I’d say abut ninety-five percent of my birthday trip to Barbados was spent at the beach (with that pink hat on my head). When in Rome. Now this isn’t my first Barbados rodeo. I’ve been to Barbados several times before, and even lived there, for two years, eight to ten years ago. Needless to say, I not only know the ins and outs of the island, but I know which beaches are the best.
If I’m honest, most of the beaches are gorgeous and should be on this list, but instead of boring you with an exhaustive list, I thought I’d share five of the best beaches in Barbados.
1. Sandy Lane Beach
This beach is a quiet hotel beach on the west coast of Barbados and is technically reserved for guests of the (very expensive – like $1200 USD / night for the cheapest room, expensive) Sandy Lane Hotel. Technically. However, if you take a short stroll in from the entrance to a nearby public beach (Payne’s Bay Beach – another gorgeous beach) then you’ll get to this lovely spot. On a clear day, this beach is like a pool. There are no waves and you can swim for miles without getting to deep water. AKA my kind of beach. The water here is absolutely gorgeous and I seriously could spend my entire day at this beach. The picture of me swimming above was taken here. Fun Fact: (before the golf clubs to car incident) Tiger woods got married at the Sandy Lane hotel.
2. Mullins Beach
This beach is also on the West Coast and has always been one of my favourite beaches in Barbados. It seriously has everything. Drinks? Check. Food? Check. Activities? Check. Beautiful water? Well its Barbados, so that’s a given.
3. Accra Beach
This is one of the more popular beaches in Barbados. Located on the South coast, this beach is attached to the Accra Beach Hotel and is a quintessentially ‘Barbados’ beach, if that’s a thing. Although its a hotel beach, theres a public access and is always packed. Its a very long beach, so theres lots of room for everyone. Love this beach.
4. The Boatyard Beach
Of this list, this is probably my favourite beach. It’s also on the south coast, about a 10 minute drive from Accra Beach actually, but this beach has everything possible. Now, there’s an entrance fee to get in, which sets some people off. You can buy a $50 BDS ($25 USD) Day pass to access the beach, and $40 BDS ($20 USD) of that can be used for food and drink at the bar. You also get the option of a free boat ride to swim with the turtles and/or to snorkel to see sunken ships on the south coast of Barbados. There are also tons of activities on this beach itself – water castles, water swings etc. Totally worth the cost to me, and on our last trip, we spent my entire birthday on this beach. The ENTIRE day.
5. Dover Beach
Last but not least, this hidden gem. This is also on the South Coast but not nearly as accessible as the other beaches. It’s mostly hidden behind a very popular street with bars and restaurants and hotels. Frankly, I lived in Barbados, and have visited several times thereafter and never once went to this beach until my last trip. Its beautiful and is in the middle of the Dover Beach hotel and Sandals resort. The water is the bluest blue, and the waves, while there, are not so rough that you can’t enjoy a good swim. Also – literally the comfiest beach chairs known to man are on this beach.
And that’s it. There are so many more lovely beaches in Barbados, but these are a few of the gems. I can’t wait to be back. For now, Im staring at these lovely pictures reminiscing about the lovely waters, all while shopping for winter jackets for my Europe trip in December.
