Sugar Bay

Sugar Bay Barbados

Sugar Bay is the approachable family all-inclusive on Barbados' south coast, for parents who want a central base near Bridgetown. It is not a secluded resort and does not try to be. It sits on the beach at Hastings, about 20 minutes from the airport, with the capital, Carlisle Bay and the south-coast restaurant strip within an easy taxi. That position is the reason to choose it: a Barbados week that gets off the property, at an all-inclusive price the island rarely offers. Guests praise the family value, the friendliness of the staff and the Hastings beachfront. The complaints are beach and sea conditions that vary, specialty restaurants that fill up, and rooms that are simpler than the luxury brands' up the west coast. The thing people wish they had known is that this is a lively, practical resort rather than a polished escape, and that the room categories deserve a careful read before booking. The plan covers unlimited dining at the Reef buffet and Colin's Beach Bar and Grill, with the two specialty restaurants, the Asian fusion UMI and the Sizzle steakhouse, capped at one visit each per three days; the creche, the kids' club for ages four to eleven and the teen clubhouse are included, as are the kayaks, boards and snorkelling gear. The spa is extra, and the transfer is a taxi at roughly 25 US dollars each way. Families needing separation should take a Family Suite, which sleeps five. Couples after quiet, or a west-coast lawn to the sand, should look elsewhere.