‘Barbados has long had a tradition as a place for families to gather. Be it celebrating a special birthday, an anniversary or just an annual get-together, many of the larger villas are often rented by extended families who are getting together for a week or two. With families often living long distances apart these days, family members often fly in from different parts of the world to meet up in Barbados.’ - Mark Hammerton

Barbados has developed a culture that embraces tourism. So, rather than remaining isolated in enclaves, visitors tend to find themselves mixing regularly with locals, which means they get to enjoy a truly authentic Bajan experience. And one of the best ways to sample our happy lifestyle is to stay in one of the many beautiful villas that are available for rental or purchase.

What makes a villa vacation so special is that it can provide both the relaxed environment of a private home and the attentive service of a top resort. This frees up residents to do what they want when they want, without having strangers around them, while still benefitting from a team of dedicated helpers – including personal chef, butler and housekeeper - whose sole aim is to make sure their guests relax and feel at home.

Anybody would welcome this wonderful best-of-both-worlds scenario, but it can be particularly attractive for multigenerational family groups who want to spend valuable quality time together. These family vacations often provide lifetime memories, especially for the children. Many families actually book a villa vacation every year, just to guarantee a chance to spend that high level of quality time together. And when the children themselves become adults, they often want to return to the scene of their happy childhood holidays.

Barbados is a great place for families. There is nothing better than escaping winter in the UK and coming here to spend some quality time together. It was amazing when the kids were little that every time we came back they'd meet the same friends they'd made the year before. That was good for them and it was good for the parents too. Different generations of the same families like to keep coming back to Barbados.' - Ian Woosnam

Barbados offers a wide range of villas in a variety of locations and at both ends of the price spectrum. The majority of these rental properties are looked after by highly accomplished management companies or real estate agencies, who benefit from many years’ experience of taking good care of both the houses and the guests who stay in them. As such, the villas are generally very well maintained and kept in immaculate condition.

From an owner’s perspective, because the Barbados villa rental market is so vibrant, there exists real potential to generate significant income from a holiday home by renting it out when not in use. To facilitate this, the majority of villa rental companies and residential communities operate a rental programme, which owners can choose to participate in if they wish.