Barbados or St Lucia: which Caribbean island is best?
It's a tough choice: which glorious palm-fringed island, Barbados or St Lucia, to choose? They may be neighbours in the idyllic aquarium-clear waters of the Caribbean, but many people are surprised how dramatically different they are.
One island soars with majestic mountains to the other's relatively flatter landscape, one is bathed firmly in a British colonial legacy, while the other flits between British, French and Creole influences.
Wildlife abounds on both, as does the chance to get active, but one has serious rum heritage in its food and drink larder. Armed with our blow-by-blow battle between the two, you can choose your real-life Treasure Island.
Getting there: find the latest online offers on luxurious all-inclusive stays with Sandals* in both Barbados* and St Lucia*.
Beaches
It is, of course, the beaches that first brought holidaymakers flocking to both Barbados and St Lucia.
Barbados* is blessed with those TV-advert-white-sand beaches that dazzle against aquarium-clear seas with palms swaying gently behind, so it's a hard place not to fall for.
On the famous Platinum Coast, Sandy Lane Beach is the place to see and be seen; handy for A-lister celeb spotting too. Bottom Bay is a romantic cove hideaway, with Cattlewash Beach the place to get away from it all.
St Lucia has gorgeous beaches too, with a wilder, more rugged appeal. The sand here tends to be more golden rather than white, with many beaches coming with deeply dramatic backdrops, ideal for making your friends jealous back home. The south side of the island is home to some great beaches, such as Anse Des Sables.
As a slightly bigger island, St Lucia has a decent flurry of coves you can hide away in, too. Both are winners on the beach front, but Barbados shades it on a straight head-to-head for having more of those stereotypically dreamy Caribbean sands.
Scenery & nature
Barbados is the relatively flat England-esque island of lower hills compared to St Lucia's mountainous Scotland-esque drama.
One hillier area in Barbados is appropriately named 'Scotland District', with the island's highest peak, Mount Hillaby at 340 metres (1,115 feet). While the locals on Barbados enjoy their easy-to-get-around transport system on their relatively flat island, across on St Lucia it's a different story.
Those mighty Piton Mountains are quite the scenic highlight on St Lucia, brooding over the island and providing a spectacular background.
Both of these volcanic peaks, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, have been cited on the UNESCO World Heritage list. St Lucia's highest peak, Mount Gimie, stretches 950 metres (3,117 feet) into the heavens.
There is a clear winner here, unless you're allergic to hills, and that is more rugged, wilder St Lucia.
Wildlife
Creatures thriving on Barbados include monkeys, hares and the accompanying tortoises, plus all manner of lizards. Myriad birds and bats soar in the air, while Brocket deer ease around the land.
Over on St Lucia*, you'll also find monkeys, mongoose, snakes and wild pigs with countless bird and lizard species too, including geckos and St Lucia Whiptail, the latter one of the rarest lizard species in the world.
Both islands' waters are patrolled by the sort of marine mammals you want to take a tour boat out in search of, like dolphins and whales. The turtles you encounter snorkelling and diving off both islands are a life-affirming joy. As the wild, more rugged island, St Lucia emerges as the winner, though Barbados is no slouch on the wildlife front.
History
If we're talking the imprint of mankind as opposed to the wonder of natural history, then this is really no contest, given Barbados offers an immersive window into the British colonial legacy like few other places.
Think plantation houses, botanical gardens and British-era architecture, as well as its proud Afro-Caribbean heritage. Barbados is more Little Britain, with cricket culture, Anglican churches and afternoon tea woven inexorably into its fabric.
While Barbados wears its colonial history on its sleeve, St Lucia only sports a few forts and less dramatic historical detritus. Saying that, its eclectic French, African and Caribbean influences add depth to any visit, as does the Creole culture.
Barbados wins here as its colonial legacy is so extensive and well-preserved alongside its Afro-Caribbean heritage.
Getting active
St Lucia storms out of the adrenaline-pumping gate here as it's one of the adventure capitals of the Caribbean. We're talking hiking in the mountains, splashing around in waterfalls and flying down a zipline, not to mention watersports.
Barbados boasts a great array of watersports too, but if hiking and land-based active adventures are your thing, then it really has to be St Lucia, especially if you are more into eco-tourism than mass tourism. St Lucia offers a thrill of immersive active experiences with jaw-dropping backgrounds.
Food & drink
Seafood is a real star of both islands, with the likes of tuna, mahi mahi and snapper all caught locally. There is a real variety in the cuisine of Barbados. Look out for its famous flying fish dishes and then the more delicious than it sounds macaroni pie, with British influences combining with more Caribbean tastes.
Some dishes come infused with the island's excellent rum, too. If you visit one distillery, make it Mount Gay, which has been distilling excellent rum since 1703.
St Lucia, meanwhile, weaves together the disparate flavours of France and West Africa, plus Creole tastes. The national dish is green figs and saltfish, with stews popular and a fierier kick working its way into dishes.
If you want to drink local, try cocoa tea. The food in the resorts is generally excellent in both islands, where the food is often a highlight of your stay. With influences from all over working into the mix, we have a very tasty score draw on the food front.
Compare weather
Use the graphs below to compare the weather in both destinations. Find out more about the climate in Barbados and the climate in St Lucia as well as conditions across the region in our complete guide to the climate in the Caribbean.
Barbados vs St Lucia
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- Hours of sunshine
- Days with some rainfall
- Monthly rainfall
- Sea temperature
Maximum daytime temperature (°C)
Hours of sunshine per day
Days with some rainfall
Monthly rainfall (mm)
Sea temperature (°C)
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