Luxury Barbados Holidays

Laid back and easy going with a captivating, vibrant culture and fantastic year-round climate, enchanting Barbados has long been a firm favourite with the British who continue to enjoy its delightfully varied landscape, internationally acclaimed cuisine, plethora of activities, and not least, the warm hospitality of the Barbadians and the island's relaxed, albeit sophisticated, Caribbean atmosphere.

Discover Paradise

The easternmost island in the Lesser Antilles chain, Barbados (21 miles by 14 miles wide), is just eight and a half hour’s direct flight from the UK. Boasting glorious stretches of white and pink sandy beaches and secluded bays backed by swaying palm trees, it enjoys a fantastic year round tropical climate with warm sunny days pleasantly cooled by prevailing trade winds. Elegantly luxurious hotels and villas provide exceptionally high levels of personal service and all around there’s a fantastically vibrant, laid-back, and friendly atmosphere not least due to the infectious rhythms of calypso music. Everyone loves the colourful festivals, historic sights, colonial architecture, immaculately lush tropical gardens, and great value duty free designer shopping, and Bajan cuisine is as tantalising as the rum cocktails are abundant. There’s a plethora of championship golf courses, polo to enjoy, and cricket matches aplenty.

A Little Background

Named by passing Portuguese sailors as Los Barbados, (or 'the bearded one' which refers to the island's unpruned fig trees), the first English settlers arrived in 1627 and created extensive tobacco, cotton and sugar cane plantations and, uniquely, it remained British throughout its colonial history. In 1966, Barbados gained its Independence although enjoys being part of the Commonwealth.

Heritage

A charming blend of influences is evident with African and West Indian inspired cuisine and colourful music; where village cricket, polo, charming seaside resort names including Worthing and Brighton, driving on the left, rum production, and English-style afternoon tea, are all legacies inherited from the British. Although, overall there’s a laid back atmosphere, casual formality is the norm in hotels at dinner.

Bajan Cuisine

Combining European influences with African and Caribbean traditions and tastes, Bajan cuisine is a tantalisingly unique blend of flavours with locally caught fish and seafood dominating the menu. Flying fish, Barbados’ national emblem, is often paired with cou-cou, a mix of cornmeal, okra and peppers, to make the island’s national dish and traditional favourites such as rice and peas and macaroni pie complement most dishes. Sunday buffets are a sumptuous affair, and for those with a sweet tooth, there’s guava cheese (a sugary treat) and coconut bread. Originating in Barbados, rum has played an integral part for more than 350 years, and there is a plethora of rum shops where the island’s legendary rum can be sampled.

Beaches

Barbados is home to many beautiful and diverse beaches including, on the west coast, the excellent Brandons, Batts Rock, Fitts Village, Paynes Bay, Sandy Lane and Folkestone Park in the parish of St James, with Mullins Bay and Heywoods in St Peter. Beaches and bays in the south include Miami Beach, Dover Beach, Silver Sands, Accra Beach and Bottom Bay, whilst on the east side there’s Crane Beach, Ginger Bay, Foul Bay, Cattlewash, Morgan Lewis beach, Bath beach, Tent Bay, Martin’s Bay and Skeete’s Bay, with Freyers Well Bay a hidden gem in the north. Visit our blog for more information on the best beaches in Barbados.

Getting Around

To give you the freedom to explore the island at your own leisure, car hire is recommended, even for just a few days; on the plus side, driving is on the left. Taxis are plentiful but as they are unmetered it’s advisable to establish the cost prior to setting off. Public buses are inexpensive but can be crowded; and as all journeys radiate in and out of Bridgetown, cross country tours can be time-consuming. There are also ZR’s, frequently running, privately operated mini buses and route taxis.

West Coast

In the sophisticated west, often referred to as the Platinum Coast, there are beautifully clear azure Caribbean waters and truly glorious stretches of pristine, golden sand beaches. Favoured by discerning visitors, this coastline features some of the most luxuriously sophisticated beachfront resort hotels and villas in the Caribbean and, together with numerous excellent restaurants, there are great opportunities for snorkelling, scuba diving and swimming with sea turtles.

East Coast

The stunningly beautiful east coast is unspoilt, untamed, wild and windy with craggy cliffs, deserted beaches and sleepy villages. The coastline is dotted with traditional colourful chattel houses and inland there are several stunning gardens and natural sights including ancient forests, caves and gullies. The beaches are wide and often windy, and with the crashing waves of the Atlantic, more suited to walking and sunbathing rather than swimming; the swell of the sea is, of course, beloved of surfers, and Bathsheba’s Soup Bowl, favoured by the most experienced.

