Barbados punches above its weight for a tiny tropical island – just mention its name and you’re transported to golden sands, rum punches, palm trees and sunshine. No wonder this destination is on so many people’s travel bucket lists. So does the reality live up to the expectations? Read on to discover our guide to Barbados and find out what this island has to offer.
The republic of Barbados is located at the southern end of the West Indies chain of islands, with the east coast facing the Atlantic Ocean and the west the Caribbean. It has a reputation as a haven for the rich and famous (which is partially true if you hang around Sandy Lane and St James in the west) so what else does it have to offer?
As part of our guide to Barbados, the first obvious considerations are how to get there and where to stay. There are daily International flights into Bridgetown, the Bajan capital. Skyscanner.com is as good place to start for exploring flight options. We chose a direct, 9 hour flight out of London Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic – click here to discover their Barbados deals!
The amount of choice for accommodation on the island is huge and is available for most budgets, but I recommend deciding on a base location first and seeing what the area has to offer and begin your holiday search from there.
So where is the best place to stay in Barbados? As a guideline, the main regions in Barbados are as follows: The west coast is a draw for celebrities and has some of the most upscale accommodation on the island. From the western parishes of St Micheal, St James and St Peter you can explore the capital, Bridgetown, the duty free shopping and boutiques of Holetown, celeb spot at Sandy lane and visit the weekend markets of Speightstown. Here you can also discover those picture perfect, palm-fringed white beaches, lapped by the Caribbean sea.
The west is also know for its water sports with sailing trips, jet ski hire and, for those looking for surf, there are some class spots like Batts Rock and Sandy Lane reef breaks which lights up on long interval northerly swells.
Bathsheba on the islands east coast.
Head over to the Atlantic east coast and the scene changes completely with places like the surf mecca of Bathsheba nestled into the parish of St Joseph where the vibe is much more rural and underdeveloped from a touristic sense with no sign of all inclusive mega hotels. Then there’s the south coast which includes the parish of Christchurch, where you’ll find the international airport and the famous St Lawrence gap (aka The Gap). The Gap is one of the liveliest regions of the island with bars, clubs, great restaurants, hotels and markets.
Check out package deals, Air B&B, or direct through Booking.com etc. We opted for a stay in St Lawrence Gap at the Southern Palms hotel, where a taxi transfer from the airport cost $53BBD. We chose the Gap as Dover beach is stunning: it offers plenty to do during the evenings, it’s close to the institution that is the Oistins Friday fish fry and there are some amazing surf spots in the area.
Whereever you choose to base yourself, the rest of the island is accessible – apparently you can drive around it in 3 hours, but we’ve yet to try it! If you’re planning on exploring, I’d definitely recommend a hire car, which gives you the flexibility to get up and go. For UK drivers, it’s straightforward as cars are right hand drive and Bajans drive on the left; however, for those from regions like the USA and Europe, it’ll take a change of habits to swap over and drive on the “wrong” side of the road! We went with Stoutes Car rental, a local firm, who are easy to contact, helpful and friendly. Our small 5 door car was $1000 BBD for 11 days (circa £400GBP/$500USD/450EUR).
As for driving in Barbados, it’s an experience. The island is densely populated and traffic can get heavy; off the main highways, the roads are full of potholes so drive with caution and there are very few road signs so satnav or Google maps comes in handy. A top tip is to download a Google map of the area you’re travelling to so it can be used offline in case there’s no mobile signal or you don’t have roaming. Another thing to note are the local minibuses: they will stop anywhere to pick up passengers, chat to their mates or sit for a while as a passenger goes to get change or buys some fruit from a roadside stall. The traffic behind just has to wait, but nobody seems to mind so, when driving, drop into Bajan time and go with the flow!
One of the first things to do on arrival in Barbados is slow down, acclimatise to the tropical heat and grab a cold drink. The temperature averages 29ºC year round but when we arrived in September, it was mid 30s and the locals said every year it was getting warmer, so expect hot days and hot nights.
The island has two main seasons with winter dry season Jan-Apr and the summer wet season Jun-Oct (although during our stay in the wet season it didn’t rain once!) The coasts are often cooled by sea breezes making for perfect beach days; however, head inland and the humidity can be intense. Ocean temps range from a balmy 26ºc to a toasty 30ºc, so no wetsuits required.
One asset that Barbados excels in are its beaches. Blessed with soft white sand, palm-fringed and often uncrowded, they live up to the vision of a tropical paradise. Some top beach destinations are Carlisle Bay, near Bridgetown, with crystal clear waters and abundant sealife, it’s a haven for snorkelling; Bathsheba for stunning rock formations away from the tourist hotspots; Sandy Lane (if you can find a way in) for celebrity spotting and generally living the dream; and Dover beach with coral sands, palm trees and turtles bobbing in the waves. Dover beach also has the added spectacle of Hawksbill turtles laying eggs during May to Oct which hatch 60 days later.
Watching the hatchlings breaking free of their nests buried in the sand was one of the true highlights of our Bajan visit where the stretch of sand in front of our hotel seemed to erupt with baby turtles most nights.
With up to 150 in each nest, the babies hatch in the early evening darkness, where they are immediately drawn to a light source. Their instincts are to follow moonlight cast on the ocean to find their way to the water. However, man-made lighting now attracts them as a more powerful light source. So they scurry inland to be eaten by crabs, fall into drains, pools or just exhaust themselves searching in vain for a way to the ocean. Our hotel did have some red lighting which the turtles can’t see but other beach bars, restaurants and streets were lit up with standard lighting which the turtles head straight towards.
