Recently, my family and I enjoyed a great holiday to Barbados. We actually bid for this particular trip at an event in support of Child Bereavement UK. We were not only fortunate enough to watch Prince William play polo but afterwards join in the auction, bid for the villa and win!

I’ve been fortunate enough to holiday in Barbados several times previously. As a family we have stayed at the Fairmont Hotel and Sandy Lane, as well as staying in villas in and around St. James. I much prefer this side of the island on the West coast, the sea, the beaches, hotels and restaurants especially are amazing. This trip, we stayed in a villa on Apes Hill which I would highly recommend. My children particularly enjoyed a try at polo and were entertained by the monkeys that roam freely around the St James area. This year we were celebrating Mum and Dad’s 70th birthdays so what better way to celebrate than inviting them along. They loved it! Every night at dinner we celebrated with a cake and candles!!!

There are several amazing places to eat in St. James, which are all equally accommodating for children too. I would definitely recommend, if you haven’t visited Barbados before, to book all your restaurants in advance. St. James is home to some of the world’s best restaurants and they fill up fast. The Cliff restaurant is definitely a must! I would also recommend Tides and Lone Star restaurants, which are perfect for lunch/evenings and brilliant for families. I love the Bajan cuisine, as it is perfect for my diet, it was incredibly easy to cater for my food intolerances and every restaurant was extremely accommodating. The beauty of Barbados is that everything is freshly cooked which makes recipes easy to adjust. I personally love all their local curries, which are made with coconut milk and are perfect for me.

Another must-do is a day out on a catamaran. If you are as lucky as we were and had friends with a boat then- great! But if not, it is so easy to book a day out on a catamaran when you arrive. When my children were younger we booked a trip and snorkeled with the turtles! Also, Nikki Beach has just opened on the island and is great for during the day. The only downside is that children are not allowed in the pool.

If you fancy shopping in St. James there is a great boutique called Beth and Tracie [www.bethandtracie.com] my Grace and I love going to pick up the really cute young girls bikinis/beachwear and amazing for adults too. Lime Grove in Hole Town, St. James is a great shopping centre including a cinema and restaurants too. If you your staying in a villa and need to fill up the fridge then Massy’s in Holetown is an equally great supermarket.

My favourite outfit that I wore on the trip would be my new Rixo London Dress,
[www.rixo.co.uk] one of my favourite brands at the moment and this particular piece was perfect for an evening at the Cliff. It is lovely and floaty, with cool vintage inspired patterns and beautiful colours. I wore this dress with silver drop earrings by APM Monaco, [https://www.apm.mc/] some silver Gianvito Rossi shoes [https://www.gianvitorossi.com/gb_en/] and a little Zara clutch bag.

I hope I have given you a little flavour of Barbados and if you are lucky enough to visit this beautiful island, I hope this blog provides you with a useful insight into what to do, where to stay and how to make the most out of your trip! Now for a few photos…