best barbados beaches

Have a picnic and enjoy the shade provided by the trees at Batts Rock Beach. (Photo: Getty Images)

Beach Travel

Can You Keep a Secret? This is the Ultimate Guide to Barbados’ Hidden Beaches

White sand beaches and crystal clear waters, surrounded by coconut trees and coral reefs make Barbados an idyllic destination. Many tourists come to this incomparable Caribbean island to relax, disconnect and find the rest they crave.

This guide will take you to five isolated—but easily accessible—picture-perfect beaches where you can take a break from noisy tourists. Enjoy beaches free of deck chairs and the bustle of vendors and jet skis.

Gibbes Beach: Escape the Tourists

Located on the west coast of Barbados, a short distance from Mullins Beach, Gibbes Beach is an isolated area perfect for when hordes of tourists become a nuisance.

Its gentle and calm waves make this beach the ideal place to swim without fear of being knocked down by the ocean or by some amateur water sports enthusiast. Well connected to the rest of the island by local buses, Gibbes Beach promises to be an exceptional place to take a much-needed break.

North Point Cove: The Surfers Mecca

It’s the ideal destination for surfers who love waves and crystalline, tepid waters. North Point Cove is located on the north coast of the island of Barbados, near the parish of St. Lucia.

best barbados beaches
North Point Cove is known for its magnificent ocean view from the top of a cliff. (Photo: Getty Images)

Known for magnificent clifftop ocean views, it’s important to mention that this beach is not suitable for swimmers. However, its currents and location make it the perfect place for adventurous surfers that come to Barbados to surf its waves.

Relax at Ginger Bay

A true gem, Ginger Bay is the definition of a desert paradise. Surrounded by imposing limestone cliffs on one side and crystal clear waters on the other, relax under a palm tree with the sound of the ocean surrounding you. You can also explore, if low tide allows, the small caves found on the side of the cliff.

Ginger Bay is one of the peaceful beaches on the entire island. Without shops nearby, you can have the beach to yourself if you’re lucky. It is located east of the famous Crane Beach, near the parish of San Felipe, and can only be accessed on foot via stairs connecting the cliff to the beach.

Long Beach: The Perfect Mix of Adventure and Relaxation

This secluded beach delivers one of the best Atlantic Ocean postcards on the island of Barbados, observable from the top of its cliffs. Surrounded by coconut trees, Long Beach is ideal for both relaxing under the shade of trees and practicing water sports. This wide expansion of white sand beaches feature a protected and private environment, which makes it the perfect destination for avoiding large masses of tourists.

It’s advisable to visit with large groups, to have picnics and camp under palm trees or next to the cliffs and spend a couple of days away from the bustle of tourism. Located on the south coast of Barbados, in the parish of Christ Church, you can access the beach on foot, after leaving the car parked near the mainland.

Paradise Beach: Enjoy an Underwater Adventure

Immerse yourself in the calm waters of this unspoiled beach and enjoy a quiet day in paradise. The former epicenter of the now forgotten Cunard Paradise Hotel—an unmissable stop for Barbados island tours in the 1980s—has today become a place for calm and tranquility.

A wonderful spot for snorkeling enthusiasts, the area features shallow rock formations and reefs that result in an interesting place to explore. Paradise Beach is located on the southwest coast of Barbados, in the parish of San Miguel. To the south it borders Freshwater Bay and its small fishing village.

Neighboring Batts Rock Beach, there is a bucolic area between both beaches where you can have picnics and enjoy the shade provided by the trees. Paradise Beach is accessible by car (via Batts Rock Beach), on foot and via boat.