Barbados

Barbados is the Caribbean island that has always done things a little differently. The easternmost island in the chain, it sits out in the Atlantic rather than tucked into the Caribbean Sea, which gives it a wilder east coast of crashing waves and a calm west coast of turquoise calm. It is the birthplace of rum - Mount Gay Distillery has been producing it since 1703, making it the oldest commercial rum brand in the world. And it is the only Caribbean island that was continuously British from settlement to independence, giving it a cricket culture so deep that producing Sir Garfield Sobers feels almost inevitable.

Bajans, as Barbadians call themselves, have a reputation for being the most welcoming people in the Caribbean, which is saying something. The island is just 34 kilometers long and 23 wide, but it packs in over 280,000 people, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the Americas. Bridgetown's UNESCO-listed historic center, the Friday night fish fry at Oistins, the surf breaks at Bathsheba, and the platinum coast beaches have made Barbados a destination for everyone from backpackers to billionaires. And yes, Rihanna is from here - she is a national hero, literally, appointed by the government in 2021.