George Washington slept here.

Really. This tiny island has been welcoming tourists since the days before the American Revolution. George himself came to enjoy the healthful climate (much needed by his tuberculosis-stricken brother, Lawrence) back in 1751, and visitors have been coming to this island in the far eastern Caribbean ever since.

The reasons are easy to see. An idyllic climate. An atmosphere that combines tropical casualness with British formality, where high tea on a hot afternoon makes perfect sense. A history that includes not only presidents but pirates, and great houses that recall the days of vast plantations and a jungle of sugar cane.

Today Barbados exudes the most British atmosphere found in the Caribbean. As you drive through the island, look for both men and women in cool white suits on the cricket fields. In the afternoons, take time to enjoy high tea. And listen to the voices of the Barbadians or Bajans (rhymes with Cajun): their accent is almost British.

If the two of you like to maintain a regular exercise routine, you'll feel right at home on Barbados. When the sun's first rays peek out over the Atlantic (around 5 a.m.), Barbadians hit the roads for some early morning jogging, power walking, and just strolling to enjoy this special time before the day's heat sets in.

Barbados is a pear-shaped island with gentle rolling hills. Agriculture still rules much of the landscape, and cane is still king. Although sugar prices have dropped severely in recent years, the crop is a Barbadian mainstay. A drive through the island will take you through a jungle of cane, often with nothing but the road before and behind you visible during the peak of the growing season.