Why we love Barbados

Idyllic-white, sugar-soft sandy beaches and a blissful tropical climate softened by the Atlantic trade winds bring visitors from around the world to this popular and hugely welcoming Caribbean island. But there’s plenty more on offer for visitors, including Harrison’s Cave which Barbadians called the eighth wonder of the world, the Flower Forest Botanical Garden located on a former sugar plantation, submarine tours to see dazzling reef life, and watching the sun set from the Barbados Boardwalk.

There is also an array of active pursuits, including catamaran cruises with snorkelling, swimming near hawksbill, leatherback, and green turtles, and scuba diving (including the chance to explore shipwrecks). If you hire a car in Barbados or hire a tour guide, you can also discover the unspoiled, more rugged East Coast at your own pace. You can stop for a beach picnic and perhaps surf in Bathsheba, home to the Soup Bowl, a world-class right-point break perfect for experienced surfers, or Sandbank, a more mellow spot for beginners.

Barbados’ famous party spirit is perhaps most beautifully on display at Oistin’s Fish Fry; a laidback weekly party where you can feast on fresh seafood cooked at stalls in front of you and dance to a mix of back-in-time hits (Jackie Opal, The Mighty Grynner), calypso, and soca music; a genre that originated in the Caribbean.

Why we love New York City

Yellow taxis, Central Park, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty, the hot-dog stands… The sheer number of icons packed together on this little spit of land make it a destination no one could ever get bored of.  Add to these the wonderful shopping in boutiques and in iconic department stores such as Macys, Saks 5th Avenue, and Bloomingdales, the fabulous entertainment on Broadway and elsewhere, and the wonderful eating out, including lots of lovely alfresco dining spaces, and New York is hard to resist.

Others must-dos on our list are whale-watching boats from Manhattan, spending time on the unique Little Island park rising from the remnants of Pier 54 on the Hudson River in the Meatpacking District, and touring museums and galleries including the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History, rowing on the Lake at 72nd Street in Central Park.

Also fantastic are ambling round the New York Botanical Garden with its outdoor art installations, enjoying a day at the retro seaside paradise of Coney Island, and discovering Brooklyn’s Industry City with its hip restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and outdoor events in and around old industrial buildings.

You might also venture beyond the Big Apple to taste the delights of New York State outside its largest city, hiring a car to drive to the upscale Hamptons to discover their secluded beaches, heading to the foodie mecca of the Hudson Valley to enjoy the gourmet eateries, craft breweries, and creative shops of hip Beacon, and/or hiking, kayaking, and fishing on the serene shores of Lake Placid in the Adirondacks.