Rockley Vacation Rental apartment

This was our first trip to Barbados and we were unsure what to expect, but the whole experience was brilliant. The apartment looked very nice in the photos but they don’t do it justice. It can sleep up to 4 people with the sofa bed in the lounge and it has a good-size living area and a double bedroom. It's very tastefully furnished and the balconies effectively give two extra sitting rooms in addition to what is already a spacious apartment. It’s light and airy with high ceilings, and the opposing windows allow a comfortable airflow that keeps the heat down, particularly when supplemented by the large ceiling fan in the living area. The air conditioning in the bedroom is welcome and effective.

We don’t play golf, but the adjacent course is a real asset because the view from the rear balcony is like looking over a beautifully landscaped garden, with lots of sub-tropical birds around, including the tiny, fascinating humming bird. The apartment was very clean and well prepared and the managing agents - Island Gold - were friendly, attentive and efficient. There’s a bar/restaurant at the clubhouse about 5 mins walk away and there’s a decent supermarket within about 15 mins. Beyond that there’s a range of bars and restaurants and then a huge selection at St Lawrence Gap. If you don’t fancy the walk taxis are readily available from the clubhouse. We in fact hired a car for the duration of the holiday, something that we would strongly recommend - relatively inexpensive and easily organised through the ever-efficient Island Gold. The driving is generally sedate and considerate and (for us Brits) they even drive on the correct side of the road! The local beaches are fine, but a car gives easy access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, less than half an hour’s drive away up on the west coast. (I accept this is a subjective view!)

I would say that the apartment and the location would suit both couples looking for an easy, relaxing holiday, and people with young children or teenagers. The only mistake we made was only booking it for a week – it could easily be a home-from-home for a few weeks or even longer. We’ve travelled quite extensively over the years but this was probably the best accommodation, and also the best and most relaxing holiday, that we’ve had. It’s certainly the only one that we can remember where, while we were still there, we were already planning to go again the following year. Highly recommended.