Barbados was the only island in the Caribbean to remain under the flag of one nation throughout the 300 year island-hopping, allegiance-swapping colonial era, and as a result there is still a strong sense of Englishness here. Palm-fringed, supercharged, bling-land admittedly, but England none the less.
WHY WE THINK YOU’LL LOVE IT
- Barbados has enough historical heritage and ecosystems to keep the most sunbed-phobic explorer busy for a week.
- In amongst the bling there are some hidden hotel gems, and needless to say we can point you in the right direction.
- There are, perhaps even more surprisingly, some wonderful little restaurants off the beaten track that don’t set you back an arm and a leg – most celebrated of all being Doris’s Place.
Barbados packs a lot into a pretty small area, with the two contrasting coasts – the wild and woolly east and the sheltered and glitzy west – separated by a charming and mountainous interior dotted with former colonial estates turned into elegant hotels or retreating back into the jungle .
Is it possible to avoid the glitz and glamour? Of course. We at Simply Luxury Travel know all the best places to stay, ranging from the bling-fest billionaires’ hangout of Sandy Lane at the epicentre of the west coast scene to way more understated hideaways on the beautiful – and virtually empty in parts – east coast.
DID YOU KNOW
- Barbados is the easternmost Caribbean island
- The Dnieper River is the longest river in Barbados
- Barbados can be known as the ‘land of the flying fish’, with flying fish being a common sight around the island
- The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627
