Things to Do in Barbados | The Ultimate Guide to Traveling to Barbados With Kids!

Our little family, along with my parents, recently spent two amazing weeks in Barbados and we had the time of our lives! We traveled with our 2 and a half year old son and I highly recommend taking your children with you if you go! There are so many interesting places to see and so many things to do in Barbados. Our son still talks about our trip months later!

Over our two week trip, we traveled throughout the whole island and learned which places and activities are kid-friendly and which ones may not be! If you are thinking about great places to go with or without your kids, Barbados is such a great choice for so many reasons! Read on to learn some tips and tricks for traveling to Barbados with kids and all of the best things to do in Barbados!

Things to Do in Barbados With (or Without) Kids and a JetBlue Giveaway!

 

Why Go to Barbados?

Barbados is an island in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean. It is  only 21 miles long and 14 miles wide, so you can easily travel around the entire island in a day.  Another great thing about Barbados is that is outside of the main area that is affected by hurricanes. When we were there, we were told by locals that the last time a hurricane hit the island was in the 1950s! This fact alone, makes Barbados a great destination for those who like to travel in the Summer while avoiding all the other islands that maybe impacted by a hurricane.

The temperature in Barbados is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, so jackets are rarely needed! Barbados has a rainy season, which is from June to November. We were there during this time and experienced a rain shower here and there, but there was definitely plenty of sunshine on most days!

What surprised us most about Barbados was the topography! Every part of the island is a little different. From white sand beaches to rocky cliffs and higher altitudes, there are definitely so many beautiful sights to take in!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure here. 

The Best Place to Stay in Barabados with Kids

We stayed in Hastings, which is part of the Christ Church parish in Barbados. It is on the south-western coast of  Barbados and has breathtakingly beautiful white sandy beaches. The longest boardwalk in Barbados starts in Hastings and goes to the town of Rockley. We stayed in an AirBnB that was right off of the boardwalk and it was absolutely amazing. The sea was literally right outside of our windows. From our balcony, we could even see sea turtles swimming! We walked on the boardwalk every day to get to restaurants, shops, and the beach.

This is the exact AirBnb we stayed in and we had the best experience! The host had toys available in the condo and it was so nice for our son! It was also nice for us, that we didn’t have to bring many toys along with us on the trip! The condo was part of a building called South Ocean Villas and there are other units listed on AirBnb besides the one we stayed in, but the one where we stayed was perfect if you are traveling with kids!  All of the condos are pretty much exactly the same and they all have breathtaking views that you really can’t beat anywhere else! If you have never used AirBnb before, you can sign up here to get $40 off of your first stay!

The Best Things to Do in Barbados When Traveling with Kids

• Start your day off at the ArtSplash Cafe in Hastings! ArtSplash was one of our favorite places to go each morning for breakfast and coffee and they have a fun playground behind the Cafe! You can get your breakfast and take it to the picnic areas in the play area. Our son loved going there and there are plenty of shady areas. We were even there while it was raining and stayed dry under the awning over the playset. The playground even has a zip line! Usually there are other kids there to play with too! ArtSplash has a Farmer’s Market a few days a week and the playground is free to use on those mornings. Otherwise, you are supposed to pay a small fee to use it if your kids are under 2. (My son was 2 and a half when we were there and they never made us pay to use the playground) If you go to ArtSplash, I highly recommend their avocado toast, acai bowl, or the chocolate protein bowl. So yummy!

• We had planned on doing a catamaran cruise while we were in Barbados, but most of them looked like party boats, and didn’t seem very kid-friendly! After some research, I came across Elegance Catamaran Cruises  and it seemed perfect! They only allow a maximum of 14 people on the boat, kids between the ages of 4 and 11 are half price, and children under 4 are free! On top of all that, they had great reviews! I really wanted to swim with the sea turtles, but fortunately we came across Unfortunately we didn’t get to take a cruise during our trip, but whenever we go back we are definitely planning on using Elegance!

 

• The Barbados Wildlife Preserve is a must-see whether or not you are traveling with kids. Make sure to be there at 2pm when they feed the animals, it is definitely something you won’t want to miss! Our son loved seeing all of the monkeys and turtles walking around and it was definitely one of our favorite things to do in Barbados with our son!

