With its turquoise seas, lush vegetation, English customs and exclusive five-star hotels, Barbados is the 'Little England' of the Caribbean offering a mix of the familiar and the exotic. Barbados was voted best island in the Readers' Travel Awards 2001.

ATLANTIS HOTEL
Bathsheba, St Joseph (00 1 246 433 9445). Amazing scenery and opportunities for great surfing (swimming is only for the suicidal). A good place to enjoy a bit of peace, but not exactly quiet, thanks to the crash of the surf.

CASUARINA BEACH CLUB
St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church (00 1 246 428 3600; fax: 428 1970; email: casbeach@bajan.com). A vast, comfortable hotel set in incredibly beautiful tropical gardens. Winner of various environmental awareness and conservation awards, it is great for families, with a beautiful beach, two swimming pools and two floodlit tennis courts. £

COBBLERS COVE
St Peter (00 1 246 422 2291; fax: 246 422 1460; www.cobblerscove.com; email: reservations@cobblerscove.com; cobblers@caribsurf.com). Cobblers Cove prides itself on being quietly elegant, an intimate, stylish country-house hotel with highly-personalised service. The main emphasis is on rest and relaxation, making it an ideal choice for couples and families. Situated on a white sand beach, the hotel has 40 spacious suites which all open on to the luscious gardens, filled with frangipani. Amenities include a swimming pool, gym, tennis courts, diverse watersports and an award-winning restaurant. The smooth-running and graceful elegance of the hotel is in large part thanks to general manager Mr. Ross Stevenson. £££

COLONY CLUB
Porters, St James, Barbados (00 1 246 422 2335; www.colonyclubhotel.com). Set within seven acres of tropical gardens, Colony Club blends old-world charm with first class service, modern facilities and stylish interiors. The hotel has 96 bedrooms, each with its own balcony or patio, featuring king size beds and pristine white linen. There are two restaurants, the Orchid room which serves French and Bajan cuisine and the Laguna restaurant with serves international fare. There are four freshwater swimming pools and sports facilities. £££

CORAL REEF CLUB
(0800 964470 or 00 1 246 422 2372; fax: 422 1776). Stylish haunt of the less flashy sort, with a large swimming pool. ££

LITTLE BAY
St Lawrence Gap, Christchurch (00 1 246 435 7246; fax: 435 8574). Small, funky hotel with great views, an Italian restaurant and within walking distance of the hotspots of St Lawrence Gap.

LITTLE GOOD HARBOUR
(00 1 246 439 6330). Set within the grounds of a 17th-century fort on the north-west coast of Barbados. There are 15 suites, two of which, along with the restaurant, are within the restored fort itself. The other rooms are in traditional wooden villas. ££

LONE STAR RESTAURANT & HOTEL
Mount Standfast, St James (00 1 246 419 0599; fax: 419 0597). A self-consciously fashionable hotel in a converted garage, with its own stretch of wildly romantic beach. There are four enormous bedrooms, fabulous bathrooms and every hi-tech mod con. £££

SANDPIPER INN
Holetown, St James (00 1 246 422 2251; fax: 422 1776). Family-run hotel with 45 rooms/suites. Set in beautiful gardens, the hotel has a pool, tennis courts and offers watersports. Access to the nearby Coral Reef Club. ££

SANDY LANE
St James (00 1 246 444 2000; fax: 444 2222; www.sandylane.com; email: mail@sandylane.com). Perhaps the most famous luxury hotel in the Caribbean. Closed for major renovation in 1998, it re-opened bigger and more luxurious than before, in early 2001. The number of rooms has been reduced from 120 to 112 - they are now 40% larger and all overlook the beach. The golf facilities include two new 18-hole courses and the new 40,000sq ft spa has 14 treatment rooms. £££££

THE CRANE
St Philip (00 1 246 423 6220; fax: 423 5343). Dating from 1887, Barbados' first resort hotel enjoys a spectacular location on the south-east coast, near the airport, but quite a distance from anything else. It has 18 coral suites, but a big new development will eventually provide The Crane with a variety of new hotel rooms, time-share apartments and private residences. £

THE HOUSE
(00 1 246 432 55 25; http://www.thehousebarbados.com). The House has a beachfront location on the west coast, 35 minutes away from the airport. The hotel doesn't allow children, and is a haven of exclusivity and privacy, blending chic design with minimalist touches. Designed by Italian architect, Luciano Colombo, it has just 32 suites, each with their own private balcony or patio. Suites have sumptuous beds, Frette linen and goose feather duvets, bathrooms are adorned with scented candles, bath oils and salts. Adjacent to the hotel is Daphne's restaurant, sister to the London classic and with prices to match, which serves Italian classics with a Bajan twist. There is no spa but a variety of treatments are available in guests rooms, including massages, reflexology, manicures, pedicures and facials. ££££

