A private paradise in the Caribbean

The islands that make up the nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines are among the most "beautiful and secluded" in the Caribbean - and none more so than Petit St Vincent, says Stanley Stewart in the Sunday Times Travel magazine.

Until the 1960s, this "romantic outcrop" was "home only to a few grazing goats". That changed in 1963, when a fancy-free American yachtsman named Haze Richardson dropped anchor nearby and fell in love with the place. There are still "no roads, no towns and no shops" on the island - but now there are no goats, either. Instead, there's a single, "idyllic" resort, built by Richardson himself.

The island covers more than 100 acres of rolling hills, and is surrounded by two miles of white sandy shore, yet the resort consists of just 22 stone cottages, well set apart from one another. It’s a "dream of a tropical island retreat", with "the sea, the tumble of waves and the night sky packed with stars". The cottages are "effortlessly luxurious", but "stripped of the clutter and distraction of modern life", with no plasma screens, no broadband, not even phones. Instead, there are "star maps and seashell guides" on the bedside tables, and hammocks on the terraces. It's easy to fill the days here without doing much: a game of tennis in the morning might be followed by a picnic lunch on a sandbar and a spot of snorkelling in the island’s crystal-clear waters.

But those who feel like exploring further afield can always sail to the Tobago Cays, five deserted islands visible on the eastern horizon that are so idyllic, you might think you've "stepped into your own rum advert". Slip over the edge of your boat en route and you can "swim with sea turtles" across "some of the finest coral reefs in the West Indies", and discover "a world of fish so bizarre, you'll wonder if you're dreaming".

ITC Classics (01244 355 550) has seven nights full board from £2,336pp including flights. ·