Different strokes for different folks.
That certainly applies to the Caribbean Island of Barbados, which we explored recently. It’s famous for its African/British heritage and history (it gained independence from Britain in 1966), white sand beaches, food, and adventures from caving to surfing.
I wish we could stay longer,” said Olu Solanke, here with his sister, parents, and grandfather from Philadelphia to celebrate his grandfather’s 80th birthday.
New Yorker Yasmin Naaman celebrated her 31 st birthday with her boyfriend in Barbados, one of her best ever, she said, on a Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruise. Our captain, Hosea Harte, notes that the 36-passenger sailboat can easily accommodate those with disabilities. “We can get anyone in the water,” he said. That includes me, still recovering from multiple knee surgeries. The crew gave me a needed extra arm getting into the water (heaven!) and on and off the boat.
“A catamaran cruise is always the favorite of our trip,” said Deb Holt, here with her husband Sonny from Vermont. The couple honeymooned here 37 years ago and have been back a half- dozen times since. She added that the couple have been getting around by public transportation and feel completely safe. Others reported how friendly locals seem.
The half-day cruise comes complete with two snorkeling stops, one to gawk at sea turtles, the other to see tropical fish on a shipwreck. It also comes with a traditional Barbados lunch (chicken, snapper, macaroni pie, rice and peas, potato salad) and all the rum punch and Banks beer you want to consume.
A little history: Barbados is considered the birthplace of rum. Englishmen claimed Barbados for King James in 1627, making it the first island to cultivate sugar, thanks to the back- breaking labor of slaves. They discovered that molasses, what was left after sugar cane was boiled, could be used to make rum. You can visit the Mount Gay Visitor Centre, where besides rum tasting, you will learn that the first rum distillery was established in 1703, making it the oldest commercial rum distillery in the world and throughout the 18th century, Barbados dominated the rum trade.
We enjoyed learning rum history and a tasting at Mount Gay Rum History Museum, located at the Eco-Adventure Park at Harrison’s Cave, one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island in the central uplands, besides touring the stream cave system. It’s nearly 1.5 miles long and the Great Hall is nearly 50 feet tall. As you ride a tram through the cave, you can’t help but gape at the giant stalactites and stalagmites that continue to grow. Adventurous visitors can opt for an early explorer’s tour where you creep and crawl through hidden passages. Afterward, take a dip in the Green Monkey Pool. There’s also a bird aviary and a zipline.
Another popular attraction is St. Nicholas Abbey where the great house dates back to the 17 th century, there is a historic rum distillery, and the property boasts a popular steam train that is currently being expanded.
While Americans, like the Solankes, often come for a long weekend (a four- hour flight from NYC), many of those from Britain arrive for two to three weeks at all-inclusive resorts like Sea Breeze Hotel and its sister resort O2 Beach Club and Spa nearby. There are condo units as well as rooms, good eats, and plenty of activities. Sea Breeze boasts a kids club and water sports (take out a Hobie cat maybe or a boogie board) while O2 has a great spa, and the resort offers unique Bajan experiences—if you can tear yourself away from the gorgeous beach or pool. (Loved hearing the surf break from our balcony.) You could, for example, learn to play dominoes, Bajan style on Mondays, blow a conch shell on Tuesdays, make Bajan fishcakes on Thursdays or a classic Bajan cocktail on Fridays.
“Many guests don’t leave at all,” one smiling staffer told me. That would be a shame as there is so much to see and do like the swimming horses. That’s a not-so- secret opportunity, as long as you are willing to get to Pebbles Beach along the southwest coast of Barbados at 6 a.m. when the trainers exercise the racehorses from a nearby track by letting them swim in the warm tropical seawater.
We did see the spectacular Bathsheba Beach on the east coast, popular with locals who come to surf or fish. The current is too strong for swimming but just watching the crashing waves is mesmerizing. A good place for a picnic, suggests our driver and guide, Kevin Ward. Nearby is the tiny Green Globe certified ECO Lifestyle & Lodge owned by former New Yorkers.
The newest hotel on the island, The all-inclusive Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort, just opened in late 2023 with 422 rooms, a big spa, tennis, pickleball, a kids’ club, 15,000 square feet of outdoor and indoor meeting space and beautiful pools. The one drawback, guests say, is the ocean is very rough and there are no water sports here. That’s why there are complimentary shuttles to the calmer Carlisle Bay.
Samuel Hall Lord, who built the ruined castle on the property, was one of the most famous Barbados buccaneers who made his money by plundering ships he lured onto the coral reef with lights in the trees. Passing ships thought the lights were from the port city of Bridgetown, only to get wrecked, their riches stolen by Lord.
It’s always great to find restaurants as popular with locals, as well as tourists, like the Friday night Oistin’s Fish Fry in a major fishing community and Champers Restaurant in Bridgetown overlooking the ocean. If you are conjuring an image of a romantic Caribbean restaurant, this is it. There is no better place to watch the sunset than from the terrace. Come for lunch if you can’t get a dinner reservation.
Check out the art gallery upstairs featuring regional artists. And the food is delicious—you’ve got to try the restaurant’s signature coconut shrimp (yummy). We also feasted on seared ahi tuna, snapper (the catch of the day).
Bread pudding or coconut cream pie for dessert?
