Choose your Barbados villa through CVOA

CVOA offers hundreds of luxury Barbados villas from CVOA members. Barbados, a rich blend of West Indian and British cultures, is a perfect combination of the old luxurious way of life, along with the newest restaurants and duty-free shopping. Soak in the near perfect weather with average daytime highs of 75-85 F and slightly cooler nights.

Visitors will find more attractions per square mile on Barbados than any other Caribbean destination. Beautiful white sand beaches abound in Barbados and offer something for everyone, whether you just want to relax in the sun or take to the sea. The calm blue transparent waters of the west and southern coast are ideal for diving, snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing or just plain old swimming! Surfers can catch the waves on the east coast at the popular “Soup Bowl”. Enjoy the well preserved architecture in its historic towns or revel in the music, dance and art of the creative Bajans.

Experience the charm of Barbados and its warm, life-loving people that is sure to lure you back again and again! Book your choice of the widest selection of Barbados villas available through CVOA.

Barbados is an independent island nation in the western Atlantic Ocean situated just east of the Caribbean Sea. The country lies in the southern Caribbean region, at roughly 13° North and 59° West, where it is a part of the Lesser Antilles island-chain. It is approximately 270 miles (434 kilometers) northeast of Venezuela making it relatively close to the South American continent. Barbados’ closest island neighbors are Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west, Grenada to the south-west, and Trinidad and Tobago to the south, with which Barbados now shares a fixed official maritime boundary.

The island’s' total land area is about 166 square miles (430 square kilometers), and is mostly low-lying, with some higher regions inland. The organic composition of Barbados is thought to be of non-volcanic origin and is primarily made up of limestone-coral. Constant trade winds off the Atlantic Ocean serve to keep temperatures mild, giving the island its tropical atmosphere. Other areas of the country are undeveloped containing scrubland and woodland. Large sugarcane estates and wide, gently sloping pastures, with many good views down to the sea coast dot the interior and contribute to the agriculture industry.

The island enjoys one of the highest standards of literacy and living rates worldwide. Barbados constantly ranks in the top 30 (or 31) countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings despite its small size. It presently ranks third in the Americas. Barbados is also a major tourist destination.

History of Barbados

American nomads were the earliest inhabitants of Barbados. Three waves of migrants moved north toward North America. The first wave was of the Saladoid-Barrancoid group, who were farmers and fishermen, arrived by canoe from South America (Venezuela's Orinoco Valley) around 350 CE. Arriving from South America around 800 CE, the Arawak people were the second wave of migrants. Stroud Point, Chandler Bay, Saint Luke's Gully and Mapp's Cave are all Arawak settlements on the island. The original name for Barbados was Ichirouganaim, according to accounts by descendants of the aboriginal Arawak tribes on nearby islands. Both the Arawak and the Salodoid-Barrancoid were displaced in the thirteenth century, when the Caribs arrived from South America in the third wave. Like the Arawak and the Salodoid-Barrancoid, the Caribs lived in isolation on the island for the next few centuries.

The origin of the name Barbados is uncertain. The Portuguese, first to conquer (discover) and name the island, referred to it as Isla de los Barbados or island of the bearded ones, in an official Portuguese document as early as 1511. It is a matter of speculation whether the word "bearded" refers to the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia) indigenous to the island, to the foam spraying over the outlying reefs giving the impression of a beard or to bearded Amerindians occupying the island. A map produced by the Genoese mapmaker Vesconte de Maggiola in 1519, showed and named Barbados in its true position north of Tobago.

Portuguese conquistadors seized many Caribs on Barbados and used them as slave labor on plantations, while other Caribs fled the island. The Portuguese left little impact apart from displacing the Caribs and most settlers left the island for nearby South America by the 1610s.

British sailors who landed on Barbados in 1625 at the site of present-day Holetown on the Caribbean coast, found the island uninhabited. Barbados was under uninterrupted British control from the arrival of the first British settlers in 16271628 until independence in 1966. However, Barbados always enjoyed a large degree of local autonomy. In 1639 the island’s House of Assembly began meeting. Sir William Courten was among the initial important British figures.

An increasing number of black slaves were brought to the island starting in the 1620s. Throughout the 1640s, hundreds of slaves were executed by Royalist planters during the English Civil War. They feared that the ideas of the Levellers might spread to the slave populace if Barbados came under control of Parliament. In 1647 5000 locals died of fever.

