Barbados - Daniel Austin

With a year-round tropical climate and relaxed atmosphere, Barbados is the ideal Caribbean destination for some fun in the sun. This new, thoroughly updated fifth edition of Bradt's Barbados - still the only standalone travel guidebook to this Lesser Antilles island - offers extensive coverage of famous and lesser-known sights, from the glamorous celebrity-studded Platinum Coast to the wild, untamed remoteness of its Atlantic shoreline. The easternmost island in the Lesser Antilles is English-speaking and has a distinctly British vibe - both colonial legacies. Today the sun-drenched isle is especially popular with Europeans and North Americans. In-depth advice on accommodation features strongly, from luxury villas and multi-starred retreats to local guesthouses and family-friendly resorts, as do informed perspectives on where and what to eat, from gourmet beachside restaurants to Barbados street food and rum shops, where gossip is shared over a speciality tipple. Also covered are events that capture the culture, music (notably Caribbean jazz and calypso), food and drink of Bajan life, such as a Friday night 'lime' or 'fish-fry', plus sports and the much-loved Barbados carnival. Alongside excelling at toes-in-the-sand relaxation, Barbados richly rewards those who explore by bus, on day tours or by rental car - and doing so is straightforward, inexpensive and safe. The wilder east and north coasts are pounded by Atlantic waves: here you will find surfing, intriguing caves, coastal rambles, and charming and colourful villages comprising wooden chattel houses. Dotted amidst the sugar-cane fields of the interior are stately plantation houses, pretty botanical gardens and traditional rum distilleries. In the sleepy capital of Bridgetown, there's fine sightseeing around the Garrison Historic Area, in particular. You can even venture both underwater and underground - respectively gawping at nocturnal marine life on the Atlantis Submarine Night Tour or taking a tram through limestone caverns at Harrison's Cave - or trek through the tropical rainforest of Welchman Hall Gully. So whether you crave white-sand beaches fringed by an emerald-blue sea or duty-free shopping along Broad Street, fancy indulging in vibrant nightlife or clifftop hikes, or visiting traditional villages or local rum distilleries, this fifth edition of Bradt's Barbados has got you covered.