With a name meaning ‘bearded one’, Barbados is an independent island situated in the western Atlantic Ocean just east of the Caribbean Sea. It was formerly a British colony until it established its independence in 1966. Today, it is a popular visitor destination offering a solid tourist infrastructure and a variety of attractions and interesting sights as well as a rich and vibrant culture.

The island’s ecosystem affords it some spectacular scenery both around the coast as well as inland and also supports some amazing specimens of flora and fauna. Nature lovers will be in their element with botanic gardens and natural forests and woodland in which all manner of plants and animals make their home. 

Located within the parish of Saint Michael, Bridgetown is Barbados’ capital city and the focal point for much of its tourist activity as well as being the main commercial centre for the island. The town has its own harbour at which many cruise ships which are touring the Caribbean islands make stops. Further inland, you will find a multitude of shopping complexes, a whole host of restaurants and countless nightlife venues.

There are a total of 11 districts, which are known by the locals as parishes, on the island which are home to a large number of small towns and villages. St Michael is one of the better known parishes, while others worthy of mention and popular with tourists include Christ Church, St Andrew and St James. Every parish boasts its own unique characteristics and charm as well as nightlife venues and tourist attractions. 

Barbados is located quite close to North America and can be reached by air in about 4 hours, 30 minutes from New York and five hours from Toronto. Visitors from Europe will find direct flights to the island with companies such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operating routes. The Barbados-Grantley Adams International airport located in Christ Church is the island’s only international air gateway and sees a vast number of tourists pass through its gates each year. 

Barbados offer no shortage of accommodations with options ranging from major resorts which house both hotel rooms and apartments to private villas available for rent. The Hilton Barbados and the Meridian Inn are on hand for those visitors looking for a hotel with the assurance of high standards, facilities and an international reputation. There are also a number of luxurious spa-like resorts offering a wide range of relaxation therapies and treatments to pamper yourself with.

Barbados experiences only two distinct seasons and throughout both of these seasons, the temperatures are constantly high, rarely falling below 21°C.

The dry season, which is the most popular time for holidaymakers, lasts from January through until June and sees average daily highs of 27°C. Though many might consider these temperatures uncomfortable, Barbados has the advantage of prevailing cool northeast trade winds, which bring pleasant relief from temperature extremes, especially for those down at the beach. Volumes of rainfall are low from January until the end of May, but begin increasing in June with the transition to what might be labelled the rainy period.

The latter half of the year is often dubbed the hurricane season, although Barbados rarely experiences the devastation of this natural phenomenon and is instead subject to heavy rain spells which tend to be sporadic and short lived. Temperatures throughout this season are similarly high with July, August and September experiencing the most significant highs with averages of 28ºC. Volumes of rain gradually increase with each month of this season, coming to a peak around November when up to 205mm throughout the month are not unusual. Visiting at this time of year is quite feasible as spells of rain rarely last extended periods and sunshine and warm temperatures are not affected significantly either.

The island of Barbados was first inhabited by settlers of several tribes known as the Amerindians, the Arawaks and the Caribs (after whom the region is named) respectively. History books tell us that the Caribs were a fierce tribe with cannibalistic tendencies who quite probably drove the Arawaks away; although they themselves abandoned it by the beginning of the 17th century. It’s unclear why the Caribs left although some historians have speculated that the arrival of the Spanish may have played a part in it or that they simply opted to migrate to the north and south of the region. Amerindian settlers meanwhile were still on the island in 1537 when Portuguese travellers arrived en route to Brazil.
The Portuguese were responsible for naming the island, calling it Los Barbados meaning ‘the beards’ after seeing the unusual roots of the indigenous ficus trees which they thought closely resembled male facial hair.

In 1625, an English captain known as John Powell arrived and on finding the island deserted, he claimed it on behalf of England and King James I. Powell returned to England to tell the King of his findings and as a result some eighty travellers were sent there to form a settlement. These travellers arrive in February of 1627 at the site which has since become known as Holetown.

Over the next 20 years, the island’s population grew significantly on account of the introduction of sugar cane which saw large numbers of African slaves arrive to work the land to produce this profitable crop. Political unrest in England caused by conflict between Oliver Cromwell and Charles I also encouraged many English subjects to emigrate to Barbados.

With the increased number of English immigrants, the island quickly adopted both English law and traditions and consequently acquired the moniker ‘Little England’. In 1639, the first Parliament was held, further consolidating the English stronghold over the island. The status quo was rocked however with the arrival of Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1651. This forceful and often violent army forced those who were loyal to the Crown to surrender and sign the documents known as the Articles of Capitulation. The Articles went on to become the island’s official Charter, creating a certain level of autonomy for its residents even after English monarchal rule was re-established.

In the years following, Barbados gradually established itself as an independent entity through a series of events such as the abolishment of slavery in 1834, the instatement of female voting rights in 1944 and later in 1951, the validation of the vote to all eligible adults. The establishment of a cabinet government and a solid two-party system by the 1950’s, meant that the island was well prepared for the granting of its independence, an event that was seen on November 30, 1966.

Today, Barbados is an extremely popular tourist destination offering visitors a wide range of activities, accommodation and facilities. It is popular year-round and is thought of as a tropical paradise by the millions who visit. There is little in the way of violence against tourists and gang warfare, as is found on other Caribbean islands is virtually non-existent.