The bus system in Barbados is excellent, with blue government buses and yellow, privately owned minibuses running all over the island. Fares are a flat rate of B$1.50. Buses run roughly every half-hour between Grantley Adams International Airport and Bridgetown, stopping at or near most of the south coast resorts en route. Services to the resorts on the west coast are less frequent.

White minivans known as route taxis also operate like minibuses, packing in passengers and stopping anywhere en route. They're particularly numerous on the south coast and the fare is B$1.50.

Finding a taxi - identifiable by the Z on their numberplates - is rarely a problem. Fares are regulated but there are no meters, so agree on the fare beforehand. From the airport, expect to pay around B$40 to the hotels in St James on the west coast, B$50 to Speightstown, B$20 to Crane Bay and B$25 to the resorts in the southwest.

Driving is on the left. While the roads in Barbados are mostly good and the distances small, car rental prices are fairly high, starting at around B$90 per day, B$500 per week, for the mini mokes (open-sided buggies) that you'll see all over the island (you'll pay a little more for a regular car). As car rental companies here are all local, it can be easier to arrange rentals once you've arrived. Reliable firms include: Coconut (tel 246/437-0297), Hill's (tel 246/426-5280), Premier (tel 246/424-2277) and Sunny Isle (tel 246/435-7979).

Prices for scooters and motorbikes normally start at around B$80 per day; try Caribbean Scooters, Waterfront Marina, Bridgetown (tel 246/436-8522).