THE SAVANNAH HOTEL
Hastings, Christchurch (00 1 246 228 3800; fax: 228 4385). A small luxurious hotel in a former 18th-century canteen in the Garrison Savannah area. Handy for Bridgetown and the south coast. ££

VILLA NOVA
St John, Barbados (00 1 246 433 1524; fax: 433 6363; www.villanovabarbados.com). Old-style glamour and impeccable service. The 28 room hotel has contemporary touches by designer Nina Campbell, freeing the hotel from country-house cliché. The restaurant is presided over by Gary Knowles, formerly of London's The Ivy and Launceston Place. The Té Spa has eight treatment villas all with a private veranda, an outdoor bath and shower. There are also fitness trainers and nutrition consultants. The hotel was featured in The Hot List 2002. £££

DAPHNE'S
Paynes Bay, St James (001 246 432 2731; www.daphnesbarbados.com'). Sister restaurant to the eponymous Daphne's in Chelsea, Daphne's Barbados combines modern Italian dishes with a relaxed beachside setting. Since opening in December 2001, Daphne's Barbados has gathered a celebrity following which includes Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Mariah Carey and Kevin Bacon.

LA TERRA RISTORANTE
Baku Beach, Holetown, St James (00 1 246 432 1099). Excellent Mediterranean food in elegant surroundings.

OLIVE'S BAR & BISTRO
Holetown, St James (00 1 246 432 2112). Upmarket but casual, with an imaginative Italian/Caribbean menu.

PISCES
St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church (00 1 246 435 6564). A beautiful restaurant overlooking the sea. Good blackened fish and friendly service.

ROUND HOUSE INN
Bathsheba, St Joseph (00 1 246 433 9678). Simple Caribbean cooking in a spectacular setting, usually accompanied by live jazz or reggae.

THE CLIFF
Dereks, St James (00 1 246 432 1922). Built into cliffs overlooking a palm-fringed cove. The seafood dishes are good. Extremely popular, so book in advance.

THE GOURMET SHOP
5 Chattel Village, Old Town, St James (00 1 246 432 7711). If you want to create your own picnic, Sarah Hamilton's store The Gourmet Shop has the most delicious ingredients around, from tamarind balls, caviar and foie gras.

The National Trust runs an 'open house' programme, through which you can visit some of the most beautiful private houses on the island (including Heron Bay and St Nicholas Abbey). Details from the Barbados National Trust (00 1 246 426 2421/436 9033; fax: 429 9055; email: natrust@sunbeach.net).

Codrington College, near Bath. The early-18th-century Principal's Lodge at Codrington College was once the great house of the Consett Plantation, and the college itself was built as a result of the legacy left by Christopher Codrington, one of the richest planters in Barbados. Open daily, 9am-6pm.

Barbados Museum, at St Ann's Garrison in St Michael, is open Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 2pm-6pm.

St John's Church, in Hackleton's Cliff, is one of the loveliest churches on the island. It is also the burial place of Ferdinando Paleologus, last member of a family descended from ancient Greek royalty, who was a warden of the church and died in 1665. Open daily, 6am-6pm.

Holders Season (00 246 432 6385; fax 432 6461; email: email: holders@bajan.com) is how the smart set gets its cultural fix. Held at Holders, a plantation house owned by Johnny and Wendy Kidd (parents of Jodie), it's a sort of Glyndebourne-sur-Mer, though the quality is very variable.

AIRPORT
The main airport is Grantley Adams International Airport. Buses run between the airport and Bridgetown roughly every half hour, stopping near most of the south coast resorts en route.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
British Airways (0845 779 9977; www.britishairways.com), Virgin Atlantic Airways (01293 747747; www.virgin.com), and the Caribbean airline BWIA (020 8577 1100; www.bwee.com) fly non-stop daily to Barbados. LIAT (00 1 268 480 5601) is the inter-island domestic airline for connecting flights throughout the Caribbean.

Wimco Villas (0870 850 1144; www.wimco.com); Harlequin Worldwide Travel (01708 850 300); Caribbean Connection (01244 355 300); Caribbean Expressions (020 7431 2131); Elegant Resorts (01244 897 999; www.elegantresorts.co.uk); Carrier (0161 491 7620; www.carrier.co.uk).

Barbados has a tropical climate and is hot and sunny year-round. The best time to go is between December and May when the humidity and rainfall are not too stifling. The island is very rarely affected by the May-November hurricanes.

The BTA (Barbados Travel Authority) office, at Harbour Road in Bridgetown (00 246 427 2623, fax: 426 4080), offers tourist information. Otherwise try their desk at the airport.

Always consult the Foreign Office before travelling.