Things To Do in Barbados

The bath-warm waters around Barbados play host to green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles – don a mask and snorkel and you can jump in and join them. There are loads of boat trips that’ll take you out to swim with them. Some combine the journey with a spot of snorkelling around the island’s reefs and wrecks, too.

This grand old plantation house, 20 minutes from St Lawrence, has been completely restored, so it looks just like it did back in the 17th century. The whole place is open to the public, so you can have a good poke around the antique-filled rooms. Make sure you check out the cellar, where you’ll find a collection of old horse-drawn carriages.

Park your towel on this beach and you’ll have everything you need within arm’s reach. Loungers and umbrellas are up for grabs, there are beach bars for drinks and snacks, and sand-side stalls sell everything from bikinis to handmade jewellery.

Oistins is famous for its Friday fish fry, but this Easter festival cranks up the action another few notches. As well as stalls dishing up fried fish, fishcakes and ice-cold Banks beers, there’s calypso and reggae music, dancing and boat racing. There’s even a frantic fish-boning competition.

This mid-February celebration marks the landing of the first European settlers in Holetown. Fairs, shows and exhibitions take place all week. Highlights include police band concerts, a music festival in the parish church and a vintage car parade.

Would-be Rory McIlroys have eight Championship courses to choose from in Barbados. They’ve been designed by renowned golf-course designers like Tom Fazio and Ron Kirby. The most prestigious set of greens belongs to the Green Monkey at Sandy Lane, 25 minutes’ drive from St Lawrence. Tiger Woods liked this place so much he chose it as the venue for his wedding back in 2004.

This beach, in St Lawrence Gap, is proof that good things come in small packages. The smile of sand here is bright white and the water is really calm. And running parallel to it is a coral reef, where you can snorkel with tropical fish. The bay is bordered by a number of good restaurants, for when you fancy a bit to eat.

This gigantic limestone cave system, right in the centre of the island, is packed full of gaping caverns, icy underground pools, and spiky stalactites and stalagmites. There’s a little tram that’ll take you around – the highlight is the Great Hall, a 100-foot-high chamber with a fairytale-style waterfall.

The waters around Barbados are chock-full of coral reefs and wrecks, making them prime scuba diving territory. The best of the bunch are on the south and west coasts – Carlisle Bay is the number-one spot for wrecks, while the waters around Holetown, in St James, and Christ Church’s south coast resorts are great for exploring the corals.

Also known as Miami Beach, this runway of talc-soft sand near Oistins in Christ Church is a favourite with locals. There’s a sheltered area for less confident swimmers, shaded picnic tables for tucking in to lunch and food vendors dishing up fishcakes and flying fish sandwiches.

Never got to fly on Corcorde? Now’s your chance – sort of. Barbados’ airport is home to Alpha Echo, one of BA’s old Concorde aircrafts, and it’s been turned into an all-singing, all-dancing visitor attraction. You can swot up on the history of Concorde, step on board for a guided tour of the craft and have a go at taking the controls on a flight simulator.

The flour-white sand on this beach is backed by palm trees and tropical greenery. There aren’t any restaurants here, so most visitors pack a picnic. The waves can get pretty lively, which makes it ideal for boogie boarding and windsurfing.

Green fingered types will love these bloom-packed botanic gardens. They’re in the town of Bathsheba on the east coast, about half an hour’s drive from Maxwell. Set in six acres, the gardens are laced with more than 600 varieties of tropical plant, like elegant orchids, hot-pink bougainvillea and fragrant hibiscus.

This virgin-white stretch of sand on the south-west corner of Barbados, 25 minutes from Maxwell Beach, has the enviable title of ‘one of the top 10 beaches in the world’, which it was given by the television series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Thanks to the luxury hotels that top the cliffs around it, it’s also a firm favourite with honeymooners.

Mullins Bay, in St Peter, is one of the most popular beaches on Barbados’ Platinum Coast. There are sunloungers on the sand, the sea is split in to roped off areas so you’ll feel safer when you swim, and there’s a beach bar, which offers up front-row seats to the sunset.

Coral reefs are a main ingredient in the seas that surround Barbados. The island’s west coast is especially rich in the rocky underwater worlds, which offer up scuba diving and snorkelling opportunities for all abilities. Depending on where you go, you could see barracuda, snapper and eagle rays. More experienced divers can also explore shipwrecks.

The locals rate Paynes Bay as one of the best beaches in Barbados for swimming. The stretch of ivory sand is also in a really convenient location – it’s a few minutes’ walk from St James and within walking distance of Hole Town.

Wherever you stay in Barbados, you’ll never be far from the sea. Make the most of it by trying your hand at a few watersports. Paddle around on a kayak, zip through the surf on a jet-ski or have a go at sailing. Or, if you’d rather stay dry, hop on board a catamaran for a sunset cruise. Experienced surfers should head over to the east coast – the Soup Bowl is a renowned spot for catching waves.

This stretch of floury sand in St Lawrence Gap is a magnet for sun-seekers. The beach itself is really wide, so there’s plenty of room, and the list of watersports ticks off things like jet-skiing, kayaking and Hobie Cat sailing.

Easily Barbados’ biggest festival, Crop Over celebrates the end of the sugarcane harvest. The festivities start in May and include fairs, calypso competitions and live music. Things reach their peak on Kadooment Day, the first Monday in August. It’s a national holiday and one of the biggest parties of the year, with fireworks and a massive Carnival-like parade. The best place to see all the action is in Bridgetown.

The curve of ice-white sand at St Lawrence Bay – AKA Little Bay – is small but perfectly formed. The shallow water’s perfect for paddling at low tide, and there’s a coral reef just offshore that’s great for snorkelling.

Rum is Barbados’ national drink, and it’s almost criminal to leave the island without sampling some. And a great place to do so is at the home of Mount Gay, the granddaddy of rum. At the visitor centre you can tour the museum, learning about the brand’s history, visit a replica rum shop to see how the rum is made, and sip on free tasters.