Barbados

Barbados here we come! This trip was on the cards for years and finally we made it happen. We booked the flights directly from Heathrow to Bridgetown to maximise on the time there but this route is quite pricy despite it being shoulder month. If you want cheaper flights then check connections from Manchester.o I

The first part of the trip we spent at the Crane Resort. It’s a 5* hotel located by one of the most beautiful Barbados beaches. It has excellent pool areas and is a sort of a village in itself. The rooms are massive and include a little kitchen so you can make the trip slightly cheaper by making the food yourself. Going out in Barbados is really expensive, at times more expensive than London. Having all those premises in one place is helpful as the location is quite remote from any town so dining outside of the resort is only possible if you hire a car. Would I stay there again? Yes.

As we arrived late we didn’t do any exploration, we only headed to dinner at one of the resort restaurants - L’Azure. This restaurant did not require a reservation so was an easy choice. Also it has amazing views of the ocean but not that you can see anything at this time of night anyway. The food was excellent so I would definitely head over there if you’re staying in the area.

Our first proper day on the island was spent enjoying the adjacent beach. If you Google best beaches in Barbados, Crane beach will be in the Top 10 if not Top 5. It has this pinkish hue to it which makes it unique. One problem though - seaweed. It was completely covered in smelly seaweed so it was really difficult to see the pink sand and to properly enjoy it. Sadly, the resort doesn’t really do much to eliminate the problem in terms of removing the seaweed. Maybe it’s just too much of it for the cleaning to actually make the difference. Crane beach was the main reason why we decided to book the hotel in the area so needless to say this was disappointing. There are enough pools in the resort to enjoy yourself but it’s just not the same. I’m go oki

Given the smelly beach situation, the only way to escape the smell and still enjoy the softest sand you will ever feel on your feet is to get some happy hour drinks at the beach bar. They really aren’t stingy with the rum on the island.

Oistins fish fry will appear as a must do thing when on the island. It is a short drive from the Crane. We ordered a taxi to take us there and agreed with the driver he would wait for us till we’re done and take us back to the resort. Actually the driver was pushing for it but it worked out well to do that. The drive was pricy, I think around 70 dollars return so we had high hopes for an amazing night. The market was good but it wasn’t this amazing thing everyone will convince you it is. For some reason every local will recommend this one specific place - Uncle George’s. When the third random person recommended it we suspected they must have a deal with the restaurant but we went anyway. It was super busy, the wait time was over an hour, great selection of fish and look at the size of mine! Apart from the food and really boozy drinks you can enjoy some performances - planned and random. We went there only once as it was pricy to get there (also from Bridgetown) and to be fair I didn’t find it that amazing so once was enough.

We decided to spend the next couple of days properly exploring the island so we rented a car. I could not recommend this company more. They dropped the car off at the hotel and picked it up as well without us needing to be there. They arranged the driving licences as well - you need a Barbados licence to drive but all it is is a handwritten piece of paper for 10 dollars. The car was great, the petrol cost maybe £70 tops and we drove all over. While public transport is good, it is only good around Bridgetown so if you’re staying around the Crane, the car is a must to really see the island or at least those parts of the island. I

The first stop was a nearby bay called Shark Hole. No sharks were seen thankfully but also not much of the tiny beach was seen due to seaweed. I can imagine it can be a nice place to relax at but Barbados has sooooo many better spots so I’d give it a miss. It was a good driving warm up though to get used to the roads and the car.

The cliffs of awe are right by Shark hole so all you need to do is walk maybe 5 minutes. It is a lovely viewing point, as it says on the name, it’s all about the cliffs. I wasn’t left in awe but I bet they look stunning when the sun is out and you can see the different shades of blue. No such luck for us so we left promptly looking for a seaweed free beach.

Now this beach, not seaweed free but oh my gosh it’s stunning! I absolutely loved it and can only imagine how incredible it is when the sun is out and the seaweed gone. I even bought a painting with it so a piece of it is with me in London.

Our search for a seaweed free beach took us to Bath beach and here we also did not get lucky. Bath beach is a good spot for a picnic as it’s clearly designed like that with picnic benches everywhere. As far as beaches go, it’s not the best when you compare it to Bottom bay or the Crane.

