Travel: Beguiling Barbados remains an enduring Caribbean paradise

Spectacular views, enchanting markets and nautical adventures are all part of the package on the island that R&B superstar Rihanna calls home

Sunset at Paynes Bay, one of the most popular beaches on the west coast of Barbados. Picture: Getty

Only Fools and Horses comes to mind as our van rattles over potholes created by unseasonal rainfall at 5.30am on a pitch-black February morning in Barbados.

Having foolishly “fired” (drank) a last rum punch at the Barbados party central of St Lawrence Gap after midnight, we’re about to take a 10km daybreak hike. The only other creatures on the outskirts of Bridgetown are horses led back and forth from nearby stables for a dawn swim ...