Barbados Baby!
We flew from Gatwick on a cold November morning for the eight hour flight and I was lucky enough to be upgraded to Club World with British Airways. If you ever have the chance to do this, then it is highly recommended. With their lie flat beds, executive dining and personal attention it really is the way to travel!
Arriving refreshed, we headed to Turtle Beach, St Lawrence Gap on the South Coast where we would be staying for two nights and had a lovely ocean front dinner with cocktails. An all-inclusive resort, the hotel sits on a beautiful white sand beach and is within walking distance to St Lawrence Gap. Our rooms were smart, clean and modern and had large balconies. The hotel offers complimentary non-motorised water sports for guests, there are two pools and three onsite restaurants, one on the beach with evening entertainment. A good location, friendly staff and a great breakfast is on offer at this 4* hotel.
Our first day took us to Harrison Caves, situated in the centre of the island – a subterranean environment filled with the most amazing stalactites and stalagmites. You are driven deep down into the caves by vehicles, stopping at various places to view the incredible cavernous areas. Following this, we were whisked away to St Nicholas Abbey, Cherry Tree Hill - a 17th Century plantation, now owned by the Warren Family and still only one of four distilleries on the island producing the most fabulous Rum! We had a simple but delicious lunch and also a tour, talk and rum taster session.
The following day consisted mostly of hotel site inspections. The 5* Sandpiper (SLH) Hotel, an exclusive privately-owned boutique hotel on the west coast, was my favourite - within walking distance to fabulous Holetown with its designer shopping and super restaurants. Set in seven acres of tropical gardens, and with only 50 bedrooms, you really can feel the privacy of this lovely hotel. Moving onto the 5* Coral Reef which is the sister hotel to Sandpiper and just slightly further up the coast – again set in acres of gardens, this colonial style hotel has very traditional features. Both hotels have a spa and intimate restaurants on site. We had lunch at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion, again a lovely 5* property, typical of the group and close to Holetown. Beachfront restaurants seem to be the norm for these hotels and we enjoyed a lovely lunch al fresco overlooking the fabulous white sands.
For the final three nights, we stayed at the Waves Hotel & Spa. A 4* Elegant Hotels all-inclusive property, focusing on the mind and wellness. We all had spa treatments and I chose a fantastic shoulder/back massage. There are eight treatment rooms set around the Serenity Gardens and also some of the hotel bedrooms are situated in this annexe area too which is adult only and has an amazing Asian Restaurant ‘Shiso’. The main hotel block features an open plan, sea facing buffet restaurant ‘Seascape’, a coffee bar/deli and also when staying at this hotel, you have the ‘Dinearound’ option where you can sample the restaurants at the other Elegant Hotels – over 15 restaurants! Some of which can be reached by complimentary water taxi. We then visited another Elegant Hotel - 4* Crystal Cove where we had a super lunch.
Barbados Tourism Marketing had booked for us a private sunset Catamaran Cruise. The ‘Cool Runnings’ team took us out of Bridgetown harbour and the cruise began with a stop to swim with the magnificent Sea Turtles, followed by another snorkel stop over a shipwreck with tropical fish. We sailed along the beautiful coastline and anchored up by the famous Sandy Lane’s private beach where we were left breathless admiring the spectacular colours of the tropical setting sun. As night fell, a sumptuous barbeque dinner was served complete with wine and dessert followed by music and dancing. What an amazing evening!
The following morning, we were again taken to Bridgetown to board ‘Atlantis’ - our submarine for the morning. The sea was fairly choppy as we were taken out to the sub by a ferry boat. Not recommended for anyone that suffers from sea sickness! Once on board the sub, however, we drifted gently down under the sea to 130 feet. Quite a small area that can seat around 20 people back to back. Again, I would not recommend if you suffer from claustrophobia! The view was amazing – up close to a shipwreck, sea turtles and lots of different types of fish, along with a hilarious running commentary, we were down for around 30 minutes before surfacing and being taken back to shore. Another fabulous trip - well worth it if you are on holiday.
That afternoon, we had a visit to the Mount Gay Visitors Centre with a very interesting 45 minute distillery tour, learning about the history of the world’s oldest rum and tasting the different brands available.
Our final evening saw three more west coast 5* hotel visits, The Colony Club – a superb hotel with heaps of character, The Tamarind and The House – which again was a beautiful all suite boutique hotel. It is adults only with just 34 rooms and personal attentive ambassador service. Daphne’s Restaurant, acclaimed on the island, sits in between The Tamarind and The House and provides discerning beachfront Italian dining.
I was disappointed to leave this wonderful island with its amazingly friendly locals, superb hotels and delicious food – however I am thankful for the experience of seeing so much in five days. The weather was not great - the rainy season is June to October but November was wetter than usual this year. However, the temperatures were high (30’s) and the tropical rain was torrential but only lasted for an hour or so at a time. During this time, the hotel prices are lower and you could bag a bargain!
Please give me a call if you are thinking of planning your next holiday to Barbados and hopefully I can give you some valuable advice on ‘when’ and ‘where’ to go!