Geography

Think of the island as five parts. First, there's the upmarket west coast, where the narrow but pretty beaches are usually lapped by mill-pond calm water and overseen by luxury hotels and villas. Second, there's the more heavily developed south coast, where the beaches are sometimes too populous with surfers for safe swimming. Third is the tranquil and unspoiled east coast; battered by Atlantic breakers, it has just a few places to stay. 

Fourth is the island's rolling interior, with some absorbing sights such as plantation houses, botanic gardens and caves nestled among the fields of sugar cane. Lastly, there's Bridgetown and its environs: though the island's capital is not especially appealing, the nearby historic Garrison area, recently placed on Unesco's World Heritage List, warrants a visit, ideally on a guided tour. 

In terms of the weather, the best months are January through to April, as they are the driest and least humid, and usually a couple of degrees Centigrade cooler than other times of year. The official hurricane season for the region runs from June to November, with most major storms occurring August to October. However, Barbados' easterly position in the Caribbean means that it normally escapes direct hits. Nonetheless, if you travel in the late summer or autumn, you do increase the risk of coinciding with poor weather, and you should at the very least be prepared for some rain.​

Barbados Room Rate Levy 

The Tourism and Hospitality sector, our lead economic earning industry has understandably been called upon to lead the charge of rebuilding the social and economic fortunes of the country. As such, the Government has advised that effective July 1, 2018, a mandatory ‘Room Rate Levy’ will be applied nightly to all registered hotel bills in the following amounts.

• LUXURY HOTELS – US $10.00 per room per night
• A CLASS HOTELS – US $5.50 per room per night
• B CLASS & APARTMENT HOTELS – US $2.50 per room per night

The total levy will be paid in resort by the guest upon departure in a similar fashion as all resort fees are paid