Need an affordable vacation without children to amuse, where the two of you can just disappear off the radar for a week or two? You want to go to St Lucia, and you don't want to stay in a five star or even a four star, and you certainly don't want an all-inclusive. You are also looking for an affordable holiday, staying at a Caribbean Inn, bed and breakfast type of place, and definitely off the beaten track.

In this case you need to consider the Fox Grove Inn. It is a Caribbean Country Inn located in Mon Repos with views over Praslin Bay and Fregate Island Nature reserve.

You will find the Fox Grove Inn to be a most delightful place, so much so it has even been recommended by the London Times. You might well read about it as a bed and breakfast establishment. This is an expression quite often used on Caribbean Islands to describe what is in fact an Inn, and Fox Grove Inn is exactly that, with 10 rooms. It even offers fine dining, and people come from a fair distance to eat here.

As far as it being an affordable holiday there is little doubt that a maximum rate of USD83 per room plus taxes is hardly going to break the bank.

There is a self catering option with a 2 bedroomed apartment to the side which if occupied by four persons will cost USD1260 for a fortnight, a rate of USD90 per night. This rate by the way doesn't include breakfast but there is a fully equipped kitchen and a terrace to enjoy the views of the bay and the green hills.

One of the really delightful things about Fox Grove Inn is how laid back it is, and it has such a friendly atmosphere, so much so that you will very quickly learn what life on St Lucia is like at a local level, something you'll never see in a large concrete hotel. The service and attention from the staff are exceptional, so there's not much more to ask for really.

The rooms are simple, but extremely clean, and some have a really stunning view over the banana plantations to the sea beyond. There is a good sized pool, with sun loungers, and enough for all the guests, although the pool was never busy, because the kind of guests who stay here aren't the type to be lying around in the sun all day, and they are therefore all very interesting to chat to.

An affordable vacation is usually full of drawbacks, one of them being food, but as indicated earlier, Fox Grove Inn offers a fine dining experience. The food here has been described as the best in St Lucia, and that is no exaggeration, with large home cooked breakfasts, and lunch and dinner to really savour down to the last mouthful. The dining area takes full advantage of the views, and one of the great joys is a Caribbean cocktail on the terrace with a cooling breeze, good company, and a superb view.

A final comment about this quite glorious affordable vacation on St Lucia at the Fox Grove Inn, is that it is the best possible place to experience true St Lucian hospitality.