From Global Teavel Writers (Travel & Leisure)
This 166-square-mile island on the eastern edge of the Caribbean is largely famous for its powder-white beaches, British-colonial roots, manifold rum shops, and native daughter Rihanna. Recently, the country’s first female prime minister, Mia Mottley, sent out a rallying cry for anyone with Bajan roots to return to the island in 2020 to partake in a year-long calendar of events celebrating Bajan heritage and culture. The 52-week festival, dubbed “We Gatherin’,” will launch in January and travel to all 11 parishes before culminating in a country-wide blowout in December. Visitors can expect lively street parades, traditional eats like flying fish and cou-cou, live soca music, and must-see jamborees such as the carnivalesque Crop Over Festival, Food & Rum Festival, and Oistins Fish Festival. Away from the action, the 40-suite hideaway Cobblers Cove just emerged from a five-year renovation and now sparkles with coral stone floors, local artwork, and original rattan furniture. In addition to surfing and diving, active travelers can take advantage of the hotel’s new coast-to-coast hiking experience or participate in the Walkers Reserve’s new lineup of outdoor pursuits. —Nora Walsh
