1 destination · 10 things to do

Barbados

Barbados is a coral island with a rum habit and a long memory. Its limestone interior hides Harrison's Cave, a stream-carved cavern you ride through on an electric tram; its Atlantic coast is all wind, surf and wild gardens; and its sheltered Caribbean west coast is where catamarans slip out of Carlisle Bay to snorkel with sea turtles over shipwrecks. In between sits Bridgetown, whose old streets and Garrison are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a countryside of Jacobean great houses and working distilleries that make Barbados the birthplace of rum as a commercial spirit. This guide books the island properly: Harrison's Cave, a turtle-and-shipwreck catamaran cruise, the Garrison and Bridgetown on foot, the Mount Gay and Foursquare rum experiences, St Nicholas Abbey and Hunte's Gardens, a full island tour round the coast and the Friday fish fry at Oistins. Then it matches you with a hotel, from a Platinum Coast oceanfront retreat to an honest south-coast beachfront value stay, because on an island this small, the coast you choose sets the rhythm of your trip.