Barbados boasts a wide range of hotels offering unique experiences and total relaxation. Laze by the pool, watch horses swim in the azure morning sea, or wander in a garden with peacocks—whatever your fancy, you can find the accommodations to suit your tastes. Here are some of our favorite places to stay in Barbados, including all-inclusive resorts perfect for the family and boutique hotels ready to impress.
Courtesy of Sugar Bay
Sugar Bay Barbados
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Established in 2015, Sugar Bay is the third Barbados property run by the local Seale family, hoteliers on the island since 1986. Located on the glimmering south coast, the 138-room beachfront all-inclusive resort provides two pools (one with a swim-up bar), a fitness center, a full spa and salon, water sports, and a supervised club for children up to 11 years old. It’s adjacent to the Garrison Savannah, a UNESCO World Heritage site that hosts the Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup horse race.
Sweetfield Manor is close to Carlisle Bay on the west coast of Barbados.
Courtesy of Sweetfield Manor
Sweetfield Manor
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Less is more with Sweetfield Manor, a 10-room boutique hotel in a beautifully restored colonial manor situated minutes from the white sandy beaches of Carlisle Bay on the west cost of the island. The grounds feature gardens and colorful bougainvillea—as well as a pride of fully grown peacocks—and the guest rooms are decorated with coral stone walls, finished pine floors, and mahogany furnishings that exude Old World Barbadian charm.
Cobblers Cove’s colorful furniture and fittings are all made by local craftsmen
Courtesy of Cobblers Cove
Cobblers Cove
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Cobblers Cove is nestled among the high-end hotels on Barbados’s west coast, formerly called the Platinum Coast. Constructed in the 1940s, the property is known for its bright, powder-pink exteriors and guest rooms with furnishings and artwork created by local craftsmen and artists. After lounging around poolside or on the lagoon’s floating dock, take a ride on Cobblers’ speedboat—or go water-skiing behind it. Cap the day at the hotel’s seafront restaurant, which features a menu composed of around 95 percent locally sourced ingredients, from an Island Lobster Tagliatelle to a Thai Green Chicken Curry.
The Crane is the oldest hotel in Barbados.
Courtesy of William Chan/The Crane Resort
The Crane Resort
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Located away from the tourist-heavy south and west coasts, the Crane on Barbados’s southeast coast is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Caribbean. Built in 1887, it’s had well over a century to curate its luxurious amenities and services: 40 sprawling acres, five swimming pools, a spa, tennis courts and a fitness center, and five restaurants. (Don’t miss Zagat-rated Zen, which specializes in Japanese and Thai cuisines.) The famous coral-pink Crane Beach, considered one of the top beaches in the world, is just steps away from a glass-front elevator.
Courtesy of Radisson Aquatica Resort
The Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados
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The Radisson Aquatica Resort has eight floors of 124 Barbadian-designed rooms, each one with a view of Carlisle Bay, the island’s historic harbor and now a protected marine area. Enjoy these views from the hotel’s restaurant and poolside eatery, or explore the waters on a stand-up paddleboard or boat. Early birds can pop down to the resort’s beach at 6:00 a.m. to watch the thoroughbred horses from the Garrison Savannah swim in the sea.
The 88 guest rooms at Coral Reef Club overlook its gardens and a white-sand beach.
Courtesy of Coral Reef Club
Coral Reef Club
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Established in the 1950s by British hotelier Budge O’Hara, the 12-acre, family-owned Coral Reef Club offers 88 rooms, cottages, and suites on Barbados’s ritzy west coast. Gardens surround the property and sweep down to a white-sand beach, while the rooms are elegantly appointed with West Indies–inspired carved wood furniture and colorful drapes. Chef Hance Bannister helms the hotel’s restaurant, serving fresh seafood and Caribbean-inspired dishes in an open-air dining room.
South Gap Hotel
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Located in the south coast’s party-friendly St. Lawrence Gap, the boutique South Gap Hotel is a great launching pad for those looking to explore Barbados’s nightlife. Newly renovated in 2017, the hotel offers stunning ocean views, a modern pool deck, and 34 studios and suites decorated in shades of aqua. Be forewarned: With several bars and nightclubs just a stone’s throw away, it can get noisy at night.
Relax by the beach while staying at Sandy Lane.
Courtesy of Sandy Lane Hotel
Sandy Lane
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The most luxurious and famous hotel in Barbados, Sandy Lane is known for hosting several returning celebrity guests (Tiger Woods was married here in 2004; Mark Wahlberg and Simon Cowell visit regularly). Guests can take a leisurely walk through paths lined with towering mahogany trees or relax seaside in loungers bedecked in signature pink upholstery. But the main draw may be the hotel’s three golf courses—nab a reservation at the Tom Frazio–designed Green Monkey, a 7,343-yard course that’s carved from a retired limestone quarry.
