Montserrat

This is the island's best source for sportswear made from Sea Island cotton, celebrated for its softness and high quality.

This delightful coffeehouse percolates with strong java and lively chatter thanks to owners David, Clover, Sun, and Kristina Lea (the folks behind Gingerbread Hill up the road). Volcanic relics, old Montserrat Lime posters, and a wild collection of hats adorn the space. In addition to luscious lattes, you can order bush teas and fresh local juices, as well as yummy cinnamon rolls, apple tarts, pure frozen-fruit ice cream, and more. Active types can play Ping-Pong, chess, darts, or dominoes. All the local artworks and products on the walls are for sale. It's open several afternoons, but hours are irregular (call ahead).

Five different rums power the knockout Olveston Rum Punch, but the animated chatter of locals, expats, and international guests also generates its own potent buzz. Picture windows overlook the handsome veranda and gardens at this popular eatery. Chef Margaret Wilson uses whatever ingredients are available, always creatively. She often makes fresh wahoo, garlic shrimp, or pork tenderloin. The sublime sticky toffee pudding, mango-ginger crumble are divine, though daughter Sarah's luscious cheesecakes are also winners. Sailing etchings, period cabinets with mismatched china, and serenading tree frogs create the ambience of dining at someone's country estate, Caribbean-style. Wednesday barbecue, Friday pub night, and Sunday classic English brunch are casual and cheap, with no reservations required.

This pretty, coral-and-white wooden building is garlanded year-round with Christmas lights, a harbinger of the good vibes within. It's the best place to eavesdrop on island gossip, as government functionaries file in for lunch (at least when day-trippers don't take over). Dine either in a trim room or on a breezy veranda (admittedly sans view). Occasionally you'll find old-time dishes like souse, but the menu is generally more upscale: specialties include velvety pumpkin soup, proper escargots, and tender lobster in sultry creole sauce or (even better) tangy garlic sauce. Entrées are served with heaping helpings of salads and sides. Fine desserts (moist carrot cake, cheesecake, and wonderfully textured coconut pie) end the meal and, surprisingly, good take-out pizza is available.

Vivacious owners John and Marcia Punter literally hacked Montserrat's most elegant eatery from the rain forest. They poured a concrete floor and dressed it with a billowing, white, rectangular tent, pergolas, palm fronds, potted plants, hardwood chairs, jade hurricane shutters, bronze sculpted candlesticks, and colorful Moroccan-inspired table settings. The menu (posted on a blackboard) changes daily, but always offers one red meat, one white meat, and one seafood entrée. Generally well-executed dishes lean more toward bistro fare (emphasizing beef entrecôte or goat cheese soufflé over such island staples as fish, though specials like oxtail ravioli happily marry both culinary traditions); the signature butterfly shrimp usually precedes entrées. A decent wine list enhances the meal; save room for the Chocolate Sludge. Despite an erratic schedule (reconfirm reservations), hard-to-find location, and overly relaxed service, the ambience is appealingly serene and upscale.

David Lea has chronicled Montserrat's volcanic movements in a fascinating eight-part video–DVD series, The Price of Paradise, each entry a compelling glimpse into the geological and social devastation—and regeneration. These, as well as rollicking local-music CDs by his son (named Sun) and other musicians, are available at his studio.

The ravages of volcanic ash and hurricanes are visible at this deserted taupe crescent: a former bird sanctuary and mangrove swamp with denuded tree trunks and the ruin of a former Rotary Club refreshment booth. However, nature has impressively revivified itself, allowing Bob Hunt of the U.K. PGA to conduct feasibility studies for a 9-hole golf course (expandable to 18), which awaits funding on a verdant 60-acre site. The beach lacks facilities and shade. Plans perennially call for rebuilding the coastal main road, but for now the only access is via the old Belham Valley Road. After years of being off-limits, it's now listed as Zone C (accessible, but check daily). Amenities: none. Best for: solitude.

This perennial favorite doesn't close as long as customers are thirsty. The name was a teasing reference to Garry's penchant for napping at the bar (when he wasn't complaining—mostly humorously—about a plumber's hard life and long hours). Sadly, Garry passed in 2012, but his son (also in the "plunging biz") carries on the tradition.

This is the best spot on the island for shooting pool and the breeze; get here early for luscious fried and barbecued chicken, liberally daubed with mouth- and eye-watering homemade sauces and seasonings, accompanied by frosty beers and local firewater liqueurs.