Celtic people, mainly from Ireland and Scotland, went to Barbados in large numbers as indentured servants. The Celtic population was used as a buffer between the larger African population and the Anglo-Saxon plantation owners over the next several centuries. They variously served as members of the Colonial militia and played a strong role as allies of the larger African slave population in a long string of colonial rebellions. The English shipped many Irishmen and Scots off to Barbados as slaves in 1659. Scots and English were sent off to the island by King James II and others of his dynasty. One such example occurred after the crushing of the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. Modern descendants of this original slave population are sometimes contemptuously referred to as Red Legs, or locally 'ecky becky'. They are some of the poorest inhabitants in Barbados today. Intermarriage between the African and Celtic populations on the islands has taken place on a large-scale.

Barbados became increasingly unattractive to poor whites with the increased implementation of slave codes, which produced differential treatment between the white settlers and Africans. In 1661, 1676, 1682, and 1688 Black or slave codes were implemented. Several slave rebellions where attempted or planned during this time in response to these codes, but without success. An increasingly repressive legal system, however, caused the chasm between the treatment of black slaves and typically white indentured servants to broaden. For the rich planters who would increasingly dominate Barbados not only economically but also politically, imported slaves became much more appealing. Some have surmised that, the white population decreased because the Africans could endure tropical diseases and the climate much better than the white slave community. This contradicts the fact that many poor whites remained in tropical climates, simply immigrating to neighboring islands. Nonetheless, as those poor whites who acquired or had the means to emigrate often did so, along with the increased importation of African slaves, Barbados turned from primarily Celtic in the seventeenth century to mostly black by the nineteenth century.

Barbados was divided into large plantation estates that replaced the smallholdings of the early British settlers as the sugar industry developed into its main commercial enterprise. Some of the displaced farmers relocated to British colonies in North America, especially South Carolina. West Africans were transported and enslaved on Barbados and other Caribbean islands to work the plantations. In 1804 the slave trade ceased but the continuation of slavery in 1816, caused the largest major slave rebellion in the island's history. With 144 slaves executed and 123 deported by the king's army, one thousand people died in the revolt for freedom. Finally, 18 years later in 1834, slavery was abolished in the British Empire. In Barbados and the remainder of the British West Indian colonies, an apprenticeship period of six years preceded full emancipation from slavery.

However, owing to the high income qualification required for voting, plantation owners and merchants of British descent still dominated the island’s politics. More than 70% of the population were excluded from the democratic process, many of them unenfranchised women. Descendants of emancipated slaves began a movement for political rights in the 1930s. Sir Grantley Adams, one of the leaders of this movement, founded the Barbados Labour Party in 1938, then known as the Barbados Progressive League. Adams and his party demanded more rights for the poor and for the people, though he was a staunch supporter of the monarchy. Barbados made progress toward a more democratic government in 1942, when the exclusive income qualification was decreased and women were accorded the right to vote. Governmental control was wrested from the planters by 1949 and Adams became Premier of Barbados in 1958.

Barbados was one of the ten members of the West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. This organization was doomed by the fact that its members, as colonies of Britain, held limited legislative power and by nationalistic attitudes. Serving as its first and only ”Prime Minister", Adam’s leadership failed in attempts to form similar unions. His opponents used his repeated defense of the monarchy as evidence that he was no longer in touch with the needs of his country. A fervent reformer, Errol Walton Barrow, became the new advocate for the people. Barrow formed the Democratic Labour Party as a liberal alternative to Adams' conservative government after leaving the BLP. Many progressive social programs, such as free education for all Barbadians and the School Meals system, were instituted by Barrow. By 1961, the DLP controlled the government and Barrow had replaced Adams as Premier.

Barbados had reverted to its former status, that of a self-governing colony, with the Federation dissolved. In June 1966 the island negotiated its own independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom. On November 30, 1966, after years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados finally became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Errol Barrow its first Prime Minister.

Tourism and Culture

Barbados has one major airport, the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) (IATA identifier BGI) which receives daily flights by several major airlines from points around the world, as well as several charters and smaller regional commercial airlines. It serves as the main air-transportation hub for the Eastern Caribbean. The airport is presently undergoing a US$100 million expansion and upgrade.

Barbados is well developed having internationally-known hotels offering world-class accommodation. Many of the smaller local hotels and private villas dotting the island have space available if booked in advance and time-shares are also available. With the calm light blue Caribbean sea and their fine pinkish and white sandy beaches, the western and southern coasts of Barbados are popular. Tumbling waves perfect for light surfing, but a little bit risky due to under-tow currents, are along the island's Atlantic Ocean side on the east coast. A very popular spot with surfers all year round is the Soup Bowl' near to Bathsheba.

