On our 5th visit to Barbados - a glorious island which never disappoints and where there's always plenty to do - we discovered Ashanti Apt. 5 and we got a fabulous self-catering experience at very reasonable cost in a well appointed, spacious and comfortable 1 bedroom apartment in the pretty north-west Barbados parish of St Peter. Ashanti isn't by the beach, it's situated about a quarter mile inland conveniently between Speightstown and Holetown, but it's particularly handy for (in my view) Barbados's best beach experiences at Gibbes and Read's Bays. This north-west quadrant of the island is fairly quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of the south coast although there's plenty of action in bustling Holetown a 10 minute drive away. Ashanti Apartments lie within private grounds, gated to provide security and with a small on-site private car park. Collis (who was brilliant looking after us) meets you when you arrive and your eye is caught by the nice, quiet, clean safe pool which we regularly used to cool off. Our apartment was brilliant - clean, nicely decorated in creams and light browns and well-equipped - a nice roomy sitting room with couches, tables and TV, free wifi, a bathroom with shower, 2 toilets, an excellent bedroom (king-size bed) with a balcony and a holiday kitchen to die for. I could have slept in the huge top loader washing machine in the utility room it was so big, and there is also large tumble drier provided. The only downside is that there's no beach view. Also it's a bit hilly with a fair few steps if you're elderly or disabled. The Ashanti and Barbados experience are probably best enjoyed if you hire a car. We usually have fun crashing around in one of Fat Jack's (Dover Beach) old mokes - "if you can find one cheaper then I'll get married" is his motto but the local buses (thru the capital Bridgetown and out to Oistins) are frequent and cheap; all journeys, any distance are about 50p. By car it's 2mins to Gibbes, 5mins to Mullins, Read's or Speightstown, 10mins to Holetown and 20mins to Bridgetown. It's particularly handy for visiting the north (Animal Flower Cave), the picturesque east (Bathsheba, Andromeda) and the Flower Gardens. If you're on a budget, there are decent supermarkets for provisions in Speightstown and Holetown. We rented through the Owners Direct website and dealt with a agent locally here in the U.K. who has always incredibly been helpful and informative. We love Apt.5 so much we've already booked to go back .. twice!!