Tired of the hustle and fray of New York life, a youthful editor of House and Garden Magazine went off in search of his own private Valhalla. It was the 1960s, and anything was possible.

He found a 16th century French greathouse on the island of St. Christopher in the British West Indies, a building in desperate need of repair and loving attention. It happened that the ancient building fronted upon a stretch of unimaginably beautiful waterfront in an area called Dieppe Bay.

The young man, Arthur Leaman, warmed to the task of renovating the old greathouse, turning it into an unpretentious but charming guesthouse. At the same time, he planted a coconut grove along the waterfront and landscaped the grounds.

The doors to what was to become The Golden Lemon Inn and Villas opened nearly 40 years ago, and what has evolved during the intervening years is wonderous.

A series of one and two story villas have been scattered around the property, each with its own plunge pool, privacy, and view to the gardens or the sea. A charming bar, a restaurant, a 40-foot swimming pool. Nooks and crannies for intimate conversation; lounge chairs for gazing and lazing, a library filled with books. Board games. Engaging hosts and a fabulous, attentive staff.

The rooms in the greathouse are generally spacious; most are decorated with eclectic style touched by whimsy. Lemon yellow paint brightens the broad verandah outside, and instead of cookie-cutter decor, each room has homey touches including tchotchkes that you might find in the guest bedroom of a friend's house in the Hamptons.

The villas are soaring wonders of light and space, most decorated in cool white with the accessories providing the splashes of color, from a zebra-print bedding ensemble to a typically tropical pastel living-room suite; no two guest units are decorated in the same way.

Dining at the inn is a comfortably elegant experience, not stuffy, although the offerings from the menu can be classified as gourmet cuisine. A wide assortment of fresh fish, lobster, meat and poultry is served in creative West Indian style in a candlelit dining room. A full American-style breakfast, included in the rate, is served either in your room or villa or at the greathouse restaurant.

Although the inn has made a concession to technology by providing phones with Internet access, there are no televisions, no newspapers. Children under 18 aren't allowed.

That leaves just pure, unadulterated, get-away-from-it-all relaxation.