Favourite hotels: North America
There’s a delicious sense of propriety at Coral reef Club, a tranquil beach resort on the west coast that’s been administering friendly smiles and revitalising rum punches to desperate wintersun seekers since 1952. The distinguished tone is apparent the minute I enter its 12 acres of bountiful gardens, which are heralded by a whimsical coral-stone coat of arms sporting a pair of sprightly seahorses.
This leafy seaside sanctuary has been run with great devotion by the O’hara family for more than six decades and even the plants and birds know how to behave. The glossy palms wave, the crotons blaze, the bananaquits make their disorganised trill. Generations of families have holidayed here and the ‘Club’ appellation fits—this a community of like-minded members that has many regulars, with three-quarters of guests British.
even our enduring equine love affair is catered for and guests can go to the races at the Garrison savannah track that was established in 1845.
I was surprised to learn there are as many as 88 rooms hidden away amid the winding paths and rampant foliage. There are also two pools, two tennis courts (the resort runs a complimentary afternoon clinic with a tennis pro) and an elegant spa in which skilled therapists will rejuvenate your skin with diamond dust.
Civilised relaxing is the order of the day and only five rooms have Tvs—the enormous, crème de la crème Luxury Plantation suites that include a rooftop plunge pool.
Throughout, the style is chic country house—white floor, pickled-pine ceiling, colonial prints and flop-in-me armchairs. here, you can still find taps that say hot and cold and the guest remains more important than the designer.
Away from the hotel, visit st Nicholas Abbey, a splendid Jacobean mansion and artisan rum producer that will unveil a steam railway next month. The island is also home to delightful parish churches—st James, founded in holetown in 1628, is just a stroll away.
Dinner favours the traditional—oxtail soup, filet mignon, apple strudel. That sounds old school, but mature is a better word. Alternatively, dine under the stars on linguini with Caribbean lobster at Daphne’s restaurant, set beside Paynes Bay Beach.
Coral reef Club is the tropics with decorum, as dependable as the warm waves that gently lap its sandy shores. Nigel Tisdall British Airways Holidays offers seven nights from £1,669 per person, including return flight from London Gatwick and breakfast (0344 493 0120; http://ba.com/ barbados)