Popular in Barbados are shopping districts with ample duty-free shopping. Tourist areas such as the Saint Lawrence Gap offer a festive night-life. Other attractions include cave exploration, exotic drinks, festivals (the largest being the annual crop over festival July/Aug), fine clothes shopping, golf, helicopter rides, jewelers, sightseeing, scuba diving and wildlife reserves.

English influence on Barbados is more observable than on other islands in the West Indies. Cricket, the island's national sport, is a good example of this. Several great cricket players, including Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell, have come out of Barbados.

Citizens are officially called Barbadians; residents of Barbados though, colloquially refer to themselves or the products of their nation as "Bajan". The expression "Bajan" may have originated from a localized pronunciation of the word Barbadian which sometimes sounds more like "Bar-bajan".

Crop Over festival is the largest carnival-like cultural event taking place on Barbados, second only in size to the carnival held in Trinidad and Tobago.

Crop Over is an important event for many people on the Barbados, as in many other Caribbean and Latin American countries. Thousands of tourists flock to the island to participate in the annual events.

The festival gets started at the beginning of July and ends the first Monday of August with the costumed parade on Kadooment Day. It includes a variety of traditional activities and musical competitions.

Transportation

Route taxis', called "ZR's" (pronounced "Zed-Rs" not "Zee-Rs"), provide good transportation on Barbados. These small buses can at times be crowded, but will usually take the more scenic routes to destinations while traveling to most points on the island. "ZR's" typically depart from Speightstown in the northern part of the island or from the capital Bridgetown.

Three bus systems run seven days a week, although less often on Sundays, costing $1.50 BDS per ride. The larger blue buses from the government-operated Barbados Transport Board system cannot give change; "ZRs" and "minibuses", the smaller buses from the two privately-owned systems can make change. Most routes require a connection in Bridgetown. Even if competing services would be more suitable, some drivers within the competitive privately owned systems are reluctant to advise visitors to use them.

Competition for customers extends to the bus terminals which at times is just a parking lot full of buses. It is normal for the 'ZR' bus conductors to attempt to lead you to their bus and engage in loud bickering with other conductors and drivers, in competition for your business.

Though they can be expensive, Barbados has plenty of taxis for hire. Presuming that they have a driver's license issued in their native country, visitors also have the option of transport by car. There are no multi-national car-rental agencies such as Avis, Europcar or Hertz, but there are several locally-owned and operated vehicle rental agencies on the island. Some hotels provide visitors with shuttles from outside the hotel lobby to points of interest on Barbados .

