1 Montpelier Plantation, Nevis

You can laze on Pinney's Beach - the hotel's private stretch of white sand a 15-minute drive away - or ride horses up through lush rainforest that surrounds this 18th-century sugar plantation house before retiring to the freshwater pool for a soak. Dinner is prepared by executive chef Mark Roberts using local produce, including sugar grown on the plantation, and served in the converted sugar mill which seats 12 for intimate dining. Unlike many converted plantation properties in the Caribbean, this one benefits from being centered around the 17-room Great House as the focal point for socialising, lending the hotel a more traditional atmosphere. The house is set in 30 acres of rich, tropical grounds which adjoin the Botanical Gardens of Nevis, with cane Þelds and the Nevis Peak as a backdrop. No wonder this was the house in which the wealthy local widow Fanny Nisbet and Admiral Horatio Nelson chose to marry. Rooms are in pared-down white with rich wood four-posters and fitted with DVD players. The Great House has a well-stocked library, card room and two mahogany bars.

The deal: Azure Luxury Hotel Collection (01244 322770) offers seven nights' bed and breakfast at Montpelier from £1,320 per person inclusive of flights and transfers.
Caribbean Expressions (020 7431 2131; www.expressionsholidays.co.uk) offers seven nights' B&B from £1,390 including flights with BA or Virgin Atlantic to Antigua, plus transfers.
Contact: Montpelier Plantation (00 869 469 3462; www.montpeliernevis.com).

...and five more great houses to plant yourself in

2 Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis

This former sugar and coconut plantation dates from 1778 and was once the family home of Lord Nelson's wife, Fanny Nisbet. Located in 30 acres of palm trees, the Great House is set back from the white sand beach on the north shore of Nevis by a sweeping avenue of palms with plantation-style cottages on either side. The hotel combines the ambience of the Great House and its antique furnishings with a more contemporary feel in the beach-side restaurant where there is an open-air swimming pool, three restaurants serving local produce and a large bar area that serves afternoon tea while you gaze out to sea.

The deal: Caribtours (020 7751 0660) offers seven nights' half board at Nisbet from £1,471 pp inclusive of §ights. Nisbet Plantation (00 869 469 9325; www.nisbetplantation.comwww.montpeliernevis.com).).

3 Villa Nova, Barbados

Built in 1834 from handcut coral stone, this is one of the Þnest sugar plantation Great Houses in the Caribbean. Once home to British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, the house now offers guests 28 rooms and an exclusive old-world atmosphere that has played host to Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Winston Churchill and Noel Coward. Dark hardwood floors and Victorian-style bathtubs add to the elegance.

The deal: Caribbean Expressions (020 7431 2131; www.expressionsholidays.co.uk) offers seven nights' B&B from £1,798 pp inclusive of §ights with BA. Carrier (01625 547020; www.carrier.co.uk).) offers seven nights B&B in a deluxe terrace room from £1,766 pp inclusive of flights with BA from Gatwick and private transfers. Villa Nova (00 1 246 433 1524; www.villanovabarbados.com).).

4 Cotton House, Mustique

This 18th-century stone and coral estate is big on the luxurious details: there are cedar shutters, antique furnishings inspired by the late British theatrical designer Oliver Messel and even a 'pillow menu' to ensure that every guest gets a tailor-made good night's sleep. The Great House is only 30 metres from the nearest Caribbean beach, and 200 metres from an Atlantic one. Each room has a CD/stereo and personal bar. The Great House also contains a new spa offering aromatherapy massages and reflexology sessions.

The deal: Elegant Resorts (01244 897999; www.elegantresorts.co.uk) offers seven nights' accommodation in a Grenadines Cottage on a b&b basis from £2,385 pp, inclusive of flights from Gatwick with BA, onward connection to Mustique with Carib Aviation and private car transfers. Departure date is 1 March 2004. Cotton House (UK information line 0800 894057; www.cottonhouseresort.com).

5 Jumby Bay Resort, Antigua

This 230-year-old estate house is set on its own 300-acre private island (once home to the Earl of Carlisle after it was granted to him by King Charles I in 1627) two miles off Antigua. Sprinkled about the verdant island are 39 suites and 11 villas offering secluded luxury with views to die for. The island is also a haven for rare wild tropical bowers and home to endangered hawksbill turtles and birds on and around Pasture Bay Beach. Rooms are laid out with bespoke wickerwork, four-poster beds and private terraces.

The deal: Elegant Resorts (01244 897999; www. elegantresorts.co.uk) offers seven nights in an ocean- view/Pond Bay room on an all-inclusive basis from £3,295 pp, inclusive of flights from Gatwick with BA and private car transfers. Departure date 1 March 2004. Jumby Bay (00 268 462 6000; www.jumbybayresort.com).

6 Rawlins Plantation Inn, St Kitts

Built from the ruins of a 17th-century sugar plantation on the northern end of St Kitts, this offers a rural retreat that is closer to a real plantation house than any other. Set in its own lush 12 acres of Caribbean paradise with mango, papaya and banana trees surrounded by working sugar cane fields, Rawlins is a relaxed home from home (with added good weather and stunning views, of course). The exclusive 10-room hotel, built 350ft above sea level on the slopes of Mount Liamuiga, offers a spring-fed swimming pool, a grass tennis court and beautiful secluded honeymoon suite built in the plantation's former sugar mill in the grounds. Cuisine is a mixture of Kittian and cordon bleu with ingredients sourced from the hotel's own gardens and sea food from local fishermen.

The deal: Azure Luxury Hotel Collection (01244 322770) offer seven nights' half-board at Rawlins from £1,410 pp inclusive of flights and transfers. Rawlins Plantation (00 869 465 6221; www.rawlinsplantation.com).