Palm lined beaches with fine, white, powdery sand that turns pink at sunrise and sunset, gently lapped by the azure ocean … Barbados is indeed an island paradise. But it isn't just stunning beaches. The capital, Bridgetown, is UNESCO World-Heritage Listed, the interior is beautiful and dotted with tropical gardens, and there's even a wild area of coast ideal for surfing. A welcoming people and delicious food are the final ingredients for a superb holiday, except for one last thing – a luxury hotel. Here are the top luxury hotels in Barbados.
One of the most famous luxury hotels in the Caribbean, The Sandy Lane Hotel is on the west coast, just south of Holetown. It sits on, effectively, a private area of golden sand beach on Sandy Lane Bay. Although popular with celebrities and the well-heeled, it's far from stuffy. There are 112 plantation-style rooms all with veranda/terrace, exquisite marble bathrooms, and the latest technology including wide screen plasma TV. Guest facilities are beautifully presented with a high standard of service. Two swimming pools are surrounded by sun loungers and parasols, and there are nine tennis courts (with in-house professional coach available for lessons), a fitness centre, sauna, spa, Hamman, kid's club, and three superb golf courses in a short distance (The Country Club, The Green Monkey and the Old Nine). Guests have the choice of two high quality restaurants and seven bars.
A stylish oceanside resort, the Tamarind Cove Hotel sits on Paynes Bay, often cited as the best beach on the west coast of Barbados. The building is three-storey in soft yellow overlooking soaring mahogany and palm trees, and the hotel's own lawns and gardens dotted with decking, sofas, and parasols. The beach is superb, offers great snorkelling, the chance to swim with turtles and plenty of activities from the water sports centre. The 104 rooms of this contemporary-Mediterranean styled hotel have either a terrace or balcony and are cool and chic with sunset prints on the walls and splashes of colour from striking floral cushions. Bathrooms are tiles with mosaic and have power showers. Dining is a relaxed affair with an all-day menu available on a decked area behind the beach, along with a bar. Guests can also enjoy three swimming pools and a small spa.
3. Lone Star Restaurant and Hotel
If you want to eschew the luxury chain hotels in Barbados and prefer a boutique option, it has to be the Lone Star. This beautiful hotel on the Platinum Coast enjoys an idyllic setting that has previously attracted celebrity guests, offers only half dozen rooms and suites and boast a buzzy yet laid-back atmosphere. Although primarily a high-class restaurant, there's no skimping on style in the accommodations. White painted wood everywhere is stylish and chic, and the theme makes the most of the fact that the building is a former garage. All rooms at the Lone Star have large terraces overlooking Alleynes Bay, dark wood floors, and filmy drapes for privacy. The only real facilities to speak of are the excellent restaurant and the fabulous beach, but the staff are happy to arrange most activities from water sports to transport around the island to in-room spa treatments.
With just 10 rooms, the Little Arches is a charming boutique hotel in Oistins, a quaint fishing village on the south coast of Barbados. This hotel is a delightful salmon-pink hacienda style building just across the lane from the ocean and 150 metres from Miami Beach. There's a lot of visual appeal throughout the property and grounds including ceramic mosaic detailing and a tented first floor terrace overlooking the triangle shaped freshwater pool with plenty of room for lounging around and soaking up the sun. Rooms have Italian-inspired terracotta floors and coral stone bathrooms and the more expensive accommodations have private terrace with either a plunge pool or sunken hot tub. The Mediterranean-style hotel restaurant is excellent with plenty of options including sushi and Bajan food as well as high quality seafood. There's a mini spa and also cycles and tandems for guests' use. Little Arches is popular with couples as there's an age limit of 16 and also for weddings as there is a beautiful cliffside wedding garden.
Set right beside a narrow but gorgeous white sand stretch of beach on Alleynes Bay on the west coast (superb sunsets!), The Royal Pavilion in St. James is classy and elegant. The hotel sits in grandiose grounds with acres of manicured lawns and a palm-lined driveway leading to a colonial style lobby and the three-storey accommodation blocks. All 72 rooms face the ocean, are fresh and airy with a neutral palette dressed with contemporary Barbadian art, and have smart marble bathrooms. Rooms are on the upper floors and have large balconies with day bed, while suites are on the ground floor with wooden decks and sun loungers. The hotel's two restaurants both enjoy a beachside setting: The Palm Terrace for fine dining, and the Taboras for more casual eats. Local seafood is always a speciality. Guests can enjoy a large swimming pool, large hot tub, two tennis courts, a small gym, and non-motorised water sports. There's a gents and ladies boutique, sundry shops, unisex hair salon and the hotel will arrange in-room spa treatments on request. There's also an organised swim with the turtles!