Discover Barbados – a Caribbean Island world famous for its easy-going calypso culture, hip-swaying music and vibrant nightlife, all fused with age-old English customs and traditions – just perfect for a honeymoon or romantic getaway.
A British Crown Colony from 1627 and independent since 1966, Barbados is renowned as the ‘Little England’ of the Caribbean: enjoy afternoon high tea, watch cricket almost any time and listen to local Bajans speak with an English accent.
With three separate resort areas – Holeton, St Lawrence Gap and St Peter – Barbados offers all the ingredients you need for a relaxing or active honeymoon.
Barbados is fringed by several gorgeous white- and pink-sand beaches – just perfect for a beach honeymoon.
The sheltered west coast (sometimes referred to as the Gold Coast or Platinum Coast) offers kilometres of unbroken sandy beaches featuring occasional rocky promontories or clusters of soft coral jutting out into the Caribbean Sea.
East coast beaches are pounded by the Atlantic – a favourite coast for surfers, while the few north coast beaches are found edging secluded cliff-framed coves.
Note: All beaches in Barbados are open to the public, including those fronting private resorts, where access via pathways or through hotel entrances must be provided.
There are no nude beaches on this social conservative island and vendors are banned from all beaches.
(Southeast Coast) – Dip your toes into the powder-soft pink-hued sand of this gorgeous 300m-long beach.
The calm turquoise waters here are protected by an offshore coral reef making the beach perfect for swimming and bodysurfing.
Edged by low, rugged cliffs indented with soaring palm trees and framed by imposing cliffs at one end and a rocky outcrop at the other end, picture-perfect Crane Beach is often voted by travel magazines as Barbados’ most beautiful beach.
Sunbathe on the beach, swim in the calm waters or stroll past the rocky outcrop to find a stunning, pristine beach that continues for around 500m.
Come for a day or stay longer at the luxurious cliff-top Crane Residential Resort. The resort first opened in 1867 and has been a favourite of honeymoon couples ever since.
Facilities include umbrellas and sun loungers for hire from the resort. The resort also provides amenities such as changing rooms, restrooms, a bar and restaurant for non-guests at a small fee (which you can apply toward drinks or a meal at the restaurant). A lifeguard is also on duty.
Access to the beach is through the hotel via a cliff-side elevator or 98 steps. Crane Beach is located on the south coast, around 23km east of Bridgetown.
(Southeast Coast) – Sunbathe on the gorgeous soft white sand of this idyllic 200m-long beach dotted with tall wind-swept palm trees and framed by soaring cliffs facing the seemingly endless turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
This wide beach is popular for fashion and travel industry photo shoots, but is not safe for swimming. Instead, relax with a picnic lunch and savour the atmosphere. Bottom Bay is located near the south-eastern tip of Barbados.
(Southwest Coast – Pick your own spot to sunbathe and swim on this 1.5km-long crescent of soft white sand that lies adjacent to the Hilton Barbados and Grand Barbados hotels, just south of Bridgetown.
The beach is divided into named sections, including Yacht Club Beach, Burke's Beach and Browne's Beach.
Facilities include umbrellas and sun loungers for hire as well as beachside snack bars. Resorts offer a range of amenities for guests.
(South Coast) – Unwind on the soft white sand of this 400m-long palm-fringed beach that shelves gently into turquoise waters that are perfect for swimming and bodysurfing.
Facilities on this popular beach, also known as Accra Beach, include umbrellas, sun loungers and water sports equipment for hire, a lifeguard, a children's playground and nearby restaurants.
Come for a day or stay longer at the Accra Beach Hotel. Rockley Beach is around 3km east of Bridgetown.
(South Coast) – Sunbathe and swim on this picturesque, palm- and casuarina-fringed white-sand beach facing calm turquoise waters framed by low cliffs.
Facilities on this popular 250m-long beach, also known as Enterprise Beach, include umbrellas and sun loungers for hire and snack carts.
Come for a day or stay longer at the nearby Little Arches Hotel. Miami Beach is located around 6.5km from St Lawrence Gap and 20km from Bridgetown.
(South Coast) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe and swim on this 700m-long white-sand beach fringed by palm trees and shelving into the calm and shallow waters of a reef-protected lagoon that provides ideal swimming for families with small children.
Facilities include umbrellas and sun loungers for hire, with plenty of food stalls and restaurants nearby. The nearby Sandy Bay Beach Club resort offers additional amenities should you decide to stay longer.
(South Coast) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe on this 700m-long white-sand beach fringed by native bush and shelving into beautiful turquoise waters.
A stiff breeze makes this beach ideal for kite and windsurfing; equipment can be hired from the beachside store. Later, cool off with a drink at the Silver Rock Bar.
