by Richard Davis

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: April 17, 2007

Want to visit a gem of an island where celebrities mingle with the locals and with the tourists?

Where British hospitality and reserve are colored and livened by the richness of African heritage?

Where you can "lime" at the local rum shop and chat it up over a snort of Mt. Gay or Cockspur rums, or dress to the "nines" and dine romantically terraced out over the Caribbean Sea, and savor the cuisine and each other until the sun dips in a colorful flash below the horizon?

If you haven't guessed I am describing a typical romantic getaway on the friendliest island in the Caribbean, Barbados.

Here you might find Mick Jagger on 2nd Street, and nobody paying him any-mind as he goes from restaurant to pub, as he is maybe just "waiting on a friend", so to speak. Or you will find a smiling Barbadian, "Bajan", local, out with his girl for the evening.

You and your honey can cross paths with all types in Barbados. Maybe you'll strike up a conversation; maybe you won't. But someone will always be willing.

Barbados is only twenty-one miles long by fourteen at its widest. Unlike most Caribbean islands, which are tossed up by volcanic action, Barbados is a coral and limestone formed island, sitting out on its own in the Eastern Caribbean.

A honeymoon couple can land at Grantly Adams International, and transfer to any type of accommodation, ranging from quaint apartment hotels, to elegant all-inclusive resorts, to luxe villas, to resorts of the rich and famous. The attractive thing about the hotels in Barbados is that they are not the typical chain properties that you might find in the US or any popular tourist destination. They each have character, many deriving their origin from old plantation houses, or being created nearly brick by brick by local owners. You are welcomed as a friend and not a number at the hotels of Barbados

This charm and elegance also applies to the beautiful white beaches of Barbados. There are over seventy to choose from, and they are all public. Rent a mini-moke (an open top jeep type car) and go out and visit with the Bajans. You really can't get lost, and you can always stop and ask for directions.

Nightlife is fantastic. A lot of the partying takes place on the South Coast, at St. Lawrence's Gap. But there are other hot spots, such as the Boatyard further up, or the quiet and authentically Caribbean style bar at Olives, on the west coast.

You won't run out of things to do. Any sport you want is waiting for you, from para sailing to golf (Tiger Woods got married in Barbados), snorkeling and scuba, deep sea fishing, surfing, hiking and much more. If you consider shopping a sport, Barbados has plenty of that, in Bridgetown, the capital, Holetown and at various spots about the island.

Of course, the best thing about Barbados is that it is a wonderful place to do nothing. The two of you can share a hammock tied between two palm trees and watch the gentle waves in the blue sea and the gulls flying overhead and just enjoy. And dream of your next time in Barbados.

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