Barbados

Hi Guys

Well I've now returned from a fabulous visit to San Francisco and Las Vegas - back to reality!!!

Planning my next trip, it was originally going to be Washington DC and Niagara Falls next May, but I'm persuading my husband to do a "Beach" holiday next year instead (my last 3 holidays have been too busy and I need a week of relaxing) and do Washington in 2016.

Anyway Barbados has always been high of my places to visit (were planning on getting married there before we eloped to Vegas in 2012).

Just in the thinking about / planning stages so after some advice regarding things to do - I've done a deal with the hubbie to have alternate days relaxing / trips - he gets really bored lying in the sun and I don't so we have to compromise....

So I'm looking at idea's for trips etc also good pubs or restaurants to visit, hotel I've looked at and like is the Tamarind by Elegant Hotels but I'm up for other suggestions? We like going to different places to eat so maybe going B&B is better than All Inclusive? but again I'm open to idea's.....

Just looking for little bits if idea's and options? I think we may hire a car while there so that gives us more options aswell?

Thanks Guys.xx

Have you looked on th barbados foum on trip adviser for ideas?

Funny enough myself and the hubby have the same compromises! He loves city breaks and i like relaxing in the sun! This year we did Chicago before Barbados to please each other, and rented an apartment for 10 days before heading to an all inclusive for the last 4 nights.
One thing i will say about Barbados is there is plenty of choice on eating out so going self catering is a good option
We hired a car for two days and drove round the island very easily.
Turtle trip with Calablaza was amazing.

Thank you for replies, yes I'm watching trip advisor aswell...

Vanilla, thank you for turtle trip option, I'll make a note of that name.

I'm interested in this one, I did consider Barbados once upon a time for a beach destination, but the accomodation seemed quite expensive compared to other places (Jamaica/Cancun), I presume because its a small island. I was seeing the likes of a local B&B for like 140 quid a night, when you could get all-inclusive in Cancun for that...

If you do a search on here, there's been a number of threads that will give you a good flavour of paradise - erm, sorry, Barbados.

However, some tips (very much from my own perspective, of course).

The Elegant chain is pretty good, each hotel has it's own nature and will appeal to different couples/families.

My personal favourite, Turtle Beach, is more of a family hotel with kids club etc, so may or may not float the boat for couples.

Tamarind and Crystal Cove are similar(ish), in that they are more compact resorts and are both on the west coast (THE "in" place to be). I find them a little "stayed" though, whereas Turtle Beach is more "fun" and just a little more vibrant.

I believe Elegant also have a couples only resort, although I've never been there.

Take a look at
www.barbados.org
which has a bunch of information including a calendar of events which should give you some good ideas.

There are the usual tourist type things to do - Harrison's cave, zoo and submarine trips etc, which are good for a change - the caves in particular are really interesting.

there's probably no substitute for checking out the island by car though, it's just nice to go to places that aren't served by tourist buses/vans and "hang out". You can also suit yourself on timing when visiting the more "main stream" attractions.

I'm not one for just lying about on the beach either, but there's something about the place that encourages me to just relax with a book, hop in the sea for a swim, grab a beer, read some more - it's a very relaxing place. But, you can find plenty to do if that's what you want.

Most impportant thing to start with is to work out what kind of resort/accommodation you want - all inclusive, half board, self catering, with a pool (that's big enough to swim in?) ETC, print out loads of information and go from there.

Plenty of folks on here have visited the island, so there will be no shortage of advice, especially on specific questions you might have, so fire away.

I am on countdown to my 24th trip to Barbados, so hopefully I can help!!!

I don't think I replied to your TA post, so here goes. Ideally I would hire a car for a few days. we tend to have a few quiet beach days (til I get bored!) then go out and about in the car. Sometimes this is just taking a picnic to a beach like Bottom Bay or Foul Bay (where you can spend the whole day and only see a handful of people). Other times we are more active.

Things I would really recommend are:
- St Nicholas Abbey (beautiful building, great old film of Barbados, rum tasting and restored outbuildings, lovely gardens)
- Hunte's gardens - a hidden gem. Anthony Hunte is a wonderful character and will welcome you to his house after wandering round the gardens developed in a sink hole, whilst listening to classical music - very atmospheric.
- A catamaran trip (My favourite is Silver Moon 12 person cruise - a bit more expensive but worth it. Cool Runnings is also good but have been a coupe of times when it has been a bit on the crowded side. Jammin is good if you want a little bit more liveliness)
- Island Safari 4x4 - the guides are very entertaining. Includes lunch and drink stops and takes you off the beaten track

There is so much more to see, I haven't done all of it!

To "smid"....... we get our accommodation for £70/night low season (May-Nov) - beachfront studio - Coral Mist or Blue Orchids - check it out! Bookable via VirginHols (limited number of rooms) and a couple of other sites. Bit more if you go direct to the hotel

Barbados is my favourite place to spend a holiday, I am afraid though that I cant's provide much info on things to do as we don't tend to do much when we visit other than a trip in to Bridgetown, we did go to the Races on our last visit & had a fun afternoon. My favourite restaurant is Tides. Regarding hotels, have stayed in several including, Waves, Turtle Beach, Almond Beach Village (many years ago), Mango Bay & most recently Crystal Cove which was very good.

