12 Best Hotels in Holetown and Vicinity, Barbados

This upscale resort, with pristine coral-stone cottages scattered over 12 acres of flower-filled gardens, offers elegance in a welcoming informal atmosphere. The public areas meander past the cottages, through the gardens, and along the waterfront. Spend days at the beach or around the pool, taking time out for afternoon tea. Garden rooms suit one or two guests and have a small patio or balcony; junior suites have sitting areas and larger patios or balconies. Luxury cottage suites have a plunge pool, bedroom, and separate living room with a sofa bed—great for families. Kids under 5 are not welcome in the dining room after 7:30 pm, but children's room service dinner is available. Five Plantation suites have spacious living rooms, private sundecks and plunge pools, and stereos—and are the only accommodations that come with TVs (though you can request one at no charge). Mingle at the bar before dining in the alfresco terrace restaurant. Pamper yourself with a massage at the on-site spa, one of the island's best.

An intimate vibe and (practically) private beach keep guests coming back to this family-oriented hideaway, with accommodations spread throughout 7 acres of gardens. One- and two-bedroom suites each have a separate living room and full kitchen, and all rooms have a toaster to ensure warm, freshly made toast with your room-service breakfast. Two modern Beach House suites, steps from the sand, have a moveable wall that opens onto a large sundeck with an amazing view of the ocean. Three Tree Top suites are luxuriously spacious, with wraparound terraces with a wet bar and plunge pool and bathrooms as big as some Manhattan apartments. Only the Beach House and Tree Top suites have TV; otherwise, guests may rent one by the week. Water sports, including water-skiing, are complimentary. Scuba diving, children's programs, massage, and other personal services are available nearby at its sister hotel, Coral Reef Club.

Few places in the Caribbean compare to Sandy Lane's luxurious facilities and ultrapampering service—or to its astronomical prices. But for the few who can afford to stay here, it's an unparalleled experience. The main building is a coral-stone, Palladian-style mansion facing a sweeping stretch of beach shaded by mature trees. Guest accommodations, sumptuous in every detail, range from just over 700 to more than 7,000 square feet! Even the smallest units include several TVs and other electronics, full in-room wet bar, a personal butler, and remote-controlled everything—including the draperies. The amazing and enormous (47,000 square feet) spa, housed in a magnificent Romanesque building, is a vacation in itself. Add elegant dining, the Caribbean's best golf courses, a tennis center, a full complement of water sports, a special lounge for teenagers, incomparable style—even an airport welcome and round-trip transfers via luxury car.

The signature hotel of seven Elegant Hotel properties on Barbados is certainly elegant, but with a quiet, friendly, understated style primarily targeted to adults. A lagoon pool meanders through 7 acres of gardens, and 20 rooms have private access to the lagoon directly from their patios. Relax on the beach, soak in one of four pools, and enjoy an exquisite meal in the open-air Laguna Restaurant. Motorized and nonmotorized water sports, an in-pool scuba-diving lesson, and tennis are all included. A free water taxi provides transportation to three sister hotels located along the West Coast.

Privacy, luxury, and service are hallmarks of this intimate adults-only sanctuary adjacent to sister resort, Tamarind. The 34 junior and one-bedroom suites wrap around a central courtyard filled with tropical trees, plants, and water features. Guest rooms are elegantly decorated; beds and pillows are big, soft, and fitted with luxurious Egyptian cotton linens. Personalized attention creates a welcoming feel, as does 24-hour "ambassador" service and a complimentary jet-lag revival massage upon arrival—in your room, on the seaside yoga pavilion, or in the spa. Dine beachfront in a private cabana or at The Deck. You can also enjoy the restaurants, pools, and water-sports opportunities—including complimentary windsurfing, bodyboarding, kayaking, water-skiing, tube rides, banana boats, and sailing on a Hobie Cat—at Tamarind. Champagne breakfast, afternoon tea, and canapés at sundown make The House a home.

