Overview of Barbados

Barbados is a wonderful Caribbean island of just 166 sq miles or 430 square kilometres. It is also one of the most beautiful of all the Caribbean islands. It is extremely sophisticated yet retains plenty of wonderful Caribbean Culture. When you stay in Barbados, you will find an incredible selection of luxury Barbados Villas, designer shops and some of the best oceanside restaurants in the world sitting right alongside authentic Bajan rum shacks and wonderful Rastafarian culture. Barbados provides a great balance between the two.

The island is really vibrant and alive with a rich and diverse cultural featuring many colourful festivals and historic buildings. It is also very sophisticated. The West coast of the island is often referred to as the Platinum coast. This is where you will find all the most beautiful beaches and very exclusive villas and Barbados Vacation Rentals located. The platinum west coast of Barbados is also synonymous with both glamour and sophistication. Barbados is one of the most popular islands in the Caribbean for the rich and famous. You will often see regular sightings of Simon Cowell, Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Lewis Hamilton to name but a few.

There are many wonderful restaurants on the island and we are pleased to have reviewed many of them in our Barbados Restaurant Guide. There are more ocean and beachside restaurants than any other island in the Caribbean as well as plenty of local down to earth eateries where you will be able to experience authentic Bajan and Caribbean cuisine.

Barbados is also one of the best islands for Golf. There are plenty of courses to choose from including three courses at Sandy Lane called The Green Monkey, The Club House and The Old Nine Course. Many of our most luxurious Barbados Villas are located within the Sandy Lane Estate. There is also an excellent golf course at Apes Hill and the golf course at The Royal Westmoreland gets excellent reviews from our clients. Last but not least is the Ron Kirby designed Barbados Golf Club which is a challenging 72 par course. We are pleased to have reviewed all the Golf courses in our Barbados Golf Guide.

Barbados is excellent for shopping. You will find an exciting choice of stores in both Holetown and Bridgetown. Many of the shops offer tax free prices including most of the shops at the Limegrove shopping center which has a really great selection of designer brands. To find out more about shopping in Barbados take a look at our Barbados Shopping Guide.

An overview of Barbados would not be complete without a mention of the incredible beaches on the island. The platinum west coast is famous for calm waters, and crystal clear turquoise waters. But there are some incredibly beautiful beaches on the south of the island also. The beaches on the East Atlantic side are generally rougher but they are breathtakingly beautiful. Many of our villas are located on some of the more popular west coast beaches. To find out more just take a look at our Guide to Barbados’ Beaches.

There is a vast array of watersports to participate in Barbados. Some of the more popular ones include snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing, fishing, swimming with Turtles and windsurfing.

Barbados is rich in history with lots of historic sites to visit such as St Nicholas Abbey, The Gun Hill Signal Station and the historic Garrison area. In addition there are many wonderful plantation houses and rum distilleries to visit. For more information on the wonderful history of Barbados, take a look at our Guide.

Our Villa experts at Villas Barbados are personally familiar with all the best villas on the island. We know the island inside out. We are familiar with the best beaches, the best shopping, all the local beauty spots and are happy to recommend activities and excursions such as private yacht chartering, fishing and golf. We have a complimentary pre arrival concierge department who will be delighted to help you and pre-book all your requirements.

General Information

Capital : Bridgetown

Language : English

Currency: US Dollar and Barbadian Dollar

Voltage: 110 volts