 

• Harrison’s Cave is another fun place to see while you are in Barbados. It has clear flowing waters and really cool rock formations. It was the first time our son had been to a cave, so it was a fun new experience for him! Cave tour guides use a tram to move you throughout the cave and they make stops for picture opportunities. We took a tour with SunTours that combined a trip to Harrison’s Cave and the Wildlife Preserve into one visit. It was perfect for us since we didn’t rent a car. If you aren’t planning to rent a car, either I highly recommend this tour with SunTours!

• Welchman Hall Gully is a great place to visit  and explore whether or not you are bringing kids with you to Barbados. It is another spot where you can see the green monkeys and they have a fun adventure park for kids to play on (it even has a zip line!).

 

• My son’s hands-down favorite thing to do in Barbados was visit Bathsheba.  Bathsheba is a rugged beach on the east coast of Barbados and it is strikingly beautiful. There are many large boulders on the beach that broke off from ancient coral formations. It is definitely a unique place to see! My son loved searching for treasures (rocks, sea glass, stones) on the beach and we literally had to carry him kicking and screaming away from the beach when we left!

• Enjoy any and all of the beaches!  I should have made this first on my list of things to do in Barbados, because the beaches there are absolutely stunning. Everyday when we walked down the board walk I was mesmerized by the beautiful colors of the water. We adored the small beach outside of our condo in Hastings. We practically had it to ourselves most of the time and there was plenty of shallow water for my son to play in. My husband loved snorkeling near the rocks, too!

General Tips for Traveling in Barbados with Children

• Remember island time (it’s definitely a real thing!) when going to restaurants. Make sure to leave before you are hungry and bring entertainment for the kids for the wait! Blakey’s in Hastings was a favorite restaurant of ours during our stay. It is right on the water on the boardwalk and had a big area where our son could run around safely while we waited or even while we ate!

 

• If your kids are old enough, get them a children’s size snorkeling mask so they can see all the pretty things under the water.

 

• Remember to apply and reapply and reapply children’s sunscreen, because the sun in Barbados is no joke! As you can see in the picture below, my freckles exploded on my face pretty much as soon as I stepped off the plane!

• Sign up to be notified of  sea turtle hatchling releases with the Barbados Sea Turtle Project! If you sign up and they have a release while you are in town, they will notify you so you can be there to see it! I signed up for notifications, but they didn’t have any while we were there. We did happen to stumble upon some hatchlings going the the wrong way one night and a big group of us helped to save them. It was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve experienced in my life so far!

• I always recommend bringing a light weight travel stroller, like this one (steal!) or this one (more of a splurge), but we did not use a stroller at all once we were at our condo. The sidewalks in Barados are generally not in great condition and are very narrow in some places. If you plan to walk or jog on the boardwalk a lot, a stroller definitely works there. My son walked everywhere with us and did fine. If you have a small baby, a breathable (because Barbados is hot!) baby carrier like this would be a great option to avoid toting around a stroller.

 

I hope you enjoyed this post of our favorite things to do in Barbados and that it helps you plan an amazing vacation that will be full of wonderful memories for you and your family! If you have been to Barbados, I’d love to hear which were your favorite spots! 

 

I’ve teamed up with some amazing bloggers to give one of our followers a JetBlue giftcard!  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter! 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $150 Jet Blue Gift Card

Co-hosts: Crayons & Cravings // Mom and More // Coupons and Freebies Mom // Kate Style Petite // Capri’s Coupons // Time to Thrive // Mama’s Mission // Surviving Mommy // Inspiring Words from the Heart //Sparkles and Shoes // Java John Z’s //  SWEETHAUTE // Ottawa Mommy Club // Made In A Pinch // Mommies with Cents //  Foxy’s Domestic Side // A Labour of Life // Beautiful Touches // babushka’s baile //  Angie’s Angle // Young Finances //  Life.Family.Joy. // Laura Jane Atelier // City of Creative Dreams // Becoming Family // rolala loves // The Darling Days // a hundred tiny wishes // Lauryncakes // Ronda Writes

Giveaway organized by: Oh My Gosh Beck!

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter daily. Giveaway ends 4/3 and is open worldwide. Winner will be notified via email.

WANT TO GROW YOUR BLOG WITH GIVEAWAYS? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN JOIN OUR AWESOME GROUP OF BLOGGERS!

a Rafflecopter giveaway