This is one of the island's few adults-only (age 16 and up) all-inclusive resorts and the only one on the West Coast; only spa and salon services and room service cost extra. Several rooms and suites face the sea, although most units in this horseshoe-shape property overlook the pools and gardens. The balcony view from oceanfront rooms, however, is exceptional. Guests enjoy a lavish breakfast buffet, four-course lunch, afternoon tea, and intimate dinner service, all presented in the oceanfront Sunset Restaurant; or you can enjoy classic West Indian cuisine at Enid's, the colorful Bajan restaurant that is open for dinner and special events. There's nightly entertainment and an air-conditioned piano bar; Rum Shop Bar and Beach Bar are casual meeting spots during the day.

This seaside colony of attached duplex cottages, whitewashed and trimmed in perky pastels, appeals to both couples and families. Each room is bright and spacious with a balcony or patio, most have hammocks and a water view, and some are literally inches from the beach. Winding garden paths connect the units, which spill down a hillside to the beach, where you can swim, sail, snorkel, water-ski, windsurf, or kayak to your heart's content—or play tennis, dip in the pool, or luxuriate at the spa. Guests enjoy buffets and snacks at Drifters Beach Bar and a table-d'hôte menu at Reflections Restaurant. Each night there's entertainment in the form of a steel band or other live music. For a change of scene, a free water taxi travels all day long (weather permitting) between sister properties on the West Coast.

Every unit in this luxurious resort has immediate access to 11 acres of tropical gardens and an uninterrupted sea view from a broad balcony or patio. From ground-floor patios, you can step directly onto the sand. In the style of a Barbadian plantation house, the rooms have rich mahogany furniture, local artwork and sisal rugs on tile floors. The resort's traditional personalized service continues on the beach, where beach butlers cater to your every seaside whim. There is also an on-site kids' club. Breakfast and lunch are served alfresco at Taboras Restaurant overlooking the beach; afternoon tea and dinner take place in the exquisite Palm Terrace Restaurant.

A 1940s-era service station just north of Holetown was transformed into a sleek beachfront boutique hotel that—fortunately or unfortunately—has since been discovered by celebrities. The hotel's six large, architecturally fascinating suites—two penthouse suites, two oceanfront, and two in a separate beach house—are elegantly decorated in neutral colors and furnished with enormous Bajan mahogany beds and chic Italian-designed upholstered chairs, sofas, and settees. The bathrooms are stunning. Each suite—appropriately dubbed Buick, Cadillac, Studebaker, Lincoln, Shelby, and Corvette—has its own communications and entertainment center. A shady terrace overlooks the beach; golf, tennis, fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and horseback riding are available nearby. The beachfront restaurant has a great atmosphere.

This beachfront resort in the heart of Holetown is within walking distance of shops, restaurants, nightspots, historic sights, and the public bus to Bridgetown and Speightstown. All-inclusive rates include accommodations, meals, brand-name beverages, and a host of water sports (including water-skiing), as well as off-property sightseeing experiences such as a glass-bottom boat trip, a shopping excursion to Bridgetown, and a catamaran day sail along the coast. A partially enclosed dining room provides both alfresco and air-conditioned dining options; dinner cuisine is superb.

This sleek Mediterranean-style resort, which sprawls along 750 feet of prime West Coast beachfront south of Holetown, is large enough to cater to active families and sophisticated couples, including honeymooners. Most rooms provide a panoramic view of the sea. Four-poster beds in 10 luxury oceanfront suites add a touch of romance. Junior suites are great for couples or families with one or two small children; families with older kids might prefer the space and privacy of a one-bedroom suite. Teenagers enjoy hanging out in Club Tamarind, with its large-screen game consoles, and participating in other age-appropriate activities on and off the resort grounds. Flying Fish Kids' Club is fun for little ones. Tamarind offers an array of water sports plus tennis, yoga classes, and a spa. A free water taxi shuttles guests to sister hotels on the West Coast.

Quiet, upscale, and intimate, this adults-only boutique hotel a couple of miles south of Holetown was gutted and completely refurbished in late 2017. Three floors of one-bedroom suites form a horseshoe around an intimate courtyard, Tapestry Restaurant, and a pool. Most units have a sea view, but all are just steps from the strip of sandy beach. All suites have large comfortable sitting rooms with coral-stone walls and French doors leading to a balcony. Bathrooms have a freestanding shower and separate soaking tub, along with his-and-her sinks. This is the seventh Elegant Hotels property on Barbados and the sixth on the island's West Coast; a complimentary water taxi shuttles guests to and from the various hotels.