South Coast

Boasting flawless sands on wide expanses of gently shelving beaches, protected by coral reefs, the south coast is ideal for families, sun worshippers and those loving swimming, snorkelling and diving. The south is where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet, creating a good swell for a host of watersports. The south encompasses the parish of St Philip, home to Sunbury Plantation House and well-renowned Crane Beach, whilst Christ Church, the island’s largest parish with its fabulous beaches, boasts a vibrant nightlife with numerous restaurants, rum bars and nightclubs in St Lawrence Gap and Oistins.

North Coast

The north is beautifully rugged and extremely photogenic and a scenic drive reveals majestic coral and sandstone sea cliffs and magnificently deserted bays where the powerful Atlantic waves have created sea caves and blowholes.

Barbados is an island filled with colonial history and an outstanding array of exciting land and water-based sports, plus inland there are several natural sights to explore.

Coastal Cruises & Fishing

There is a fabulous choice of sightseeing excursions from coastal tours exploring the island’s hidden beauty spots, to glass bottom boat cruises, snorkelling trips and swimming with sea turtles, plus the warm waters offer ideal conditions for deep sea fishing.

Watersports

Barbados boasts ideal conditions for all skill levels and many hotels offer complimentary non-motorised watesports, plus there are some great spots along the south coast for kite surfing, and year-round, the island offers good waves and pleasantly warm waters for all levels of surfers.

Snorkelling & Diving

Surrounded by limestone coral reefs, Barbados’ crystal clear waters boast around 40 sites for diving and snorkelling. The reefs teem with tropical fish and turtles while the ocean floor is littered with wrecks; Carlisle Bay is the number one for wreck diving. The island is surrounded by an outer and inner reef with the barrier reef a short boat ride away. On the west coast the in-shore reef is within swimming distance so ideal for snorkelling and learner divers.

Atlantis Submarine

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience life at the bottom of the sea onboard the Atlantis Submarine. Providing a great undersea voyage for the whole family with spectacular views of beautiful coral and exotic tropical fish, the submarine dives down to 50m to discover a sunken shipwreck. There are exciting night-time tours available and the submarine can be hired privately as a unique wedding venue.

Golf

A fine year round climate and delightful scenery makes Barbados a fabulous destination for golfers with many of the courses suitable for both the recreational player and for the more serious golfer. Some of our hotels offer green fee reductions and preferred tee times; it is advisable to pre-book tee times, especially during busy peak periods with some courses offering only limited access to non-members.

Golf Courses

Barbados Golf Club in Christ Church, designed by the experienced golf course architect Ron Kirby and a frequent host of the Barbados Open, is a links style 18-hole championship course featuring gently rolling hills and wide open fairways and provides a pleasurable game for golfers of all levels. In a picturesque spot on the south coast, Rockley Golf & Country Club is the oldest golf club in Barbados and this 9-hole, parkland course offers a fair challenge with tree-lined fairways and strategically placed bunkers. The luxurious Sandy Lane golf resorts in St. James features two 18-hole and one 9-hole course; The Old Nine meandering through the estate is an intimate and demanding course, The Country Club, designed by Tom Fazio is a golfer’s paradise with breathtaking views, whilst The Green Monkey, also by Tom Fazio, boasts the most prestigious set of greens. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the Royal Westmoreland Golf & Country Club at Mullins Bay is rated as one of the top courses in the Caribbean and the club offers special arrangements with a number of hotels allowing guests to play at this championship members only golf club at set times. The 18-hole championship course at Apes Hill Club features lush grassland, coral stoned quarries, wooded ravines and sparkling lakes and appeals to both beginners and more advanced players. A private club, Apes Hill Club operates a policy of restricted access to non-members.

Cricket & Polo

As the national sport of Barbados and the West Indies, cricket is immensely popular with great crowds filling the impressive Kensington Oval in Bridgetown to watch a Test Match, One-Day International or a Twenty20 game. Soak up the atmosphere at a local cricket match on a village green or enjoy a delightfully impromptu match on the beach. A great number of famous Barbadian cricketers include Sir Garfield Sobers, considered to be the greatest all-round cricketer. In 1884, British cavalry officers introduced polo to Barbados and today there are five polo fields, including Holders, with the season running from January to May.

The National Trust

The Barbados National Trust has worked for over 50 years to protect and preserve the island’s heritage of traditional historic buildings and sites as well as places of natural beauty and hosts guided hikes and open house tours. UK National Trust members can use their membership in Barbados.

