Can anyone tell me about Barbados?

[Lochalvie]

Does it make a good family holiday destination? I am curious as I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone we know going and we live in an affluent area where people holiday a lot. Mostly hear of Dubai, Europe, the US, south east Asia.

my dc would like a holiday out of Europe. Not a city break, we like beaches. but we want to go somewhere where it isn’t necessary to hire a car. and where we can do watersports and relax. So Barbados came up in my search. But we also haven’t been to Greece before, and wonder if we are better just staying in Europe for a watersports beach holiday

It’s one of our favourite places! It’s a beautiful island, and the people are great.

West coast is probably best for watersports, and many of the hotels will offer those as part of their package. (Many of them are All-Inclusive).

You can travel around the island by bus - no need to hire a car, but if you do, it gives you a chance to get out and about.

What kind of budget do you have though?

Thank you for replying. Budget probably up to 10k for family of 4.
do you know what it is like in July? I believe it’s not ideal time to travel but wondering if it is not too bad

It’s good for families if you choose to spend all your time in an AI resort, where much of what you’re paying doesn’t benefit Barbados at all. Though if you choose an AI resort you might as well be anywhere tbh; and less than an 8 hour flight away.

It’s also very humid on the island, so not so good if you don’t like humidity.

I’d say that outside of these AI places, Barbados is more of a grown up holiday, unless your children are into history
and local culture.

I do wonder if a warm watersports holiday might be easier found closer to home. My dc are teen boys

I think if you want a beach holiday in European winter, so Christmas through Easter school holidays, Barbados is ideal for that. If you want a beach holiday in July then I would probably stay in Europe. I say that only on the basis you say you want a beach holiday rather than to explore, I'm not in anyway suggesting Barbados has nothing to offer. More that it's not worth the extra time and expense of both getting to and staying in Barbados, because it's going to cost significantly more than a European holiday and it will be off-season in July with potential for dodgy weather.

It is ideal for families and was our first choice. White sand beaches, shallow crystal clear ocean and local people who LOVE babies and children. We stayed in locally owned B&Bs and hotel and went to local restaurants/markets etc. I would avoid AI as you will be in one place, with the same meals all the time and Barbados is an island to explore! Ostins Fish Fry on a Friday night is really good fun, DC spent hours eating, dancing and playing with local children and had the time of their lives. Highly recommended :)

We went to Barbados when DD was 11, nearly 12, during the Easter holiday. I think July is quite hot and rain season is on. I would find it a bit of a waste as you have the whole of southern Europe if you want hot beach weather but with a lower price tag.

It's a safe island, we had a car for one day and did quite a lot, you can take tours but DH hates organised trips like that. We went on two boat trips with snorkling, horse riding, you can do watersport.

We had AI but also went out with a cab in the evening to go for dinner somewhere else. Our hotel had really nice food though, it was more a matter of exploring the area.

I have been going since I was a child, over 30years and family have a place there. It is a wonderful place, where we have always felt so safe. I would highly recommend getting a car to explore the island, they drive on the same side of the road as us. That said, the bus system is very user friendly. I would recommend west coast as that’s where we’ve always been based. So many beautiful places all over the island though- visiting the rugged coastline of the east coast is also a must! All very easily accessible as the island is small. In my opinion, an all inclusive hotel is a waste of a trip to this beautiful paradise! We’ve always gone self catering (supermarkets are easily accessible) and had a mix of eating out and staying in- haven’t stayed in a hotel there for 20 years. Can’t recommend Barbados enough 💗💗💗

My children loved it. We stayed in a rented house in Dover. We spent three days at the West Indes v England test match. We took a jeep safari which was great fun. We did our touring by route taxi or the bus.

Oistins Friday night fish fry was definitely worth the time.

We're planning on going back.

July will be very mixed weather - we’ve been as a family and it’s so beautiful. We stayed self catering and hired a car. Lots to explore. West Coast best to stay but it’s amazing to explore the east coast,

In July stay in Europe. Maybe Corfu?

We go most years. It’s a holiday for just the two of us these days, but we’ve taken the kids and it’s a great place for families. Really easy to explore and cheap to hire a car. It feels extremely safe.

Having said that, I’m not sure I’d go in July. It’s likely the be pretty rainy.

Barbados is fantastic. I’m back there in March. It’s popular with families - particularly in the school holidays. People do go all year round and you may get a good deal for July this year as it’s low season. You’ll get rain - but it’s usually tropical bursts in between glorious sunshine and it’s always hot! I’ve looked at Beach View Hotel (where we stay) for July for you and you can get a two bed villa for under £5,000). Obviously you’d have to book flights on top.

To get the best deals you really are advised to plan well ahead (if wanting to go in high season especially). We book with BA and use a companion voucher (with Avios). We’ve also booked in the sales. They release the flights and hotels about 11 months ahead and that’s when to book to get the best prices (eg for Easter 2027) which may suit you better as you’ll be tied to school holidays and it’s better to go for two weeks if you can. The west coast is calmer for swimming and water sports. I wouldn’t go AI as the food is so good at all price points. We hire a car and it’s easy to drive on the island. The bus service is very good, cheap and frequent.
Please let us know what you decide to do.