Sometimes, even in Barbados, it can take a little time to fully unwind and feel rejuvenated and a visit to a local spa is sometimes called for! Fortunately, Barbados offers a great selection of desirable wellness facilities and my choice, the Spa at The Coral Reef Club, offers a wonderful experience from the minute you enter.
After landing at Grantley Adams airport we were welcomed by a delightful lady called Autumn who was waiting for us just before the Immigration Hall. She scooped us up and whisked us along a Fast Track lane to an empty desk, completely by-passing the lengthy queue and even arranging for a baggage porter while we had our passports stamped.
Where there’s fish, there’s fishing! Fishing is a way of life in Barbados, and the local fish caught are a staple of the Bajan diet. From the early hours of the morning, locals can be seen casting from the shore all along the West coast, and boats will be leaving Bridgetown for another day of deep-sea fishing. Among these boats are the private charters, which allow visitors to the island a taste of the action that the tropical waters provide.
We are pleased to have been involved with the organisation of a number of weddings on the island and we would be happy to advise on the most suitable venue for your own event. We can also put you in touch with our partner for wedding planning on the island Malissa Blackman who runs Weddings by Malissa and is one of the best known and most trusted wedding planners in Barbados.
A permanent sight in the shallows of the wonderful sweep of Alleynes Bay, Tiger Tony’s humble speedboat is a constant reminder to me that my younger brother, Will is the superior water-skier. We became friends with Tony on one of our first visits to the island and haven’t turned to anyone else since; he is our go-to-guy for all things that involve a speedboat.
Heading north on the West Coast and situated between Holetown and Speightstown you will find the secluded bay of Gibbs Beach. With a number of fine houses overlooking the sweep of the bay, the beach is edged with trees that overhang the fine sands providing dappled shade, particularly in the morning.
Forget the image of a table by a roaring fire at the local pub, Sunday lunch Bajan style usually takes the form of a marvellous buffet with a wide choice of local dishes, all eaten al fresco and often accompanied by live steel pan music. Here is our selection of some of the best places to enjoy a Sunday lunch with a difference on your Barbados holiday.
Whether you are a Barbados ‘regular’ or someone who has just read some of the many words written about the island, you will already know that there are some top restaurants in Barbados. Our choice of the 'top 5' are based on our own experience and our own tastes.
Over the years, the large wooden building that overlooks Mullins Beach, has housed a number of different bars and restaurants. The building is owned by Royal Westmoreland but over time, they have either chosen to allow others to lease the premises and run it for the benefit of Royal Westmoreland members and other visitors or run it themselves for the benefit of Royal Westmoreland members only. Currently, all are welcome and the well-known local chef, Larry Rogers (ex-Cin Cin) runs the restaurant which is now excellent.
The choice of Sunday lunch venues is wide and there are many popular beachfront options which are rightly popular. Lunch at the Lone Star or The Cliff Beach Club is certainly special with wonderful views to accompany your roast pork or fresh catch of the day. But there is another Sunday lunch option which we thoroughly recommend for a completely different dining experience with wide selection of splendid food and an even larger helping of old Barbados on the side: Sunday lunch at Lancaster Great House.
The Chattel Village in Holetown is an attractive and popular area of town with a collection of boutique shops specialising in a variety of products, from souvenir essentials to jewellery and even Cuban cigars. At the centre lies Cafe Bar Carizma which is a popular spot for breakfast or a morning coffee and just behind lies one of favourite places, The Gourmet Shop.
Having been bar-less for a while, imagine our growing excitement in recent months as we started to hear rumours of a new beach bar coming to Mullins, virtually next door to the old one – would it be any good? Could it live up to the original? Well, there was only one way to find out, so on Friday night my wife Cat and I headed out (with our toddler) for the opening night of Mullins’ newest beach bar named simply, ‘Sea Shed’.
The Barbados Food and Rum Festival is soon to return for its 10th year between 24th and 27th October 2019 - and we intend to be on island at that time to get involved. The event is always strongly promoted by the tourism authority, as celebrity chefs converge on Barbados to reinforce its reputation as the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean. One of the events we enjoyed most when we last attended in 2017 was Taste the Spirits of Polo which took place on the Saturday afternoon at Holders Polo Field, Holders Hill.
Oistins is a small Barbadian fishing community in Christ Church parish on the south coast of the island (fairly close to the airport). Over the years it has become known for its Friday Fish Fry, a go-to spot in Barbados for brilliant food, loud music and smiling faces.
Lisa and I had met a couple of the local Nikki Beach marketing team at Little Bristol Bar on a number of occasions and they invited us along to spend some time on the sunbeds and experience Nikki Beach for ourselves. We duly obliged – I was wearing my slightly sceptical hat (“luxury lifestyle brand” – not really my thing) but Lisa was rather more open minded and didn’t see much wrong with the idea of an afternoon on a sunbed with a glass of champagne.
Once a month in winter, St Nicolas Abbey host a special Moonlight Dinner and we were delighted to attend on Saturday (27th January 2018). The evening commenced with cocktails and canapés before we were seated at our candlelit table on the terrace. The excellent menu was created by Chef Scott Ames, who trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the UK and throughout the evening, we were treated to entertainment from Sarah Taylor with steel pan accompaniment.
After 11 months of work and an estimated spend of BDS$ 45 million, the new Massy supermarket has just opened in Holetown on the site of the old Sunset Crest store. We are in Barbados at the moment and (along with hundreds of others) were soon through the doors on the first day, curious to take a look inside and see where we would be doing most of our food shopping on island over the next few years.
The seventh Barbados Food & Rum Festival (previously Food, Wine & Rum) will be held in Barbados from 17th to 20th November 2016 with a variety of events across the island celebrating Barbados as the ‘culinary capital of the Caribbean’. Barbados is home to many renowned chefs and visiting chefs from around the World will be joining them to get involved in a wide range of events during the annual festival.
There are so many places to visit on the beautiful island of Barbados but if you only allow yourself one or two trips out from your holiday villa then St. Nicholas Abbey should be one of them. With a rich and colourful history St. Nicholas Abbey remains, to this day, one of only three Jacobean houses left in the western hemisphere.
Sea Turtles are great survivors and have inhabited the seas around the world for over 150 million years, evolving from land roaming creatures, which took to the sea to outlive the dinosaurs. Today, there are seven different species of sea turtles around the world and Barbados is home to three species, the Hawksbill, the Green Turtle and the Leatherback.
We are Mark and Lisa Hammerton and we are lucky enough to spend our time organising villa and apartment holidays to the wonderful Caribbean island of Barbados.
We have been involved with the travel industry for most of our working lives but fell in love with Barbados after many visits and ended up buying a second home there.
We would love to talk to you about the island and our selection of wonderful properties and, as our priority is matching the right property to your requirements, we will always be open and honest in what we have to say.
Mark & Lisa
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