Barbados
A Caribbean Apart
Three hundred years of cultivation have produced an island that bears little resemblance to its neighbours
The Climate
The Weather Does What It Should
Barbados sits further east than the other Caribbean islands—outside the hurricane belt, in the path of the trade winds that have made Atlantic crossings possible for five centuries. The result is a climate of unusual consistency: temperatures between 80 and 85°F throughout the year, humidity kept in check by the breeze, and roughly three thousand hours of sunshine annually.
December through May sees almost no rain. The months that follow bring brief afternoon showers—fifteen minutes, rarely more—that cool the air and leave the evenings fresh. The sea remains warm enough to swim year-round. These are conditions that generations of visitors have found rather agreeable.
The Island
British Heritage, Caribbean Setting
Barbados has never been an island that courts the cruise ship crowds. Three centuries of British administration left behind things that matter when you are spending serious time somewhere: roads that work, water you can drink from the tap, a legal system recognisable to anyone from the common law world, and an approach to hospitality that values discretion over effusion.
Grantley Adams International Airport handles direct flights from London, New York, Toronto, and Miami. The journey from Heathrow takes roughly eight hours. English is the first language—not tourist English, but the English of parliament and courts and everyday commerce. For those accustomed to the complications of overseas property, Barbados presents remarkably few.
The West Coast
Where the Caribbean Begins
The island's west coast faces the Caribbean Sea rather than the Atlantic—a distinction that makes all the difference. Here the water runs calm and impossibly clear, the colour somewhere between turquoise and jade depending on the hour. Children swim without supervision. Adults read in the shallows without being tumbled by waves.
This stretch of coastline earned the name Platinum Coast through the calibre of its addresses: Sandy Lane, which needs no introduction; Royal Westmoreland in the hills above; and restaurants like The Cliff and Lone Star that have drawn the same clientele for decades. Saint Peter's Bay sits in the northern section, near Speightstown—close enough to everything, far enough from the crowds.
Make This Your Address
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