If you’re looking for a holiday where nothing’s on the agenda but to relax, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Barbados. A quintessential fly-and-flop destination with postcard-worthy white sands, neon waters and bougie beach clubs lining the coast — it’s a year-round destination that’ll have you return home suitably recharged and topped up with Vitamin D. But where do the style set go now?
Where to stay
Cobblers Cove
Pink candy cane umbrellas, palm trees and marble bars lined with woven rattan furniture — Cobblers Cove feels straight out of the glamorous 1950’s heyday of the Caribbean.
The crowd ranges from newlyweds to those who’ve been frequenting the hotel annually for 30 years. Much loved by Brits, you’re almost guaranteed to see a polo-wearing gent with a cricket cap and a trusty Daunt Books bag slung over his shoulder as he locates the best sunlounger for the day.
Each of the property’s 40 rooms is a suite complete with indoor and outdoor living spaces, and decor that is a glorious blend of chintz and tropical — the playful result of a 2019 collaboration with Soane Britain.
Elsewhere, you’ll find a small fitness room, a two-room spa, a tastefully curated shop and a restaurant. After soaking up the rays in the teardrop pool or snorkelling in the cove, pull up a chair on the ocean-front veranda and order one of the exceptional Piña Coladas right in time for sunset.
Book it: From £650 per night. cobblerscove.com
Coral Reef Club
Located on a prime strip of the Platinum Coastline up a meandering tree-lined drive, the Coral Reef Club sits within 12 acres of gardens bursting with frangipani and bougainvillea. Owned and managed by the O’Hara family since the 1950s, it’s a Colonial-style hotel with a country club feel that sees the same longstanding patrons return year after year.
The 88 rooms comprise cottages, suites and generously sized rooms with West Indies and European touches throughout. There are two pools, a gym and a watersports centre — but the real show-stopper is the standalone spa with four treatment rooms, a steam room and hydro pool.
The open-air restaurant sits on the waterfront with prime views of the lapping Caribbean sea. It offers extensive daily menus. Thanks to the hotel's proximity to some of the island’s best-loved restaurants though, it’s also a convenient base to dine out from.
Book it: From £868 per night for a Double Garden Room including breakfast and taxes. coralreefbarbados.com
The Sandpiper
Sister hotel to the Coral Reef Club, The Sandpiper is just a short walk along the beach towards Holetown. A smaller hotel than its sibling, it has a distinctly tropical feel with apartments and glistening pools popping up amongst fronds and foliage.
The Beach House Suites are worth the splurge — expansive with jackpot panoramic views, private ocean-front terraces, plush king-sized beds and large modern bathrooms. Facilities-wise, there are two pools (getting up early to bag the half in, half out pool loungers is worth it), a small gym, two tennis courts and a watersports hut.
When it comes to dining, there’s one main open-air restaurant, where the Sunday night barbeque is a highlight. It has a wrap-around, decked outdoor eating area right by the hotel’s legendary pink beach hut, Harold’s bar. Still run by Harold himself, it’s been going for decades and has a thick bible of cocktails to choose from — including the Billie Piper. Named after the lady herself who, while on holiday in the Noughties with her then-husband, Chris Evans, asked for a cocktail made with rum, Tia Maria and chocolate ice cream.
Book it: From £868 per night for a Double Garden Room including breakfast and taxes. sandpiperbarbados.com
Where to eat
The Cliff
The A-list-approved The Cliff is a glitzy affair. Built into a steep cliff face, you’ll dine overlooking the floodlit Caribbean sea while giant rays and tarpons hoop and glide below.
Upon arrival, your car will be whisked away by the valet before you’re ushered in for a cocktail in the blinging upstairs bar. Downstairs you’ll find an impressive glass-fronted kitchen where you’ll see chefs whipping up the likes of miso-glazed octopus and truffle cacio e pepe before your seat is pulled out for you on the ocean-front balcony.
