Barbados

Holidays to Barbados aren’t just about the beach. This island also serves up first-class shopping, rum-fuelled nightlife and a bit of British flavour.

Caribbean with a British twist

On the surface, Barbados ticks off all the Caribbean clichés – white sands, bright-blue waters, coconut palms. But look closer and you’ll find this little island’s got a British slant to it. Think afternoon tea on the terrace, cricket matches on manicured greens, and elegant colonial houses.

More than just beaches

Barbados has some first-class beaches to its name, but the island’s best bits aren’t confined to the coast. Head inland and you’ll stumble across sugarcane fields, pastel-painted villages and roadside rum shops.

Christ Church

When it comes to places to stay, one of the biggies is Christ Church, on the south coast. It’s a pretty big parish, and within it you’ll find beach resorts like Maxwell, Hastings and Rockley, as well as St Lawrence Gap – the party capital of Barbados. This is the place to be after dark – it’s packed with rum bars, Bajan restaurants and dance-all-night clubs.

St James

Over on the west coast is the parish of St James. The pristine, pearly white beaches on this side of the island have earned it the nickname the Platinum Coast. Shoppers should make a beeline for Holetown – it’s home to 3 malls bursting with clothes stores and big-name boutiques.