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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

barbados or st lucia

17 replies

icancancan · 15/12/2009 22:40

hi we are trying to decide between these two caribbean islands. travelling independently so interested in availability and costs of accommodation, eating out etc plus safety when staying as a small family in independent accommodation. are the two islands very different? we have a ds 4 yrs old

OP posts:

Bigbadmummy · 15/12/2009 22:45

I cant comment on St Lucia as I haven't been but I can recommend Barbados, it is fabulous. My parents have a place there and I dream of being out all the time!!

lots of your questions are answered on the forums on this site Tripadvisor Barbados

whooosh · 15/12/2009 22:49

I have spent many,may holidays in Barbados (off again on Sat.) my DD is 4 and I find it incredibly safe but have to say....rather boring.If you are happy with beautiful beaches,blue water and lots of sugar cane to drive through then you will be fine.........the people on the whole are lvely and if your DS is happy building sandcastles he will be one happy boy.

hester · 15/12/2009 22:53

Barbados is lovely, but like the Godalming of the Caribbean. Quite expensive, very safe, very easy. If you want a calm, quiet, beach-based holiday you'll really like it. A really good choice for a holiday with a small child.

I don't know St Lucia so well, but I think I'm right in saying that it is wilder and more beautiful than Barbados, with a less well developed tourist infrastructure. If you like your holidays a bit less cushioned and more exploratory, it may be for you.

The two islands are very close but quite different in geology and climate - so worth checking.

Original poster

icancancan · 15/12/2009 23:02

great - thanks for such swift replies - would love to hear more detail about both islands such as best areas/resorts with a 4 yr old - don't want to be anywhere noisy/nightclubby but do want to be near beach/sightseeing activities. ds in a 'volcano' phase hence think he would love pitons on st lucia but looks quite difficult to travel around and wouldn't want to be stuck in the same place for nigh on 3 weeks. is it easy to travel between these two islands?

OP posts:

whooosh · 15/12/2009 23:06

Very easy to travel around Barbados-hire a mini-moke and the island is your oyster.there are caves to see,a wildlife reserve,turtle swimming and some beautiful beaches.West side is best and not "nightclubby" at all whereas the South side of Barbados is "party central".There are some FANTASTIC restaurants on the West side (St.James" area)
When are you thinking of going?

hester · 16/12/2009 19:53

The islands are close and, in fact, many flights to Barbados stop at St Lucia on the way. I don't know how expensive it is to hop between the two, but I'm sure it's easy.

Barbados is very flat, so short on volcanoes But a lovely easy holiday for a 5 year old.

sowhatis · 16/12/2009 19:54

barbados from me, been to both and preferred barbados xx

paisleyleaf · 16/12/2009 20:00

I preferred St Lucia myself. I found Barbados quite a bit more built up and more traffic and St Lucia more lush and tropical.
But I was only a couple of days at each so don't know them that well, but felt more like I was in paradise on St Lucia.

sodowninthemouth · 16/12/2009 20:19

I have not been to St Lucia (yet) but have been to Barbados and it was not my favourite of caribbean islands (despite having lived 12 years in Godalming!) although the holiday was very pleasant and we stayed on a really good reef. Not much to Visit and not the prettiest of scenery or beaches. Of all the Islands we have been to I liked Grenada best - which I see is not on your list and also Cuba - for Havan particularly.

claraquack · 16/12/2009 20:26

I live in ST Lucia so any specific questions ask away.
It really depends what you want from a holiday. It is a beautiful island but there isn't a huge amount to do here for young children apart from the obvious beach/sea/pools. Although it is small, it does take a while to get around as the roads are not great.
I would recommend the Bay Gardens Resort in Rodney Bay if you want to stay independently. It is right on the beach and also has a nice pool, and is close to lots of good restaurants etc.
If you like All Inclusives I would recommend Coconut Bay, which is five minutes from the International Airport and very child friendly. In fact what I would probably recommend would be a bit of both.
Activities for children, which we have not had a chance to check out yet, include dolphin watching and a pirate boat trip, but everything is quite £££££$$$$$$.

