Villas for hire

Although officially they are self catering, guests won’t find themselves doing a huge amount of cooking themselves because many villas have a maid or butler on tap to tend to their every need and a trained cook for conjure up delicious Caribbean fare in the villa’s kitchen. Some even have a laundress to clean their smalls.

All villas have their own private pool, and consist of several beautifully furnished bedrooms, a lounge area and fully-equipped kitchen.

Specialist Caribbean tour operators, such as Carrier, feature villa properties in their brochures. A popular choice is Villa Melissa, a three-bedroomed private house with a detached two-bedroom cottage on the former Queens Fort Estate in the parish of St James.

Facilities include a split-level living room, an alfresco patio and a freeform swimming pool, while all of the air-conditioned bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms. Villa Melissa is available through Caribtours from £2,650 a week in the winter and £4,160 per week in the summer.

Tennis fans will love the new Sugar Hill Resort – one of the latest developments on Barbados. Alongside a complex of 100 one, two and three-bedroom villas, this David Lloyd Resort includes a world-class tennis club, fitness centre and a 2,000sq ft swimming pool. A three-bedroom Club Villa costs from £4,055 per week in the winter season with Caribbean specialist Carrier.