	Choose your Barbados villa through CVOA CVOA offers hundreds of luxury Barbados villas from CVOA members. Barbados, a rich blend of West Indian and British cultures, is a perfect combination of the old luxurious way of life, along with the newest restaurants and duty-free shopping. Soak in the near perfect weather with average daytime highs of 75-85 F and slightly cooler nights. Visitors will find more attractions per square mile on Barbados than any other Caribbean destination. Beautiful white sand beaches abound in Barbados and offer something for everyone, whether you just want to relax in the sun or take to the sea. The calm blue transparent waters of the west and southern coast are ideal for diving, snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing or just plain old swimming! Surfers can catch the waves on the east coast at the popular “Soup Bowl”. Enjoy the well preserved architecture in its historic towns or revel in the music, dance and art of the creative Bajans. Experience the charm of Barbados and its warm, life-loving people that is sure to lure you back again and again! Book your choice of the widest selection of Barbados villas available through CVOA. Barbados is an independent island nation in the western Atlantic Ocean situated just east of the Caribbean Sea. The country lies in the southern Caribbean region, at roughly 13° North and 59° West, where it is a part of the Lesser Antilles island-chain. It is approximately 270 miles (434 kilometers) northeast of Venezuela making it relatively close to the South American continent. Barbados’ closest island neighbors are Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west, Grenada to the south-west, and Trinidad and Tobago to the south, with which Barbados now shares a fixed official maritime boundary. The island’s' total land area is about 166 square miles (430 square kilometers), and is mostly low-lying, with some higher regions inland. The organic composition of Barbados is thought to be of non-volcanic origin and is primarily made up of limestone-coral. Constant trade winds off the Atlantic Ocean serve to keep temperatures mild, giving the island its tropical atmosphere. Other areas of the country are undeveloped containing scrubland and woodland. Large sugarcane estates and wide, gently sloping pastures, with many good views down to the sea coast dot the interior and contribute to the agriculture industry. The island enjoys one of the highest standards of literacy and living rates worldwide. Barbados constantly ranks in the top 30 (or 31) countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings despite its small size. It presently ranks third in the Americas. Barbados is also a major tourist destination. History of Barbados American nomads were the earliest inhabitants of Barbados. Three waves of migrants moved north toward North America. The first wave was of the Saladoid-Barrancoid group, who were farmers and fishermen, arrived by canoe from South America (Venezuela's Orinoco Valley) around 350 CE. Arriving from South America around 800 CE, the Arawak people were the second wave of migrants. Stroud Point, Chandler Bay, Saint Luke's Gully and Mapp's Cave are all Arawak settlements on the island. The original name for Barbados was Ichirouganaim, according to accounts by descendants of the aboriginal Arawak tribes on nearby islands. Both the Arawak and the Salodoid-Barrancoid were displaced in the thirteenth century, when the Caribs arrived from South America in the third wave. Like the Arawak and the Salodoid-Barrancoid, the Caribs lived in isolation on the island for the next few centuries. The origin of the name Barbados is uncertain. The Portuguese, first to conquer (discover) and name the island, referred to it as Isla de los Barbados or island of the bearded ones, in an official Portuguese document as early as 1511. It is a matter of speculation whether the word "bearded" refers to the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia) indigenous to the island, to the foam spraying over the outlying reefs giving the impression of a beard or to bearded Amerindians occupying the island. A map produced by the Genoese mapmaker Vesconte de Maggiola in 1519, showed and named Barbados in its true position north of Tobago. Portuguese conquistadors seized many Caribs on Barbados and used them as slave labor on plantations, while other Caribs fled the island. The Portuguese left little impact apart from displacing the Caribs and most settlers left the island for nearby South America by the 1610s. British sailors who landed on Barbados in 1625 at the site of present-day Holetown on the Caribbean coast, found the island uninhabited. Barbados was under uninterrupted British control from the arrival of the first British settlers in 16271628 until independence in 1966. However, Barbados always enjoyed a large degree of local autonomy. In 1639 the island’s House of Assembly began meeting. Sir William Courten was among the initial important British figures. An increasing number of black slaves were brought to the island starting in the 1620s. Throughout the 1640s, hundreds of slaves were executed by Royalist planters during the English Civil War. They feared that the ideas of the Levellers might spread to the slave populace if Barbados came under control of Parliament. In 1647 5000 locals died of fever. Celtic people, mainly from Ireland and Scotland, went to Barbados in large numbers as indentured servants. The Celtic population was used as a buffer between the larger African population and the Anglo-Saxon plantation owners over the next several centuries. They variously served as members of the Colonial militia and played a strong role as allies of the larger African slave population in a long string of colonial rebellions. The English shipped many Irishmen and Scots off to Barbados as slaves in 1659. Scots and English were sent off to the island by King James II and others of his dynasty. One such example occurred after the crushing of the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. Modern descendants of this original slave population are sometimes contemptuously referred to as Red Legs, or locally 'ecky becky'. They are some of the poorest inhabitants in Barbados today. Intermarriage between the African and Celtic populations on the islands has taken place on a large-scale. Barbados became increasingly unattractive to poor whites with the increased implementation of slave codes, which produced differential treatment between the white settlers and Africans. In 1661, 1676, 1682, and 1688 Black or slave codes were implemented. Several slave rebellions where attempted or planned during this time in response to these codes, but without success. An increasingly repressive legal system, however, caused the chasm between the treatment of black slaves and typically white indentured servants to broaden. For the rich planters who would increasingly dominate Barbados not only economically but also politically, imported slaves became much more appealing. Some have surmised that, the white population decreased because the Africans could endure tropical diseases and the climate much better than the white slave community. This contradicts the fact that many poor whites remained in tropical climates, simply immigrating to neighboring islands. Nonetheless, as those poor whites who acquired or had the means to emigrate often did so, along with