Should you rent a car in Barbados?
Car hire in Barbados is a great way to explore the island and see beyond the confines of the hotel grounds. All inclusive packages to Barbados are very popular and many tourists miss out on the real Barbados experience. A rental car in Barbados picked up from Grantley Adams Airport and you can be on your way to the hotel long before the tour bus has left the airport.
Visit popular destinations on Barbados island such as St James or Christchurch and get a flavour of this Caribbean Island. Hiring a car in Barbados is the only way to see the beautiful interior of the island without having to brave the hot and crowded conditions of the Barbadian (Bajan) buses. A stunning place to go for lunch is the old plantation house of Fisher Pond which has immaculately kept gardens showcasing Barbados’ most eye catching flora and fauna.
Barbados Mini Guide
Many people wrongly believe that Barbados is part of the Caribbean; the truth is that Barbados is located in the Atlantic Ocean and not the Caribbean Sea. Barbados is a wholly independent island nation and although it lies within the southern Caribbean is actually part of the Lesser Antilles. In recent years Barbados has come to share an official maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago, along with parts of the South American mainland. The entire island of Barbados covers an area of almost 450 square kilometres. Its geography is predominantly flat with a few hilly but not mountainous areas.
Barbados is a successful tourist destination, and much of this success can be attributed to its climate. Although Barbados exhibits a fully Caribbean climate the year round, it tends not to suffer from the hurricanes and storms which plague other islands in the area each year. This is due to the fact that its position in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean falls outside of the primary hurricane zone. However, there have been specific exceptions most notable of which was Hurricane Janet in 1955, which caused extensive and severe damage to Barbados in its entirety.
When it comes to tourism, Barbados is both advanced and quaintly backward, the island is fairly well-developed and there is whole plethora of internationally renowned, world-class hotels constructed upon the island. These often sit shoulder to shoulder with smaller, beach-based chalets and bungalows, a stark contrast from the luxurious hotels which overshadow them. There is also a selection of apartments and there are private villas dotted all over the island, many are available for private rental.
Bridgetown is the island's capital city, although it was formerly known as the Town of St Michael. The city sprawls along the coastline to the South West of Carlisle Bay. Speightstown is the second largest city on Barbados and is located around 12 miles north of Bridgetown Auto Rental. During times of the original settlement of Barbados, around the year 1630, Speightstown was the busiest and most important town on the island, its port was used for birthing ships full of sugar and other rare commodities upon their trip back to Europe.
Of course no mention of Barbados can be made without discussing its reputation as one of the greatest beach holiday destinations in the entire world. This small island contains over 70 square miles of beach. Due to this incredible amount of physical beach space it is still possible to find secluded and private coves, even in the more popular tourist areas. The only real consideration is which side of the island you wish to visit, the beaches along the east and north coast are facing the Atlantic Ocean, so the sea tends to be somewhat rougher and a little cooler than on the south and west coasts. For this reason it is recommended that swimmers and snorkelers stick to the south and west coast.