Barbados the Acitivity Island
We travelled out with British Airways and were lucky enough to be upgraded to Club World so enjoyed a first class service on our flight out.
On arrival at Grantley Adams Airport we were met by our tour guide Dorial and driver Jason from St James Tours who were with us throughout our trip.
Our first hotel was Turtle Beach, an all -inclusive family hotel located on the south coast. This is a large property with 161 rooms and offers all-suite accommodation at a reasonable price. It has two freeform pools plus a children's pool and includes non-motorised water sports e.g. Hobie Cats and Kayaks in the price of the accommodation. There is a kids club for 3 -11 year olds.
On our first night we ate at the hotel which offered a buffet style Caribbean range of foods including jerk chicken and flying fish.
The next day we were off to CRS Recording Studios to record a CD. We were all a bit apprehensive at first but in no time we’d relaxed and had fun putting the finishing touches to our version of "Going to Barbados". I’d recommend this, as it was a great fun morning and is ideal if you’re looking to do something unique and fun. Next, we were off to the Mount Gay visitor centre where we learnt how rum was discovered back in the 1700s. They say that Mount Gay is "the rum that invented rum" which I can well believe. We had lunch here before returning to Turtle Beach.
That evening we were taken to Champers, a local open air restaurant offering panoramic views of the ocean and fine cuisine. It was beautiful and a great place to spend an evening.
Our next day involved leaving Turtle Beach and going along the south coast to silver sands which is a well-known beach for surfing. Here we met Brian Talma, an ex pro windsurfer who has dedicated many years to bringing surfing, wind and kite surfing and stand-up paddle boarding to many countries. He and his colleagues showed us a great time. I gave the stand-up paddle boarding a go even if I could only do it on my knees!!
Our next two nights were at Crystal Cove, a premium all-inclusive hotel with only 88 rooms so there was a more intimate feel than Turtle Beach. The cave bar was fabulous, as was the service and entertainment.
An island safari was our next adventure. Charles our guide was extremely knowledgeable and took us all over the island - sometimes off road so this is not for those with bad backs etc. We saw some stunning places including Bathsheba beach on the East Coast which is home to the international surfing events which are held in Barbados.
Our evening was spent in Oistins for the "fish fry", a must do when visiting Barbados. Lines of shacks cook various fish dishes along with some market type stalls and karaoke. It was a fantastic experience.
A more relaxed day followed as we took a catamaran tour up the west coast - stopping off to snorkel at a local ship wreck and to swim with turtles. This is a lovely way to spend a day just relaxing and swimming.
Our last three nights were spent at Tamarind Cove, another premium hotel offering bed and breakfast or half board. This hotel is well located for Holetown where there are an abundance of shops and restaurants to suit all budgets.
Our next day was a visit to Apes Hill Polo and Golf Club where we were kitted out and had a polo lesson from Jamie and Pablo. This was great fun and something I have never tried before. We had lunch here and then a quick tour of the last nine holes of the world renowned golf course.
Our last excursion was an Aerial Trek. This involved seven zip lines through Jack in the Box Gully and was fantastic fun. We also had a visit to Harrisons Cave located in the central uplands of the island.
So as you can see there is more to Barbados than just lying on the beach. If you are interested in any of these activities or would like more information on any of them just let me know!!