CASTRIES, St. Lucia — We had only been at Rendezvous, our “couples” resort, for an hour, and we were flunking Romance 101. Maybe it had been a mistake to book the romantic candlelight dinner on the beach for our first evening here. The wind kept blowing out our candles so it was too dark to read the menus. Plus, we were famished — all we’d had to eat all day were airplane snacks.

Just a few yards away, the other hotel guests — those who hadn’t opted for private dinners — were filling up plates with smoked ribs and chicken at the buffet. It smelled heavenly.