A single stop,
on one small island.
Go Tropical began because the same three questions kept arriving from three different kinds of people. Where should we stay. Who will look after the house while we are gone. Is this a good place to buy. They are really one question, and the honest answer needs someone who lives here.
So we built the whole thing under one roof. Today we are the single stop for anyone planning a Barbados vacation, relocating to the island, or looking for guidance on property investment — and for the owners whose homes make all of it possible. The guests are looked after by the same people who look after the houses, which is the only arrangement we have ever found that reliably works.
With over 20 years in the business, we take great pride in our ability to Seek, Propose, and Deliver satisfactory results with memorable experiences.
Whether long-stay or simply planning a laid-back villa vacation, from start to finish expect nothing but the very best in personalized service and the assurance of comfort. Our team work extremely hard to meet or surpass your expectations by searching for your ideal fit!
Caring about your vacation experience or property investment needs is at the focal point of our business and at the end of it all, one simple reward measures our success; ‘Our ability to make you smile’. Planning a Barbados Vacation? Relocating from abroad?
Investing in Property? or simply looking for an experienced Management agency? Make Go Tropical your ‘Single stop’ because: You can Trust us! We’re in the know! We’re Reliable! We Care!
24/7
Representative on call
Four principles — and one real test.
Trust | Insight | Care | Knowledge are how we run the business. Whether we made you smile is how we know it worked.
01
Trust
Owners hand us keys to houses they are not standing in. Guests hand us a holiday they have saved a year for. Neither works without it, so we build the relationship first and the transaction second.
02
Insight
20 years of watching which coast rents, which development holds value and which month is genuinely quiet. We will tell you what we would do, not what closes fastest.
03
Care
A representative assigned to your property who knows the generator, the gardener and the neighbour. Small things noticed before they become expensive things.
04
Knowledge
Contracts, conveyancing, staffing, hospitality standards, the shipping agent, the reliable electrician. The island runs on knowing people, and we know them.
Strong, trusted relationships — then everything else.
We are deliberately not a volume business. We would rather manage a smaller number of houses properly than a long list badly, and we would rather tell a buyer to wait six months than sell them the wrong thing on the wrong coast.
That means owners deal with people who know their property by name, and guests arrive to a house where someone has already checked the water pressure, the air conditioning and whether the fridge has milk in it.
One call, rather than eleven.
The list below is what it actually takes to keep a Caribbean property earning, or to make a stay feel effortless. Owners generally arrive having tried to assemble it themselves.
- Property maintenance and renovations
- Interior decoration and furnishing
- Bill payment and rent collection
- Customer relations and guest management
- Contract preparation
- Concierge services
- Property marketing and advertising
- An assigned property representative
- Housekeeping, security, cooking and landscaping staff
- Professional hospitality training for staff
- Massage, yoga instruction and in-villa entertainment
- Airport meet-and-greet and transfers
Sonia Ishmael Gilbert
BSc (Hons) | MBA (Hons)
Sonia Ishmael Gilbert brings a distinctive blend of experience to her work in real estate: 20 years in the property field and 25 years in tourism operations, marketing and management consultancy. Her career has connected her with businesses and clients across the Caribbean, including through consultancy work for a resort chain operating in Barbados and Saint Lucia.
A Career Built on People, Places & Possibilities
Sonia holds a Bachelor of Science with honours and an International MBA with honours, specialising in Marketing Management. She began her career as a group marketing consultant for two renowned Trinidadian conglomerates. This early experience gave her a strong foundation in marketing strategy, communications and brand development—skills she has drawn on throughout her career.
Her work has also taken her into the music and creative industries. She has served as label manager and marketer for an AFRIMA-nominated artist in South Africa and has worked with a Barbados-based producer who received a NIFFCA award. These roles reflect her interest in bringing people, ideas and creative projects together and helping them reach their intended audiences.
Real estate, tourism and hospitality are closely connected in Sonia’s professional life. She is passionate about luxury villa management and understands the importance of making people feel welcome, listening carefully to their needs and attending to the details that shape their experience. With two decades in real estate, she brings a thoughtful, service-minded approach to guiding clients through their property needs.
Sonia is also an event planner, interior decorator, website copywriter and writer of music reviews. Her many interests reflect her entrepreneurial spirit and ability to take on different roles. As she likes to say, if she could be the Mary Poppins of the millennium, she would do that too.
Above all, Sonia is passionate about life and always in pursuit of her own “happy place.” She enjoys helping others find a place, stay or experience that brings them closer to theirs.
“Whether you are planning a vacation, relocating, or looking at Barbados as an investment — you should only need one number in your phone.”
Lets Chat #Vacation
Whether it is a two-week stay, a house that needs managing, or a first look at the market — we will offer you guidance with peace of mind.