Now that’s another beach that would have been beautiful if it hadn’t been for the seaweed situation. It is also one of the beaches where swimming is not allowed because of the strong currents. It is easy on the eyes though so that one you should see. Once we got to yet another smelly beach we realised that we’re not going to find those dreamy places that Instagram lures you with on this side of the island. Google actually confirmed this so we decided to skip the coastal drive and went to the part of the island that is meant to be seaweed free. No

And we finally found a clean beach that we came to Barbados for. This is the part of the island all the way to Bridgetown where the seaweed issue is not as big and you can actually enjoy the beaches. Needless to say we decided to stick to this part of the island from now on and it confirmed that the decision to split the stay into two hotels located in different parts of the island was a good call.

Sea shed is a relatively new place, looks very instagrammable and is basically located on Mullins beach. We went there to have a light evening meal and to enjoy the views of the beach. The restaurant/ beach club also has some sun beds that you can rent. It made no sense for us to get one as we only got to the place around 6 pm and they still wanted a full price for them so we just sat on the sand. Once we were done here we headed back to the Crane to make sure we were driving while it was still bright outside. You really don’t want to be driving those so called highways (not highways at all!) in the dark.

This time we decided to head inland first thing in the morning to check out the green parts of Barbados. This viewpoint was on the list. It offers beautiful views of the coast and that is pretty much it. I wouldn’t go all this way specifically for that but it is close by some colonial mansions, a nature reserve and the rail away place. We didn’t really go into any of those places. The old mansions and their history just doesn’t sit right by with me. And the entrance (via the railway) is too expensive for what it is so we just went straight to the beach. The drive through the greenery was lovely though. Another reason why we didn’t do any hikes in the area was the mosquitos and the fact that I was pregnant and desperately needed to avoid the bites (Barbados was a zika zone).

Sandy Lane is where the rich and the famous tend to stop by when visiting Barbados. It’s a slightly different vibe, a rich one 😂 there are, however, parts of the beach that are accessible to common people and this is where we camped for the afternoon. No seaweed in sight, beautiful soft sand and warm blue waters. This is how you imagine Barbados.

Right on the Sandy lane beach, or next to it, depending how you look at it, you will find incredible residences. This is where Rihanna lives when she comes to stay. You can get a glimpse of how the rich live…from behind the gates of course.

I actually have no photos from this place because for once we just enjoyed it. It’s very busy so you need to book in advance. It’s a standard Italian place but what made it good was the range of gluten free options. So if you, just like my husband, consider a baguette your arch enemy this place will cater to your needs.

This whole day was spent seeing the island from the sea. The company we went with, El Tigre, was excellent. It’s not cheap but then nothing in Barbados is! The price includes hotel pick up and drop off (although in a bus from the 60s), food, drinks and snorkelling equipment. The highlight of the trip is definitely the snorkelling. You swim over two shipwrecks, the fish down there are incredible. You are also pretty much guaranteed a sea turtle sighting as they lure them in with food. You go from Bridge town past Sandy lane so you see quite a bit of the shore. This was an incredible trip that I highly recommend.

Another place I have no photos of. Not because we wanted to live in the moment but more so because we found it quite pretentious. They serve Asian cuisine with emphasis on sushi. The vibe is very modern, high end and well not particularly friendly. I just don’t think I was dressed for the part as people really went over the top with the outfits and I did not. You definitely need to book in advance, there are a couple ‘bodyguards’ guarding the entrance.

This was our last day at the Crane Resort and it was tough to say goodbye to the views. Having said that, I was excited to spend some time on the actual beach without any seaweed.

Goodbye to the Crane meant hello to the Hilton, another 5* hotel located pretty much in Bridgetown. We split the stay into those two places to be able to explore more of those areas by foot. Now we know that the crane side can only be explored by care. The Hilton side can be explored on foot and we attempted that but more on that later. Hilton hotel was great, more so for the closeness to incredible beaches rather than the food. But good food places were very much accessible from there so you weren’t stuck (which was the case in the Crane). No

I’m going to treat the sightseeing of Bridgetown as one point because, not to be harsh, there really isn’t much to see. The colourful street is called Bolton Lane. Given how many weird stares we got, and how many taxi drivers asked us if we were lost, I conclude that Bridgetown is not where they see a lot of tourists. It’s good to pop in but don’t think you’ll make a whole day outing out of it.

