Rally Barbados: Where to Stay

It’s one of motorsport’s most discerning gatherings, and it draws the rich and famous for rather more reasons than the cars. Unsurprising, really, given the postcode.

Barbados is the grande dame of the Lesser Antilles, and she has been charming visitors for generations. The west coast is all powder-soft sand and bathwater-calm Caribbean. The east is wilder, a rugged, wind-tousled shoreline facing the Atlantic. The whole island sits just south of the main hurricane track, which is about as close to meteorological good manners as the Caribbean gets. Add Rally Barbados each June, and it’s easy to see why the petrolheads arrive in force. Many will admit, a few glasses of rum punch in, that the cars are only half the reason.

If you’re planning a trip, here are IX Magazine’s picks for accommodation worthy of both the island and the occasion.

Majestic Villa
From £37,410 per week | Sleeps 20

Set on one of the west coast’s most coveted stretches, a short drive from Speightstown, Majestic Villa is made for large groups, or for one group with very large ambitions. It occupies 1.7 acres of grounds atop a modest cliff, with a secluded Caribbean cove of its own below. There’s a heated infinity pool, a tea house, a home cinema and a fitness centre, in case the three seafront dining areas call for a little atonement.

Exotic Bay Villa
From £17,490 per week | Sleeps 14

Few addresses on the island carry as much colonial grandeur as this sprawling Oliver Messel-designed residence, built in the style of an English country house and delivered, mercifully, to a Caribbean beach. It sits in front of a secluded stretch of sand in St James, with seven bedrooms, an elegant dining room overlooking the pool, and a gazebo that exists for long lunches beneath endless blue skies. A dedicated staff of butlers, chefs and more ensures you never lift anything heavier than a glass.

Green Residence
From £12,845 per week | Sleeps 16

Eight acres of landscaped grounds, a main house that incorporates a 17th-century sugar mill, and a private stretch of sand on the Caribbean’s famous Gibbs Beach: this is a property with a past and the manners to match. Tennis courts keep you honest, while the pool and jacuzzi keep you comfortable. The central residence, cliff cottage and guest cottage are linked by verandas made for evening idling, and a short walk leads to wooden steps that deposit you directly into the Caribbean. Lunch, naturally, happens in the gazebo.

Lush Garden Villa
From £17,304 per week | Sleeps 14

If the phrase “Caribbean retreat” had a face, it might well look like this. The Speightstown villa was built from coral stone in the 18th century and is wrapped in 11 acres of gardens, designed by Todd Langstaffe-Gowan of Hampton Court Palace fame. A lagoon-style pool is on hand for those who’d rather not trouble the sea, which is within easy striking distance in any case. Inside, seven well-appointed bedrooms sit alongside a generous reception area and a stone-clad dining room with a fireplace as its centrepiece, all wrapped in a purple heartwood terrace. The idea is to bring the outdoors in, and vice versa. It works.

All these villas are available through Edge Retreats

For more on the rally itself, visit rallybarbados.bb