What really matters over the festive period is spending time with your family and friends. To maximise the good times and eliminate the stress, get away from it all and spend Christmas 2016 on a beach and leave the Christmas preparations in the hands of the very experienced staff.

Here are our top picks of amazing places to stay at over the festive period...

Barbados makes an excellent family-friendly destination, with miles of beautiful beaches lapped by the calm, crystalline waters of the Caribbean sea, friendly locals and some brilliant family hotels. 

An all-inclusive holiday in Barbados can be brilliant value for money, allowing you to put your wallet away and relax in the knowledge that everything is already paid for.

Where Trinidad has Carnival and the Bahamas has Junkanoo, Barbados has Crop Over. Two months of non-stop celebrations, parties, music, dancing and art where the usually calm and sophisticated island known as ‘little England’ throws off any pretensions of restraint and just lets go in a miasma of colour, sound and rum.

Recently the Caribtours team was fortunate enough to be invited to Barbados to experience one of our most popular destinations first hand, and although for most of us it wasn't our first trip to the island, it was a timely reminder of just why it remains such a popular destination.

We tested the hypothesis that Barbados is the formula for the perfect holiday. Experts agree, it truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

The Fairmont Royal Pavilion, Barbados, is rather gorgeous. This Bajan beauty of a hotel is an ideal sanctuary for those wishing for rejuvenation and relaxation...

Sandy Lane – the epitome of chic, luxury and serenity. It’s a resort that oozes excellence from its every pore, with a pitch-perfect location on the western coast of Barbados, Palladian architecture and sweeping manicured lawns. This is a resort that puts exceptional hospitality at its heart and refuses to rest on its laurels. Holidays with endless possibilities are what it does best.

Hugged on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and lapped on the west by the quieter, soothing Caribbean Sea, this is an island that offers everything you would wish for in a holiday destination, with the added allure of exquisite cuisine and fine dining.