The Fish Pot
Located in the tiny fishing village of St Lucy, The Fish Pot is housed in a small 17th-century fort and is a beachfront restaurant on the water’s edge. It has an informal interior — think rustic wooden floorboards and striped awnings — and, as the name suggests, fresh fish is the speciality here. The lobster risotto is an island favourite, but there are plenty of meat and vegetarian options too.
Local & Co
On average Bajan restaurants import over 85% of their ingredients, so coming across Local & Co feels like a real win. Opened during the pandemic by chef Sophie Mitchell, who’s cooked at some of London's top Michelin-starred restaurants, this spot is at the forefront of the island’s slow food movement. Not a filet of Scottish salmon in sight, the team ferment, pickle, preserve and cook with local produce and the results are excellent. The coconut Caribbean shrimp curry or smashed double-aged burger with bacon jam comes highly recommended.
Chefette
Fast food might not exactly come to mind on an island escape, but it would be remiss to skip the island’s legendary fast food chain, Chefette. No beef burgers here, it’s all about the spicy island roti, crispy golden fried chicken and towering rum and raisin ice creams. Be sure to go hungry.
Lone Star
On the site of a former 1940’s garage, Lone Star is a restaurant and boutique hotel that has the feel of a top Mediterranean beach club. Offering laid-back luxury at its best, diners spend all day ordering ice buckets of champagne with snapper ceviche and club sandwiches. Book a table for lunch and you won’t leave until well after sunset.
What to do
Beach clubs
The west coast is punctuated with luxurious beach clubs ripe for a day's sunning and a (magnum of) rosé. Sea Shed on Mullins Beach has white loungers and immaculate service with staff in polo shirts, khaki shorts and white trainers tending to your every whim.
Fit in a day at La Cabane too. Right on the water, the farm-to-table food and cocktails are as good as the vistas and when dusk falls, DJs often take to the decks. Technically not a beach club but a restaurant-cum-beach bar instead — it’s certainly a spot you can still spend the entire day at.
seashedbarbados.com; lacabanebarbados.com
Oistins Fish-Fry
Although a well established tourist spot, Oistins shouldn’t be missed on a Friday night. The island’s fish market comes alive with rum punch bars, food vendors and street dancers looking to party the night away. With countless fish frys to choose from, it’s best to ask locals where to eat — Pat’s, Uncle George’s and Chillin’ and Grillin’ are names likely to keep coming up.
Fishing
If fishing in the tropics is on the bucketlist, Barbados is one of the best places to try it, whether you’re an avid angler or a first-timer. With over 500 species of fish, you can fish on-shore or off, but the latter is a real experience. Reel Spirit Fishing Charters offers the island’s most luxurious vessel and the deep sea tour is a proper adventure. Heading out on the Caribbean sea, you can catch anything from Wahoo to mammoth Baracudas under the guidance of the expert team. One thing that is for sure? Even the most stoic of stomachs aren’t likely to be immune from the swell so taking anti-sickness tablets is a must.
4 hour trips start from £630 for 6 people. reelspiritfishingbarbados.com
Silver Moon Cruises
A day trip aboard one of the Silver Moon Cruises’ luxury yachts is an excellent way to see a different stretch of the coastline. Meeting at the port outside Bridgetown, you’ll spend the morning sunbathing on a sprawling deck, snorkelling with turtles and visiting the island’s famed shipwrecks before being served a huge banquet of Bajan favourites like blackened prawns, mahi-mahi, macaroni pie and black-eyed peas and rice. Naturally, the day will be punctuated by ice-cold rum punch top-ups too.
Shared cruises from approximately £115 per adult. silvermoonbarbados.com
Rihanna Drive
Mega fans aside, it’s probably not worth going out of your way for but if you’re near Bridgetown, a trip to Rihanna Drive is a fun little detour. Formerly called Westbury New Road, the singer lived there until she was 16, and you can visit her lime and yellow childhood home before popping into one of her local bars for an ice-cold Banks beer.
How to get there - and get around
British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Barbados from £489 return per person, including taxes and fees; ba.com/Barbados
It is well worth renting a car while on the Island. Drive-a-Matic’s rentals start from approximately £32 per day and you can pick your vehicle up from the airport. carhire.tv
