With its clear turquoise waters, charming beach hotels and warm-hearted people, Barbados has long been the island of choice for the well-heeled and well-connected. Even with the more recent emergence of multi-million dollar resorts, world-class golf courses and trend-setting restaurants, the island has never been allowed to take itself too seriously and still manages to hold on to its West Indian identity.

Its finest hotels always carefully maintain their classic island style, knowing it is this that keeps people coming back for more. Most of them also continue to be low-rise and privately-owned, the best ones generally situated along the island’s fabled west coast and handy not only for the championship golf courses at Sandy Lane and Royal Westmoreland, but also for the gourmet restaurants that proliferate - flexible dining plans mean guests can usually take full advantage of these.

Indeed, few visitors to Barbados could ever consider themselves hotel-bound, the public beaches, friendly attitudes and easy access to bars, restaurants and nightclubs ensuring they return home with ample experience of both the island and its people.

Days are still generally spent on the sublime beaches, although tropical gardens, underground caves, submarine trips and ‘pirate’ ships, as well as mini-moke excursions to the dramatic east coast ensure plenty of variety. And in the evenings, there is anything from rustic beach bars to Bajan floorshows keeping everyone well entertained.

The frequency of flights to Barbados reflects the island’s unwavering popularity. British Airways fly there daily from Gatwick and there are direct flights from Manchester also now available with bmi. The non-stop flying time is about 8 hours 45-minutes, the option of upgrading to the premium cabins, including FIRST, making the journey almost (but not quite!) as pleasurable as the stay.