Villa Nova delivers old-style glamour and impeccable service: think Jamaica's Round Hill meets London's Claridge's. The 28-room hotel, once the home of Sir Anthony Eden, is set on a hill that sweeps down from the established gardens towards cane fields. A roomy, wraparound veranda furnished with mahogany planter's chairs and mercury-stained mirrors lines the soft, coral-stone pink building. The enormous rooms are sympathetic to the Villa Nova aesthetics. Designer Nina Campbell has introduced subtle contemporary touches, a smattering of gingham and toile de Jouy and tall, sculptural vases, to free the hotel from country-house cliché. The restaurant, too, has an edge of modernity, and is presided over by UK chef Gary Knowles, formerly of London's The Ivy and Launceston Place. Dishes are summery, featuring delicate, eclectic renditions of grilled seafood.
WHEN TO GO
All year round, though the rains arrive in September and October. High season is December to April, but late spring (May and June) has reliable weather and reduced prices
WHICH ROOM TO BOOK
The corner rooms (3 and 9) in the original house, overlooking the pool and Banyan tree. The best of the suites is the Churchill (as in Winston, one of Villa Nova's former guests), with its canopied bed
CONTACT
Villa Nova, St John, Barbados (00 1 246 433 1524;
fax: 433 6363; www.villanovabarbados.com). Doubles £226-£490; suites £326-£612
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