This vantage point—replete with telescope, barbecue grill and tables for picnickers, landscaped grounds, and washrooms—provides bird's-eye views of the old W.H. Bramble airport and eastern villages damaged by pyroclastic flows.

Last Chance Souvenir Shop is a terrific last-minute stop for high-quality local arts and crafts, such as photos, ceramics, painted gourds, and treats such as Volcano Rum. They also sell low-priced souvenirs.

In season, artist Harriet Peakes runs a rollicking "Rumshop Tour" of three to four truly local watering holes where you can lime, drink, sample local fare, and play spirited dominoes.

Boats chug in and out of the port at the northern end of this otherwise comely crescent with calm waters. Several beach bars—Pont's (fine cheap local lunch Tuesday–Sunday), Soca Cabana, Seaside and Sylvia's—provide cool shade and cooler drinks. Carlton's Fish Net Bar specializes in barbecued stuffed trunkfish (a shellfish delicacy). A number of bars and restaurants were recently built in the adjacent section dubbed Marine Village, including Monty’s Bar and Dive Centre. You may see locals casting lines for their own dinner. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming.

Eight years in development, the impressive, colonnaded Montserrat Cultural Centre and its 500-seat, state-of-the-art Sir George Martin Auditorium present craft demonstrations, folkloric and fashion shows, pageants, movies (with popcorn and hot dogs), and the occasional dance and theatrical performance. During intermission, check out the Wall of Fame (bronzed handprints of musicians who recorded or performed on Montserrat, such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and Mark Knopfler). Check with the tourist board or local newspaper listings for the current schedule.

The MNT's main headquarters and collections relocated to Little Bay's Montserrat National Museum in 2012. But the lovingly tended botanical gardens and nature trails at the original site make for a pleasant, self-guided stroll. Among the plants are herbs used in folkloric medicine, former economic staples like Sea Island cotton and limes, and uniquely indigenous flora. You'll also find charming local keepsakes in the gift shop on the premises.

Occupying the Government Headquarters Building, the Montserrat Philatelic Bureau sells a wealth of highly prized unusual stamps, including handsome first-day covers, that highlight local treasures from the Montserrat Oriole to the late great musician the Mighty Arrow.

The island's must-see sight occupies capacious, strikingly postmodern quarters with stunning vistas of the Soufrière Hills volcano—a lunarscape encircled by brilliant green—and Plymouth in the distance. Unfortunately, the MVO staff no longer offers tours that explain monitoring techniques on sophisticated computerized equipment in riveting detail. But you can see graphic photos, artifacts like rock and ash, and diagrams that describe the various pyroclastic surge deposits. The Interpretation Center screens a high-impact film with IMAX footage.

The National Trust, which aims to conserve and enhance the island's natural beauty and cultural heritage, moved its headquarters and collection to this handsome new building in March 2012. The museum features permanent and rotating exhibits on Arawak canoe building, colonial sugar and lime production (the term limey was first applied here to English sailors trying to avoid scurvy), indigenous marine life, West Indian cricket, the annual Calabash Festival, island folklore like mocko jumbies (spirits), and the history of Sir George Martin's Air Studios, which once lured top musicians from Dire Straits to Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. The back room houses a charming small-scale re-creation of pre-eruption Plymouth via blown-up photos, cutouts, and dioramas. Eventually one archival exhibit will screen videos of Montserrat's oral history related by its oldest inhabitants.

Follow the yellowing signs to Old Towne's Vue Pointe Hotel to reach this mile-long, pearl-gray beauty, a favorite swimming beach that has expanded greatly thanks to volcanic flow. There's little shade and there are no concessions now that the Vue Pointe remains closed for the foreseeable future. Check with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory or the Tourism Office to ensure access is advisable on any given day. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Oriole Gift Shop in the National Museum, run by the Montserrat National Trust, is an excellent source for books on Montserrat (look for the Montserrat Cookbook and works by the island's former acting governor, Sir Howard Fergus), as well as trail maps, handicrafts (wonderful dolls, hand-painted boxes, and calabash purses) and locally made food products.

Montserrat's former capital had been off-limits to general tourists because of volcanic activity since the 2006 dome collapse of the Soufrière Hills volcano. Before that, the adventuresome could stroll its streets, albeit at their own risk; the situation has changed with the volcano's relative quiescence, but entry is still somewhat limited. Many cabbies and tour operators, who have undergone basic safety training, can arrange escorted tours with advance clearance from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (the price varies). Once one of the Caribbean's loveliest towns, facing the vividly hued sea, it now resembles a dust-covered lunarscape, with elegant Georgian buildings buried beneath several feet of ash, mud, and rubble (though rain is slowly washing layers away). The hazard allowance of EC$150 has been discontinued.

