Our Postcards: Barbados

Barbados, with all the family

When I think of Barbados, I can still hear it. The sea lapping the shore below our balcony, birds calling, frogs and crickets filling the evening air, and the sound of steel drums drifting up from the beach.

We travelled as a family of eleven, across three generations, with my husband, our two children, my mum, my aunt and uncle, and their daughters and partners. My aunt and uncle’s 45th wedding anniversary gave us a wonderful reason to bring everyone together, and Barbados became the setting for a holiday that means an enormous amount to us.

There were beautiful places, memorable meals and days out on the water. But so much of what I remember happened in between: breakfast overlooking the beach, an ice cream while wandering around the shops, and everyone coming together again at the end of the day.

Breakfast above the beach

Our base was the beautiful apartment 403 at Villas on the Beach in Holetown. The name certainly delivered: we were right on the beachfront, with the Caribbean stretching out in front of us.

The balcony had a dining table overlooking the water, and breakfasts there became one of my favourite parts of the holiday. It is hard to feel much urgency about the day when that is your view. Even an ordinary breakfast feels a little special when you can sit outside, watch the sea and take your time.

From the bedroom, we could hear the water lapping the shore. At different times, birds, crickets, frogs and music from the beach added to the soundtrack. It is one of those details that photographs never quite capture, but which brings a place straight back to you. Having somewhere so lovely to return to at the end of the day made a real difference.

One morning, we spotted tiny baby turtle tracks in the sand, tracing a path towards the sea. We hadn’t seen the hatchlings themselves, just the little trails they’d left behind. There was something rather magical about finding that evidence of their first journey before our own day had properly begun. It’s a small memory, but one that has stayed with me just as clearly as our bigger adventures and prompted my sons journey into Turtle conservation that has taken him across the globe doing what he loves.

A wander around Holetown

We enjoyed exploring Holetown’s shops, particularly the colourful little chattel houses. Chattel Village takes its name and style from Barbados’s traditional wooden homes, with shops tucked into pretty buildings that make browsing feel rather more charming than the usual shopping trip. For us, it was an easy outing: a wander, a look around the shops and a stop for ice creams. With the children aged eleven and fourteen, those smaller excursions fitted nicely between time at the beach and our bigger family plans.

Holetown was a lovely base for our family, with the beach on our doorstep and shops and restaurants just a short walk away. With several generations travelling together, having everything close by made the days feel easy, giving everyone the freedom to pop out, explore or simply settle in by the sea.

All aboard Seaduced

Our catamaran trip with Seaduced was a highlight none of us will ever forget. All eleven of us headed out together on that extraordinary blue water, leaving the shore behind for a day of sailing, snorkelling and stretching out in the sunshine. Travelling with a larger family can mean different interests and different ideas about how to spend a day, but this was one of those experiences we could all share, with the coastline providing a beautiful backdrop to simply being together.

We were aboard 49ft Seaduced I, which felt wonderfully spacious, with plenty of lovely spots to settle into. We found ourselves gathered around the table playing cards at lunchtime, then stretched out on the trampoline netting at the bow, relaxing in the sunshine with the water passing beneath us. There was room to spread out, catch up and enjoy the trip at our own pace.

Snorkelling was another highlight, watching shoals of fish dart and turn together beneath the surface. It was lovely to float for a while and watch this little underwater world going about its day. Between exploring in the water and relaxing back on board, time slipped by so easily.

Those hours together became such a fond memory that we even had a painting commissioned of the moment. It now hangs on our living room wall — a lovely reminder of that very special day in Barbados, with all the family together.

Celebrations, surf and sunset sails

My aunt and uncle’s anniversary gave us a reason to get everyone together for dinner at Paul Owens at The Beach House, right by the water in Holetown. The food was incredible, and with the sound of the waves beside us, it was a beautiful place to celebrate their forty-five years together.

We also headed across to Bathsheba for breakfast, swapping Holetown’s sheltered beachfront for huge rock formations and rolling Atlantic waves. This stretch of the east coast is home to the famous Soup Bowl surf break, and the keen surfers in our family certainly made the most of these incredible waves.

There was sunset sailing for the boys, too, followed by a barbecue they cooked for the family. We were very happy to leave dinner in their hands while us girls enjoyed a cocktail and relaxed whilst watching the sunset. A beachfront restaurant one evening and a family barbecue another — both fitted perfectly into our time in Barbados.

What Barbados means to us

This trip showed me how much a family holiday can hold: a big celebration, a little adventure, time to explore and plenty of room for the ordinary moments that become favourites later.

Barbados gave us a beautiful setting for all of it. The children had the sea and snorkelling, we had lovely meals and places to discover, and there were so many opportunities to enjoy each other’s company. There was time to spend with family we don’t see nearly enough, and for the children to share those experience

s with their nan, rather than tell her about them afterwards.

For me, it will always be a family destination. Of course, I think of the balcony breakfasts, those tiny tracks in the sand and the sound of the beach below us, but most of all, I think of who was there to share it.