic and Eden. In a nod to local raw materials, the rooms' lamps are shaped out of island clay and the artwork in the rooms and airy lobby was created by Saint Lucians. You won't find any framed Monet prints here.

For a bigger taste of the West Indies island, you don't have to venture far. While there is no swim-up eatery or bar, guests only have to take baby steps to reach Ti Bananne, the three-meals-a-day restaurant that overlooks the pool and coterie of sunbathers. With only a roof to keep away the raindrops and rays, the dining and drinking spot is classic Caribbean.

Trinidadian chef Richardson Skinner prepares such Carib-Creole fare as mango-glazed chicken and conch poupiette while a balmy breeze lightly ruffles the white linen tablecloth. For that unspecific cocktail hour, the bartenders have all sides of the bar covered, never letting one go thirsty for long. Just be sure to shout loud or you'll be drowned out by the growl of blenders.

When it's time to get some sand in your suit, the long white crescent of Reduit Beach is a minutes' walk away. Hopping Rodney Bay Village is also just around the bend. The small town can be mastered in an afternoon, but return in the evening to feast on everything from eclectic Caribbean to Italian and Asian. (At select eateries, Coco Palm hotel guests can even "sign" for their meal.) For a post-prandial workout, go nightclubbing, sing karaoke (performers, good and unbearable, can be heard in the street, so choose your song wisely), or twirl beneath the disco ball at the Upper Level, whose DJs know the power that Michael Jackson has over a dance floor.

When it's finally time to roll back to Coco Palm, the luckiest of guests can swim to their rooms. The rest of you will have to take the stairs.

Coco Palm (www.coco-resorts.com; 866.588.5980
Rates from early January to mid april start at $145 for a garden room, $215 for a swim-up room, and $260 for a suite with a pool view. Peak dates (April 3 to 10, May 7 to 13, Dec 4 to Jan 8) require seven-day minimum stays and start at $185.