Fodor's Expert Review Asa Wright Nature Centre Lodge

An hour's drive from the nearest beach or town and designed for serious bird-watchers, this lodge is surrounded by 200 acres of wilderness, streams, waterfalls, and natural pools; there are simple but adequate rooms in bungalows and grander rooms with period furniture in the main house, where the verandah overlooking Arima Valley is a perfect place to sip tea (or delicious homegrown coffee) while hummingbirds dart about. Meals are taken communally in the large dining room, which allows guests to exchange bird stories over good, basic food. Well-behaved kids over eight are welcome, but the lack of TV or child-oriented activities might prove too much for young minds to bear.