Planning a quick weekend getaway and was looking for advice on favourite areas and hotels in Barbados. Travel is this month.

Thanks!

If you search for Barbados in the Caribbean forum, four threads come up. I haven't been to Barbados yet so I can't help you.

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum18/HTML/000114.html

I like the Rockley Beach area to stay in-it has a nice beach & is close to St.Lawrence Gap with the nightlife,& it's convenient to town.The Accra beach hotel is located here & is real nice.If you like nightlife,make sure to go to the "Boatyard"(nearer to town)-it's the best!Enjoy!

Thank you all for your responses.

We stayed three times at the Royal Pavilion and just love it. We were there last summer, the rooms open right onto the calm and beautiful beach, great snorkelling and swimming and the food is good. Be sure and go to Victors and have the rum punch, the place looks kind of crazy but the food is wonderful and the rum punch is killer. They add nutmeg and it is so tropical! Great ribs. We stayed once at Sandy Lane, which is awesome, but it got so expensive after the remodel it was out of reach. The Cliff restaurant is wonderful and elegant. Have a great time!

[This message has been edited by LISAA (edited 01-23-2003).]

The coral reef is very nice - family owned for a couple of generations and low-key but still luxury.

Although I didn't stay overnight, we visited and had lunch at the COLONY CLUB hotel in Barbados in June. It was wonderful. Great setting, great beach, snorkeling to the left... It wasn't very big, but looked very upscale. We all six agreed we'd love to stay there.

You can check out a hotel link -
http://www.islandinns.com/07b.html

Or, if you want to see some of the photos I took on Barbados and at the hotel, I have a lot from a 10 day cruise at -

http://imageevent.com/aladyncal/millennium053102

The Barbados photos are from 112-130, the Colony Club are 126 + 127 (I took more video of the interior).

There are photos there also from St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, and the Celebrity Millennium ship.

If you please, this discussion can be continued in the Caribbean forum of FT Travel. Best regards.

I've just 'inherited' a client based in Barbados and believe it or not, I'm going to have to go down and visit them (poor me :D ). This will be on my company's dime, and while the Sandy Lane looks fantastic---I do not want to incur the wrath of Expense Control, so any other suggestions. I'll probably be heading down early-mid next year, golf in NOT important, but I would like something close to the beach (as I'll try to tack on an extra day or two). Also since my clients are in 'Warrrens, St. Michael (?) I'd prefer to be closer to that area.
PS-budgetwise I'm looking in the US$300-450 range (seems to be the 'allowable hotel expense for the island).

Nice place to stay on South Coast : Amaryllis Beach Resort at Hastings, Christ Church very near to the Garrison Historic Area.

A must-do outing is Friday night fish fry at Oistins Fish Market; one of my favourite places to go anywhere ^

Barbados is great. :)

Any budget options that are still nice in Barbados? It appears that Barbados is not listed on priceline. I was hoping for something around $100 per night! (wishful thinking for something nice I know!)

Any budget options that are still nice in Barbados? It appears that Barbados is not listed on priceline. I was hoping for something around $100 per night! (wishful thinking for something nice I know!)

Try the Allamanda Beach Hotel. It's about $100 per night. You might get breakfast included, and (some of) the rooms have kitchenettes, so you have the option of cooking a meal or two to save $$$. My wife and I were there last December and had a blast. It's about a five minute walk to a public beach, or you can take a shuttle to its sister (and more upscale) hotel, and use the beach and other facilities there. It was certainly not the fanciest hotel we've stayed at, but it was clean, we had a beautiful view of the pool and the sea, and the people were friendly. The kitchen (esp. the fridge) was a definate plus.

See my new posting on Barbados Insider Tips.

Lois

Any budget options that are still nice in Barbados? It appears that Barbados is not listed on priceline. I was hoping for something around $100 per night! (wishful thinking for something nice I know!)

Are you looking for a full-service hotel? If not, there are tons of guesthouses where you can have your own room and bathroom right next to the beach for like $30-40 US/night. With air conditioning maybe a little more.

Barbados is great for budget traveling -- very popular with Canadian and European students. But the full-service hotels are very expensive.

(FWIW, I chucked at the poster above who needed to find a hotel in the $300-450/night range...I was there last year, stayed for 8 days on the beach, ate fish on the beach every day, drank great rum, etc. and the whole trip cost $320 US)

I was there last year, stayed for 8 days on the beach, ate fish on the beach every day, drank great rum, etc. and the whole trip cost $320 US

Where did you stay MeNoSay, and how would you rate it?

Guesthouse on Sandy Beach. I'd rate it great because all I wanted was a bed, a fan, and a bathroom. There are literally dozens of them all over Barbados, all within the same general price range (25-50US/night).

Anyone stayed at the Silver Sands or the Amaryllis or the Time Out at the Gap hotels? They appear to be the most affordable on Travelocity, Expedia, etc.

Also, how expensive are taxis from the airport or do hotels offer free shuttles?

Also, how expensive are taxis from the airport

Well, it will depend on how far you need to go. It's not a huge island, but it's not tiny either. I think you'll find that, like most places, the expense will be proportionate to distance traveled.

Ill be going to the Blue Orchids hotel from the airport. Also wondering how far the Hilton is from the airport and from Blue Orchids. Any ballpark numbers would be helpful, do they accept US dollars?

Ill be going to the Blue Orchids hotel from the airport. Also wondering how far the Hilton is from the airport and from Blue Orchids. Any ballpark numbers would be helpful, do they accept US dollars?

The Hilton is nore more than 15-20 minutes from the airport. Taxi is around US$22. US currency is widely accepted.

Are there any forms of public transportation to the Hilton or Blue Orchid?

Are there any forms of public transportation to the Hilton or Blue Orchid?

There are "buses" (read: private mini-vans - also some larger government buses) used primarily by the locals. They go just about everywhere for a buck or two (Barbados currency only), but I'm not certain that they run on any type of schedule.

I hope they pass by the airport!

Three kinds of busses in Barbados:

Big blue busses (govt) with yellow stripe that look similar to the kind you'd see in the US or Europe (electronic signboards above the windshield). I think they're airconditioned.

Minibusses (private) are yellow with blue stripe and are much smaller -- large vans.

Route taxis (private) --aka Zed-Rs -- are white with a red stripe. Usually blasting music.

Government busses are comfortable although infrequent.

The latter two will pick you up anywhere alongside a road if you have your arm out. But most Americans and Europeans who aren't college budget travelers DO NOT WANT. Very loud, often crowded, relatively dirty, and confusing. Totally fun if you're in the mood for an adventure, but you might be asked to sit on someone's lap (or vice versa).

When I was there last they were renovating the terminal...busses passed by the airport on the road out front but there was no transit terminal at the airport. That may be changing, I don't know.

Generally, busses are either going to town (bridgetown) or away from town. Aren't many that go between other parts of the island.

I don't know about taking a bus to the Hilton -- almost certainly have to go into town first and then change busses. Might be easier to go into bridgetown and then catch a ride (taxi, etc.) to the Hilton from there.