Barbados travel guide

It’s almost two decades since Concorde last dropped off VIP passengers in Barbados. On days when it was pushed by the trade winds that ruffle this Caribbean island, the supersonic jet would beat the four-hour time difference and appear to arrive at Grantley Adams International Airport before it had even left Heathrow.
Journeys to Barbados may take a few hours longer these days, but the jewel of the West Indies remains a firm favourite of the British, with its range of fantastic accommodation, from world-renowned luxury hotels and top-notch villas to great-value apartments, the best dining scene in the Caribbean and lots to see and do away from its astonishing beaches.
Of course, there’s the history too. Links with Britain go back to 1625 and you’ll be made to feel incredibly welcome by Bajans wherever you go, particularly in parishes such as Christ Church in the south and Saint Lucy in the north.
• Barbados v the Bahamas: which is better?
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
No one is going to judge you if you come to Barbados and do nothing more than just flop with a rum punch on one of its powdery, white-sand beaches.
The west is known as the Platinum Coast and home to ritzier hotels, restaurants and bars. The Caribbean Sea here, at spots such as Paynes Bay, is generally calm. The south coast has more budget-friendly accommodation and dining choices and is a great place for some action out on the waves if you’re a kite or windsurfing enthusiast. The east coast, facing the Atlantic, is wilder, with much less tourist development, and only experienced surfers should head out through the breakers at Bathsheba. Crane Beach certainly has the Instagram factor and makes a great stop for lunch if you’re driving around the island.
Away from the beaches there is lots to see. The capital, Bridgetown, is a Unesco world heritage site and blends the modern day with multiple layers of history: shop on Broad and Swan streets (including for duty-free goods) then look around one of the oldest synagogues in the Western hemisphere.
With a hire car — driving is on the left — you could cruise past fields of sugar cane, rum factories and plantation houses to explore 17th-century St Nicholas Abbey, Harrison’s Cave, and the Animal Flower Cave at the most northerly point of the island.
In the centre of the island, 55-acre Coco Hill Forest is one of the last remaining patches of woodland, where you can guide yourself along trails to learn more about the hummingbirds, tree ferns, bamboo groves, head-spinningly tall palm trees, spices and herbs that flourish there.
Of course, there’s cricket too, and if you can get a seat at the Kennington Oval when there’s a big match on, absolutely grab the chance. (Grab an ice-cold Banks beer as well.)
• Best things to do in Barbados
Barbados has accommodation options right across the spectrum, from world-famous properties that are the last word in indulgent luxury to all-inclusives, smaller family-owned hotels, beachside villas, apartments and Airbnb rentals.
You’ll find upmarket hotels strung along the west coast, while more budget-friendly ones tend to be along the south coast stretching eastward from Hastings and including areas such as Rockley Beach, St Lawrence Gap, Oistins, Miami Beach and Silver Sands. Unmissable Sandy Lane Hotel has attracted the rich, famous and those who just appreciate the finer things in life since it opened in 1961. If you think you saw a Premier League footballer chatting to a Hollywood A-lister at the Monkey Bar, it’s highly likely.
To the north, near Speightstown, Cobblers Cove is the pinnacle of understated luxury. It’s said that if you can down five of its famous Cobblers Cooler cocktails, each of which contains six shots of local rum, then walk around the pool lined with pink-and-white-striped parasols without falling in, you can have a free stay.
• Best hotels in Barbados• Best all-inclusive hotels in Barbados• Best affordable hotels in Barbados• Best luxury villas in Barbados
Barbados has one of the most varied dining scenes in the West Indies and a bonus, often, is the sound of the Caribbean Sea lapping close by. The more upmarket restaurants, serving everything from sushi to steaks, tend to be on the west coast. In the south you’ll find a more casual dining scene.
A favourite of locals and visitors is the Friday night fish-fry in Oistins. Try the blackened flying fish; it’s superb. Eat it with cou-cou, which is made from cornmeal and okra. On Bajan menus, mahi-mahi is often called dolphin — don’t panic, you’re not eating Flipper.
For a lunchtime snack definitely try a roti — meat or vegetables wrapped inside a flat bread — or pepperpot, which is a meat stew.
As for drinks, rum of course is the tipple of choice, often made into a rum punch, with brands such as Mount Gay, Cockspur, Doorly’s and Foursquare leading the charge. Banks is the island’s beer of choice. Imported wines are freely available at restaurants and supermarkets, but pricey.
They’re hardly secret beaches but Bottom Bay and Foul Bay somehow seem to get overlooked by most tourists — maybe their names are a ploy by Bajans to keep them to themselves. If you want uncrowded sands, cooling trade winds and warm, turquoise waters, they are definitely worth searching out.
There’s been horse racing at the Garrison Savannah racetrack outside Bridgetown for more than 175 years and an afternoon there is a really fun experience, especially on Gold Cup day in March, the high point of the turf club calendar. You can get a seat in the grandstand for around £7 and you won’t go hungry, with vendors selling a variety of food including fish cakes, rice and stew, and coconut water.
Cropover is Barbados’s carnival. The massive three-week party starts in mid-July to celebrate the end of the sugar-cane harvest.
The currency is Barbados dollar, which is worth around a third of a pound sterling. Barbados is still relatively conservative: heading straight off the beach into a supermarket in your bikini or swimming trunks is politely frowned upon, even if you are a visitor.
It’s a safe island and the dodgier back streets of Bridgetown that even most locals would avoid at night are ones a tourist wouldn’t go near anyway: the usual sensible precautions of not flashing cash or valuables apply as they would anywhere else.
Temperatures year round tend to be in the mid to high 20Cs and don’t cool down much at night.
There is no best time to visit Barbados although rainier months tend to be July to November (the compensation is that hotels offer their more affordable rates then). Nonstop flying time from London is around 8.5 hours.
Inspired to visit Barbados but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Tui and Virgin Holidays.
Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.