Locals and tourists alike are encouraged to help collect the hatchlings in buckets as soon as they appear and they are then collected each night by the Barbados Sea Turtle project (BSTP) who are on call to pick up hatchlings across the island. The BSTP then select more remote beaches without light pollution to release the hatchlings into the ocean, as these are the beaches the females will then return to once mature to lay their own eggs.
The BSTP also respond to call outs of female turtles laying eggs so they can measure the animal and take GPS locations of the nests for future reference. We were fortunate enough to witness 2 large 1m+ females digging out nests during our stay. To spend time watching and helping these turtles was a magical experience.
Another beach draw to Barbados for many is the abundance of surf. This whole island is dotted with some fantastic surfing spots for all levels of ability. I’ve surfed for 30ish years and created and sold an international surf brand (but that’s another story!) so Barbados is a little slice of surfing heaven for me. I may do a more detailed blog on Bajan surfing in another post.
For now, the main locations for those looking to have their first or improver surf lessons are broadly located in the south of the island: Dover beach, a wide flat reef that is inconsistent, with Barry surf school and board rental close by; Freights bay, a long left hand point that’s mellow on smaller days and classic on a bigger swell with surf hire and lessons available nearby; and Surfers Point, a fantastic long left on the right swell direction, again with board hire and lessons available nearby. Surfboard hire is circa $15-$20 BBD per day.
If you’ve hired a car and find yourself exploring the island, there a few inland destinations that are well worth a visit. For a little slice of zen-like relaxation, I’d recommend Hunte’s Gardens. It’s an ornate, natural, tropical garden packed with exotic plants, palm trees and wildlife. Located in St Joseph in the hills of central Barbados, the once empty gully has been transformed by Englishman Anthony Hunte and his team over decades of work and is now a tourist attraction.
The garden has a nature trail, walkways and seating areas all washed over by gentle music to create a tranquil retreat from the busy towns and beach resorts. It’s a magical place to visit but be aware it can get very hot and humid. Entrance fee at the the time of writing is $40BBD each.
A similar destination is Welchman Hall Gully, located inland in the hills of Barbados (the tallest being 336m). The gully, first founded by a Welsh exile and plantation owner, General Williams, in the 1600s, is rich in native flora and fauna. Williams further introduced exotic trees and an orchard which were later joined by green monkeys introduced from Africa. This tropical forest partially resides over a collapsed cave where stalagmites and stalactites can still be seen. It’s a beautiful place to spend a few hours strolling through the gully and you might be lucky and spot one of the troops of resident wild monkeys. This National Trust property is $30BBD per adult entrance.
After a full day exploring, surfing or relaxing on the powder soft beaches, what can you do in the evenings? You’ll be spoiled for choice for eating out, bars and street food and one of the best locations is St Lawrence Gap. Lined with places to sip a cocktail and watch the world go by or dine overlooking the ocean, it’s a great place to find everything in one small area.
Prices across the island are always in Barbados dollars $BBD but most places will take $USD; however, there’ll be a currency conversion fee factored in. Some places will take Apple pay (but only up to $100BBD), other cards are taken but cash remains the go to form of payment. Tipping on the island, like everything else, is laid back, appreciated but not expected. But be aware, overall Barbados is an expensive destination to visit, hitting the top 10 priciest tourist destinations in the world.
A must visit night-time event is the Oistins Friday fish fry. This Bajan institution kicks off the weekend for locals and tourists alike in the district of Christchurch on the south coast. The market is located close to a pier and fish market where the catches are landed and is home to a small maze of back to back, street food style restaurants. It’s a popular gathering so I’d recommend getting there early between 5.30-6pm as the outdoor seating and queues get busy.
If driving, park up by the supermarket nearby or the KFC car park. A lot of tourists head straight to “Pat’s Place” which seems to have a great reputation, but you’ll be waiting a long time to get served. However, all the restaurants serve similar menus cooked on the grill, so we ate at Mo’s Grill which was great, with huge portions. Two meals and four drinks came to $125 BBD.
Oistins Friday fish fry also has a small market with local crafts and gifts and there’s a stage where local lads dance and welcome donations. The main event kicks off around 9pm with a DJ and more dance shows. It’s a safe, family friendly affair with visitors encouraged to join in. There’s also a sound system pumping out bass heavy tunes at the rear of the market. The chilled out vibes and the openness of the locals is infectious and it’s an opportunity to experience some authentic Caribbean island life. Don’t miss it!
Another way to slide into an evening in Barbados is to take a sunset cruise. There’s loads to choose from sailing out of Bridgetown. The guys running our mini cruise were great, keeping us topped up with drinks and food and taking us to a couple of prime snorkelling spots over wrecks in Carlisle Bay. With sea breezes cooling the hot early evening air, sipping cocktails as the sun sets over the horizon is a perfect Bajan holiday experience.
My final mentions on this guide to Barbados would a couple of things to be aware of during a visit. The inland roads are sketchy so watch for potholes and be prepared to get lost. There are beach sellers but they’re friendly and respectful, and their sales pitches are very relaxed (expect a long chat about life before any talk of purchases).
Watch out for reef cuts on your feet at some beaches and be careful to limit walking across a reef as there are plenty of poisonous stone fish languishing in the shallows – if you stand on one be prepared for a very painful experience! Finally, if you’re prone to mosquito bites, Barbados has plenty of the pesky little biters. They’re tiny and voracious, so take insect repellent and bite lotion for when they ignore the repellent!
If you do visit Barbados, you may not bump into any celeb visitors but if you embrace the pace of life you will slip into relaxation and find an understanding of why this island is a jewel in the Caribbean.
* FYI, some beaches and tourist destinations in Barbados have accessibility limitations so I’d recommend checking before visiting. Happy travels.
All images © Matt Strathern/Degrees Of Latitude
