We’ve visited Barbados a couple of times now, and it’s one of those Caribbean islands that has a little bit of everything.
It’s larger and more varied than some of the other islands we’ve visited, with beautiful beaches, rolling green countryside, historic estates, lively towns and a strong sense of its own identity.
We’ve stayed in the parish of St James on both trips and particularly enjoyed exploring St Peter further north (a parish was originally a church district but is now used as electoral region – like a ‘county’ in the US). For swimming and beach days, I prefer the west coast, where the Caribbean Sea tends to be calmer and the beaches are beautiful.
But Barbados is an island worth exploring beyond the beach.
Staying on the West Coast
On our first trip, we rented a vacation rental in Porters Place, opposite the Fairmont Royal Pavilion in St James.
For our second visit, we stayed at The Tropical Sunset Beach Apartment Hotel in Holetown. It was very simple and certainly not somewhere I’d choose for a luxurious Caribbean holiday, but we were only there for a short stay, and it was convenient, comfortable and worked perfectly well for what we needed.
Holetown itself is a useful base, with restaurants, shops and beaches nearby, and it’s easy to explore more of the west coast from there.
My favourite beach on the island was Mullins Beach, St Peter.
One thing I would do differently after our first visit is rent a car.
The first time, we didn’t have one and relied on taxis and occasionally public transport. I was slightly amazed by how many people could apparently fit into one Barbados bus.
Taxis could also feel charmingly old school. Rather than opening an app and watching a car appear on a map, we found ourselves making phone calls, getting to know particular drivers and arranging for them to come back and collect us later.
It all worked, but on our next trip I was very happy to have the independence of a car.
Exploring Barbados
One of the best ways to appreciate how varied Barbados is is to get away from the resorts and spend a day exploring the island.
We took an island tour that included the Barbados Wildlife Reserve and Bathsheba on the rugged east coast.
The scenery around Bathsheba is completely different from the calm beaches of the west coast. The Atlantic crashes into enormous rock formations and the coastline feels wild and dramatic.
And then there are the monkeys.
Unlike many of the Caribbean islands we’ve visited, Barbados has a population of green monkeys. Seeing them wandering around the Wildlife Reserve – and occasionally appearing in unexpected places – is one of those things that makes Barbados feel quite distinctive.
I loved seeing the greener side of the island too. There are farms, tropical vegetation and rolling countryside, which gives Barbados much more variety than you might expect if your image of the island is simply beaches and resorts..
Swimming with Turtles
We also spent a day out on the water on a catamaran trip that included snorkeling with sea turtles.
Catamaran trips are one of my favorite things to do in the Caribbean, particularly when traveling as a family. You get to see the coastline from a completely different perspective, swim in impossibly clear water and, in Barbados, have a very good chance of seeing turtles.
It was an easy, memorable day and something I’d happily do again.
Port St Charles
One of the prettiest places we discovered was Port St Charles in the parish of St Peter.
It’s a beautiful marina development with waterfront homes, yachts and a relaxed but polished atmosphere. We stopped for food and drinks and found both the service and setting excellent.
The bar overlooking the marina even has an infinity pool, which is not a bad place to spend an afternoon.
A Day at the Polo
One of the more unexpected highlights of our trip was going to the Barbados Polo Club to watch a match against Canada.
It was great fun and felt surprisingly familiar.
It was nice to see the community and social side of the day as the sport itself, and the polo had a great atmosphere. People were there to watch the match, but also to catch up, have a drink and enjoy the afternoon. It was one of those experiences that made us feel, briefly, less like tourists and more like we were seeing how some people spend their weekends on the island.
The Boatyard Beach Club
For a completely different Barbados experience, we spent a day at The Boatyard Beach Club at Carlisle Bay in St Michael.
This was more touristy than the quieter parts of the west coast, but with a child it was great fun and I would recommend it for a day if you visit. It was also great value to use their amenities. By renting beach chairs there, a large portion of what you pay is redeemable in the Bar and Restaurant as a credit. It was recommended to us by the local taxi driver as great value when he dropped us there. We made a time for him to come back and collect us later that day.
The beach had beautiful white sand and calm water, and there was a floating trampoline out in the sea that was an immediate hit with our daughter.
It was lively, easy and excellent for people watching – the sort of place where you can settle into a beach chair and happily spend most of the day.
Where We Ate
Barbados has some excellent restaurants, particularly along the west coast.
Two of my favorites were The Cliff Beach House (at the time it was QP Bistro) and Lone Star Restaurant & Hotel.
Both have beautiful waterfront settings and feel special enough for a proper night out without losing that relaxed Caribbean atmosphere.
Food is an important part of a Barbados trip, and I’d leave room in the budget for a couple of long lunches or dinners overlooking the water.
Barbados and Its Famous Connections
Something else we quickly learned is that Barbados is extremely proud of the people – and famous visitors – connected with the island.
Rihanna, of course, was born and raised in Barbados, and you don’t have to spend very long on the island before somebody tells you about her connection to it.
Then there’s Sandy Lane, one of the island’s most exclusive areas, with its long history of attracting celebrities, sports stars and wealthy international visitors.
Our taxi drivers and tour guides were excellent sources of celebrity information. By the end of a drive, we generally knew who had a house where, who had stayed at which hotel and which famous person had been married on the island.
It became part of the entertainment.
A Caribbean Island With a British Legacy
Barbados is now a republic, but its long history as a British colony is still very visible.
You see it in everything from the architecture and place names to cricket, polo, afternoon drinks and some of the island’s older hotels and estates.
At times, Barbados can feel wonderfully old school – and occasionally simply old fashioned. There were moments when it felt as though parts of the island were moving at a rather different pace from the modern world.
But that is also part of what makes Barbados interesting.
It doesn’t feel like an island created purely around tourism. There are established communities, farms, villages, historic properties and generations of families who have built lives there.
There is also a sizeable British and international community, and Barbados has long-standing connections with the UK. For travelers coming from Britain or combining the Caribbean with time in Europe, that accessibility is another advantage.
Think of ‘supper’, tennis, ‘Pimm’s and lemonade’.
Final Thoughts
What I like most about Barbados is its variety.
You can spend one day on a perfect Caribbean beach, another driving through green countryside looking for monkeys, another snorkeling with turtles, and the next drinking champagne while watching a polo match.
It has excellent restaurants, beautiful stretches of coastline and plenty to explore away from the resorts.
It also feels more established than some of the smaller Caribbean islands we’ve visited. There is history here, along with a strong local identity and the lingering influence of its British past.
Barbados is a little further for us to reach than some Caribbean destinations, so I wouldn’t come for just a few days (we did a four day trip the 2nd time which felt too short). I’d plan around a week, rent a car and give yourself enough time to explore.
There’s so much we’re still yet to explore such as the Rum Distillery and Oistins Fish Fry… next time!
