We chose Barbados for our Caribbean adventure this year. We had a fun filled week of eating, surfing, touring and plain old relaxing. Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, and is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands. Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown. The coral reefs and beautiful Bajan people of this island help make it one of the best vacations we have had.
Flights from JFK to Barbados are 4 hours and 30 min. Tip: On arrival you need a Barbados immigration QR code, can be done 72 hours before arrival. Everyone else stopped to fill it out, but we headed straight for the immigration counter and were out of the airport in 10 minutes.
Car Rental: Avis aka Go Rentals on island, steering wheel on right side and driving is left side driving (British). Go slow and always look both ways if American.
Tip: Carry-ons only! Take a look at some of my bag selections on my travel store page to make one bag travel easier.
We chose to stay in a VRBO with 3 bedrooms and 4 baths in Payne’s Bay (West Coast) near Holetown, Barbados. The West Coast of Barbados is better for swimming and snorkeling because of the close reefs and Caribbean sea. The East coast is rougher and more for surfing due to the Atlantic Ocean waves. The South coast was a mix of East and West, calm with some smaller waves. Great for beginner surfing, swimming, and boogie boarding. Hotels and VRBO properties are situated throughout the coasts, so pick what’s important to you and head out. We stayed in the Mahogany Bay Villas, Fathom’s End townhouse. The villa was posted on VRBO by the property manager, Blue Sky Luxury which is a concierge service that can set up transfers and tours and will contact you as soon as you book. You can book direct with them here. They were great throughout our stay and checked in daily via What’s app. Tip: Need cellular?, try out Airalo eSim card for your unlocked phone. The home is also staffed with a lovely housekeeper/cook, Annette. She would make us two consecutive meals a day and be there for about 8 hours a day depending on our schedule. Some early mornings tours we had her come later, but if we were staying in, she made us breakfast and lunch. They sent many emails before our arrival for any meals, tours, or transfers we would like and any special items they could stock for us. I did request a bread pudding for my husband’s birthday and it was ready and warm on our arrival for dessert that night. Perfect. Disclaimer: Lots of stairs, for all bedrooms. No ground floor bedroom.
Need a budget-friendly option for 8 people? Check out Moonflower Villa in Payne’s Bay. It’s a short walk to the beach and features a private pool, making it an ideal getaway.
Tip: For my triathlete and open water swimmer friends, next door to our townhome was the nicest and longest pool I have seen on any island. Check out this place on VRBO if interested. Oceanside Condos
For our tours we decided that we wanted two days of relaxing and beach fun and two days of activity.
These are the tours we enjoyed via Viator:
- Island Adventure Harrison’s Cave, Monkey Feeding tour, Bathsheba Beach and Lunch
- Beginner surfing lessons with Juniors Surfing School (book direct here)
- Mount Gay Distillery Tour and Tasting
- Check out my suggestions for other tours in my Barbados Viator Shop
All our tours where great, Harrison’s Caves were unique to the island, the rum was delicious, and Junior’s surfing lessons were perfect for myself and the kids. Special shout out to Junior for making sure my kids had a great time and were safe throughout our lessons. Highly recommended.
Tip: If using Rakuten for AMEX points, book tours via Viator during high percent days like Black Friday and President’s Day. Must have an AMEX card linked to Rakuten for miles. Use those miles for other flights and hotels in the future! A win win. If you don’t have an AMEX, no worries, do cash back and get a nice check in the mail for all your purchases through Rakuten. Still a win win.
On our last day before departure, I needed a pina colada so we headed for a beach bar. We chose Calma Beach Bar for its reviews and menu choices. We arrived at 11 am only to find out that all the beachfront loungers were taken, but we did get to sit in a nice couch area off the beach with views and plenty of shade. We dropped our stuff and headed into the beautiful waters of Barbados. Their was some nice snorkeling so we saw some colorful fish and swam and relaxed all day. Lunch was delicious and the service was perfect. Slow but we were on island time so no problem. Tip: If a beach lounger is a must, arrive at 10 am when they open to grab one, they do not take reservations for loungers.
Other restaurants that we tried and liked were The Roti Den, Karibu, Zaccio’s, and Life is Sweet in Chattel Village in Holetown. You can find some souvenir stores there as well.
We were sad to leave this beautiful island, but we will be back to enjoy everything again. That’s one thing I’m sure about. Click below to follow on FB, TikTok, and Instagram.
