Barbados, “the pearl of the Caribbean”, is 20 miles of soft coral and is a small island that is pear shaped. It is actually an enormous and ancient coral reef approximately one million years old. The water, which permeated the reef, produced magnificent underground caverns such as Harrison’s Cave in Bridgetown. Here you will see stalagmites, stalactites, waterfalls, and deep emerald pools, all of which you can see in an electrically operated tram.

Because of 340 days of sunshine per year, the beaches on Barbados are glorious. Water sports are popular including fishing, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, water skiing, and snorkeling.

At Cobblers Cove, which is styled as an elegant English Country House on one of Barbados’ best beaches, you can swim with the sea turtles. You can also enjoy a gourmet restaurant with culinary demonstrations by Chef Porteus and a wine tasting.

If you prefer rum, go to the Heritage Park and Rum Factory, which produces the ESA Field, a white rum preferred by connoisseurs. There is free admission at this first rum distillery which was inaugurated in 1996 and is on a former molasses and sugar plantation which dates back 350 years.

The Andromeda Botanical Gardens in St. Joseph features six acres of hibiscus, orchids, ferns, palms, and more. There is a stream with waterfalls and pools. These spectacular gardens were started in 1954 by a local horticulturist.

At the Animal Flower Cave in the parish of St. Lucy, which is in the most northerly point of the island, you can see the sea anemones that live in the pools in a cave. The Flower Forest with its brilliantly-colored flowers is also a sight to see.

Garrison has the Barbados Museum, which is in what was the British Military Prison with an upper section built in 1817 and a lower section built in 1853. It contains artifacts from the island’s early inhabitants and “Yesterday’s Children”, which is a gallery giving an educational travel back into history. There are also historical maps and furnishings from an 18th century plantation house.

St. Nicholas Abbey was built around 1650 as one of the Western Hemisphere’s three Jacobean plantation houses. It has the famous curved gables and is decorated with antiques. The sugar cane fields continue to be cultivated, and they have reconstructed a sugar refinery right on the property.