The island's sole white-sand beach is a perfect cove tucked under a forested cliff whose calm, unspoiled waters are ideal for swimming and offer remarkable snorkeling. It's accessible only via the sea or a steep trail that runs over the bluff to adjacent Little Bay (you can also negotiate boat rides from the fishermen who congregate there). There are no regular facilities or shade, but its very remoteness and pristine reef teeming with marine life lend it exceptional charm. Quan Jo Boat Tours & Camping offers Sunday beach activities, including boat rides and snorkeling, as well as food, music and tents for shade. Amenities: none. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; swimming.

This once affluent suburb of Plymouth is just north of the former capital and also offers a riveting panorama. You can see the 18th-century sugar mill that once housed the Montserrat Museum and poke around the abandoned Montserrat Springs Hotel, where a few items remain just as they were left on the front desk during the mass exodus in 1997. You might encounter a goat or cow nibbling mushrooms growing through the cracks in the pool and tennis court. The hotel's hot springs are down the hill by the beach, which has grown substantially and was long a favorite liming spot of locals and expats.

Montserrat's ghauts (pronounced guts) are deep ravines that carry rainwater down from the mountains to the sea. This natural spring, a short, well-marked walk into the hilly bush outside Woodlands, was the site of bloody colonial skirmishes between the British and French. The legend is more interesting than the trail: "Those that drink its water clear they spellbound are, and the Montserrat call they must obey." If you don't want to hike or picnic, a drink from the roadside faucet should ensure that you return to Montserrat in your lifetime.

This hot spot offers live Caribbean beats, as the name implies. But expat owner Tom Walker is passionate about the island's musical heritage, including the halcyon days of Air Studios. He salvaged the "Bar of the Stars" from Sir George Martin's celebrated recording space, where weekly Montserrat Idol competitions take place. It's a delightful liming spot, with the bamboo bar and whitewashed patio accented in mint and turquoise overlooking the beach. Seemingly half the island descends here on Sunday for meals, music, and merriment. Karaoke Saturdays also reel partiers in.

The only access to this incredible vantage point over the devastation is across the Belham Valley, through a once-beautiful golf course now totally covered by volcanic mudflow, resembling a lunarscape. Be aware that routes aren't signposted on the rough road, which is often impassable after heavy rains, so it's best to hire an experienced guide. You'll drive through Cork Hill and Weekes, villages for the most part spookily intact (there's no way to provide utilities, though geothermal drilling as an alternate energy source is under way). Close to the summit, the equally eerie, abandoned, stark-white wind-generator project and the giant satellite dishes of the Gem and Antilles radio stations resemble abstract-art installations awaiting completion by Christo. At the top, Ft. St. George contains sparse ruins, including a few cannons, but the overwhelming sight is the panorama of destruction, an unrelenting swath of gray offset by vivid emerald fields and the turquoise Caribbean. If access is ever again restricted to St. George's, you may be able to drive partway to Garibaldi Hill, which also affords sweeping vistas of the devastation.

A fairly strenuous Centre Hills trail leads to one of Montserrat's few remaining historic sites—the ruins of the once-influential Sturges family's summer cottage—as well as a banana plantation. Its Duck Pond Hill perch, farther up the trail, dramatically overlooks the coastline, Garibaldi Hill, Old Towne, abandoned villages, and Plymouth.

Lydia, the owner of the Treasure Spot, often books the island's up-and-coming musicians (usually One Man Band but also Pops Morris, Hero, and Basil—reggae and soca artists beginning to develop a reputation outside Montserrat) to play weekends. Locals also savor breakfast, lunch, and weekend barbecues.

The only drawback to this secluded strand is the occasionally rough surf (children should be closely monitored). The breezy but covered picnic area on the cliff is one of the best vantage points to watch migratory humpback whales in spring and nesting green and hawksbill turtles in early fall. From here, you can hike north, then down across a wooden bridge to even less trammeled Bunkum Bay, which has a friendly guesthouse and beach bar. Amenities: restrooms. Best for: solitude; surfing.

This gallery promotes the work of local artists such as Donaldson Romeo and sells spectacular photos of the volcano as well as of indigenous birds and other wildlife.