While Barbados is expensive, one show that you can watch daily that is free is the sunset. The sunsets are incredible and best experienced from Pebbles beach. The colours are different everyday and it’s like the entire sky is on fire.

We decided to venture out to look out for food and we started walking towards the boardwalk. This is where we bumped into this place. The food was delicious, the service impeccable and it’s right by the sea. You can’t see much at night but you can hear the waves and that’s enough of an ambience by itself. Highly recommended.

One of the great things about staying in Hilton hotel, apart from the facilities of course, is the proximity to the horse racing course. This means you have an opportunity to see the horses getting their morning exercise. This happens around 3-4 times per week close to the Radisson hotel, a 5 minute walk from the Hilton. This is an experience in itself. If you bring cash and bribe the handler you will be able to ride the horses in water or swim with them. I

How do I describe Harbour Lights? It is a show that shows some of the cultural and historical aspects of Barbados. There are 4 actors involved and a random DJ that plays in between. Oh and some circus performances. All of this happens while you drink booze included in the price of the ticket which makes the whole thing so much more entertaining. The ticket also includes a buffet dinner and hotel pick up and drop off.

On this day we decided to explore Barbados on foot and walk all the way to St Lawrence gap. First stop, this instagrammable cafe.

The walk to St Lawrence gap leads via several beaches and the famous Bridgetown boardwalk. Boardwalk is what it basically says it is - a convenient way to walk across different areas. It’s not that long though but makes for a pleasant walk.

So now you will see photos of different handsome palm trees I came across at every beach. Rivalry additionally had rocks though. Good solid beach, worth stopping by at.

Worthing square street food market is a good spot for some cheaper food options. What I mean by cheaper is still more expensive than any London food stalls but cheaper than restaurant food. It’s quite a long walk on foot but a nice way to visit the nearby beaches.

To be fair Worthing beach was like any other beach, beautiful but didn’t stand out. You can see how spoilt I got by day 8.

Dover beach is probably the biggest of the beaches with more activities as it’s closed to St Lawrence gap. It’s also the place where we found the locals to be a bit less friendly!

St Lawrence Gap is a place where all the bars and restaurants are located. You could say it’s the party area of Bridgetown or even Barbados so we had to check it out. It is correct there are a lot of bars and restaurants. It is pretty dead during the day and we had no interest in coming back at night. So the verdict is it’s ok but mind was not blown.

Sunsets are free and the shows are amazing so here is another one, this time from the beach adjacent to the Hilton.

As we were walking all day we decided to stay local for the food and ended up in the hotel restaurant. The food was ok but you can do better for the same high price.

Time for a beach club. There’s never enough beach time in Barbados and when on the beach you might as well try a beach club and for this I recommend Boatyard. Why you ask? The entrance fee that you pay can be used towards food and drinks so it’s a bonus. There are water toys - swings and slides so you can have some fun. And you can go snorkelling for free. You sign up, they call out your name and off you go on the boat for some snorkelling you’d normally pay quite a lot of money to do as a separate outing.I

Another day, another sunset again on Pebbles beach because it’s a gem. What is also a gem is the booze van parked on the beach that offers strong drinks at a reasonable price. Very unlike Barbados where everything is sooooo expensive.

On our last day we decided to monopolise on what Barbados does best - the sea and the sand so we stayed at the hotel beach and chilled. As this is shoulder month unfortunately the chill time was interrupted by rain but nothing that an umbrella can’t fix. It rained 15 mins max and then it was back to being gloriously sunny again. Ok

This post is about Water’s Edge bar specifically located within the Hilton premises. I feel like I talk about this place sooooo much that I need to include it here as well. The drinks were great, as you can see I’m happy with those. We decided to have lunch there and check this out: 2 chicken thighs on their own, no sides, just meat on the bone, £30. That’s all I have to say.

One last sunset and one last sunset swim. I normally like to explore different beaches for the sunset but this one hands down was the best spot so why get a worse experience elsewhere?

We had to make sure that our last dinner was a special one. Chambers is meant to be a more high end restaurant and it did not disappointed. The views, the service, the food - everything was just incredible. I couldn’t recommend more.

And just like that the trip came to the end and we headed back to the airport for the flight back to London. We left tanned, rested, broke and with sand in places I had no idea you could sand in. It was by far one of the most expensive places we’ve ever visited and while I won’t miss £30 chicken thighs, I will miss the sunsets.