There's an old saying that goes:  when life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.

And as vacation time rolls around again (did it ever end?), an idyllic retreat, say, on the island of St. Kitts where you can escape and indulge in some healthy, Jello-body-shots-in-the-jungle-type recuperation, comes in pretty handy.

Get familiar with the Golden Lemon, a serene and very, very remote retreat perched on the northwest tip of St. Kitts.  Once a rotting 17th-century French plantation house, Golden Lemon has been restored to its now inimitable standard by former House and Garden decorating editor, Arthur Leaman.  Great House rooms (we like number 10) come with some funky accoutrements like leopard skin rugs, and include an ever-useful wrought-iron canopy bed.  The soaring duplex townhouses keep you in mind as well – think:  private plunge pool, not the fruit-coloured walls.

And where Lemon falls a little short (the beach front is smaller than you're used to), they make up for it with the no-kids-under-16 rule and the all-inclusive everything.

And we all know: go all-inclusive, or go home.

Golden Lemon | Dieppe Bay, St. Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis | 869 465 7260 | www.goldenlemon.com