Feb-2025
BEAUTIFUL BARBADOS :: ONE-WEEK ITINERARY FOR FAMILIES
After a year of chilly trips (spring break in Washington DC and summer in the Baltics), it was definitely time for a beach vacation! I found a fantastic deal with miles to the island and super cheap fare on the return, so we jumped at the opportunity to ring in the new year in Barbados!
On the most beautiful corner of the Caribbean lies the vibrant island of Barbados. This tropical paradise is filled with powdery white sandy beaches, turquoise waters primed for snorkeling, wondrous nature reserves, rugged coastlines, diverse wildlife, lively local towns, varieties of culinary flavors, UNESCO-listed colonial architecture, and an energetic Bajan culture. If you would like to dig deeper on planning your own week itinerary to Barbados, please check out my itinerary on Etsy. Here are the highlights from trip:
THE AERIAL VIEWS OF BARBADOS
There is nothing that can get you more excited about a location than seeing the views from the plane—WOW!
NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION
Our hotel threw a fantastic New Year’s Eve celebration! Unfortunately, we were too jet lagged to stay up until midnight but peeked out our window and did see some fireworks from the beach.
COCONUT COURT BEACH HOTEL & APARTMENTS
I’ve mentioned in several posts over the years how much we love to stay in vacation rentals/Airbnbs. It has allowed us the comforts of home with countless advantages including: cooking lights meals, more room to spread out, personal Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, immersing ourselves in local experiences, and most importantly being cost-effective.
Now since this was a beach vacation, we did want some luxuries and amenities to make our stay more enjoyable. For this reason, I booked a two-bedroom annex apartment with Coconut Court Beach Hotel. This beachfront property gave us full access to the beach, swimming pool, on-site dining/beach bar (show up in bathing suit and barefoot because they bill your room directly), daily happy hours (hello, rum punch!), weekly entertainment, free snorkel equipment rentals, and 24-hour front desk & security.
DAILY WALKS
Every morning after breakfast (and most evenings) we would set out to stroll along the beach. Some mornings it was very humid already, other days we were engrossed in hunting for shells, coconuts, or unique limestone rocks. (Tidbit: Barbados is a coral limestone island and not formed by volcanic activity like the other Caribbean islands—rather by the collision of the Caribbean plate with the Atlantic Plate.)
SUNSETS
With such beautiful setting, we knew the sunsets would be amazing in Barbados! We also aimed to get out every evening to experience the vibrant cloud formations and saturated cotton candy skies. However, since you are closer to the equator in the Caribbean the sunsets are shorter and easier to miss if you aren’t watching the clock.
WELCHMAN HALL GULLY
It was hard to pull the kids away from the beach, but we did a day trip to the center of the island. It was formed over a million years ago through the erosion of coral limestone, resulting in a meandering ravine of stunning beauty. The area was acquired in 1795 by General William Asygell Williams, who planted exotic and local trees, creating what we now know as Welchman Hall Gully. The lush tropical forest is home to exotic flora and fauna and provides a sanctuary for many troops of green monkeys that live in the area.
The green monkeys found in Barbados originally came from Senegal and the Gambia in West Africa (brought on the slave ships) approximately 350 years ago. About 75 generations have occurred since these monkeys arrived in Barbados and, as a result of environmental differences and evolution, the Barbados monkeys today have different characteristics than those in West Africa.
GRUB + LIBATIONS
Barbados is a very expensive island, much like all of the Caribbean islands since majority of the food is imported. While we did cook light meals in our apartment, we also dined on the local cuisine. Our favorites were the blackened fish, coconut crusted fish, rum punch, and fruit juice blends. YUM!
CARIBBEAN SEA
Last but not least, was swimming in those crystal-clear turquoise waters! (I don’t have too many pictures because we were too busy swimming and snorkeling.)
Are you planning on visiting Barbados? Click the link below to plan your own amazing Barbados adventure!
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I visited on a cruise when I was a child and have dreamed of taking my own kids one day. So many beautiful memories here.