The Caribbean is famed for its beaches, but no other island can quite match Tobago. It has an abundance of largely deserted beaches, ranging from pristine white coral to dark volcanic sand, fringed by the cooling Atlantic. At Castara Bay's beautiful golden beaches, you can watch the fishermen pull in their nets, stroll along the beach and watch the sun setting over the Caribbean, or search for manta rays while snorkelling in Heavenly Bay's secluded waters.
There are also pockets of pure isolation, including Englishman's Bay, which is considered one of the island's most beautiful beaches. It is crescent-shaped, fringed by the forest and has calm waters all year round - perfect for snorkelling and swimming.
The island's most famous beach is at Pigeon Point - some of the resorts on the island run a free shuttle service to this coral beach, with gentle, protected waters. Another hideaway is Kilgwyn Bay, on the island's Western side. The bay is a long stretch of sandy beach, with shallow and warm water, and greater trees providing cooling shade.
If, somehow you get bored of swimming and sunbathing, there are plenty of other oceanside delights. At Stonehaven Bay and Turtle Beach, giant leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs between March and August, and there are regular organised turtle viewings.
For something slightly faster-paced, visit in August, when the island's most popular beach, Store Bay, becomes the finishing line for the Carib Great Race. It's a thrilling powerboat race that sees a number of different types of boat tackling the 85-mile stretch between Tobago and Trinidad.
A different kind of open water racing has also captured the island's imagination in recent years. The Dragon Boat Festival in June brings an oriental tradition to the waters of the Caribbean. When the sun goes down, the sea offers up something very different. Take a paddleboarding bioluminsence tour, for the eerie, beautiful sight of plankton glowing blue under a sea of stars.
Goating racing highlight the wide variety of activities available in Tobago. It's been part of the island's culture since the 1920s, when it was initially a one-off annual event in one village. It has since spread to the whole island, and sees jockeys run alongside the goats.
The Atlantic Ocean serves up an underwater playground for visitors to Tobago, with its shallow reefs supporting around 300 different species of coral. From March and July, you can see giant rays at Manta Reef, as well as dolphins, marine turtles and sharks. Glass-bottomed boat tours are available at Buccoo Reef to allow non-swimmers to view the diverse marine life. For a totally unique experience, try a fine fishing, all along the coast, or from chartered boats that provide a sport angler's dream, with blue marlin, swordfish and barracuda.
If golf is one of your favourite pastimes, the island has two championship golf courses, with attractive fees and incredible panoramic views of the island and the Atlantic, particularly at the Tobago Plantations Golf Course.
There's plenty more for land-lovers to do, too. You can hike through the western hemisphere's oldest rainforest, or embark on a trek through abandoned cocoa estates to a mountain lake. The wildlife isn't confined to the sea, there are more than 50 species of birds on an island called little Tobago.
For those in search of a bit more adrenaline, the north-eastern end of the island offers a mountain biking haven, with exhilarating descents.
Fusion food doesn't come close to covering the diversity of Tobago's dishes. Tobago offers all manner of delights, from freshly caught seafood to cuisine with truly global influences and delicious tropical fruit. There are West African influences, of course, but combined with tastes of the Indian subcontinent, as well as Amerindian ingredients such as cassava. Throw in great local seafood, and a growing influence from the Middle East and China, and it's a culinary melting pot with a variety of dishes for visitors to try.
There's grilled lobster, freshly caught, or a huge variety of Creole dishes for the brave, ranging from stewed pigeon peas to barbecued pigtail, served with barbecue sauce and rice. Indian-inspired dishes are a favourite too. Doubles, for example, made from curried chickpeas in fried bread, or parathas and rotis served with curried chicken or goat.
Unsurprisingly, fresh fruit is another local favourite, but with a twist, beach vendors serve pineapple and mango chopped up and marinated in lime juice, pepper, garlic and other spices.
The island signature dish is undoubtedly crab'n'dumpling, simmered in a thick curry and coconut sauce. Beachfront kioski all over the island serve this dish to the locals, along with pacro water, a thin, spicy drink made from boiled sea cockroach. Don't worry, it's much better than it sounds, and it's touted as an aphrodisiac. More refined dining experiences are also available in the resort districts of Crown Point and Buccoo.