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Tourists looking to soak up some winter sun can’t go far wrong with Barbados. The island is rightly famed for its spun-sugar beaches, gorgeous blue seas and laid-back way of life (as well as being the birthplace of singer Rihanna), but head a little off the beaten track and you’ll also discover a thriving surf community, a rugged coastline and some truly world-class food.
It’s also becoming rightly popular as a holiday destination for Brits. With the island coming fifth in British Airways’ most searched travel destinations for 2026, now is the perfect time to start planning your own visit.
Here’s our guide for what to do to get the most out of a tropical getaway.
Drink
Rum is more than Barbados’ national drink: it’s almost a national religion. The interior of the island is littered with small rum shops, which open in the afternoon to offer locals and curious tourists drams of the good stuff. Mount Gay is the island’s most famous brand, and for fans, a trip to the Mount Gay distillery on the outskirts of Bridgetown is a must.
Costing 25SD (Barbados dollars; £10) a person, the experience includes a talk about the history of the island, a tasting tour of the entire Mount Gay rum collection and a complimentary rum punch to boot.
For those wanting a more low-key experience, the beach bars littering the island’s beautiful west side (such as Tiki Bar on Rockley Beach) sell Barbados’ notoriously strong and delicious rum punch: perfect for sipping on while watching the sun go down over the sea. Or if you want that extra wow factor, then the Cliff Bistro offers spectacular cliffside views of the tranquil Caribbean Sea (and dinner, if the mood strikes).
Eat
Being an island, you’d expect Barbados to serve up some excellent seafood. And oh boy, it does – if you know where to go. In addition to the local fish markets in places like Speightstown (which serves fish fresh from the sea) there are countless options for those in need of a foodie fix.
Top of the list for good food is The Local & Co in Speightstown (thelocalbarbados.com). A more recent addition to the foodie scene, this is the brainchild of duo Sophie Michell and Ian McNeel, who moved from London during the pandemic to bring their farm-to-table ethos (still rare for Barbados) to the island. This should be the place you book first: not only is the food delicious – spicy fish tacos, plantain crisps served with lashings of aioli and home-made ceviche are just some of the delights on offer here – but Local & Co does a mean cocktail. Come for a rum punch, sit on the shaded veranda right by the beachfront and sip on their rum punch as the sun sets. Then wash it down with a good coffee – which is harder to find here than you might think.
Then there’s The Fish Pot (fishpotbarbados.com), a repurposed 17th century fort situated in the quiet fishing village of St Lucy, high up on the west coast. It’s renowned as one of the best restaurants on the island and focusses on creating simple food and a relaxed atmosphere, with the obligatory good fish and lashings of Australian wine (the owner is Australian). Book a table and chow down on the delicious catch of the day, before finishing things with a banana and coconut themed bread pudding; it’s heavy, but non-negotiably delicious.
Still peckish for some good food? Check out The Lone Star (thelonestar.com) further down the coast. This restaurant and hotel started life as a local garage and has since become one of the island’s top foodie destinations. Take a seat and enjoy a glass of chilled champagne (a house specialty) before tucking into pan-roasted scallops and the famous Lone Island Burger.
For people wanting to sample some Bajan cuisine on the cheap, a visit to Cuz’s Fish Stand to try the island’s iconic fish cutters is a must. What’s a fish cutter? It’s a fried flying fish steak slapped between two slices of salt bread. Served out of a shed next to Pebbles Beach, it’s a local hotspot – and having your 25BSD (£12) cutter with lashings of Bajan hot sauce (a spicy, fruity chutney) on top is practically obligatory. Or, if you’re further up the coast, the hot name on everybody’s lips is The Caboose. Set in a repurposed old boat, its take on the cutter draws hour-long queues come lunch time. Just as well the wait is worth it.
And of course, for fish cooked the local way, there’s always Oistin’s Fish Fry (more on that below).
Do
Top for the list for any sightseeing experience has to be Oistin’s Fish Fry. Taking place every Friday evening at Oistin’s Beach (south of Bridgetown), tourists and locals alike gather in the evening for a party like no other.
Featuring around fifty stalls, all of which have their own unique (and closely guarded) recipes for cooking fish fresh out of the ocean, as well as rum punch by the bucketload, the evening usually closes with a dance and singalong. Head there early to secure your seat, as queues for tables and food get long very quickly.
Slightly up the coast near Pebbles Beach is something for the early birds: at 6am (around sunrise) every morning, trainers from the local racetrack takes their horses out for a dawn swim. If you play your cards right, you might even be able to swim with them – and the groomers are often happy to pose for photos too.
Want something a bit more cultural? A food tour around Bridgetown is a good way for getting a flavour (so to speak) for the island, while also getting your teeth around some properly local food. These tours are run by Lickrish (the word means ‘greedy’ or ‘starving’ in Bajan) and combines a potted history of the town and island with the chance to sample freshly made fishballs (made to order at a local seaside stall), locally made fruit juices, rum cake made the Bajan way and ice cream from Barbados’ only chocolate factory, Agapey (tours start from around £70pp; lickrishfoodtours.com).
