Twin centre St Lucia & Barbados Part 1
My wife and I treated ourselves to British Airways Club World on the way to St Lucia. The flying time was around 8 hours 30 minutes. I have to say that British Airways has improved their onboard services a lot since I last flew with them last year. Better TV screens and food service. The flight was fully booked as I think everyone had the same idea as us. When we arrived at St Lucia we were one of the first passengers off the plane. Customs and immigration was very quick.
I had booked a transfer to our hotel which was waiting for us when we cleared customs and immigration. The transfer I booked was a shared transfer with other people and the journey time was 1 hour 40 minutes. The journey was scenic with lots of winding roads and some beautiful villages along the way. We did get a traffic jam in Castries, as there were four visiting cruise ships which caused the traffic delays. We finally arrived at our hotel where we were given a cold towel and welcome drink before checking into our room which we thought this was a nice touch to start our holiday.
We booked on all-inclusive basis which is well worth it and I would advise anyone staying at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Splash to upgrade all inclusive. The benefits are amazing like the dine around and a free massage per stay. Also free entrance to the waterpark, plus other benefits. We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights in room number 703 which was a lovely room with a great view of the pool with a nice balcony. I would suggest staying in beachfront view, as the view of the beach is amazing.
Breakfast is buffet but lunch and dinner offer an a la carte menu which includes lobster on the menu at no additional cost. There are two restaurants Hi Tides and Seagrapes both have great views of the sea for dining and the food was excellent with great choices. We had a chance to experience dine around, which means you go to a local restaurant outside the hotel to taste free the local food or other international food. We thought this was a great idea. We chose Indian for our dine around, which was really good food with plenty of food. Drinks served at the hotel include premium brand names at no extra cost. The hotel is only 15-20 minutes’ walk to Rodney Bay Village or the hotel offers an hourly free shuttle bus to Rodney Bay village. The staff are lovely and helpful.
We wished we had stayed longer to experience more of St Lucia as 3 days is too short. We were disappointed that we missed Friday local night out in Rodney Bay known to the locals as Jump where they have local food and drink plus street parties. We also missed going to the Pitons but this has given us an excuse to go back to St Lucia as it is a beautiful country.
Whilst staying at Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa we managed to see the other hotels in the group including Bay Gardens Hotel and Bay Gardens Inn both different properties. My favourite is . Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa.
After our 3 day stay in St Lucia we took a flight with Liat from Castries the local airport. Castries airport is small but next to the beach which was nice to experience a last minute swim plus a beach bar/restaurant. Flying time to Barbados was 45 minutes. As there weren’t many people on the flight the aircraft left early and we arrived at the time we were supposed to take off.
Once we arrived in Barbados we had arranged return private transfers booked in the UK to take us to the hotel. Once we arrived at the The Abidah by Accra we were pleasantly surprised as the brochure did not do the hotel justice. The hotel was newly opened in July 2019 based on adults only. We did arrive to a power cut when we arrived which meant we couldn’t check in but we were given a welcome drinks plus a cold towel to refresh after our flight. The hotel dealt with the problem very professionally by offering us dinner at their sister hotel with free transportation.
The next day the power cut had continued and spread to the whole island. I felt sorry for the hotel as this was beyond their control. Again they arranged dinner and transportation to their sister hotel. The food on both days were excellent with a good choice of menu. We ate at an Asian restaurant on both days. During the days the power cut was on we were able to adapt by going to the beach across the road and swimming with the locals. The beach was lovely, white sands with clear blue waters, called Miami beach.
The hotel staff were serving cold drinks including beers at the beach for hotel guests as part of all-inclusive package plus free beach towels and sun loungers with umbrellas. The beach wasn’t crowded enough spaces available. We walked to Oistins during our stay as we found it was only 15 minutes to walk from the hotel. Oistins on Friday is the place to go in Barbados as this is where local food and music is played. We had a lovely room at Abidah hotel, room number 203 which had a lovely side view with a jacuzzi hot tub on the balcony. The room was large and spacious with modern furnishings and a separate toilet and bathroom.
After 2 days of power cuts the hotel returned to normal service serving buffet breakfast, a la carte lunch and dinner. The food was amazing with good choices from the menu. We were surprised to find that all drinks are included on the all-inclusive package so check before ordering drinks. The hotel has a fitness centre and spa treatment rooms. During our stay we bumped into Kyle who works for Barbados tourism, It was lovely to see him again as I normally see him at events in London. We also got a chance to meet the staff including Victoria who booked our prize. All the staff were friendly and helpful. It’s a great 4 star boutique hotel for adults only, so for couples and honeymooners with good vibes. The hotel has no entertainment which suits us.