6 Best Hotels in St. Lawrence Gap, Barbados

Designed with families in mind, this four-story all-inclusive hotel (with elevators) sits on a beautiful stretch of South Coast beach, and for the price of your room, you can enjoy activities ranging from beach volleyball or miniature golf to nature walks. If you like real golf, special packages are offered in conjunction with the nearby Barbados Golf Club. So grab a bodyboard or kayak and hit the water—or take a scuba-diving lesson in the pool. Join the aerobics class in the pool or in the gym, or sit by the pool (there's a separate one for kids) and socialize while working on your tan. Meals in the Poolside Restaurant are leisurely and informal, with theme menus that feature Chinese, Italian, barbecue, and Caribbean dishes. The Reef View Restaurant is a little more formal.

Attractive seaside town houses, each with a separate entrance, wrap around the pool or face the beachfront; the suites, decorated in appealing Caribbean pastels, are huge compared with hotel suites elsewhere in this price range and have full kitchens. Each also has a sitting area with a pull-out sofa—great for families with small kids. All suites have balconies or terraces that overlook either a pool and gardens or the sea; four units have a private plunge pool. Guests may have groceries delivered to their room or prestocked before arrival. You can even arrange for a private cook, who will prepare Bajan specialties. There are two on-site restaurants and weekly live entertainment—including a Caribbean-style floor show. A kids' club and games room keep children occupied when they're not at the beach. The minimum stay in high season is seven nights.

This all-suites resort is situated on 20 acres of lawn and gardens bisected by action-packed St. Lawrence Gap. The property south of The Gap wraps around a stunning half mile of Dover Beach, where 16 beach villas provide an intimate setting steps from the sand. The bulk of the suites, however, are north of The Gap in a large three-story building offering garden and pool views. All suites have separate bedrooms, sofa beds in the sitting room, and full kitchens. There's a minimart for snacks and items to whip up for lunch or dinner—or dine at pureocean, the beachside restaurant. There's a full-service spa, and guests can play tennis, basketball, and miniature golf. And it's all within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and nightspots.

Romance is definitely in the air at this truly magnificent (couples-only) Sandals property, which surrounds an 8-acre garden and lagoon—the longest and largest in Barbados. Crystal Lagoon Village offers spacious suites, each with a separate sitting room and stocked bar, an oversize spa-style bathroom with an enormous soaking tub for two, swim-up suites on the first floor, and upper-floor suites with a second soaking tub (also for two) on the balcony. Rooms in Ocean Village offer panoramic views of Turtle Beach and the sea beyond. Caribbean Village is convenient to the pool and cabanas. Choose among 11 dining venues (including Indian, Japanese, seafood, English pub, regional Italian, pizza, French patisserie, and New York–style steak house) and endless activities, all included. As a special indulgence (at extra cost), a personal butler will provide attentive service—including drawing a bubble bath complete with Champagne and snacks, making dinner reservations, reserving a particular pool chaise, setting up tours, and more.

This resort is pretty in pink, you might say, with its (pink) plantation-style main building opening onto an inviting pool area and 1,000 feet of white sandy beach. Friendly, low-key, and peaceful are good descriptions of the day-to-day atmosphere. Rooms and suites are distributed among six buildings. The duplex suites are a good choice for families, and kids under 12 stay free. All accommodations have either a balcony or patio, where you can enjoy the ocean breeze or simply stare out to sea. Play miniature golf or shuffleboard with the kids, learn to windsurf, take a scuba lesson in the pool, join a beach volleyball game, grab a bodyboard or a tennis racquet, or hit the gym. In the evening, live local bands entertain the after-dinner crowd, and a steel band accompanies the Sunday buffet lunch.

Families flock to this resort, part of the Marriott portfolio, because it offers large bright suites and enough all-included activities for everyone. The Flying Fish Kids' Club keeps kids, tweens, and teens busy with treasure hunts, supervised swims, games (electronic and otherwise), and other activities from 9 to 9 each day. That lets parents play tennis, learn to windsurf or sail, relax at the 1,500-foot swath of white-sand beach, join the daily shopping excursion to Bridgetown, or enjoy a romantic dinner for two at Asiago's. Families also enjoy time together—cooling off in the three pools, riding the waves on bodyboards, dining buffet-style at open-to-the-view Chelonia, or having a casual waterfront meal at the Sand Trap.