Drayford · 16/12/2009 21:43

Does it have to be either of these - have you looked at other caribbean islands? Have you thought of BVI or The Grenadines for a multi-Island break for a bit of variety.

We always travel independently and usually go for a cottage or villa and after huge amounts of research (my DC are 16 & 18) we decided on holidaying on Nevis this Easter (in a beach house 20 steps from the surf) as it offered something for the whole family - Diving for DD, Surfing & windsurfing for DS, Birdwatching for DH & snorkelling and walking/climbing for me, but I'm not sure it would offer much for a 4yo.

But..... it is worth looking at other islands. My DC enjoyed Tobago and Grenada when they were much younger and we found both islands had a great vibe, good food and were easy to get around.

LOL @ Hester re Godalming vs Barbados ! My DH would totally agree with you!

Original poster

icancancan · 17/12/2009 20:05

no I guess it doesn't have to be either of these islands but we have travelled to trinidad and tobago (and Aruba) admittedly 20 years ago and although it was a fantastic experience I'm not sure there would be loads there for a 4 year old to do/see. I guess we also want a quiet life too and a 'resort' would seem to offer the best of all worlds.

Having said that, I don't want to spend thousands of pounds and think 'oh, we could be in tenerife' iyswim. It seems that St Lucia would be a real carib experience but that Barbados is a lot more touristy and may offer more in the way of facilities, particularly for children.
what do you all think (and thanks for all of the replies so far).
oh and just quickly, what are costs like on both islands for food and drink

OP posts:

newpup · 17/12/2009 20:29

This is interesting. We have just booked a holiday to Barbados. I have been to the caribbean but not Barbados and will be interested in the advice.

We booked a resort recommended by someone DH knows but it is on the South Side so I hope not too noisy as we want a quiet hol with the DDs. All the reviews state how peaceful it is and quiet so hope they are right!

Trip advisor is a good place to look if you have not already. Very honest accounts and photos.

hester · 17/12/2009 23:03

The south side is a bit noisier and more touristy, newpup, but there's also loads of lovely quieter spots there. and you are near Bridgetown if all that beaching gets boring.

I've met people who have felt Barbados was a bit tame for them, but nobody who actually disliked their holiday there. And loads of people completely love it and go back year after year (including me, but I have family connections).

Rindercella · 17/12/2009 23:12

newpup, which hotel are you staying at? I know B'dos pretty well so may be able to help.

ican, I have also been to St Lucia, but am not as familiar with the island as I am with Barbados. With a small child I would personally prefer to go to Barbados. St Lucia is stunningly beautiful with lots to see. But, the roads are pretty poor and it really does take ages to go from one side of the island to the other - quite uncomfortably too!

DD is just two and we have already been to Barbados with her. I would love to go back to St Lucia, but just could not bear the thought of the transfer from airport to resort (we stayed in Rodney Bay).

If you go for Barbados, then I personally would stay at either the far north west coast, perhaps somewhere like Little Good Harbour or the far south east coast. The south and west coasts are getting over developed and quite choked.

newpup · 18/12/2009 07:22

Hello. Rindercella we are staying in The Sea Breeze hotel in Christchurch. Everything I can find on Trip advisor say how quiet it is. It has recently been refurbished but is a small, low key resort which is what we were looking for.

Do you know it?

Rindercella · 18/12/2009 16:00

Hi Newpup, I can recall seeing Sea Breeze, but don't know a lot about the hotel itself. What I will say though is that it is not in St Lawrence Gap itself, which is a good thing if you are looking for something a little quieter! You will basically be between the Gap and Oistins, which imo is a pretty good location to be. Oistins is good fun, but I prefer to go on nights other than Friday when they do the fish fry - it can still get busy & be good fun.

You're very close to the airport - no more than a 10 min cab ride I should think. I am sure you will have a lovely time and I am not at all , really! My parents have just got back from their place over there and said how beautiful the weather is atm - think they had a bit of a shock when they landed at Gatwick to -5C temperatures!

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