the increased importation of African slaves, Barbados turned from primarily Celtic in the seventeenth century to mostly black by the nineteenth century. Barbados was divided into large plantation estates that replaced the smallholdings of the early British settlers as the sugar industry developed into its main commercial enterprise. Some of the displaced farmers relocated to British colonies in North America, especially South Carolina. West Africans were transported and enslaved on Barbados and other Caribbean islands to work the plantations. In 1804 the slave trade ceased but the continuation of slavery in 1816, caused the largest major slave rebellion in the island's history. With 144 slaves executed and 123 deported by the king's army, one thousand people died in the revolt for freedom. Finally, 18 years later in 1834, slavery was abolished in the British Empire. In Barbados and the remainder of the British West Indian colonies, an apprenticeship period of six years preceded full emancipation from slavery. However, owing to the high income qualification required for voting, plantation owners and merchants of British descent still dominated the island’s politics. More than 70% of the population were excluded from the democratic process, many of them unenfranchised women. Descendants of emancipated slaves began a movement for political rights in the 1930s. Sir Grantley Adams, one of the leaders of this movement, founded the Barbados Labour Party in 1938, then known as the Barbados Progressive League. Adams and his party demanded more rights for the poor and for the people, though he was a staunch supporter of the monarchy. Barbados made progress toward a more democratic government in 1942, when the exclusive income qualification was decreased and women were accorded the right to vote. Governmental control was wrested from the planters by 1949 and Adams became Premier of Barbados in 1958. Barbados was one of the ten members of the West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. This organization was doomed by the fact that its members, as colonies of Britain, held limited legislative power and by nationalistic attitudes. Serving as its first and only ”Prime Minister", Adam’s leadership failed in attempts to form similar unions. His opponents used his repeated defense of the monarchy as evidence that he was no longer in touch with the needs of his country. A fervent reformer, Errol Walton Barrow, became the new advocate for the people. Barrow formed the Democratic Labour Party as a liberal alternative to Adams' conservative government after leaving the BLP. Many progressive social programs, such as free education for all Barbadians and the School Meals system, were instituted by Barrow. By 1961, the DLP controlled the government and Barrow had replaced Adams as Premier. Barbados had reverted to its former status, that of a self-governing colony, with the Federation dissolved. In June 1966 the island negotiated its own independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom. On November 30, 1966, after years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados finally became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Errol Barrow its first Prime Minister. Tourism and Culture Barbados has one major airport, the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) (IATA identifier BGI) which receives daily flights by several major airlines from points around the world, as well as several charters and smaller regional commercial airlines. It serves as the main air-transportation hub for the Eastern Caribbean. The airport is presently undergoing a US$100 million expansion and upgrade. Barbados is well developed having internationally-known hotels offering world-class accommodation. Many of the smaller local hotels and private villas dotting the island have space available if booked in advance and time-shares are also available. With the calm light blue Caribbean sea and their fine pinkish and white sandy beaches, the western and southern coasts of Barbados are popular. Tumbling waves perfect for light surfing, but a little bit risky due to under-tow currents, are along the island's Atlantic Ocean side on the east coast. A very popular spot with surfers all year round is the Soup Bowl' near to Bathsheba. Popular in Barbados are shopping districts with ample duty-free shopping. Tourist areas such as the Saint Lawrence Gap offer a festive night-life. Other attractions include cave exploration, exotic drinks, festivals (the largest being the annual crop over festival July/Aug), fine clothes shopping, golf, helicopter rides, jewelers, sightseeing, scuba diving and wildlife reserves. English influence on Barbados is more observable than on other islands in the West Indies. Cricket, the island's national sport, is a good example of this. Several great cricket players, including Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell, have come out of Barbados. Citizens are officially called Barbadians; residents of Barbados though, colloquially refer to themselves or the products of their nation as "Bajan". The expression "Bajan" may have originated from a localized pronunciation of the word Barbadian which sometimes sounds more like "Bar-bajan". Crop Over festival is the largest carnival-like cultural event taking place on Barbados, second only in size to the carnival held in Trinidad and Tobago. Crop Over is an important event for many people on the Barbados, as in many other Caribbean and Latin American countries. Thousands of tourists flock to the island to participate in the annual events. The festival gets started at the beginning of July and ends the first Monday of August with the costumed parade on Kadooment Day. It includes a variety of traditional activities and musical competitions. Transportation Route taxis', called "ZR's" (pronounced "Zed-Rs" not "Zee-Rs"), provide good transportation on Barbados. These small buses can at times be crowded, but will usually take the more scenic routes to destinations while traveling to most points on the island. "ZR's" typically depart from Speightstown in the northern part of the island or from the capital Bridgetown. Three bus systems run seven days a week, although less often on Sundays, costing $1.50 BDS per ride. The larger blue buses from the government-operated Barbados Transport Board system cannot give change; "ZRs" and "minibuses", the smaller buses from the two privately-owned systems can make change. Most routes require a connection in Bridgetown. Even if competing services would be more suitable, some drivers within the competitive privately owned systems are reluctant to advise visitors to use them. Competition for customers extends to the bus terminals which at times is just a parking lot full of buses. It is normal for the 'ZR' bus conductors to attempt to lead you to their bus and engage in loud bickering with other conductors and drivers, in competition for your business. Though they can be expensive, Barbados has plenty of taxis for hire. Presuming that they have a driver's license issued in their native country, visitors also have the option of transport by car. There are no multi-national car-rental agencies such as Avis, Europcar or Hertz, but there are several locally-owned and operated vehicle rental agencies on the island. Some hotels provide visitors with shuttles from outside the hotel lobby to points of interest on Barbados .