Stunning Barbados
We had great service from BA in Business Class with flat beds, great food and fantastic service. On arrival in Barbados we were greeted by the Barbadian Tourist Board and taken to our first hotel.
This was Turtles Beach which is on the south coast of Barbados and we stayed here for two nights. This is one of the Elegant Hotels. This is a 4* all-inclusive hotel. It has two pools and three restaurants with a buffet style options and two a la carte restaurants. This hotel is great for families as it has a lot of entertainment with a lot of non-motorised sports which were all included. The rooms are beautifully well-appointed with everything you need.
The first full day in Barbados was taken up with sightseeing. We visited Harrisons Caves which is in the middle of Barbados. Harrisons Cave is an amazing gallery of stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave, and stalagmites that emerge from the ground. We were driven around in electric operated trams. After this we were taken to St Nicolas Abbey and Cherry Tree Hill, a 17th century plantation house. Here they make delicious Rum and we had a great lunch on the beautiful terrace. That evening we had a hosted dinner at the Sea Breeze Hotel.
The next day I was lucky enough to go and visit Sandy Lane. This is one of the most exclusive hotels in the Caribbean and really beautiful. It sits on a beautiful beach and the rooms are very well equipped. After Sandy Lane we were taken to the Fairmont Hotel. The rooms are all ocean view and it lies on a fantastic beach. We had lunch there in the restaurant overlooking the ocean. This hotel is very close to Holetown which is one of the nicest towns in Barbados. If you are into shopping and eating it has the best shops and restaurants on the island.
We had a short journey to our next hotel were we stayed for the last three nights. This was a hotel by Elegant Hotels called the Waves. This hotel has recently been refurbished and the main hotel on the beach has got very nice contemporary rooms. The hotel has two parts, the beachfront and the annexe which is an adults-only section which has the spa treatment rooms. We all were given a spa treatment which was great.
The annexe is across the road from the main building of the hotel. The hotel is all-inclusive and focusses on mind and wellness. There are some good restaurants and one of those was an Asian restaurant where we had dinner. This was my favourite restaurant in the hotel. If you are staying in one the Elegant Hotels you will have the possibility of dining in other Elegant Hotels. Most of these hotels are linked by boat. You have the possibility to dine in 15 different restaurants.
The next day we started the day with a visit to Crystal Cove which is a great family hotel. Again it is all-inclusive with great pools and kids and water sports facilities. After the hotel visit they drove us to Bridgetown (the capital) for a sunset catamaran cruise. We swam with giant turtles and snorkelled to a shipwreck with lots of tropical fish. We sailed along the beautiful Barbados shoreline to anchor in front of the Sandy Lane hotel and had a great BBQ with fantastic reggae music. It was a great party!
On our last full day in paradise was a trip on the Atlantis submarine. We went 140ft down to the bottom of the ocean to see shipwrecks, amazing sea life and coral. It may not be for everyone as it is pretty claustrophobic. 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. We finished off the day by visiting more of the Elegant Hotels, The Colony Club, Tamarind and The House - all stunning hotels. The House is an adults-only hotel and really relaxed and laidback, one of my favourite hotels.
Before we had to go back to the airport we had some time to relax at the poolside. I was not sure what to expect of Barbados but I have been pleasantly impressed with the island. The people are great, the island is very safe and I would definitely recommend it for a holiday. If you need any information just contact me anytime.