L'Azure Resturant, Crane Bay, Barbados

I booked by email before I left the UK and just as well - it sells out. Unless you are staying there, you can't even get into the Crane Bay Hotel car park, but they let you in if you have a booking for the resturant, even as a non-resident, so that alone would justify it. So, I went. Sunday brunch at a fabulous cliff-top resturant, overlooking one of the 10 best beaches in the world according to 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' magazine.

Crane Bay is a beautiful horseshow-shaped flat and sandy beach on the spectacular east coast of Barbados (the Atlantic side) where long breakers roll in. Because the beach is so shallow and flat the waves roll in and in and the water goes from deep saphire blue to light emerald green. Crane Bay Hotel (which is a complex, not one building) sits on the cliff above the bay and L'Azure resturant is on the cliff edge, right above the beach.

The place is nice, I mean its a pleasant room and all that. The resturant is in two sections, the smaller section at the front which seats maybe 50 people in tables for two, three or four and a larger section (where the buffet Sunday Bruch was laid out) at the back. The larger section would maybe seat another 100 - 120 people and was a pleasant enough space, but the problem was - no view. The point - the only point - of being here is that you are on the edge of a cliff hanging over this spectacular beach and beautiful, amazing sea.

Because I had booked early, I had the first table in the front, next to the open doors above the beach and cliff: Wow.

OK. Food was Bajan and pretty standard Sunday brunch, a bit posher than some maybe (roast beef, roast chicken and roast pork as well as the more usual standards) but there was still macaroni pie and rice and peas - Bajan staples. There is more than a nod to the international guest with imported foods and there was some good fish dishes but strangely not the Barbados staple, flying fish (too declasse?) There was a very good sweet table with some local flavours (from the local nuts and sugar based dishes to the frangipani cream dishes) and at about £18 per head it was good value (food - drinks and service were extra) - but more for the experience than the food, really. The Atlantis Hotel at Bathsheba (just along the coast) also does a famous Sunday brunch, is arguably better (certainly more Bajan) and about 1/2 the price if that matters to you, but it does not have this astonishing location. And really, once the gate man has let you in, who is to know if after lunch you take a wander down to the beach afterwards and hire a bed for an hour or two.

A feature of Sunday Brunch at the resturant is the live Caribbean Gospel music being sung, which is certainly atmospheric.

The other facilities are OK, wheelchair and pushchair access is possible, the loo was OK when they could find the member of staff with the key to get it open and the wine was cold - pricy, but cold. The queues in for food built up quite rapidly and stayed long thereafter. All in all, I would recommend it - it was good, but not great but I would still say 'go if you get the chance' and do, please book a table in advance and ask for one near the front!