Of course, the main draw for tourists – especially sun-starved Brits — is the island’s beaches, and to that end most of the island’s idyllic west coast offers white sands to relax on. All of Barbados’ beaches are public, so take your pick: some of the best include Accra, Gibbs, Miami, Enterprise and Crane Bay.
Many of the island’s beaches also play host to Barbados’ famous turtles, and multiple tours will take you out for a day of snorkelling and turtle-spotting – though keep in mind they’re more likely to be around during nesting season, which falls between May and October.
Barbados also has a reputation for being something of a surf mecca, if you know where to look. The fishing village of Bathsheba on the island’s rugged east coast has become a haven for surfers and nature lovers, and any tourist who makes the trip there today will be rewarded with an entirely different side to the island: quiet, local, and home to some of the best waves on the island.
En route, stop off at Harrison’s Cave (around £37pp; harrisonscavebarbados.com) for a fascinating view into how the island is actually built. This tourist attraction takes people deep underground into the coral rock that makes up the island – and while it’s fun to ride the tiny train around the caves and gawp at stalagtites, it’s also a fascinating chance to see how the island’s groundwater is filtered through the porous stone, making it some of the purest drinking water in the Caribbean.
Stay
Given Barbados’ reputation for sun and sea, it’s hardly surprising that the island is a firm favourite with celebrities and jet-setters — which in turn means both high prices and beautiful hotels.
One of the most prominent is Colony Club. Situated on one of Barbado’s most gorgeous white-sand beaches, this sprawling hotel encompasses multiple pools, beautiful gardens, several restaurants and 96 rooms. Rooms start at around £450 a night, but it’s worth it: the hotel’s main bar area is a gorgeous, vaulted space where birds fly in and out (the perfect place to drink one of their killer rum punches), and the beach lurks just metres away. Relax by the beach on the hotel’s deckchairs while staff bring around refreshing slices of melon or juice, before relaxing by the swim-up bar in the central pool for an unforgettable sundowner.
That said, those looking for good vibes can’t go far wrong with Waves Hotel & Spa (elegantresorts.co.uk). Located halfway down the island’s west coast, Waves’ main selling point is its beautiful views over the ocean. These become apparent as soon as you enter the main lobby, which opens up onto the seafront, and a long terrace made for lounging on. With 80 rooms, this is a smaller hotel than Colony Club, and the hotel is also all-inclusive, which means the attentive staff are always on hand to whip up a mint daiquiri or your cocktail of choice. The spa is small but sweet, and the two restaurants means there’s a good amount of choice – that is, if you didn’t want to catch the water taxi to one of its sister hotels for the day (book accommodation and flights with British Airways; britishairways.com).
Flying package with British Airways
British Airways Holidays offers seven nights, at the 5* Colony Club, a Luxury Collection Resort, Barbados, from £2249pp (includes 123 BBD pp Tourism Tax payable locally), travelling on selected dates between 1 September - 30 September 2026 inclusive. Includes economy (World Traveller) return flights from London Heathrow Airport, one checked bag at 23kg per person and accommodation with breakfast. Book by 10 April 2026. For reservations visit www.britishairways.com/barbados
British Airways Holidays offers seven nights, at the 4.5* Waves Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection Resort, from £2149pp (includes 68 BBD pp Tourism Tax payable locally), travelling on selected dates between 1 September - 30 September 2026 inclusive. Includes economy (World Traveller) return flights from London Heathrow Airport, one checked bag at 23kg per person and accommodation on All Inclusive board basis. Book by 10 April 2026. For reservations visit www.britishairways.com/barbados
These prices are subject to change and availability is correct at the time of submission.
For families, turn your gaze southward to Sea Breeze Beach House. Run by a local businessman (as well as its two sister hotels, The O2 Beach Resort and Spa, and The Rockley), Sea Breeze is located on the edge of Bridgetown and boasts a pristine stretch of white-sand waterfront that is pretty much exclusive to the guests. Thanks to its location, it also gives excellent views of both the sunset and sunrise (we checked), which can be enjoyed with a cocktail in hand. This place is also all-inclusive, but there are dedicated family pools and areas for children to play in, as well as four restaurants and its own tiny rum shack (rooms start from £415 per night; sea-breeze.com).
If something slightly more boutique appeals instead, there’s also The Sandpiper. This is one of the most awarded luxury hotels in Barbados, and for good reason: the hotel is located on the sought-after west coast, with views onto the azure sea. Inside, the vibe is relaxed, but there’s still an impressive attention to detail lurking here, from the weekly hotel ‘newspaper’ guests can read to the bedrooms, whose floor to ceiling windows look onto the ocean. Top points in particular for its in-house restaurant, which is situated in a huge, breezy cabana and surrounded by greenery. This is the place to be for Caribbean food with a twist: Thai salads with local lobster, catch of the day and tuna tartare. Make sure also to wash it down with a glass of wine from their impressively large, temperature-controlled wine cellar (from £819 per night for a double garden room including breakfast and taxes; sandpiperbarbados.com).
How to get there
British Airways operates return flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Barbados Grantley Adams International Airport. Flight prices start from £590; book here.
