The Maldives or Barbados? Even muttering their names can unknot the most tense of shoulders.
To pick one you need to ask what you want from a tropical island vacation. Do you favor fine dining over fine diving? Luxury resorts over life-giving rum? Peace and quiet over watersports?
The one thing you don't want is any more stress, so we've had two writers pick their paradise and put the case forward for each. Now it's showdown time!
The Maldives vs Barbados: which should you choose?
It’s no contest – make your way to the Maldives
Fiona Tapp is a British travel writer living in Canada who loves the Indian Ocean. She has traveled around the region extensively including across different atolls and islands in the Maldives. Here's why she thinks life is too short not to pick the Maldives…
More than 1000 coral islands, grouped together like sparkling gems across chains of 27 atolls? You've got to choose the Maldives. Either stay on one of the 188 inhabited islands, or hop between several. However you choose to visit, you'll get a celebrity welcome. Frangipani garlands. A refreshing ruku raa (coconut palm toddy). Traditional Boduberu drums.
You can cover many of the islands on foot, which adds to the sense of remoteness. It's as though you're shipwrecked here. What good fortune.
The Maldives offers the kind of beach vacation people dream of their whole lives. Luxury 5-star resorts. Over-water villas like Sun Siyam Iru Veli. All you need to do is climb down a ladder from your villa into the Indian Ocean. Many resorts offer day passes to non-guests, too. That means enjoying the amenities for a fraction of the cost.
Once you’ve had your fill of private pools and butler service (yeah, right...), explore the Maldives beyond the villas. Local islands like Maafushi have the same gorgeous beaches and clear waters but with a more laid-back vibe. It's a good chance to experience community culture. Other gems include Vaadhoo, which has a bioluminescent beach, and Goidhoo, a favorite with divers.
Venture beneath the waves and it's easy to see why the Maldives is so popular with divers. The fantasy-like crystalline waters are home to the most beautiful coral gardens in the world. Snorkelers can marvel at over 2000 fish species, moray eels and various rays. There’s wildlife on land, too, including garden lizards and flying foxes (fruit bats). The latter are as common as birds but have wingspans of up to almost 1.5m (5ft).
Despite a plentiful supply of staples such as fresh fish and coconuts, the country is dependent on imported food. Still, locals find inventive ways to maximize those ingredients. Try the mas huni (shredded coconut, tuna, chilis, and onions) for breakfast with roshi (flatbread), or used as a filling in masroshi (chapatis) or bajiyaa (samosas).
Many resorts in the Maldives have embraced conservation efforts to protect this beautiful part of the world. Despite hiring sustainability officers and marine biologists who can educate guests and promote environmental stewardship like coral planting, the most sobering reason the Maldives wins this travel showdown is simple. The low-lying archipelago faces an uncertain future. Climate scientists predict up to 80% of the Maldives will disappear by 2050 due to rising sea levels. So get here while you can. You won't regret it.
It has got to be Barbados – here’s why
Nasha Smith is from St Lucia but considers the entire Caribbean her home, spending extensive time in Barbados, Martinique, St Vincent, Dominica, and more. She co-authored Lonely Planet's Caribbean Islands guidebook and often dreams about Chefette's chicken and potato roti in Barbados.
Not all islands are created equal – as Barbados proves. Like most eastern Caribbean islands, it’s blessed with idyllic beaches and warm, cerulean waters. But on top of that tranquility, it has a high-energy culture – dancehall, calypso and soca rhythms; flamboyant festivals; some of the finest rum in the Caribbean – and a richly spiced food scene that runs from beachside fry shacks to fine-dining restaurants.
Few islands come close. Not even with the beaches. Just check out the sublime Crane Beach to the east. This soft stretch of blush-hued sand is lapped by warm turquoise waters. After a taxing day of relaxing here, I love to head to the Crane Resort on the clifftop at sunset to watch the golden orb slowly merge with the sea as the ice melts in my Pink Sand Martini (vodka, passionfruit puree, strawberry jam, lime and cinnamon syrup).
