Belair Great House

Belair Great House is located on the "secret side" of Barbados on the south-east coast, favored by Bajans for generations.  Here, breezes blow off the Atlantic Ocean and the coastline consists of cliffs, intersected by sandy coves.  The beaches are white and pink sand with gently breaking waves with a relatively shallow, sandy ocean floor which illiminates the vibrant colours of hte sea.  Offshore there is a barrier reef where you can see the waves crasing in the distance.  This is where you come to relax and not be seen.  Belair is an impeccably restored plantation-style house that was built over hundred years ago and which has been a Barbadian family home owned by the same family for the past thirty five years.  The house is set on over two acres of beautiful lawns and gardens with almost 300 feet of ocean frontage.  The entire property is enclosed and has an electronic entrance gate and a small gate to the sea front.  It is extremely private and offers a peaceful setting that invites you to relax on its grand verandahs and admire its glorious island vistas and dramatic ocean views.  While the property provides all the modern facilities which are required by discerning vacationers, the old world character of Belair Great House has been carefully preserved.

Guests have a choice of either renting the 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom main hourse or both the main house and the coach house consisiting of a total of 8 bedroom and 8 bathrooms. All bedrroms have air conditioning and the 4 bedrooms on the first floor of the main house and the two on the first floor of the coach house have doors out to the balconies so those bedrooms have the option of enjoing the ocean breezes.   In the main house the lower floor consists of a formal dining room, large kitchen, one bedroom, and one bathroom and a wrap-around verandah with patio furniture for relaxing looking out towards the sea, pool or tennis court.  The dining room is a definite reminder of those regal days with a wonderful antique mahogany dining table that seats twelve, mahogany antique sideboards, and a crystal chandelier.  With high ceilings and full length panel doors that open our to the lawns facing the ocean and tennis court, the dining room catches the ocean breezes and is a magnificent setting for either formal or more relaxed meals enjoyed by large families or groups of friends.  The well equipped kitchen with granite countertops opens out onto the ocean front verandah, which is only a short distance from the sparkling freshwater swimming pool.  The bedroom on this floor faces the ocean and has two single beds.  Adjacent to the downstairs bedroom, there is a full bathroom with a shower.

The upper floor has four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.  On the back verandah is the living space with push-out shutters and a French door leading out to the covered upstairs wrap-around verandah.  This is a tastefully decorated sitting area where guests may relax and watch television or just sit and chat.  This verandah also has an informal dining area that seats eight, and a fully-equipped kitchen, which makes it unnecessary to even go down the stairs to the main kitchen.  Another notable feature is the bar which is made from a 3" thick mahogany countertop slab and other slabs from a large tree that fell during a major storm.  The bar area is surrounded by original paintings by local artists.

The bedrooms all look out over the pool and ocean.  The master bedroom has a king-sized bed.  There is another king room, a room with two twin beds that can also be made into a king and the fourth bedroom has a full sized bed - small double.

The verandah overlooking the ocean on the upper level is ideal for enjoying the splendid view of the pool, tennis court, expansive lawns and gardens, and ocean - a perfect setting for sipping cocktails and enjoying the moonlight in the evenings. There is comfortable teak and wicker outdoor furniture on this verandah.

The pool deck is slightly raised and gated making Belair Great House child friendly.  There are pool loungers and Adironack chairs around the pool and a covered gazebo where guests may have lunch or dinner at the large round table which seats ten and overlooks the pool which can be lighted at night.  There is also a brick barbeque grill on the deck for easy outdoor cooking and a gas barbeque is also available.   Belair has its own tennis court and tennis lessons with a pro can usually be organized at a reasonable extra cost.

The property is only a 15 minute drive from the airport.  There are restaurants located nearby, the favourites of the owners being "Dis Ole House" (excellent meals served in the garden of a tastefully decorated traditional chattel house) which is about a 2-3 minute drive to the east, outside the entrance to Sam Lord's Castle, "Zen" at The Crane Beach Resort (sushi and Thai dishes served overlooking the world famousrane Beach, which is about 5 minutes" dirve to the west; "Le Shak" (which serves dishes as varied as oysters, lamb shank and seared yellow fin tuna) which is diagonally opposite the entrance to The Crane Beach Resort.

There are many iconic beaches that intersect the cliff along this coastline, the most famous being the Crane Beach which is less than 5 minutes' drive to the west and Bottom Bay which is about 5 minutes' drive to the east.

The laundry has both washer and dryer.  Daily maid service is provided, and for those guests who would prefer to try the local cuisine in the comfort of their villa, arrangements can be made for a cook.

If more accommodation is required the old coach house which is less than 100 yards from Belair Great House within the fenced property has been tastefully converted into a three bedroom cottage.  The coach house has been finished with hardwood floors, travertine tiles, granite counter tops, and coral stone rendering and ruble stone walls, which preserve the old world character of the property.  

The cottage features a full-size antique billiards table and tastefully designed bar with a wine cooler, small fridge and microwave below. The billiards room has double French doors opening out to the lawns, allowing the room to catch the fresh breeze blowing in off the ocean.  There is one double bedroom downstairs and two double bedrooms upstairs that open on to covered balconies that overlook the ocean.   All three bedrooms have air-conditioning and en-suite bathrooms.  Upstairs there is a sitting area with cable TV and a large flat-screen Apple computer in an alcove with internet access.  There is original artwork hanging in the coach house and the bedrooms have been furnished to a high standard.  The coach house which sleeps six is only available for rent along with Belair Great House.

No pets allowed.