(South Coast – Relax on the soft white sand of this gorgeous 600m-long beach that stretches in front of the Casuarina Beach Hotel and Southern Palms Beach Club.
Pick a spot to sunbathe on the wide stretch of sand, also known as Dover Beach, and enjoy the cooling trade winds that can make this beach good for kite and windsurfing.
Facilities include umbrellas and sun loungers for hire from the beach club and hotel, where you can also find restrooms, bars and restaurants.
(West Coast) – Dip your toes into the soft golden sand of this 600m-long tree-lined beach that shelves into the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Relax on the beach and people-watch celebrities. Come for a day or be pampered in style at the world-famous 5-star Sandy Lane Hotel, which offers a range of beachside facilities including umbrellas, sun loungers and water sports.
(West Coast) – Unwind on this gorgeous, palm-fringed, white-sand beach that stretches for more than 1.5km along the west coast of the island just north of Bridgetown.
Boasting clear and calm water, this is a perfect spot to sunbathe and swim.
Come for a day and relax in comfort at the beachfront Malibu Beach Club, where you can enjoy facilities such as umbrellas and sun loungers for the price of lunch at the beachside grill and bar.
Various water sports are also available at this lovely stretch of white sand, a section of which is also known as Brandon's Beach.
(West Coast) – Relax on this tree-fringed white-sand beach that lies south of Speightstown.
This gorgeous 400m-long beach is perfect for swimming in calm waters and snorkelling above underwater reefs that jut into the sea from both ends of the beach.
Unwind with a drink at either Mullins Beach Bar or Mannie's Suga Suga restaurant, where you can also hire sun loungers and umbrellas.
(West Coast) – Dip your toes into the soft, white sand of this lovely 500m-long tree-fringed beach located just south of Sandy Lane.
Come for a day or stay longer at one of the nearby 5-star hotels. Go swimming in the calm waters or snorkel the offshore reef.
Facilities include sun loungers, umbrellas and various water sports. Apart from at the nearby resorts, you can also find good food and cold drinks at the beachside Bomba's Beach Bar.
(East Coast) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe or catch a wave to surf on this wild and wind-swept, golden-brown sand beach that is pounded around the clock by magnificent surf.
While not safe for swimming, you can find the occasional sheltered areas and rock pools for a cooling dip.
The southern section of the beach facing Tent Bay features enormous nature-sculpted, mushroom-shaped boulders.
Backed by palm trees and rolling green hills, this several-kilometre long beach is ideal for walking, beachcombing and surfing – expert surfers from around the world converge here each November for the Independence Classic Surfing Championship.
Cattlewash Beach stretches along the rugged Atlantic east coast north of Bathsheba, where you can find a range of accommodation options.
Explore a lush green landscape of rolling hills scattered with 17th and 18th century colonial plantation houses, edged by numerous pristine beaches and encircled by warm turquoise waters that are perfect for swimming, scuba diving and snorkelling.
Enjoy a great nightlife, with numerous fine dining restaurants, dance clubs and classy bars, especially around St Lawrence Gap – the nightlife centre of Barbados, located on the south coast.
Holetown, located in the centre of the west coast, boasts some of the island’s ‘poshest’ resorts.
Sunbathe on a choice of pink-hued and white-sand beaches lined with 5-star resorts and stroll streets lined with 18th and 19th century buildings in the capital, Bridgetown. Explore an array of fascinating man-made and natural attractions, especially along the rugged and unspoiled eastern Atlantic coastline.
Here, you can ride an electric tram through the astonishing subterranean caverns of Harrison's Cave, home to stalagmites and stalactites, cascades, streams and underground pools filled with blind crayfish.
Admire thousands of orchids, sweet-smelling frangipani and many more species of colourful flora at Andromeda Botanical Garden then encounter local fauna such as red-footed turtles, caimans, green monkeys, brocket deer, agoutis and iguanas at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve.
Also see the exotic flowers and spice trees at the Flower Forest, set in a former sugar plantation high above the Atlantic Ocean in one of the most scenic regions of Barbados.
Admire colonial architecture, including the St Nicholas Abbey, a Jacobean plantation house built around 1620 and still graced with ornate Persian arches surrounded by a manicured 80ha garden, as well as the 17th century Sunbury Plantation House, featuring a unique collection of horse-drawn carriages, antiques and old prints.
Also admire the hibiscus- and poinsettia-covered remains of Farley Hill, one of the island’s most famous plantation houses, and the Morgan Lewis Mill, a charming, still-intact colonial-era sugar mill.
Tyrol Cot is the former home of Sir Grantley Adams, the first premier of Barbados, first constructed in 1854 and now beautifully restored by the Barbados National Trust and featuring a craft village where you can watch artisans creating local handicrafts.
