Barbados

Barbados is a tropical island in the Western Atlantic Ocean just to the east of the Caribbean Sea. This limestone coral island enjoys a delightful climate, blue waters and white-sand beaches. Barbados is one of the most developed Caribbean islands and boasts and excellent choice of deluxe hotels. A popular luxury destination, where you can explore quaint churches, seaside villages and colonial-style stately houses in addition to the islands trademark miles of white-sand beaches and inviting turquoise waters.

Revel in all this tropical island has to offer, enjoying the familiarity of British traditions but in far removed landscape of gorgeous beaches, sultry rainforests and aquamarine seas.

Sandy Lane – Sandy Lane is a premier address in the Caribbean. The luxury resort’s world-class appeal lures royalty, film stars and society elites. Shaded by mahogany trees, the elegant Palladian-style villa with pristine interiors is styled with classical Roman colonnades and porches and fronts tropical gardens, dazzling white-sand beaches and the Caribbean Sea.

As you arrive at the Caribbean’s most famous hotel you will be served freshly chilled towels and refreshing iced glasses of tropical fruit punch. Throughout your stay, your concierge will cater to your every need from serving exotic cocktails on the balcony to revealing the island’s best-kept secrets. All 112 luxury rooms average 900 square feet and feature a large private verandah and state-of-the-art facilities including plasma screen television and entertainment systems and high-sped internet access.

For the ultimate in pampering enjoy the premium facilities at the Romanesque-style spa, crowned by a spectacular waterfall and providing a haven of tranquillity or enjoy fine dining in the four restaurants, including L’Acajou on the waterfront, which offers the finest dining on Barbados, serving fresh island seafood and local delicacies or take a stroll through the lush, landscaped gardens prior to an exotic refreshment in the aptly-named Monkey Bar.

Coral Reef Club – The Coral Reef Club provides the premium of traditional old-world hospitality. This well-established luxury colonial and plantation-style hotel has been family run and managed for the last 50 years. As a ‘Small Luxury Hotel Of The World’ member, staff have years of experience of knowing how to make your trip indulgent and how to cater to your every need.

Secluded in 12 acres of vast landscaped gardens, you will arrive to the fragrant scent of exotic flowers including frangipani and bougainvillea. This premier hotel is immersed in a verdant oasis and boasts a tantalising beachfront setting. Here, you can submerge yourself in all tropic delights and natural beauty that the West Coast of Barbados has to offer. Privacy and exclusivity are provided by 88 luxury rooms, cottages and suites each with private balconies and some with plunge pools.

Enjoy being served the fine French and Caribbean cuisine alfresco on a beautiful open-terrace restaurant, with arresting sea views. Sip the hotel’s signature Rum Punch, famous across Barbados, in the balmy evenings to the sound of exotic calypso music. A wide selection of recreational activities is available including two swimming pools, a beauty salon, dive school, watersports, tennis courts, children’s playground and a fitness room.

The Sandpiper – The Sandpiper’s charming and relaxed appeal make it one of the most desirable Caribbean small hotels, and as a member of the ‘Small Luxury Hotels Of The World’ you will be well looked after from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.

On arrival you will be warmly welcomed into a glorious tropical setting of orchid trees and swaying coconut trees amidst well-kept landscaped gardens. The hotel is elegantly furnished with coral-coloured walls, mahogany furniture, stone floors and locally commissioned art. Flowering bougainvillea hang from the terraces of the 47 sumptuous rooms and suites, fitted with the latest creature comforts. The exclusive Tree Top suites, by British designer Helen Green, epitomise modern luxury with private sundeck, plunge pool and wrap-around terrace where you can sip cocktail shading from the sun or relax during a balmy night.

The restaurant serves award-winning Caribbean and seafood dishes in an intimate West Indian setting with a vaulted ceiling and opening onto the beautiful gardens. Enjoy a private breakfast in your room or around the pool, or a leisurely lunch at the bamboo-fronted beach bar. Entertainment is provided with a weekly cocktail party, sumptuous buffet and live music. Facilities include tennis courts, a fitness centre, watersports, a playground and childcare.

Cobblers Cove – Cobblers Cove blends the charm and elegance of an English country house with the tropical beauty of Barbados. Located on one of the island’s finest and exquisite beaches, it is the perfect place for all the family to relax in luxurious style. Cobblers Cove is one of only seven Caribbean hotels and restaurants to be a prestigious Relais & Chateaux member.

Courteous and friendly staff will provide everything you need for a pampered stay, beginning with a refreshing cocktail. On arrival, you will walk through the winding terracotta brick pathways of splendid gardens past tropical palms and flowering hibiscus and mussaenda. The beachfront restaurant has won local and international awards for its exquisite cuisine. Forty luxury suites feature rattan furnishings, pretty cottons and terracotta tiles, and private terraces or balconies. Complete with modern comforts, they are extensively equipped for adults and children. The top-of-the range suites also have canopied beds, marble flooring, hand painted furnishings and Jacuzzis, and roof-top terraces with private plunge pools.

Facilities include a lounge, bar, swimming pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, a gym, floodlit tennis courts, watersports and entertainment. An exhaustive list of creative activities and excursions will keep children enthralled and you can call on a babysitter when you need to wind down alone.

