Blessed with warm tropical sunshine, soothing trade winds, crystal-clear waters and lush vegetation - and with a beach for every day of the year - Antigua and Barbuda really is a little bit of paradise. And this vision of paradise is made up of palm-fringed coves in Antigua and miles of deserted beaches in Barbuda. Away from the beach, history and artistry combine in the nation's annual Carnival, where pageantry and 'pan' is a vivacious celebration of Antiguan and Barbudan culture, set to the sounds of calypso music.