Barbados

An excursion in the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe along the east coast is magnificent. Bridgetown, the capital, is thrilling – not for its office complexes but rather for the peaceful co-existence between modernity and tradition. In the middle of it all is the synagogue, the oldest Jewish place of worship in the New World, lovingly restored by the National Trust. The whole spectrum of exotic tropical plants is assembled in the Botanical Garden. Not far from this idyll is Bathsheba, once a fishing village but now known mainly for Soup Bowl beach, a mecca for surfers who come here to measure themselves against the ocean. Inshore it’s worth a visit to the numerous manor houses from British colonial times.