ST. PHILIP, BARBADOS -- Claims of luxury in the Caribbean are too often exaggerated; the reality commonly includes endless pestering by vendors and a lot of grilled chicken. For those who fear the whole of the West Indies is a little too crowded, too tacky and too hot, here is the real paradisiacal sea: an isolated, charming resort on a coral-tinted beach on the east coast of Barbados (the coast less travelled by sunburnt Americans), cooled by a bracing Atlantic breeze.

Barbados is the rich man's Caribbean: It has the highest literacy rate in the world (at 97 per cent, it beats Canada's by several points), 358 years of uninterrupted parliamentary government, and, for the time being, regular Concorde flights direct from London. Its inhabitants are uninterested in pestering you as you lie on the beach or stroll through a market; they have jobs to get to. Since the Barbadian dollar is pegged to the U.S. dollar, travellers can expect to pay about as much for basic items and in restaurants as in Chicago. What this does is exclude a louder class of tourist and a cheesier kind of steel band.

Most Barbadian resorts are jammed together on the sheltered western side of the island, the so-called Platinum Coast, like basking whales in the sweltering heat. But a few kilometres from the airport in the other direction lies the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Caribbean, a resort first built in 1887 and now owned and expanded by a Canadian.

The Crane sits on the rugged, rocky Atlantic side of the ocean, where the surf is bigger, the cliffs are a little more daunting, the air is untouched by industry and the view extends clear to Africa. At its centre is the original sandy stone building, whose wood-floored, high-ceilinged rooms connote plantation decadence. Their wood-shuttered French windows open onto the turquoise sea, pounding the rocks below.

Newer buildings, built in the same style and stone, cluster around it. The cool, airy restaurant overlooks the hotel's own pristine strip of white sand, completely isolated from civilization by a coconut grove and cliffs on either side. No beaches are strictly private in Barbados, but this one might as well be, since it's difficult to reach through any route other than the hotel. Hotel guests get comfy loungers and umbrellas, with a discreet staff present to set them up and pack them up when you leave. There are no jet-skis, no speedboats, no gangs of students, in fact relatively few people at all, just the uninterrupted blue horizon and the murmur of surf.

Rooms

The old building is the most idiosyncratic and definitely the classiest. Rooms vary from hotel-sized to house-sized, some with kitchens, all with sea views, balconies and the lovely vaulted wood ceilings of colonial times. Three new buildings have been built around the original, in the same plantation style, containing suites with full kitchens, heavy wood furniture, vast hidden televisions and glass-panelled walls that roll completely out of the way. (A curious absence, given all the technology here, is any stereo or music player. Perhaps the omission is calculated to keep the place peaceful.)

Most suites have private pools on their balconies, in case the sleepy hotel pool is too public. The sea breeze is strong enough that air conditioning is not necessary; you can sleep with the walls rolled back and shutters in their place.

Ambiance

It is quiet and luxurious, except for Sunday-morning brunch, when a lively local gospel choir entertains the restaurant crowd. Bathing suits and wet towels are not encouraged in the restaurant, which is white-walled and sun-flooded, with a stunning view of the sweep of beach below. Wealthy Bajans show up with their well-dressed families for weekday lunches.

Food and drink

Lying on the beach mid-morning, you can sometimes see a wet-suited young man set out into the waves with a spear gun. He emerges an hour later, holding a glistening collection of catch: chub, snapper, flying fish. You see him carry these prizes up the steep wooden steps to the restaurant, and you know that it's time for lunch. The fish is simply prepared, often fried in a mildly curried batter, and its freshness makes up for the lack of sophistication. A weekly tapas night offers an array of elegant small dishes with tropical seasonings. There is a satisfactory though pricey wine list.

Clientele

Reserved and craggy British couples, 40 and over, sit on the beach reading and avoiding looking at the occasional topless trophy wife. You just know they have vintage Jags in their garages at home. Younger couples tend to be the glowing American children of generous parents: There is no frat-house partying here. Families with kids fit in easily. There is so much space for everyone that children are welcome and can play happily on the sand or in the pool without being obtrusive. Staff seem particularly child-friendly.

Service

The staff exudes Caribbean hospitality, yet is reserved and efficient. If you have a private pool on your balcony, expect daily visits from the studious pool-cleaning men. There is a computer in the lobby for those who must check their e-mail. It's pretty much in constant use, so don't expect to stay in touch with the business world.

Things to do

Do? Why would you want to do anything? If you really haven't brought enough to read, you can take a surfing lesson on the Crane beach from one of the island's young champion surfers; or rent a boogie board for playing in the surf. On Friday nights, take a taxi to the small fishing town of Oistins, where locals gather in the market square for the weekly fish fry. Booths sell fresh fried catch of all kinds, and you can sit on picnic tables eating and admiring the strutting youth. Bridgetown, the capital, has some intriguing colonial architecture and a lively street life; it's about an hour away in a minibus taxi. There is a thrumming strip of bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the seaside area of St. Lawrence Gap. Or a hotel shuttle bus will take you to a supermarket if you want to have a dinner party in your suite.

Contact information

The Crane Resort: St. Philip, Barbados; phone: (246) 423-6220; fax: (246) 423-5343; Web: http://www.thecrane.com. Rooms in the hotel's original building range from $275 to $985 a night. Suites in the three newer buildings are $350 to $1,800. Entrees in the hotel restaurant range from $15 to $30.

Russell Smith's column, Virtual Culture, appears weekly in Review