Barbados is one of my favourite places to visit which is why I’ve created this Barbados Travel Guide. I’ve been fortunate to visit the Caribbean island many times and I absolutely love it. My last visit was November 2016. Recently, I shared how I was starting my Bloggers Who Travel series. Following on from that, today I’m introducing my very first travel guide for the beautiful island of Barbados!
Getting There
Barbados is a popular destination and I flew with Virgin Atlantic from Manchester in the UK, there are also regular flights from London with both Virgin and British Airways. From England, it’s only about an 8-hour flight which I think goes quickly. A couple of films and a bit of food and you’re pretty much there! It’s a popular starting point for cruise ships so there are plenty of flights from around the world.

Where to Stay
There are two main areas of the island which I’d recommend staying at. The West Coast is often classed as the more expensive side of the island. It’s home to the exclusive Sandy Lane resort. I’ve stayed on this part of the island once before at Holetown. Holetown is a small town with shops and restaurants all within walking distance. If you want to visit some of the higher end restaurants this is the perfect spot. I stayed at the Tropical Sunset which is on the beach.
RELATED: Tropical Sunset Barbados
The area I’ve stayed the most is on the South Coast. The South Coast is home to St Lawrence Gap (aka The Gap) which is where the main nightlife of the island is as well as plenty of restaurants. In fact, all along the coast, from The Gap to Bridgetown there are plenty of hotels and restaurants. I usually stay at South Beach which is self-catering and next to a small mall with eateries, shops and a small supermarket. It’s across the road from the beach. I’ve also stayed at Accra Beach which is almost opposite South Beach but it is directly on the beach.
The Beaches
The beaches are one of the best parts of Barbados. All with wonderful, golden sand. If you stay on the Caribbean Sea side which is the South and West Coasts, the waves are much calmer and the sea is usually a beautiful turquoise colour. All of the beaches on the island are public which means even where hotels are built in front of them are not owned by the hotels.
Eating Out
One of the highlights of Barbados has to be the Bajan food. I’d highly recommend staying room only so you can enjoy the delights of the island. There is somewhere to eat for all budgets. Some of my favourite fine dining restaurants on the west coast are The Cliff, Lone Star (which is great for a beachside lunch), Tides and The Fish Pot which is north of Speightstown. These are all lovely to visit if you’re not on a tight budget. Also on the west coast is Tropical Sunset restaurant which is great for lunch and they do a great happy hour for cocktails – I can highly recommend the banana daiquiri!
RELATED: An Adventure to the Fish Pot
Moving on to the south coast, which is where I’ve spent most of my time, the restaurants are endless. My favourites include Tapas, Champers, who do a budget friendly 3-course set menu and the new Primo restaurant where the lobster macaroni is something I’ll be dreaming about for a long time! The food was really delicious. Also along the coast is Naru and Monet which are other nice places to eat.
RELATED: Champers, A Must Visit Restaurant in Barbados
At St Lawrence Gap I also like Cafe Sol which offers tasty Mexican food. The new Castaways Bar and Grill is also lovely with its bayside seating.
For all of these restaurants, it’s worth booking a reservation in advance and asking for an Oceanside table if they have one available.
It doesn’t have to be all about fine dining. One of my favourite places for food is Just Grillin’ which offers delicious grilled fish, I love the platter with caesar salad and either rice or potatoes. Just Grillin’ is great for lunch or dinner. They have 2 locations, one on the south and the other on the west. I’d say this is a must visit place in Barbados.
RELATED: Just Grillin’ Barbados
Night Life
St Lawrence Gap is the place to go on an evening. There is a variety of restaurants (some mentioned above) and bars. Cafe Sol has two happy hours every night. We also found The Old Jamm Inn to be busy on a night and on a weekend Hal’s Car Park Bar is a hit with the locals.
Oistins is another place which is worth a visit, it’s the local fish fry. Although it’s open all week, Friday nights are the nights to visit. I’d recommend jumping on a bus early (this year it was about 7.30 and not only did we struggle to get a bus the traffic was super busy). Go early before the crowds and get your food.
RELATED: A Fun Night at Oistins Fish Fry
Cocktails are a popular drink on the island especially rum punch. Rum is the drink of Barbados. I usually start the night with a Banks (the local beer), have a few rum punches (be warned they can be strong) and sometimes have a rum and ginger before bed!
We like to visit the two sports bars on the South Coast. Bert’s which also does great pizza and Bubbas who have plenty of TV screens are both great for food, drink and sport.
Getting Around
It’s easy to get around Barbados. There are 3 types of buses which are all BDS$2 and you can get pretty much anywhere on the island if you want. There are blue, yellow and ZR buses. The small ZR’s are known as the Reggae buses and these need to be experienced! They often have music blaring and will fit in is as many people as they can.
Taxis are also easy to access. They are usually reasonably priced and friendly.
Best Time of Year
Barbados has sunshine and warmth all year around so you can visit anytime. They do have a rainy season from around June to November which means you can get more rain through the day and the humidity is much higher. I would say the perfect time of visit is from January to March but I wouldn’t let the weather put you off when you are booking.
Things to Do
For a small island, there are so many fun things to do. Over the years I’ve visited I’ve been on island tours, snorkelled with turtles, been on catamaran trips and a jeep tour.
RELATED: Swimming with Sea Turtles
On my last trip, I did a half day island tour which included visiting Harrison Caves, St Michaels Plantation House where we tasted rum made there and we also took some photos at Bathsheba.
For a first visit, there is also the capital of Bridgetown which has shops and a mini Nelsons Column. Just outside of Bridgetown is the Mount Gay Distillery which makes rum. If you enjoy rum, the tour is really interesting and you get to sample some of their different rums!
If you enjoy sport and can time your visit right, cricket is fun in Barbados. There is the Kensington Oval which is now where all the big games are held. In the past, I went to see games at the University. A day out to the races is also lots of fun. The racecourse is on the way into Bridgetown from the South Coast, we did entry only and sat with the locals – It was a great day out!
RELATED: A Day at the Races Barbados
Barbados is one of my favourite places to visit and I am fortunate to have visited a number of times over the years.
Is Barbados somewhere you’d like to visit or if you’ve been what was your favourite thing to do? Comment below.
[…] RELATED POST: Barbados Travel Guide […]