Fairmont Royal Pavilion

Fancy stepping straight from your hotel suite onto the soft white sands of the Platinum Coast? That’s precisely what’s on offer at Fairmont Royal Pavilion – one of only a handful of hotels on Barbados to offer rooms with direct beach access.

Fairmont Royal Pavilion has arguably the best location of any hotel on the island, with its buildings strung out along a half-mile stretch of white-sand beach on the stunning west coast. The calm turquoise water that laps the gently sloping beach is ideal for swimming, while behind the sandy shore, the resort’s 11-acre estate offers peace and quiet among gently swaying palm trees and fragrant tropical gardens.

But it’s the proximity of the rooms to the talcum-white sand that really sets the place apart. Oceanfront Rooms offer unobstructed views of the Caribbean Sea from their glass-fronted balconies. Beachfront Suites provide the rarest of prizes – direct beach access straight from your living room. While villas are cocooned in Caribbean greenery, offering garden views from the bedrooms and ocean views from the terraces. All categories benefit from a complimentary VIP airport fast-track service.

Visit either of the hotel restaurants and you’ll quickly understand why Barbados is the culinary capital of the Caribbean. Palm Terrace offers open-air dining with stunning sea views and a menu that pays homage to indigenous, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients. Taboras, meanwhile, is a little more casual, serving everything from light bites and lunches to British afternoon tea on its ocean-facing terrace.

In addition to a freshwater pool with a hot tub just off it, tennis courts and a fitness centre, the hotel offers weekly wellness classes and an extensive range of non-motorised watersports, including kayaking, paddleboarding and Hobie Cat sailing. Seasonal activities are laid on for children and spa treatments are offered in the privacy of your own room.