The Crane Resort

The Crane claims the title of the Caribbean's oldest continuously operating resort, receiving guests on its southeast-coast clifftop since 1887. The location explains the longevity: the property stands directly above Crane Beach, a broad sweep of pale pink-tinged sand framed by cliffs and palms, regularly cited among the world's most beautiful beaches, with Atlantic rollers that make it the island's most dramatic swimming and body-surfing shore.

The resort today pairs its coral-stone historic core—where a handful of heritage rooms keep the Victorian proportions—with extensive modern residence buildings of one- to three-bedroom suites, most with full kitchens, private plunge pools or rooftop terraces. The style is classical Barbadian, all coral stone, mahogany and four-posters, and the multi-level cliff-edge pools with their columned balustrades are the resort's photographic signature.

This coast is breezier and wilder than the placid west, which is the appeal: sunrise over the Atlantic, walks to nearby coves, and a resort village of restaurants—including respected Bajan and Asian tables—that compensates for the distance from the west-coast scene. Rates are notably fairer than the Platinum Coast, families settle in easily with the suite space, and the elevator down the cliff to that celebrated beach never loses its drama.