Postcard from Louise Schliemann, New York, NY

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, we spent a week on Barbados at the Great House, on Turtle Bay, a fantastic private villa that accommodated three families (the property sleeps sixteen). It is right on the beach surrounded by a large garden. The main house has three bedrooms, the others are in bungalow cottages on the grounds. There’s a staff of fifteen and they took care of us beautifully. It felt like every time you dropped an item of clothing, it would reappear two hours later, washed and neatly folded.

Especially the meals were very memorable, high tea is served every afternoon, with dinners being set up all over the property, so one night we ate in a gazebo, the next night in the garden, so it never got repetitive. The best part about the Great House, however, is that it comes with a boat and captain, so you can take trips around the island as well as do water sports, like diving, tubing and snorkeling. The captain even taught my kids to water ski. Since the house was totally self-contained, with great food and all the activities you would want, we never felt compelled to leave and if we did, we went with our captain on the boat. The water in Barbados is amazing, warm and totally clear.

The property is perfectly run by a British woman and is decorated with a lot of style; all the details, like sheets, fabrics, materials, were absolutely beautiful. It was very beachy and relaxed—a perfect way to spend a week with friends.