In with the in-crowd
Celebrities flock to Barbados for its friendly welcome, sandy beaches and superb accommodation.
Barbados used to be called Little England, a moniker that is apt still on account of the many British remnants that have lived on since the island gained independence from the UK in 1966. Trafalgar Square in Bridgetown has gone, finally renamed Heroes Square after 36 years of independence. But you still cross Chamberlain Bridge to get to Heroes Square, the children wear school uniforms, just like in the UK, English is the main language, Bajans drive on the left, and there is a parliament, as there is in the UK. The list goes on.
It's this home-from-home feeling that has made Barbados one of the most popular islands in the Caribbean - that and the white sandy beaches, lapped gently by the calm Caribbean Sea, that line the west coast, the wild east coast and the island's many activities and sports, including the island's passion, cricket, which takes place at the famous Kensington Oval, the island's main cricket ground.
Visitors also come for the superb selection of places to stay, from all-inclusive family affairs to intimate boutique properties and, of course, celebrity favourite Sandy Lane, one the best-known hotels in the world and set to become the best gourmet restaurant in the Caribbean following last year's appointment of British chef Dean Butler.
Dean has cooked for the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, and Tony Blair and John Major at Downing Street, and is now Chef de Cuisine in L'Acajou, Sandy Lane's signature restaurant.
His appointment is just one of many hotel happenings on Barbados. An 18-room boutique property, Santosha, opened on the east coast at the end of last year, and Four Seasons and Banyan Tree are both opening hotels on the island, in 2009 and 2008 respectively. The ever-popular Almond Resorts, meanwhile, has acquired what was the Casuarina Beach Hotel and reopens it this year as the Almond Casuarina Beach Resort.
It's all great news for regular visitors looking for new places to stay, and they will get another pleasant surprise on landing at Grantley Adams International Airport, which has just emerged from a multi-million facelift.
One of the big attractions on Barbados is the range of activities, from golf - there's a choice of four championship courses - to hiking, cycling and watersports. Visitors come from all over the world to take part in windsurfing, surfing and sailboarding competitions. Sports fans can also play tennis and watch some of the world's best cricketers.
The highlight of the year is the Crop Over Festival, when everyone on the island celebrates the completion of the sugar cane harvest in July and August. It's a five-week fiesta of colourful floats, parades and people in costume dancing. The air rings with the sound of calypso as players compete for the coveted Calypso Monarch Award and is filled with the smell of Bajan cooking. This is a time to get in the Caribbean spirit, and taste some of the finest island cuisine, including the national dish of flying fish and cou-cou.
The climax of the festival is Kadooment Day - a national holiday - when costume bands fill the streets with pulsating Barbadian rhythms and fireworks fill the evening sky.
But as this is the Caribbean, Barbados celebrates and parties all-year round. Other events to look out for are the annual jazz festival, Paint it Jazz, every January; the week-long Holetown Festival, which is one of the island's biggest arts festivals, in the last week of February; and the Holders Season opera festival at the end of March and into April, featuring classic calypso and jazz, as well as classical music and theatre productions.
As the winter home of the jet set, Barbados boasts more than its fair share of resident celebs - Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Hugh Grant and Tiger Woods all have homes here. Even if you've no claim to fame, villa rental companies can help out if you want to purchase homes, for your own use or to rent out.
