Holidays to Barbados

Must visit – The joy of Barbados is that you could spend your whole holiday lying beneath the sun on a tropical beach and you would not have wasted your time. There’s lots to do, but the Caribbean atmosphere is perhaps the most mesmerising reason to visit, lulling you into a world of soothing holiday relaxation. Aside from sunbathing, though, make sure you snorkel or dive if that’s to your tastes, visit Bridgetown with its historic sites and engaging street markets, and sample the wonderful Bajan rum at either the Mount Gay Rum Distillery or the Malibu Visitor Centre.

Family fun – Children and families love Barbados for its beaches and chilled-out tropical vibe. It offers a warm, welcoming experience blessed with perfect beach weather and plenty to do. If your children are too young to enjoy a dive, why not take them in a submarine to see the jaw-dropping beauty of the island’s tropical fish, coral reefs, and even a shipwreck? Or what about an off-road jeep adventure that’s perfect for older kids and teens? Then you can finish the day by dropping by Oistins Friday Night Fish Fry, where the locals dance to live reggae and cook up succulent flying fish.

Natural attractions – Barbados brims with natural beauty, with its caves and parks, forests and swamps, reserves and gardens– and that’s not even mentioning the famously blissful beaches. The Animal Flower Cave, which appeared in Billy Ocean’s music videos, has several entrances in St Lucy, and contains pools that are large enough to swim in! Keeping with the flower theme, the Flower Forest is a gorgeous tropical garden in the Barbados countryside. It’s impossible to list all of the natural spots you can enjoy during your Barbados stay, but the bubbling streams at Bath Beach are wonderfully tranquil. You can discover the rest yourself!

Culture and history – Barbados’s official language is English, but it is spoken with a lilting Bajan dialect that is an iconic part of the Caribbean experience. Music and festivals are a huge part of the Barbadian culture, where calypso, reggae, and R&B are played in bars and across the beautiful beaches. The cuisine is another important aspect too, with its piquant African, British, and Indian influences. Barbados gained its independence from the British in 1966 and if you are interested in learning more about its colourful past, visit the Barbados Museum and Historical Society in Bridgetown, housed in the atmospheric former British Military Prison.

Food and drink – The Bajan cuisine is a diverse melting pot of Creole, British, Indian, African, and Irish influences, with an emphasis placed on seafood, flavoursome meats, and no shortage of delicious beverages. The national dish is cou-cou (cornflour and okra), fried flying fish, and a spicy gravy. Curried goat, saltfish, grilled prawns, and of course rice and peas are hugely popular in Barbados. For dessert, try conkies, which are made from coconut, raisins, pumpkins, and corn flour, or black cake, which is a fruity cake made with rum.

Night life – Barbados is known as a party island. St Lawrence Gap is a prime spot for tempting food, drinking, and live music, while Holetown and Bridgetown have some of the island’s most popular venues such as Harbour Lights Carlisle Bay and the Red Door Lounge. If you really want to try something special, Barbados party cruises provide all the food, drinks, and dancing you could want from a Caribbean night out, but from a boat swaying on the waves. Nightclubs are far from the only way to spend an evening in Barbados, so if hard partying isn’t your thing, stick to the chilled bars and restaurants.