In the lush tropical garden at Welchman Hall Gully, just 2km from Bridgetown, see trees dating back before 1627 when British settlers first arrived in Barbados, as well as breadfruit trees that are supposedly descendants of the seedlings brought here by Captain Bligh (of the Bounty).
Look out for wild monkeys amid the flora. For scenic panoramas hike up to the summit of Mount Hillaby (343m) or see the dramatic vistas from St John’s Parish Church.
Barbados offers a wide range of water-sports and land-based activities, including…
With clear shallow waters providing visibility of up to more than 30m most of the year, Barbados is a great island to snorkel and scuba dive.
By day, look out for the many hawksbill turtles, and on night dives spot sleeping fish, night anemones, moray eels and octopuses.
Most diving is concentrated on the leeward west and south coasts, where coral gardens teem with more than 50 species of tropical fish and are thick with sea fans, orange elephant ear, gorgonians, barrel and rope sponge.
Check out Asta Reef, with a drop of 24m, as well as the 2km-long coral reef near Sandy Beach, and Dottins, a stunning 8km-long reef on the west coast complete with 30m drop-offs and dive sites averaging 12m in depth.
Shallow wreck dives include the JR, the Berwyn and the SS Stavronikita; the latter now forms an artificial reef in Folkestone Underwater Park, north of Holetown, where you can dive among barracuda, moray eels and colourful sponges.
The Park also features an underwater snorkel trail and glass-bottom boat rides, making it a firm family favourite.
Choose from several certified dive operators who also offer NAUI- and PADI-certified courses. Other companies operate snorkelling cruises to scenic areas around the island.
Discover an underwater world in air-conditioned comfort without getting wet: the Atlantis submarine based in Bridgetown features wide viewing ports for sightseeing cruises to wrecks and coral reefs along the west coast.
For the best windsurfing on Barbados, head to Silver Sands Beach where the combination of a shallow offshore reef and shifting trade winds between November and May create unique wind and wave conditions.
Here, advanced windsurfers can do complete loops and reach speeds of up to 50kn; Silver Sands is rated the best spot in the Caribbean for advanced windsurfing. Visit the beachfront Club Mistral Windsurfing Club for lessons and equipment rentals.
For the island’s most scenic hiking region, head to the rugged and dramatic Atlantic east coast between the Ragged Point lighthouse to Bathsheba and Pico Teneriffe – a 25km-long stretch of rough, stony hiking trails.
Walk the entire length or alternatively, try the 6km section from Ragged Point to Consett Bay.
The Barbados National Trust offers free Sunday morning hikes throughout the year, covering a different area of the island each week. Most hikes take only 3 hours, with knowledgeable guides offering interesting details about fauna and flora along the way.
Or follow the marked 8km-long trail along the Arbib Nature and Heritage Trail, which explores the region around the bustling fishing town of Speightstown.
This trail leads to a mysterious gully, through a colonial-era plantation to historic 18th century Dover Fort while crossing several white-sand beaches.
For some of the best riding experiences, choose from a 1- to 2-hour ride (or longer) to explore the verdant region around St Andrew parish, know locally as Scotland.
Here, from Cattlewash stretching north to Pico Teneriffe, you can enjoy some of the most panoramic hilly areas of Barbados, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The best courses on the island include the championship Ron Kirby-designed, 18-hole par-72 course at the Barbados Golf Club, located on the south coast, and the Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole championship golf course at Sandy Lane Hotel, situated on the west coast and famous for its ‘Old Nine’ holes.
Tee-off from the Royal Westmoreland Golf and Country Club – the island's premier golf course: designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, this 18-hole course spreads across 200ha overlooking the west coast beaches and Caribbean Sea.
Although part of a private residential community, the course is open for use by any non-member for a fee.
Barbados offers an excellent choice of accommodation options to suit most honeymoon budgets, including the following…
The House by Elegant Hotels - Adults Only
Location: Paynes Bay, St. Joseph, Barbados
Rating: 5-star
Prices: from AUD1020 per room
Description: This tranquil, couples-oriented, Barbados beach resort is designed with the ambience of a private residence and does not accept children under 18. Service defines the experience here, and the team of Service Ambassadors anticipates and tends to your every need. Think of them as your assistant, receptionist, bellman, concierge, waiter, and friend, all-in-one. Newly refurbished rooms include contemporary furnishings, luxury bedding, and French doors opening to private balconies. Renovated bathrooms feature rainfall showers and jetted tubs.
