Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

Cotton House Bay

The delightfully named Cotton House Bay is a small, secluded and idyllic bay on the South Coast of Barbados, in the parish of Christ Church. Almost at the southern most point in Barbados, tranquil Cotton House Bay lies between the livelier resorts of Miami Beach, Enterprise Beach and Oistins to the west, and Silver Sands and Surfer's Point to the east.

Finding Cotton House Bay can be difficult, but if you can get to the Silver Sands area in Barbados, look for Keizer Hill, and find the way to a beach bar called Surfer's Bay, you will uncover some barely visible steps nearby that finally lead down to the beach. Quite a trek, but well worth it.

Cotton House Bay has nevertheless remained largely undiscovered and is generally only passed through by visitors on route to the livelier nearby resorts, so if you do decide to visit Cotton House Bay you are likely to find you have this beautiful beach setting all to yourself, or at most be sharing it with only a few others - perfect if you are looking for a romantic setting for a picnic, particularly when there is a full moon casting shimmering light on the water. 

In the day, Cotton House Bay in Barbados has tantalizing powdery sand and gentle waves breaking on to the sea shore. Protected by natural clusters of rock outcrops, the sea is calm and safe for swimming, and novice surfers can be seen trying out their boards on the moderate waves and breaks at one end of the bay. Watersports lovers actually refer to the beach at Cotton House Bay beach as 'Rescue Beach', as the current here often washes up any surfboards or windsurfing boards that have been lost at the nearby beaches of Long Beach, Silver Rock and Silver Sands.

If you are planning to spend the day at Cotton House Bay in Barbados make sure you come prepared, as there are no amenities here, and no drink or food outlets. However, you can find plenty of amenities at the nearby Miami Beach and Enterprise Beach. 

You could also combine a visit to Cotton House Bay in Barbados with some sightseeing, and nearby attractions include one of Barbados' four lighthouses, the South Point Lighthouse. Originally built in 1852, the South Point Lighthouse was refurbished between 2004 and 2005 and its distinctive red and white horizontal stripes make it an excellent photographic subject.

Another nearby place of interest is Oistins, a fishing town renowned for its regular 'fish fry' each weekend. The best and freshest fish in Barbados are exhibited at this event, and visitors will also get a real sense of Bajan culture.