SydneySteve

We are taking our first trip to the Caribbean and have chosen Barbados for a variety of reasons. We would appreciate any advice on accomodation for that length of time. Should we find an apartment rather than a hotel/resort property. ? We are not going there to stay in our room and will be very active walking or driving around the various beaches, rum producers and local points of interest. at the same time we do like a little bit of luxury but not over the top indulgence. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

xkenx

You chose a wonderful island for your first Caribbean trip. The people are lovely, and the island is varied, with some of everything the Caribbean has to offer, except for a volcano.
IMO the best way to experience the ambiance is to stay beachfront for the visual appeal plus the ability to roll out of your room onto the beach for walking, swimming, snorkeling.
If you want more space and do some of your own cooking, you could do a small villa rental. If you do a hotel, you'll have the amenites there. A sleeping room and a covered balcony is all you'll need. I'd also recommend a room above the first floor. That way, you can live open air 24/7 for views/ambiance, yet have your privacy and security and just use ceiling fans for cooling. IMO the class act on the island is on the calm water west coast north of Bridgetown, Coral Reef Club. Low rise plantation style on gorgeous grounds, beachfront, family-owned for 50+ years, but always well maintained and up-to-date. Their prices include all taxes and service fees.
See www.barbados.org and www.coralreefbarbados.com

alanb

We loved the Bougainvillea Beach Resort, where we stayed for a week in February - nice sandy beach, very clean, pleasant staff, has great spacious condo-style suites with full kitchens, easy access to a convenience store down the street, much cheaper than Coral Reef Club, on the South Coast but quieter than the honky-tonk St. Lawrence Gap area, short drive or taxi ride to many good restaurants.

SydneySteve

Thank you for your input. This is going to be a long trip and I have not got into the detailed study yet. The beaches around Sydney have not been to good this summer so we look forward to Barbados to replace our oncoming winter. One place we look forward to visiting is Mt Gay Rum. I wonder if there are some places in the interior/hills etc where we could also stay for a few days. Thanks again.

SydneySteve

After a bit of thought and given a 7 day visit, are there any great beach view apartments that anyone can recommend ? Thanks again.

Lois

You can check out Coral Mist -- these are reasonably priced right on the south coast road (Highway 7). The beach there is gorgeous. Another place in that same area is Coral Sands Beach Resort. Bougainvillea Beach as mentioned above is lovely, but probably a bit more expensive that the 2 I have mentioned.

Your more reasonably priced places will be on the south coast.

Lois

SydneySteve

We will be there early July so we hope for good weather and know there is a small risk of very bad waether.

Coral Mist does look very interesting as do Southern Surf Beach apartments rated overall 2 on TA. Does anyone have any experience of staying at either place or any other waterfront apartments in Barbados ?

We do like the look of Little Arches and Bougainvillea ,but would probably get restless after about 2-3 days. We like to adventure rather than sit for too long on the beach or by the pool.

Is it viable to stay at one of those resorts for a 2-3 days and move on to another location on the island for a contrasting experience?

Thank you

nunnles

There are loads of apartments at St lawrence gap area for much less than you'll pay at other parts of the island, and the nightlife there is great so you won't need to be paying for cabs at night. You can also take the local buses during the day along the coastline and jump off at Accra and Carlisle bay. I've stayed at Rostrevor Apts at The Gap which was basic, but clean and very cheap. The beach there is not ideal for swimming so you would have to walk a little or get a bus to one of the other beaches. I've also stayed at Accra Beach Club which is a fab hotel with a great beach, but a bit more expensive.

Otherwise, I would reccommend Barbados beach club at carlisle bay as that is a great place to base yourself..you can walk into Bridgetown and then either drive or take a bus in either direction. The Nautilus also looks ok from the outside - a mid-range apartment by the beach - but I have never seen inside. I just know the location is great.

I'd suggest avoiding the eastern side of the island only because of the isolation if you like to be amongst the action. Taxis can get expensive. The western side also tends to be a little crowded for my liking - I prefer just to take a day trip there. If you take a bus to Payne's Bay and head to the beach just near the Blue Monkey, you can swim out (you may need flippers) to where all the tour boats stop to snorkel with the turtles - a must do if you don't go on one of the tours.

nunnles

Sorry - I have to correct my above post - I meant GRAND barbados beach club, not barbados beach club!!!

Good_Will

Thank you for that detailed response nunnies. We have six full days to plan and I would like to take a rental car for three of those. My preference is not to spend the six days in one place provided that I could find two distinctly different environments. I took a look at Coral Reef Club and probably would have spent up to go there for three days given the good rates in early July. Unfortunately I found that it was closing for annual staff holidays and refurbishment. I will read on and hope I can get the balance right. We enjoying walking long distances, food, rum (Trader Vics tragics), would like to go into the interior of the island, see nature, visit the more rugged places, take some great photgraphs etc etc. Thanks again.

Good_Will

Sorry should have mentioned I am partner of OP. Appreciate your help.