The Fairmont Royal Pavilion Barbados Resort
Location: Porters, Barbados
Rating: 5-star
Prices: from AUD649 per room
Description: Set on the Glitter Bay Beach and 2 km from Holetown City in St James, this complex features an extensive garden, in-room massage services, a swimming pool and free WiFi in all areas. The plantation-décor rooms and suites offer air conditioning, ceiling fan, seating area and a flat-screen satellite TV with DVD player. All accommodations include a balcony or terrace with sea views, and a private bathroom with bath and separated shower. The Fairmont Royal Pavilion Barbados Resort features 2 restaurants serving international and Caribbean cuisine. Private dinner and in-room dining facilities are available. Guests can also arrange activities as canoeing, diving, fishing and snorkelling. Among these amenities, there are available a gym, tennis courts, laptop loan, laundry and a gift shop. This complex is 5 minutes’ drive from the Royal Westmoreland Golf Course and 15 minutes’ drive from the Flower Forest. The Grantley Adams International Airport is 19 km away.
Cobblers Cove
Location: Speightstown, Barbados
Rating: 5-star
Prices: from AUD550 per room
Description: With a peaceful, beachfront location, Cobblers Cove is set in exotic gardens and offers free watersports, including windsurfing, sailing and waterskiing. Each air conditioned suite features a private balcony or terrace. Views of the Caribbean Sea can be enjoyed from the freshwater swimming pool. All furnishings and traditional fabrics in the spacious suites are made on the island. A large living area, free Wi-Fi and a wet bar, stocked with refreshments and snacks, are also provided. Overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the award-winning Camelot Restaurant serves a local and international menu. Massages and beauty treatments can be enjoyed in the Centre for Wellbeing at Cobblers Cove. A boutique shop and fitness centre are also on site. Snorkelling is possible above an expansive reef, which is just offshore. Harrison’s Cave and its beautiful rock formations are a 20-minute drive away.
The Crane Resort
Location: Long Bay, Barbados
Rating: 5-star
Prices: from AUD279 per room
Description:Located on famous Crane Beach and overlooking the ocean, this Caribbean resort hotel offers 4 restaurants and lighted swimming pools. It is a 15-minute drive from Grantley Adams International Airport. Each 19th-century-style room at The Crane Residential Resort includes vaulted ceilings and a 4 poster bed. They are equipped with cable TV, a DVD player, and free Wi-Fi. The marble bathroom is furnished with a whirlpool tub. An art gallery and a shopping complex with clothing and jewelry stores are part of this Barbados resort. Guests can work out on the cardio machines in the gym which boasts views of the beautiful cascading pool. L’Azure Restaurant, located on-site, specializes in seafood and provides seating on its outdoor balcony. Zen Restaurant offers traditional Japanese and Thai cuisine, while The Carriage House is a poolside restaurant that serves light meals and cocktails in a casual atmosphere. Bushy Park Racing Circuit is a 10-minute drive from The Bridgetown Crane Resort. Ocean City is 5 km away.
Hilton Barbados
Location: Needhams Point, Bridgetown, Barbados
Rating: 5-star
Prices: from AUD231 per room
Description: Located next to the Caribbean Sea and featuring 2 beaches, this five-star hotel in Needhams Point offers 3 tennis courts and on-site dining. Every room offers an ocean view balcony. Hilton Barbados guests can enjoy the oversized tropical outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna. They can also work out in the fitness center or have a massage at the spa. Cable TV with HBO, a minibar and coffee maker are provided in the yellow, contemporary rooms. There are floor-to-ceiling windows along with a desk and arm chair. Room service is available 24 hours a day. Barbados Hilton guests can enjoy fine dining at The Grille or casual dining at Lighthouse Terrace. Careenage Bar features live entertainment while Water’s Edge has a beachside bar. Rockley Golf Course is a 6-minute drive from the hotel. Folkestone Marine Park and Museum and Harrisons Cave are within a 23-minute drive.
The best time for a Barbados honeymooon holiday is during the dry season, from December to May.
However, Barbados enjoys sunny skies and hot weather year-round, with average temperatures ranging between 24°C (75°F) and 29°C (85°F), usually accompanied by north-east trade winds.
More information about Barbados weather…
Barbados is the Caribbean's easternmost island, located around 160km (99mi) east of St Lucia.
The most convenient route to Barbados is by air to Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), located close to the southern tip of the island and around 18km (11mi) southeast of Bridgetown city centre.
More information about how to get to Barbados…
Barbados is easily explored by car, bike or on foot. The island is small, measuring just 34km (21mi) long and 23km (14mi) wide.
Hiring a car is the best way to explore Barbados. You can hire anything from a mini moke to a limousine at the airport, at offices in Bridgetown or at the major hotels.
Roads in Barbados are generally quite narrow, with the exception of the ABC highway.
More information about how to get around Barbados…
Latest update: Where to Honeymoon in Barbados: 30 June, 2022
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