5 Best Hotels in Barbados

Designed with families in mind, this four-story all-inclusive hotel (with elevators) sits on a beautiful stretch of South Coast beach, and for the price of your room, you can enjoy activities ranging from beach volleyball or miniature golf to nature walks. If you like real golf, special packages are offered in conjunction with the nearby Barbados Golf Club. So grab a bodyboard or kayak and hit the water—or take a scuba-diving lesson in the pool. Join the aerobics class in the pool or in the gym, or sit by the pool (there's a separate one for kids) and socialize while working on your tan. Meals in the Poolside Restaurant are leisurely and informal, with theme menus that feature Chinese, Italian, barbecue, and Caribbean dishes. The Reef View Restaurant is a little more formal.

Comfortable, contemporary, and convenient, this hotel is pleasant and the rooms are well appointed. The informal Centro restaurant serves breakfast, plus light lunches and dinners; vending machines dispense snacks. There's a lap pool on the second-floor terrace, a fitness center, a guest laundry, a business center, and meeting space.

Constructed in 1804 as a rum storage facility for the British Regiment, this charming, all-inclusive boutique hotel—less than a mile from Bridgetown and steps away from beautiful Pebbles Beach on Carlisle Bay—appeals to singles, couples, and families. Modern, attractively decorated rooms (just 24 of them) form a horseshoe around the pool and gardens. The bathrooms are large and, well, stunning. Guests love the walk-in closets, too. The dining room serves three meals a day, both local and international cuisine, and the chef will prepare a picnic for you to take to the beach or on a day's outing. There's also entertainment on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evenings, as well as a rum tasting on Wednesday. A scuba-diving lesson in the pool is included. And for a change of pace, try your luck at the slot machines in the arcades next door and across the street.

Rooms in this high-rise hotel overlooking pretty Carlisle Bay, just south of Bridgetown, are modern and sleek with espresso-color furniture, sparkling white linens, and each with a desk with ergonomic chair, comfortable sitting chair and ottoman, 42-inch flat-screen TV, a mini-refrigerator, and the latest in-room technology. Vacationers love the magnificent white-sand beach—and its crystal-clear water and gentle waves—that stretches completely around the bay, as well as its proximity to The Garrison Historic Area, local restaurants, and other activities. At the same time, businesspeople find the location (and meeting space) convenient to Bridgetown. A breakfast buffet and other meals are served at the Aquatic Club restaurant, which is located on a long pier that extends into the sea; Neptune's Grill, on the beach, serves breakfast, lunch, and all-day snacks.

You enter the sleek lobby of this cool condo-style hotel, across the street from spectacular Accra Beach, via a footbridge across a double-wide lap pool that runs the length of the property. All studios and one- or two-bedroom suites have a kitchen, a dining area, and a pull-out sofa in the sitting area—making them suitable for parents and a couple of kids. Children 12 and under stay free when in the same room as adults. The on-site Swagg Cocktail Lounge and Bistro serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner—indoors or poolside—and the neighborhood is filled with restaurants offering everything from fast food to fine dining.