Sun, sea and spectacular gardens: Why Barbados is a must-visit for plant lovers

For the perfect combination of sun, sea, sand and gardens, you can’t beat Barbados. While this Caribbean island delivers all the picture-postcard beauty you’d expect, the horticultural highlights are exceptional, making it a must-visit destination for anyone with a gardening itch to scratch.

I visited Barbados for a week and crammed my time with trips to public and private gardens, along with nature-based attractions, which all satisfied my appetite for exploring that natural world enormously. The gardens I visited, and the people I met, were hugely inspiring, and I adored fuelling my passion from a different corner of the globe. And of course, cooling off in the Caribbean Sea after a day of garden visiting was pretty enjoyable too. For me, this trip was the ideal mix of activity and relaxation – here are my highlights.

Sugar Bay Barbados

Every trip needs a good base and Sugar Bay delivered on every front. Just half an hour from the airport, the hotel is located on the southwest Caribbean coast right on the beach. Every garden I visited was within a 45-minute drive, and there was plenty of interest within walking distance too.

The hotel grounds are beautifully cared for, with masses of plants, birds and wildlife to keep any garden and nature lover occupied, and the proximity to the ocean is wonderful. An incredible team keeps everything ticking along, and every drink, meal or interaction I enjoyed was delivered with Barbadian warmth and grace – something I soon realised was typical of everyone I met on the island.

Hunte’s Gardens

From the moment I arrived at the entrance to Hunte’s Gardens, I was enthralled. Beautifully planted containers, upcycled features and meticulously cared for plants greeted me, and it was clear from the first moment the garden had been put together with passion, artistry and an eye for detail.

The man behind it all is Anthony Hunt, an octogenarian who still walks the garden daily and greets visitors, thanking them for taking the time to come. And what a garden he’s created. Open to the public since 2007, the gardens are built into a collapsed cave, with lots of steps, hidden corners and myriad places to take a seat and enjoy the view along the way. The plants are gorgeous too – all in peak health, with tropical colour at every turn.

Hunte’s has an exciting energy and I loved everything about it – 2.5 acres of horticultural heaven!

Andromeda Botanic Gardens

Visiting Andromeda has been on my bucket list for years, so I was beyond thrilled to get the chance during this trip. The garden began in the 1950s and was created by Iris Bannochie who skilfully grew and cared for the plant collection right up to her death in the 1980s.

The garden sadly begun to fall into disrepair after Iris’ death, but it’s gradually been reclaimed and redeveloped and for the past 12 years has been under the diligent care of curator, Sharon Cooke. Sharon is focusing on conservation, education and research with particular attention to supporting pollinators and wildlife, along with making the garden as inclusive as possible. It’s free for Barbados residents to visit, and areas are currently being developed to make some parts accessible to wheelchair users.

Taking on a garden important as Andromeda, isn’t for the faint hearted but Sharon is respectfully caring for it – all while appreciating and staying true to Iris’ legacy, alongside making it a destination everyone can enjoy.

Coco Hill Forest

Many people I met to told me how much of the Barbados landscape was once covered in sugar cane. I saw plenty of fields still filled with the crop, but production has reduced dramatically these days, and there’s a movement towards regenerating land with biodiversity in mind – and Coco Hill Forest is leading the way.

Owner Mahmood Patel is behind the 53-acre project, which is a mix of nature-friendly forest management alongside regenerative agriculture – so growing bananas, ginger, coco and more cheek by jowl, rather than in isolation. The forest Mahmood is creating is a special place and ‘going slow’ with nature in mind is at the heart of everything – no chemicals, no concrete and with all paths and steps painstakingly created by hand using natural materials.

A visit to Coco Hill Forest feels like an adventure – take sturdy shoes and walk the hiking trails or take the opportunity to camp if you’d really like to connect with nature. And why not lend a hand? Like many nature-based initiatives, the forest is work-in-progress and Mahmood is always looking for volunteers to help with the work. So why not get in involved.

Welchman Hall Gully

Formed from a collapsed cave, Welchman Hall Gully is a natural geographical wonder that’s full of tropical plants, all thriving in their natural environment. The space is cared for by Debra Branker and her small team, and they get the level of human intervention just right – all plants are left to their own devices, and nothing is introduced, but natural plant debris is discretely tidied to keep things smart. The path through the gully is also smooth, solid and well maintained making it perfect for fair-weather walkers or those with limited mobility. This beautiful natural wonder really is accessible to all.

Kids are also welcomed with open arms, with a cool adventure park to let of steam, the chance to see and feed the gully’s troop of monkeys and plenty of wildlife to spot along the way. There’s also a nature programme, the opportunity for school tours and the chance to join a kid’s nature camp, making Welchman Hall Gully a fantastic place for young people to connect with the natural world.

You can walk to gully solo or take a tour from November to April.

Open gardens

Operated by Barbados National Trust, the Open Houses and Gardens programme runs January through to March and provides the chance visit public and privately-owned locations that wouldn’t otherwise be open – a bit like our National Garden Scheme here in the UK.

I visited three privately owned gardens that were part of the scheme and thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the owners. It’s wonderful how the language of gardening is the same worldwide and conversation flowed easily as we discussed our mutual joys, and frustrations, of growing plants and tending a garden. It seems the ‘rules’ of garden visiting are the same worldwide too – I was offered something to eat and drink everywhere I went, and saw plenty of dogs, cats and other pets that were all very much part of the garden’s story.

If you can plan a trip to Barbados to coincide with future Open Houses and Gardens programmes, I’d thoroughly recommend it. You’ll see real gardening that you’ll instantly connect with. It’s a joy.

Flower Forest Botanical Gardens

As the name suggests, this magical place is an enchanting cross between tropical forest and ornamental garden. Owner David Spieler showed me round and said he wanted to create somewhere to give visitors a bit of peace from the busy world – this really struck a chord, and I enjoyed leaning into David’s vision and using the visit as a moment to take a pause during my trip.

The gardens, which cover more than 50 acres in total, are beautiful with lots of thoughtfully curated colour and interest – the balance between natural landscape and floral additions from David’s team is perfect and very skilfully done. There are also mosaic art installations, created by David, along the way that bring further points of focus as you walk the garden paths.

I loved the Flower Forest – there was a feeling of calm and serenity about the place that got under my skin. https://www.flowerforestbarbados.com/

Food and drink

I enjoyed everything I ate and drank in Barbados, but there were a couple of restaurants that I particularly enjoyed, which you should add to your hit list. The first was the restaurant at Eco Lifestyle + Lodge, which serves a mainly plant-based and organic menu, for a clean and inventive twist on traditional Barbadian cuisine. I had a delicious salad loaded with roasted and pickled veg, nuts, seeds and more. The lodge is perched on the east coast with spectacular views of the breaking Atlantic ocean.

The second place I’d make a beeline for is Local & Co, which is right on the beach of the northwest Caribbean coast. It’s a smart, super cool venue with great music and a chilled vibe (there was a great DJ while I was there), but it isn’t style over substance. The menu is inventive and the kitchen actively supports regenerative food systems, organic farmers, biodiversity and meticulously sources and forages ingredients to cut down on imports. I had shrimp ceviche and pepperpot Bajan beef – both exceptional and made for a meal I’ll remember for a long time.

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