Gibbes Beach, in St. Peter
Photo: Julien Capmeil / Condé Nast Traveler

Credit Rihanna, the pop phenom, for summing up all that's great about Barbados, her home island: "I feel the most beautiful when I am in Barbados and I am well fed, well rested and well tanned."

That's a statement worth investigating, and so, in Condé Nast Traveler's July issue, Isabel Fonseca and Alison Humes hop the parishes on the historic Caribbean country and detail their favorite locales.

Below, some highlights:

* Breezing Too Water Sport, in Holetown, at the back of the police station, organizes excursions to meet (and feed) the island's endangered greenback (and one hawksbill) turtles. It pays to get into the water early, before the large catamaran groups arrive (234-6391; two-hour excursion, $45, including mask, snorkel, boat, and punch).