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If your idea of the Caribbean involves casinos, luxury shops, gourmet restaurants and long sandy beaches, Montserrat will bore you silly.

With just barely more than 5,000 permanent residents and only one or two ATMs, Montserrat fits the dictionary definition of "quiet." There are no four-lane roads, no traffic lights, no neon signs and no international chain stores. The biggest regular social event—which draws everyone from teenage boys dripping with gold chains to demure grandmothers—is bingo.

Montserrat's slogan is "The Way the Caribbean Used to Be." And, for once, marketers seem to have gotten it exactly right.

What was indisputably the worst series of crises to hit Montserrat in its recorded history—the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, followed six years later by the first eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, which demolished Montserrat's capital of Plymouth and sent two-thirds of the British territory's population into exile—may have had a hidden golden lining for this tiny island in the Lesser Antilles. Because of the disasters, Montserrat fell off many tourists' radar and had to focus on rebuilding its basic infrastructure.

As a result, it has avoided the rampant resort development and cruise-ship crowds that have overwhelmed some other Caribbean islands. The result, for visitors who make the effort to reach this somewhat isolated tropical outpost, is a uniquely serene and friendly place. The island is particularly popular with outdoorsy travelers, who can hike, mountain bike, snorkel, scuba dive and kayak in almost perfect solitude.

Must See or Do

Sights—Take a boat to white-sand Rendezvous Beach; view the volcano through binoculars at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory; see the volcano's glow on a clear night from Jack Boy Hill.

Museums—Visit the Montserrat National Trust to see the latest exhibits on island life.

Memorable Meals—Lobster burgers and ginger beer at Tina's; grilled wahoo at Jumpin' Jack's; Sunday lunch barbecues at the Tropical Mansion Suites; a roti at The People's Place snack bar.

Late Night—Gary Moore's Wide Awake Bar for a nightcap; the Desert Storm for a night of "liming" (chatting and drinking) with a great view of the volcano; Treasure Spot Cafe whenever music is playing, which is almost every night.

Walks—A stroll along the Oriole Walkway Trail through the Center Hills for great bird-watching and superb views; the hike over the Silver Hills to Rendezvous Beach; an easy walk along a pretty stream called Runaway Ghaut.

Especially for Kids—Rent a villa and let the kids make as much noise as they want in your own private pool; snorkel through the bat caves near Rendezvous Beach; rent mountain bikes and explore some of the quieter side roads (the main road is dangerous for younger children).

Geography

Montserrat is a very hilly, 39-sq-mi/101-sq-km island. More than half of the island, to the southeast, was seriously damaged by volcanic eruptions that began in 1995. This area is known as the Exclusion Zone and is largely off-limits to visitors (although day trips can be arranged). All residents now live in the safe areas on the northwest of the island, where villages include Sweeneys, St. John's and Brades in the north and St. Peter's, Olveston and Salem in the west.

There are several small volcanic (black sand) beaches on the west coast. The island's only white-sand beach—Rendezvous Beach, at the north end of the island—is accessible only via boat or a long hike. In most areas, the hills drop precipitously to the sea, so most buildings overlook the water rather than sit right on shore.

There is just one main road that winds around the western and northern edges of the island. Small side roads off this main road provide access to residential areas and beaches. Few roads, except in the Old Towne and Woodlands villa neighborhoods, have names, and none have street numbers. Just ask anyone for directions; most passersby will know the whole island quite well and will give directions by landmark rather than street name. There are no traffic lights and no four-way stops, and roads tend to branch off frequently. If you're uncertain whether you're still on the main road, look for stop signs. Side roads will be marked with a stop or yield sign when they meet the main road; there are no stop signs on the main road.

History

Montserrat's first inhabitants were Carib and Arawak natives. Christopher Columbus spotted the island in 1493 and named it for a monastery outside Barcelona, but European settlers—Irish and English Catholics transported from the nearby island of St. Kitts—didn't arrive until 1632. Slaves, mainly from West Africa, were brought in over the next two centuries to produce cotton, sugar and rum. The island has remained under British control from the beginning of European settlement, except for its brief capture by French forces during the American Revolution. It is now a U.K. Overseas Territory.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the island became a popular spot for British and North American expatriates to build holiday or retirement villas. After Beatles producer George Martin opened AIR Studios Montserrat there in 1979, rock groups such as the Rolling Stones and Dire Straits dropped in to record albums. In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo damaged or destroyed 90% of the island's infrastructure (including AIR Studios, which closed its doors in Montserrat).

Many new public buildings had just been constructed when the Soufriere Hills volcano—dormant long before European settlement—came to life on 18 July 1995. Subsequent eruptions buried the capital, Plymouth, and the airport, leading the government to restrict access to two-thirds of the island's landmass. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Montserratians moved permanently to nearby islands, the U.S., Canada or the U.K.

A ferry service connecting the island to Antigua was Montserrat's only outlet to the outside world until 2005, when a small airport opened on the north end of the island. A new capital is being built in Little Bay, on the island's northwest tip, and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) is being promoted as a unique tourist attraction. The volcano remains active, and areas in the path of any future flows of mud and ash—much of the southern and eastern areas of Montserrat—remain closed for the foreseeable future. The north and west, however, are still safe and habitable.

Potpourri

Unusual animals native to Montserrat include the galliwasp (an endangered lizard) and a frog species called the mountain chicken.

In 2002, the day before the official FIFA World Cup final, the Montserratian national football (soccer) team played its counterpart in Bhutan to determine the worst football team in the world. Montserrat lost the match, thus gaining the title.

Two of the biggest albums of the 1980s—the Police's Synchronicity and Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms—were recorded at AIR Studios Montserrat.

Montserratian soca star Arrow wrote and recorded the international hit "Hot, Hot, Hot."

Since 1998, Montserrat has had two capitals: the "official"—albeit deserted—one in Plymouth, and the "operating" one in Brades, while it awaits completion of its new capital Little Bay.