Plantation Houses

Many of the grand mansions built by plantation owners are open to visitors including 17th century Sunbury Plantation House which has been beautifully refurbished, whilst the elegant Fisherpond Great House dates back to 1635 and houses an acclaimed restaurant. One of only two Jacobean plantation houses on the island, the magnificent St Nicholas Abbey has been exquisitely restored and even features a fully working steam mill and a small rum distillery.

Museums

There are a number of museums highlighting the island’s history, heritage and culture, including Arlington House, a restored 18th century merchant’s house in Speightstown, the Barbados Museum, located in a former 19th century military prison, and George Washington House; famous because Barbados was the only place the president ever visited outside mainland USA.

Historic Bridgetown

Bridgetown’s old core and its Garrison has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an outstanding example of British colonial architecture; highlights include the neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings in National Heroes Square, formerly called Trafalgar Square and housing a Nelson’s Column pre-dating London’s, and numerous historic buildings in the Garrison area.

Harrison's Cave

The island’s top attraction, the hugely popular Harrison’s Cave, is located in the parish of St Thomas. Travel by a small tram through 2.3km of tunnels and underground caverns to wonder at fascinating stalactites and stalagmites, stopping off to take a closer look at flowing streams, deep crystal clear pools, towering columns and a spectacular waterfall; a truly unique trip and a fantastic venue for the occasional private wedding.

Gardens

Botanical gardens in the parish of St Joseph include award-winning National Trust Andromeda Botanical Gardens, Flower Forest which is home to green-tail monkeys, and the enchanting Hunte’s Gardens.

Oistins Fish Fry

This fishing town on the south coast is a hub of activity on a Friday night with locals and visitors enjoying the famous Fish Fry at Oistins Bay Gardens with entertainment, a market with art and crafts, and tasty, freshly caught fish and plenty of rum.

Designer Shopping

The chic Limegrove Lifestyle Centre in Holetown offers a sophisticated retail experience with internationally branded shops and designer stores, Broad Street in the capital Bridgetown is home to department stores and duty free shops, whilst for a wide range of Bajan handicrafts including local art, head for the Pelican Village Craft Centre, Oistins Market on a Friday night or Chattel Village in Holetown.

Restaurants

Barbados offers a wide dining choice, ranging from simple laid-back surfer style cafés to pretty beach bars in open-air settings, local eateries serving authentic Bajan food and plenty of highly acclaimed elegant restaurants. The town of Oistins on the south coast is famed for its Friday night Fish Fry complete with party atmosphere, cosy Ragamuffins in Holetown and popular Brown Sugar serve tasty Bajan dishes, and one of Caribbean’s finest, The Cliff, offers breathtaking views alongside a mouth-watering menu. Oceanfront Champers on the south coast, trendy Cin Cin By the Sea and refined Daphne’s, an outpost to Daphne’s in London, all tempt diners with beautifully presented dishes in simply fabulous settings. Most hotels serve quintessentially English afternoon tea, some feature highly praised restaurants and many offer sumptuous West Indian Sunday buffet brunches and lively barbecue evenings accompanied by calypso and steel pan music. During high season especially, reservations are recommended at the more popular restaurants.

Nightlife

The gracious and laid back nature of the Barbadians and their ability to ‘lime’, loosely translated as relaxing and enjoying the sharing of food and drink and most importantly the company of others, make for a vibrant atmosphere whether in a no-frills rum shop, a buzzing beach or sports bar, a chic cocktail lounge, or nightclub as the pace picks up after sundown. St Lawrence Gap is the main centre for lively bars and clubs.

Harbour Lights

Join the twice-weekly Beach Extravaganza at Harbour Lights open-air nightclub in St Michael for a real taste of Caribbean rhythm with live music, a barbecue under the stars, and fire eaters, stilt walkers and limbo dancers.

Visit our blog for the top 7 things to do in Barbados

Island Safari

There are half and full day guided island tours including some by off-road 4x4 jeeps; marvel at the most strikingly scenic parts of the island and discover hidden bays and secret gems along the way.

Aerial Trek

Enjoy beautiful views of the island and learn about different areas of the Jack-in-the-Box Gully with a scenic trip by wire and zipline through the treetop canopy that reaches heights of 100ft above the valley floor.

Rum Tours

The birthplace of rum, and with over 1,500 rum outlets, Barbados’ national drink can be sampled everywhere. Join a tour of Mount Gay Refinery, Barbados’ oldest distillery, which dates back to 1703, or visit Foursquare Rum Distillery & Heritage Park in St Philip, St Nicholas Abbey, a 350 year old plantation house featuring a small traditional rum distillery, or Cockspur Beach Club (formerly Malibu) which produces delicious white coconut rum.