The Edgewater Inn by Jamie Dunford Wood

The luxy resorts of the west coast of Barbados - Sandy Lane, Cobblers Cove, The Royal Pavilion - are all too familiar from the glossy brochures - but head out for the East coast and it's an entirely different story. No manicured jet-setters wind up here. An hour's drive across rugged, hilly landscape will bring you to this windswept bay, where surfboards and rather scruffy beachside rentals testify to the type of visitor it attracts. But on a little rise above the beach, this eccentric hotel provides romantic accommodation with views to die for - providing you get the right rooms. With none of the material pampering of the west coast, this is pretty laid back. But whether you're writing a novel or charming a partner, this is total escape at a price you can afford.

As well as the usual aromatherapy, meditation and massage services on the decking beside the pool, by visiting practitioners, the hotel can arrange horse therapy, laugh therapy and a course of longevity medicine. Our advice? Indulge them.

9 miles of unspoiled beach, an 85 acre rain forest, fabulous surfing and the certainty of some interesting characters staying in the vicinity. And if you miss the gourmet cooking (and prices) of the west coast, a wild and hairy moonlit dash across the island in an open top jeep rental is a ride you will never forget.