Barbados

[NewMoonPhase]

Is it as amazing as it looks? Where's the quietest place to stay?

It's a lovely island.

The South of the island is more touristy and where the parties are - especially around The Gap. It's also (a bit) cheaper.

West coast is the premium side of the island. The beaches are lovely and the water is usually very calm (it's a bit rougher on the South coast). It can be pretty expensive though, although that obviously depends where you stay/what kind of accommodation you want.

The East coast is much less developed, from a tourism point of view, but mainly because the sea is so rough/unpredictable that swimming is generally not advised (might even not be allowed, although I think some people might surf there).

Have a look at this Facebook group which will give you lots of information.

Yes it is amazing!

Quietest place to stay - you could get a villa slightly inland on its own there are lots on Air BnB. Wherever you go just make sure you are off the main road though as the buses go beep a lot!

The posher hotels will have quieter areas. The Crane although it has a lot on is so big that it does feel quiet as it's so spread out. (Nb The Crane is far south end so some way from west coast and isolated).

The beaches are generally quiet so you can always find somewhere to chill if that's what you are worried about.

It is a fun island too though, amazing atmosphere in public spaces, restaurants etc.

We’re lucky and have been a few times , as a family with primary age children and as a couple
we have always stayed at hotels near Speightstown or Holetown , I think the best beaches are on that side of the island

It’s beautiful, very safe , you can walk along the. Beach , we walked to the posh hotel , Sandy Lane ( it’s a bit of a hike along the beach as there’s been a lot of erosion and you have to clamber over some rocks ) but all the beaches are public , so you can swim there , do not use the sun beds though !

Its easy to get around on the buses , amazing snorkelling ( wear a T shirt over your swimsuit though , we both got burnt backs as we couldn’t stop snorkelling and looking at the beautiful fish )

Beautiful island , lovely locals , safe , I can’t think of anything wrong with the place

We just got back from a trip there with my in laws and young kids. We had such a great time!

We stayed in a villa on a golf course near holetown which was lovely but the area we found VERY expensive! The sea on the west coast was unusually rough when we went so we travelled down to the south a couple of days as the sea was calmer for the kids. It was much more built up in the south and more like a typical tourist destination where as west coast is much more upmarket. Still nice though, depends what you want really.

If is lovey but I just find it so expensive to holiday there in the first place and then when you get there it's really expensive too.. so not sure I would rush back.

If you stay at one of the many all-inclusive hotels, it's considerably cheaper though! I'm guessing you were staying at The Royal Westmoreland @runforyourdog? So yes, it would have been expensive!

There are lots of local places to eat/drink, so it doesn't need to be fine dining every evening - but there are also some fabulous restaurants where you can really push the boat out if you have a special occasion to celebrate.

West Coast is lovely. We liked Cobblers Cove, which was quiet (no evening entertainment, thank goodness, and no TVs in rooms). Right on the beach, fairly small property, great food and very relaxed. Old-fashioned, in a good way. Be warned tho, most of the guests are aged 50+, so it may not be your kind of thing.

Yes Royal WestMorlands. We thought that about Restaurants etc. I think the ones we went to round there were just super fancy and would be expensive anywhere.

The main supermarket in holetown is really pricey too though, you couldn't go in there without dropping £200!

I guess just used to going places where it's quite cheap once you get there.. Barbados certainly isn't that!

Brits seem to think everywhere should be cheap. Barbados has never been cheap where the best beaches are. It’s a bit less expensive further south. Look at menus before you go. Hire a car and shop inland.

I've been four times, it's changed a lot over the years. The all inclusive hotels have ruined the island in my opinion (and the locals opinion). The gap used to be full of lovely bars and street food vendors, when I went back in 2018 most of the bars and restaurants were closed and it looked a mess. Having said that it felt safe still, buses are fun and beautiful beaches. We hire a car and go out everyday. The last time we went we liked hole town and speitstown (think that's spelt wrong!) felt a bit more authentic than other parts of the island on the west coast. Barbados was always my favourite Caribbean island but I prefer other islands now.

We went to Barbados about 4 years ago. We just couldn't get to grips with the (relatively) obscenely wealthy hotel developments juxtaposed to very poor shanty dwellings.
The scenery is lovely, particularly on the non- touristy side, but all the non- tourist areas are very poor. It seems most holiday goers spend most of their money in the complex they stay in so none of it benefits the local economy particularly.
All the places we were recommended as "full of local colour", such as the Oistins fish market, were in reality, very poor areas where locals struggle to make a living.

I've been a few times and have a friend who was born there. I agree that all inclusive hotels have had a detrimental affect on local businesses but this is true in many countries including the canaries, Spain etc. The locals are really proud of their "shacks" their little bit land, they are shocked that we don't mind living in semis/terraces in the UK. One thing to note is that all beaches are public, noone is allowed to block them off for private use so anyone can use the beach directly in front of your hotel.

Spain (which includes the Canaries) isn't nearly as dependant on income from tourism though.

Throwing a curve ball out there but if you want beaches even better than Barbados combined with quiet, relaxing and good food then have a look at Anguilla or St Barths instead.

I have been to Barbados (x3), St Lucia, Antigua, Tobago, Jamaica and St Kitts plus Anguilla and St Barths.

I do like Barbados a lot but for amazing then Anguilla and St Barths trump them every time. Out of season (from 16th April to mid November), many of the villas let by bedroom. So you have the whole property to yourself but only pay for the number of bedrooms you use. We went in May, had a three bedroom Villa with huge private pool, daily maid service and it cost £3,500 for a week using just one bedroom. Ok, still not cheap, but not the £20k a week in season.

The last time I went to Barbados I was a little disappointed to be honest. The five star accommodation was rather scruffy and terribly expensive. The Bajan people really make the holiday though.

Stay in a villa and eat out. Great restaurants (although pricey) and great street/beach food everywhere. We loved the fact that tourists integrate with locals and aren’t all locked away in all inclusives. It’s actually a pretty wealthy island relatively with a good rate of education so it’s not true to say it’s very poor. You can avoid the obnoxious Sandy Lane etc.. if you want. We loved it.

Oh and we stayed in a fab Airbnb with a sea view on the west coast for £400 pn over Christmas for a 3 bed.

St Barths is expensive. Very upmarket! The better islands are BequIa and the smaller islands with no obvious airport!

We rented a car and drove all over the place. It’s definitely an island to get out and about rather than hiding away in a big hotel. And it was thriving despite Covid. All restaurants open and buzzing. We went December 2021. We loved the little rum shacks , street food and restaurants in someone’s front room.

Are you coming back to this thread @NewMoonPhase?!

Would you mind sharing the details?

It's beautiful, I got married there last year so it will always be a special place to me

We are going in November. I'll report back but we went to St Lucia last year stayed at Windjammer which was just so lovely. I'm worried Barbados won't be as good!

@jeaux90 I've done both islands several times. Whilst St Lucia is lovely, Barbados is a different league in terms of things to do, experiences, restaurants, even basics like taxis etc.

Where are you staying @jeaux90?

Love Barbados. So many gorgeous places to eat and really lovely people.
We stayed at the "obnoxious" sandy lane mentioned further up the thread. It was really lovely and we didn't find it like that at all.
Everyone we spoke to was lovely and we had an amazing time.