Further along the coast, Bathsheba’s boisterous waves are not for the faint-hearted (though the surfers seem to love it) but a small collection of natural pools, known as the Bathsheba Pools, sit amongst the spectacular rock formations like natural Jacuzzis. They are well worth the trek. Few tourists ever get here.
They don’t make it to Bottom Bay either, another of my favorite beaches. Flanked by steep coral cliffs, the pale pink sands of this secluded cove are where I go for a chilled day at the beach with a good book and a picnic. But that’s the magic of Barbados. A visit here should never take it out of you. The island is even relatively flat compared to its neighbors. Indeed, some of the hidden beauty in Barbados is found underground.
Take Harrison's Cave, a subterranean limestone cavern with stunning formations of stalactites and stalagmites. With its enchanting streams and waterways, entering the cave feels like stepping into another world. Similarly, in St Lucy, the Animal Flower Cave is something of a geological spectacle where makeshift rock “windows” open out to the vast Atlantic. Its calm saltwater lake can be a sanctuary from the vibrant life above.
Not that you’ll want to miss that either. Just a taste of Bajan cuisine, which fuses African, Creole, Indian, Portuguese, Indigenous, Irish, and British flavors, and you’ll be hooked. Several restaurants serve international fare, but the West Indian in me likes to eat local. Freshly caught fish. Spicy curries. Ripe plantains. Macaroni pie. Sweet potato. Cassava. Souse (a pickled pork dish).
As the birthplace of rum, Barbados takes pride in the Mount Gay Distillery, the oldest in the world. Sampling the distillery's premium rums is a highlight of any culinary trip. Just pair a rum cocktail class with a buffet of Bajan favorites if you want to experience heaven on earth. It doesn’t get more homegrown than a piping hot plate of cou cou (a smooth, polenta-like concoction of okra and cornmeal) and lightly fried (or steamed) flying fish served with a herby tomato-based broth – all washed down with a glass of rum. Make a beeline to Mustor's Restaurant in Bridgetown for the best take on the saucy national dish.
It’s not often that I recommend a fast food joint, but Chefette is the exception. No Bajan experience is complete without trying their soft roti skins teeming with curried meats and fragrant Indian spices.
Then, of course, there are the people. Some of the best in the world. Locally, to “lime” means to hang out with friends – and there are plenty of places to lime in Barbados. Just a short stroll from the beach in Oistins Bay Gardens, you'll find a mélange of pulsating music, spirited dancing, and a panoply of craft stalls as the irresistible aroma of fresh fish sizzles away on the grill.
The weekly Oistins Fish Fry, typically held on Friday nights, is the essence of Barbados. It’s a seafood extravaganza of tuna, marlin, mahi-mahi, swordfish, flying fish, shrimp and lobster, all carefully seasoned and then grilled or fried. Sip on a cold Banks beer or a potent rum punch and immerse yourself in the celebrations.
A few minutes away is St Lawrence Gap (known as The Gap), a bustling ribbon of land less than a mile in length and the epicenter for shopping, dining and nightlife. The street comes to life after dark, particularly on the west side, where most restaurants and nightclubs are located. Other bars offer a more relaxed atmosphere. Indulge in street food and coconut water, then make your way to the boardwalk to watch a resplendent sunset unfold. Trust me – you will never tire of the sunsets.
Each visit to Barbados brings new adventures: a stroll down Rihanna Drive to take in the community that raised an international pop star; soaking in the sweeping views from Gun Hill Signal Station; snorkeling above shipwrecks in Carlisle Bay; wandering through the lush Andromeda Botanic Gardens; catching a cricket match at the historic Kensington Oval; or enjoying the revelry and riot of colors of Grand Kadooment Day.
Barbados never ceases to amaze with its endless possibilities. I said all islands were born unequal.
