Published: Sun, Jan. 20, 2008 12:00AM

Modified Sun, Jan. 20, 2008 07:05AM

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What to do: Besides the five World Heritage sites, Paraiso is seven minutes from the world's second-largest coral reef. Guests at the Fairmont can shop in Playa del Carmen, visit the Xcaret nature reserve or take a ferry to Cozumel.

Rates: The lowest for a suite at Paraiso is $695 a night April 14-Oct. 31, which includes an airport chauffeur; posted rates at the Fairmont start at $399 per night, double.

Information: www.paraisodelabonita.com; fairmont.com/mayakoba.

Jungle Bay, Dominica

Samuel Raphael says he is driven by a "burning desire for social justice" for his people on the island of Dominica.

He runs Jungle Bay resort on the island in the eastern Caribbean, between Martinique and Guadeloupe. His work was a homecoming -- his family migrated from Dominica to the U.S. Virgin Islands when he was young, and he returned after a successful career in real estate.

The need was dire. When free trade took effect, Dominica's primary source of jobs and revenue -- banana plantations -- dried up. Plantations dwindled from about 8,000 to 1,000 in the early 1990s. About half the population -- 70,000 people -- left the island.

Raphael used local workers to build and furnish the resort in 2000, training them in construction, furniture building and restaurant work. Ninety percent of the food served to guests is from surrounding farms. The lodge employs 61 local people.

Ground was just broken for a House of Hope, a home for physically challenged orphans, Raphael says.

The resort: Jungle Bay has 31 cottages built carefully to preserve the surrounding jungle.

What to do: This is not a traditional beach resort -- the beach is rocky and the waves large. Instead, consider hiking to see 72 species of orchids, going mountain biking, visiting hot springs and waterfalls, or snorkeling.

Rates: Posted online, they range from $199 per person for a double Aug. 1-Oct 31 to $259 per person Jan. 1-May 15.

Information: www.junglebaydominica.com.

Yachana Lodge, Ecuador

Yachana means "a place for learning," and this lodge, deep in the Amazon rain forest, takes its name seriously. Yachana has started a technical high school; a foundation dedicated to community work; Yachana Gourmet, which helps farmers grow cacao organically and then buys it; and a clinic.

"The kids come from all over, we have students that come from four different provinces," says Melissa Cornejo, administrative coordinator. The classes are in subjects such as ecotourism, conservation, agriculture and animal husbandry.

"It's a very practical setting; they have internships, not a traditional kind of walled classroom," she says. The lodge also keeps about 4,300 acres as a nature reserve.

Getting there: From Quito, Ecuador, you'll be flown over the Andes to the town of Coca, and then you'll ride a bus to the Napo River, an Amazon tributary. From there, you ride in a motorized canoe for three hours to the lodge.

The lodge: The main building has 18 rooms with private baths. Another building, Casa Quest, is for groups, students and budget travelers, and the baths here are shared. Electricity is available from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

What to do: Stays can be booked for four or five days. The itinerary for four days includes rain-forest walks during the day and at night; visiting a local healer; trying your hand at using a blowgun and spear; visiting the high school, and making a basket from natural fiber and a bowl from Amazon clay.

Rates: The four-day trip is $480 per person, total. Five days is $640.

Information: www.yachana.com.