Joias

Joias is a five-bedroom, four-bathroom beachfront house for holiday rental at Atlantic Shores, Christ Church, on the South Coast of Barbados. It has about 7,500 square feet of living space, sleeps up to 10 and is furnished to feel like a home.

The living areas are spacious, with high vaulted ceilings and polished wood floors that give the house a colonial feel. The layout of bedrooms and bathrooms suits a large party or two families sharing.

The house looks out over 180-degree sea views from tropical gardens. The 45-foot swimming pool has a very deep end for diving, wide walk-in steps and an underwater bench for sitting and looking at the ocean while jets massage the lower back. It is surrounded by Travertine stone and hardwood decking, with coconut palms on the ocean side for shade and comfortable sun loungers.

The grounds offer private corners in the gardens, gazebo, sun deck, pool and veranda, and guests have held weddings here. From the shaded gazebo the fishing boats can be seen returning to Oistins with their catch, and the fish market is close by. The veranda overlooks the sea and is a place for dining, listening to the surf and watching for turtles and hummingbirds. The landscaped gardens hold tropical plants and shrubs, palms, frangipani and flamboyant trees, and fruit trees including avocado, breadfruit and mango.

Miami Beach is a five-minute drive, and Surfers Bay is a windsurfing base. Worthing and Dover are 15 minutes away, and Bottom Bay and Foul Bay are on the East Coast. The Barbados Golf Club is 10 minutes by car and the 9-hole course at Rockley 20 minutes. The West Coast, with Sandy Lane, Royal Westmoreland and Apes Hill, is 40 to 50 minutes away, and the airport is a 20-minute drive.