Barbados...

Barbados's slogan goes "JUST BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION" and it really is beyond all imagining! Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands (and indeed the one best sheltered from hurricanes).. when people talk about Barbados they often say "the Barbados" in the plural, which is wrong..there's only one island and it lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; in fact this is its main feature..having two sides, the Caribbean one with flat sea and the Atlantic one with rough sea but equally beautiful scenery. Barbados is a very expensive island, so I'd recommend looking online for independent accommodation, because the resorts, even the less attractive ones, are very pricey..

the island is easy to get around by car with no trouble at all! driving on the left, of course! The most beautiful beaches with truly postcard views: Bottom Bay (my favourite!) on the east coast..when you walk down the steps you're faced with a truly stunning beach and indeed every so often you come across it on the cover of travel magazines... and you recognise it at once! Crane Beach also on the east coast, also beautiful and very wide (a mega resort towers above it) Foul Bay is next to Crane..even wilder, with crazy colours.. And then there are all those on the Caribbean side, where the sea is flat as a board and where the Bajan (the people of Barbados) often gather after work... Near Bridgetown (the capital) there are plenty of little places both for eating and for after dinner, right along the main street.

St Lawrence Gap, for the evening it's fun, very touristy, with genuinely nice little restaurants and bars: drink plenty of coconut punch and why not, a few bottles in your suitcase won't hurt! Do go to Oistins at the Fish Market, you'll dine on the beach under the stars surrounded by locals.. Barbados was one of the best holidays I've ever had...