It may lack the lush and mountainous terrain of nearby St Lucia but Barbados boasts a beauty that, while more subtle, is no less arresting.
Discover its most pleasing and picturesque spots with a morning’s horse-riding through the forests and valleys around Farley Hill. Then soak in the breathtaking scenery in the grounds of the once regal Farley Hill house, now a mansion in ruins, tucked away in a forest of mahogany trees high up on a hill overlooking the sea. Trot onwards to the deserted, windswept and palm-fringed beach of Morgan Lewis on the rugged Atlantic Coast.
Barbados is blessed with some of the best hotels and resorts in the world. Its most famous five-star bolthole is Sandy Lane, where you stand a good chance of bumping into Simon Cowell or Gwyneth Paltrow. Alternatively, check into The House, located just down the beach, on a stretch of flour-soft sand with just 34 suites surrounded by tropical gardens, run by Elegant Hotels, this is a contemporary adults-only hotel, which is popular with couples.