Have a wonderful trip


oldboy

Well, we love Barbados and have been several times now as its just such a friendly and welcoming place. We have always stayed at the Turtle Beach, but its all inclusive so won't be what you are looking for. Out and about in a car is definitely the best way to explore. You will get lost as the signs are awful but just keep going and you will eventually find all sorts of out of the way places. Of all the places to visit, I would certainly agree with LucyLu that a real hidden gem is 'Huntes Garden'. Small but absolutely stunning sunken garden. Very relaxing with classical music serenading you as you walk around. Be warned though, you'll be wanting to make your own garden look like this when you get home! The Flower Caves at the very northern tip are also well worth a visit. You can actually swim in the underground rock pool which looks out through the rock face onto the sea (Its where Rihanna did one of her famous photo shoots). I'd thoroughly recommend Calabaza for a catamaran trip. Small and friendly and Gina and the guys really look after you well. Gina's home cooked food is just the icing on the cake and she even sent us some of her recipes once we'd got back home. Ahh, I need to go back!
D.

Over the years my family and I have been to a number of the Caribbean Islands, Grenada being our favourite (back again for the 4th time next Summer). However Barbados is certainly up there + all four of us got free upgrades to UC on the return flight. In terms of trips we really enjoyed the submarine trip and Harbour Lights....and in terms of embracing the true Barbados and mixing with the locals I would recommend going along to Fish Friday.

If you're likely to want to go out for lunch/dinner on most days I would recommend staying in a B&B (give airBnB a look), apartment or find a hotel that offers room only or half board. From what I can remember the Hilton Barbados (5*) offers alternatives to AI.

Gosh, how could I forget to mention the Friday fish fry at Oistins?! Oistins is where a fishmarket is located but it has lots of stands selling freshly cooked fish (and other things) and drinks. On a Friday night it gets packed with locals and tourists alike with music on at the main stage (usually someone up there trying to dance!) and also some more "old time" music with ballroom dancing outside Lexy's Bar. You can get a meal for less than $30BDS (<£10). If you prefer it a little less busy the food stands are open other nights of the week.

And the Oistins Fish Fry can get pretty lively!

A nice trip up to Bathseeba and round to St John's where there is a beautiful old church is well worth it as well...

The Concorde exhibition next to the airport is pretty good as well - good for a damp day I you should have one.

Ah yes, the Concorde exhibit - my favourite! I tend to use that when travelling home as there really isn't much else to do in the airport.

I check in, drop off bags, then go and do the Concorde exhibit before re-entering the airport.

Ah bliss, think of Barbados and your mind goes all fuzzy and warm.

Turtle Beach is our fave but we have a teenage son. Without him, we would still go.

Almond, many moons ago, another fabulous location.

Wherever you go, as with most Caribbean islands, you will find paradise. For us, we've been across the W.Indies and beyond and Barbados is the most amazing. I rate it higher (for us) than Grenada, St Lucia and Antigua, all of which we have visited often.

Something about Barbados, something just pulls you back.

Have a wonderful time.... That's a done deal.

15 days and I will be over the Atlantic on my way to Barbados for the 24th time......can't wait!

I'm looking at accommodation and must say I do like the look of Ocean 2, still can't decide whether to go for all inclusive (even though we will go out a few times on a night, I thought for the daytime drinks / food it may be worth it) so my AI option was Turtle beach V B&B at Ocean 2.

The difference in price is approx £1000 (turtle beach) so I' asking if its worth an extra £1k or would we not spend that much on drinks / food during daytime at Ocean 2?

Oceans 2 has had very good feedback and is in a nice location.

We budget on £50 per person per day when self catering. We eat breakfast in our room, lunches are a mix of self catered or out (nothing big/posh) and all dinners are out, at a mix of inexpensive and more upmarket places. Personally I like to try different places, so don't want to feel tied to a small number of restaurants in an AI hotel. If you were at Oceans 2 you have a good selection of places to go in walking distance.

Thanks LucyLu - quick question - what about drinks (soft and alcoholic during the day?) are these expensive at Ocean 2? or other outlets....

Don't know about prices at O2 - TripAdvisor people who have stayed there will know though. We tend to stick to soft drinks during the day, but beer (Banks) and rum are not expensive at local bars. We go to the supermarket (nearest to O2 would be the Supercentre (now called Masseys I think) in Oistins), although there is a convenience shop near O2 I think.

I used to stay in that area a lot but haven't been down there for a while. There are beach vendor huts at Dover beach that will do good prices on drinks day and night. We tend to stock our fridge up with beer, rum and soft drinks and have a couple sitting on the balcony in that gap between coming back from the beach or a day out and getting ready to go out in the evening.

Banks beer range from about $12BDS-ish (£4) for 6 in the supermarket to $6BDS each in some bars, but there are places that sell 4 for $10, it just depends where you go and if there is a happy hour etc. A rum & coke would be $4 upwards.

Ah bliss, think of Barbados and your mind goes all fuzzy and warm.

Turtle Beach is our fave but we have a teenage son. Without him, we would still go.

Almond, many moons ago, another fabulous location.

Wherever you go, as with most Caribbean islands, you will find paradise. For us, we've been across the W.Indies and beyond and Barbados is the most amazing. I rate it higher (for us) than Grenada, St Lucia and Antigua, all of which we have visited often.

Something about Barbados, something just pulls you back.

Have a wonderful time.... That's a done deal.

Ah, yes, Almond... Stayed many times at their 3 properties on the island, tended to polarise opinions, but they did know how to look after regulars, not to mention mix a good rum punch (with the emphasis on 'rum'). RIP to them...

Can't offer too much extra advice other than turtle Beach is definitely a very good 'all things to all people' opton, i.e. Works with or without children provided you are not completely intolerant. I was looking at Ocean 2 a couple of years back as it seemed like good value, but not stayed there yet.

Actually, it's been a 3 year Barbados drought for the RC family, with the very decent Verandah resort in Antigua taking its place for the past 2 years and Cancun to come in 2015. I can certainly understand the point about relatively high accommodation costs, but there's just something that keeps dragging us back. Maybe 2016 will be that time again...