BY ALISON GREGORSpecial to Newsday

The ruined sugar mill isa cultural icon formany islands in theWest Indies, appearingon everything from

brochures to cocktail napkins,but many visitors leave withoutlearning its function. The sameis true of the great plantationestates.

However, in recent decades,several historic plantations on ahandful of Caribbean islands

have been renovated andconverted into upscale inns thatnow play a role in heritagetourism. Some of these hotelseven continue to operate asworking plantations, growingcocoa beans and fruits. Whilethe 18th century plantations,mostly sugar-producing, helpedcreate the landscape of the

islands, the plantation inns,which often have a great housealong with cottages and acres ofland, are helping to sustain it.

Frequently family-owned andmanaged, the plantation inns,which typically offer anintimate experience featuringfine cuisine, translate a heritageof sugar, slavery and a

plantation economy into atourism attraction, enablingvisitors to experience theunique culture of each island. Inlieu of a seaside stay, mostplantation inns offer beachclubs or shuttles to nearbybeaches, as well as verdantgardens and rain forest trails.

Here are four:

Fond Doux Resort& PlantationSoufrière, St. Lucia758-459-7545From U.S.: 315-307-2348fonddouxestate.com$230 per night and up

HISTORY About 250 years ago,St. Lucia was punctuated withsmall estates that producedcoffee, cocoa and, later, sugar.One of the estates, Fond Doux,was granted by King Louis XIV

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Plantations converted to luxurious inns offer anexperience of the heritage of the Caribbean Islands

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Fifteen cottages dot Fond Doux Resort & Plantation, built on land that King Louis XIV of France granted to settlers of St. Lucia. ] Photos: newsday.com/travel

Where history happened

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Lyton and Eroline Lamontagnemade Fond Doux an eco-resortthat grows its own produce.

The original sugar mill at Golden Rock Inn on Nevis has beenconverted into a duplex with a spiral staircase and stone walls.

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to French settlers in 1713. Theplantation had been abandonedfor decades when purchased bythe father of LytonLamontagne, who with his wife,Eroline, created the resort withits 15 cottages. The Lamon-tagnes brought a 250-year-oldFrench Colonial-style housefrom elsewhere, reassembled itand called it Angelina, afterEroline’s sister. “About fivecottages were moved fromother parts of the island,” Ero-line Lamontagne says. “The restwere built from scratch.” Withtheir verandas, louveredwindows and intricate ginger-bread trim, the cottages evokethe days of French colonization,and Fond Doux initially openedas a heritage site in 1999.TO DO The 27- by 14-mileisland has two majestic tropicalpeaks called the Pitons; FondDoux is part of a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site protectingthem. Fond Doux, with two finerestaurants, a spa and hikingtrails with views of the Pitons,not only offers many activities,but is a true eco-resort, growingits own organic produce andcocoa. It’s offering a 30 percentdiscount through Dec. 14.

Ottley’s Plantation InnSt. Kitts and Nevis869-465-7234From U.S.: 800-772-3039ottleys.com$199 per night and upHISTORY Sugar was central tothe Kittitian story for 350 years,

and cane fields shaped St. Kitts’picturesque terrain, now dottedwith chimneys and mill ruins.Ottley’s plantation, with itsbreathtaking views, wasfounded by Drewry Ottley ofEngland in the 1700s, remainingin his family through the 19thcentury. In 1988, the modestgreat house and plantationwere purchased by the Keusch-Lowell family, New Jerseybooksellers and longtime St.Kitts visitors. They added to thegreat house, remaining true tothe English Colonial style, andit now offers deluxe rooms.They renovated buildings, suchas a cotton house with originalstone walls and terra-cottafloors that is now the EnglishCottage Royal Suite, says part-owner Nancy Lowell, whoalong with her husband, sisterand father, helps to greet guestsand make them feel at home.TO DO The sugar trade on St.Kitts folded about a decade ago,leaving behind a small railway,now used by tourists, thatcircumnavigates the island.Ottley’s, which offers finedining and a spa, borders a rainforest with hiking trails. Arecent addition is a nearbyblack sand beach that waspreviously inaccessible, and agarden tour given by Lowell’shusband, a plant scientist, is ahighlight. The hotel is offeringseven nights for the price offive through Dec. 22.

Golden Rock InnCharlestown, St. Kitts and Nevis869-469-3346goldenrocknevis.com$110 per night and upHISTORY The sugar mill maybe a Caribbean cultural icon,but on Nevis, there’s one hotelwhere you can actually stay inone. The Golden Rock Innopened decades ago in the ruinsof a 19th century sugar planta-tion; it has 11 rooms in cottagesand a duplex converted wind-mill. The mill has a spiralstaircase, rounded stone walls, aterrace and window seats.While the hotel’s most recentowners, artist Brice Marden andhis wife, Helen, don’t focus onthe history, they continue torespect the plantation’s

buildings. The Mardens createda new restaurant, an alfrescodining terrace and a luxurioustropical garden. The rooms,with bright-red trim and funkyfurniture, have high-end ameni-ties but no air-conditioning.TO DO The 36-square-mileisland of Nevis is permeated by

ruins of the sugar caneindustry; it even has a handfulof private homes in convertedsugar mills. Other plantationhotels on Nevis include theHermitage Plantation Inn(hermitagenevis.com), theMontpelier Plantation & Beach(montpeliernevis.com), and the

Nisbet Plantation Beach Club(nisbetplantation.com). GoldenRock has a 50-foot swimmingpool, nature trails and localplants in which green vervetmonkeys often appear.

The Old FortBequiaSt. Vincent and the Grenadines784-458-3440theoldfort.com$160 per night and upTHE HISTORY Local hearsayindicates that the Old Fort wasa former plantation, and mapsfrom 1763 bear this out.Perched on Bequia’s highestpoint, Mt. Pleasant, with viewsof all the surroundingGrenadines, the Old Fort was arubble-strewn ruin of walls,cisterns and foundations whenit was discovered in 1978 byOtmar and Sonja Schaedle,visitors from Germany. Theybegan a lengthy restoration ofthe estate in the FrenchColonial style, using timberfrom local forests and the same

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Restorers of theOld Fort onBequia used localwoods and thesame kind ofstone found inthe ruins of theproperty’soriginalstructures.

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stone as that of the ruins. The Old Fortnow consists of eight rooms, six in thereconstructed plantation house and twobuilt within the foundation of an ancientsugar mill. When it comes to focusingon plantation history, director andco-owner Quirin Schaedle says, “I wantto go more and more in that direction.”TO DO Bequia, a tiny island of green hills

that’s become synonymous with sailingand model sailboats, has several beaches.The Old Fort has complimentary break-fast, a swimming pool with waterfall,kids’ pool with grotto, hiking trails, spaservices and fine dining. The hotel isoffering 15 percent off for those who bookfor a week, and the entire property isavailable for rent by large groups.

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Drewry Ottley ofEngland settledon St. Kitts in theearly 1700s andestablished asugar plantationthat remained inhis familythrough the 19thcentury. Thecurrent ownerscreated a resortwith amenitiesthat include aspa and a blacksand beach.

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