I absolutely love Barbados. We stayed at Mango Bay in Holetown. It was amazing. The resort is a little smaller but you can walk out the front door and go to local bars, shops, hell even a Texaco with a KFC in it. We always felt safe even at night. The food was very good, but not 24-7 like some resorts. We did go to two restaurants while we were there. The Tides and The Cliff are great. There is also a marine reserve that is walking distance so if you snorkle, it's paradise. My friend and I "chartered" a fishing boat, it was a 16 ft wooden boat with an outboard. We handlined for tuna and caught two, the biggest weighing 6 lbs. That was nuts. We saw a boat catch a big tuna and it was hilarious watching a tourist fight a big tuna on a handline. After we were done we took our tuna to Mango Bay and they cooked it for us and it was the best tuna I've ever had. We thought about going this year but we are saving coin by going to Curacao instead. Hope this helps.