Treasure Beach – Treasure Beach is a cosy boutique hotel offering one of the most intimate hideaways of all the Barbados resorts. Situated by the turquoise-waters of the West Coast’s Paynes Bay, its hallmark is understated elegance. The atmosphere is one of laid back civility, ideal for honeymooners and adults seeking a quiet retreat. You can step across the lawn beneath a magnificent mahogany tree in splendid gardens straight onto the idyllic white-sand beach. Every morning cool towels and chilled fruit kebabs are handed out on the beach.

The 35 suites, pristine and classically furnished and decorated with fresh orchids, form a horseshoe around a freshwater swimming pool. Every suite, featuring coral stonewalls and a ceramic tiles floor, leads to a private patio or balcony. For the ultimate in comfort a stay in one of the deluxe suites is essential, each have a private terrace and plunge pool, and are located on the beachfront.

Treasure Beach offers award-winning international and local cuisine. The Al Fresco restaurant allows guests o dine under the stars with sea views. Its cosy bar, with Mahogany countertop and wooden decking, is the prefect place to sip tropical cocktails and champagne. The hotel has its own gym and organises a wide selection of watersports and tours.

The House – An intimate boutique hotel, which blends contemporary design with the essence of the Caribbean, The House, is the height of sophistication. Located on the West Coast, this chic and minimalist-style luxury retreat for adults provides a haven of privacy and serenity marked by premium customer service.

As you arrive, you will pass over a wooden bridge and lake studded with water lilies along blossoming bougainvillea to be met by your ambassador. The intimate ambassador concierge service will cater to your every need beginning with a jet-lag massage to freshen up. The beach service will ensure you have extra comforts for reclining by the ocean such as chilled water, fruit and ice cream. Your ambassador will serve a daily champagne breakfast, afternoon tea, tropical cocktails and canapés at sundown.

This attention to detail extends to the 34 suites. Exuding modern simplicity and opulence, they are furnished with crisp linen, teal furniture and marble bathrooms. Patios or balconies give scenic ocean or romantic garden views. Well considered extras include multi-media facilities, an espresso machine, mineral water and fresh fruit. Fill the senses with distinctive sights and sounds of nature, taste heavenly Caribbean and global cuisine with fine wines. For that added luxury dine at the fashionable Daphne’s Barbados restaurant, the ultimate in island cuisine, it has an eclectic Italian menu inspired by its famous London counterpart. Leisure activities include windsurfing, boogie boarding, kayaking, water-skiing, tube rides and banana boats.

The Fairmount Royal Pavilion – Fairmount Royal Pavilion offers sophisticated old world grace, and its unrivalled ocean presence is the envy of the West Coast. Opulently styled on a traditional Barbadian plantation house, and the sister hotel to London’s Savoy, its upscale calibre is sealed by fronting half a mile of white-sand beach. All 72 rooms have sea views and are luxuriously appointed, with mahogany and rattan furniture, sisal rugs and ceramic floor tiles. From the ground-floor rooms, you can step directly onto the sand. All are fitted with contemporary comforts including flat screen TV’s DVD player and CD player.

The finest colonial traditions are embodied in impeccable service. Beach butlers cater to your every whim delivering fresh towels, sunscreen, mineral water and icy treats to your beach chair. When you want to pamper yourself, you can book yourself a luxurious massage in the privacy of your own room.

The elegant and delightful Palm Terrace, with an ocean vista, specialises in classical gourmet dining. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, are a leisurely affair, served al fresco near the beach at the relaxed Café Taboras with breathtaking views over the Caribbean Sea. As an added treat you can enjoy a delightful traditional afternoon tea on the Taboras Terrace. Facilities include a swimming pool, a spa offering beauty and body treatments, a fitness centre and two floodlit tennis courts. Watersports are also available.

The Crane Resort & Residences – The Crane was Barbados’ first resort hotel and has established a reputation ever since for its sophistication and old-world charm. Situated on a pink-sand crescent beach, and protected by a coral reef, it boasts half a mile of ocean frontage and panoramic views of the blue Atlantic. The premier luxury resort has maintained its distinctive historic and unhurried feel, and a personalised service that harks back to its earliest nineteenth century hospitality.

The 1887 Resort oceanfront apartments feature hardwood floors, tall ceilings and fine antique furniture. The private residences are characterised by coral stone and boast handcrafted Barbadian mahogany furniture, art pieces, private Jacuzzis, oriental carpets and entertainments systems. Ground floor residences have a full-sized pool or a private plunge pool.

Extensive facilities include a cliff-top swimming pool, a stunning cascading multi-pool complex and an alfresco Jacuzzi. The award-wining L’Azure Restaurant serves classic and Caribbean delicacies while the acclaimed Zen restaurant features Thai and Japanese cuisine in an authentic setting overlooking Crane Beach. You can enjoy an exquisite dining experience at Zen in the traditional grand Tatami room for groups or the sushi bar or the private dining rooms suited for couples or groups of flour.

Fact File

Flying time: 8 hours 45 minutes (Direct)
Time difference: 4 hours behind GMT
Currency: Barbados Dollar, although the US Dollar is widely accepted

Recommended for:

Couples and families
Championship golf-courses
Internationally acclaimed restaurants
A twin-centre holiday with the Grenadines (just 40 minutes between the two regions)
Sophisticated charm and cosmopolitan chic

Weather

Average temperatures and rainfall for the Barbados
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp (°C)	29	29	30	30	31	30	30	31	30	30	30	29
Rainfall (inches)	3	1	1	1	2	4	6	6	7	7	8	4

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