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Photo by: Zach Stovall

Bottom Bay Beach

The 92 miles of Barbados’ coastline is trimmed with 80 beaches, from tranquil to tempestuous. Picture-perfect Bottom Bay, on the island’s east coast, is very much of the latter variety. A more rollicking version of nearby Crane Beach, Bottom Bay is 180 yards of pearl-white sand fronted by thundering, translucent waves whose path has remained unbroken across 2,700 miles of open Atlantic. Fancy a swim? There’s an old Bajan saying that goes, “De sea ain’t got nuh back door.” In other words, once you’re in, you’re in: Swim here at your own peril. Fortunately, beaches have uses that extend beyond bathing (wink, wink), and this one is romance-novel gorgeous, backed by coral cliffs and dancing palms. Pack a picnic; grab a blanket; get friendly.

Crane Beach

Named for the long-gone crane that once unloaded cargo from ships, this splendiferous and oft-photographed (see our October 2011 cover) quarter-mile of pink and white sand sprawls out below the grand old resort of the same name on the island’s rugged southeast coast. Swimmers appreciate the cliffs that bookend Crane Beach; unlike the surf that crashes along the aforementioned Bottom Bay beach, the roiling Atlantic here is kept in check. Sun, splash and, if you can afford the splurge, grab some sushi at the Crane Resort’s Zagat-rated Japanese/Thai restaurant, Zen.

Mullins Beach

Facing the placid Caribbean, the west side of Barbados is known as the Platinum Coast, thanks to a string of tony resorts here. And yet there’s an egalitarian charm to pretty Mullins Beach, just south of Speightstown. Make a day of it on the sand with a lively mix of locals and tourists, then grab a drink or linger over dinner at the excellent Mullins Restaurant as the sun sets over the Caribbean.

Bathsheba Pools

The open waters off the east-coast of surf town Bathsheba are famously treacherous, so swimming is a definite no-no. Lounging for hours in the effervescent inshore pools here, however, rum concoction in hand, is one of the island’s most emphatic yeses.

Bath Beach

A happy anomaly on the east coast, reef-protected Bath Beach (named for the town of Bath) is a swimmer’s delight. And just off the sand, look for the remains of the Barbados Railway, which hauled cargo and people between Bridgetown and Bathsheba from 1867 to 1937.

Accra Beach

With plenty of soft sand and surf conditions that are spirited without being lethal, Accra (aka Rockley) is the place to be on the south coast. There are food and tchotchke vendors, along with water-sports outfitters of all sorts renting boogie boards, Hobie cats, snorkeling gear, you name it. You’ll find windsurfing and kiteboarding here too, though serious wind seekers should discover nearby Silver Sands.

This article first appeared in the January/February 2012 issue of Caribbean Travel + Life.