Two nights first at O2 Beach Club & Spa on the south coast – every room with an ocean view, family-friendly accommodation on one side and an adults-only building on the other. The property organised a catamaran day: lunch and drinks on board, and a stop to snorkel with sea turtles, which is the one thing to make sure happens in Barbados.
O2 works if the plan is to arrive, stay put and not think about leaving. As a base for exploring the island it isn't the right tool, and the food sat below what the five-star billing promises.
Then two nights at Sandy Lane, which is a different order of hotel – a beach chair held in your name for the whole stay, daily pressing, packing and unpacking done for you, nightly turndown, and a spa to match.
Weight the trip toward the west coast, especially if the point is to get out and see the island.
