Lime green and tangerine-colored houses line the rolling green hills of Barbados, and as you coast up and down these windy roads, you’ll see wild sheep, friendly locals waving from their porches, and the blue Caribbean Sea with palm trees swaying along the shores below.
Barbados has those stunning white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters that you’ll only find in the Caribbean, but this island offers so much more than pretty scenery. Our communications specialist, Jolee Sullivan, fell in love with this island’s charm and its people instantly. She’s here to share why Barbados should absolutely top your list of Caribbean islands to visit.
Fantastic Food
Tip from a local: “Always get the catch of the day”
If there’s one thing you should do in Barbados, it’s a food tour. You have got to try it all! You’ll sample fresh mango, sour ackee, and tamarind from fruit carts on the colorful streets, the famously mouthwatering deep-fried fishcakes, and a whole lot of macaroni pie. A classic Bajan plate consists of rice and black-eyed peas (expertly seasoned), a gooey scoop of macaroni pie, tender flying fish, and a simple salad. It’s hearty and unbelievably good no matter where you get it – even the fare served on local snorkeling tours is restaurant-worthy! We also attended the electric Chill & Grill on Wednesday night at pureocean Restaurant, where steel pan music was the perfect backdrop for ocean views and a breathtaking fire dancer performance right on the beach!
Our recommendation: Lickrish Food Tours, Dina’s Bar & Cafe, and pureocean Restaurant
Nonstop Nightlife
Tip from a local: “If you do one thing on Barbados, it has to be Oistins”
In fact, nearly everyone we met mentioned Oistins famous Friday night Fish Fry — a street-wide fish fry and block party — as the best thing to experience on Barbados. We also learned that the St. Lawrence Gap is the best place to stay on Barbados to get the full experience. There are lines down the colorfully-lit streets each night, filled with tourists from around the world and locals alike who are looking for great rum punch, top-notch dining, and fun live music. From live entertainment to good old-fashioned parties, there is nightlife everywhere for everyone on Barbados. Crop Over festival, held during summer, is Barbados’ version of Carnival, and our taxi driver emphasized that “Barbados has the second-best party in the Caribbean,” second only, of course, to Trinidad & Tobago. Don’t miss pureocean Restaurant’s Wednesday night Chill & Grill, complete with drink specials and a breathtaking fire dancer’s performance!
Our recommendation: Harbor Lights Barbados for a delicious dinner and a show!
All the Nature You Need
Quote from a local: “We are outdoor people.”
Our tour guide reminded us that deeply interwoven into Barbados culture is a long history of agricultural work on sugarcane fields, which is still very much a part of Bajan day-to-day life. Driving around this lush island, you’ll see miles of sugarcane fields plus long stretches of pristine beaches.
There’s also a large outdoor Wildlife Reserve where we were quite literally surrounded by monkeys, which is always a fun way to spend a few hours! They barely paid us any mind as they fought over mangos and fed their babies close enough for us to touch. Giant tortoises crawled across our paths and birds of all kinds and colors called to us. Off-land, we were exhilarated to sail with El Tigre Sailing & Snorkeling and snorkeled alongside dozens of friendly sea turtles, stingrays, trumpetfish, and more.
You can even venture below-ground to see the famous Harrison’s Cave: an underground preserved cave that our tour guide proclaimed the eighth wonder of the world. Explore this natural wonder featuring fascinating grottos, dripping stalactite formations that look like glistening chandeliers, huge echoing caverns and even underground waterfalls.
Our recommendation: Hunte’s Garden &, Barbados Wildlife Reserve (See most of these sights with Beautiful Barbados Tours)
Rich History & Lots of Rum
Tip from a local: “Pay a visit to the heavenly spirits, and there will always be spirits to drink next door.”
You’ll hear numerous locals make this joke about the fact that next to nearly every church on Barbados (of which there are more than 300), there will be a rum shop (Bajan for “bar”) a few feet away. Barbados, the birthplace of rum, has a long history with the beloved spirit, dating back to the establishment of the Mt. Gay distillery, said to be the world’s first. Rum punch is served everywhere (our tour guide poured us a homemade glass out of the back of his bus), and you can even do a rum tasting at Harrison’s Cave or the St. Nicholas Abbey, a beautifully preserved 17th-century plantation with an actively-working steam mill, rum tasting room, and restaurant.
Beyond the rum, Barbados is also brimming with rich history and culture. From its colonial past to its role in the transatlantic slave trade, the island’s history comes to life through immersive tours to key sites such as Bridgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and St. John’s Church. Plus, everywhere you’ll go on the island, you’ll find vibrant markets with handmade crafts and clothing made by locals.
Our recommendation:Do a full-day tour with Williams Tours Barbados to see Bridgetown, St. John’s Church, and more and do the St. Nicholas Abbey Rum Tour
Our number one bit of advice for Barbados is to stay somewhere comfy and near the St. Lawrence gap for optimal beach access and ease to get around to all of these other great sites. An overly-fancy, beachfront location isn’t what you need to splurge on here – you can access the beach easily and you’ll want to save for things to do around the island because there is just SO MUCH to see! Our tour guides were happy to pick us up from and drop us back off at Divi Southwinds Beach Resort. We stayed for a week, and that wasn’t even enough. We cannot wait to go back!