With spectacular views along every coast, this small island that is only 14 miles by 21 miles, packs an epic punch!
Epic Things to do in Barbados:
- Enjoy snorkeling, the beach and water activities
- Enjoy fabulous meals made with fresh ingredients and flair
- Learn some history and take a tour
Enjoy the beach and ocean - I went to Barbados to enjoy some relaxing beach time and that is certainly easy to do. There are 61 beaches with pink and/or white sand and all beaches are public. The west coast and south coast beaches are great for swimming. While the east and north coast beaches have much rougher surf and are sought by surfers and kite surfers.
What I didn’t realize was how many water activities there would be – from surfing lessons, boogie boarding, paddle boarding, boating, sailing, kayaking, spearfishing, deep sea fishing and snorkeling. There are tours and opportunities for every budget. Many of the boating tours depart from Carlisle Bay or the Bridgetown areas on the west coast. The best part is that if you book a tour it includes free pick up and drop off from your hotel. We stayed in an Airbnb and we simply walked to the end of our street and waited for pick up!
Being sailors, we opted for a 5-hour tour out on a catamaran with a small group (12-16 max) that included snorkeling, sailing, sunset and dinner and our snorkel gear. We snorkeled with green turtles and then over a shipwreck, then headed up the coast with the sails up to the sunset. The same tour is also offered as a morning and lunch option tour.
The beach that we opted to hang out on for a day offered lounge chairs for $30 Barbados dollars each ($15 USD) and then they gave you a voucher for the same $30 to spend at the tiki hut, where we enjoyed fancy drinks with umbrellas and fresh fish for lunch before a dip in the cool, beautiful waters. Note – there are some rocks at the beach – some beaches more than others – so if you plan to spend a lot of time in the water – water shoes would be helpful.
Enjoy the food – The whole week we had the most amazing fresh food that was served with a creative flair both in flavors and presentation. The flying fish is the specialty of the island – although it is the only fish served fried – it is simply delicious, and you don’t want to miss it. Also popular on the island are fish cakes, sea cat (octopus), macaroni pie and their famous, homemade pepper sauces. We love hot and spicy so we enjoyed trying all the local sauces but if you don’t care for spicy – you will want to pass on it!
Whether we ordered the Blue Pineapple Latte, Salt’s fresh catch – Barracuda – or the fish cakes with pepper sauce – all our food was full of flavor and freshness! Also popular is rum! The island is home to four rum distilleries – so rum punch flows like water….
Enjoy the Culture - Rum has been produced in Barbados for over 350 years and there are currently four rum distilleries that offer tours. Mount Gay Rum, St. Nicholas Abbey (which includes a visit to a working sugar plantation), Foursquare Rum and Heritage Park which is set in a beautifully landscaped garden, and West Indies Rum Distillery.
Besides producing rum on the island, there are two breweries that produce Banks Beer and 10 Saints (names after the 10 parishes in Barbados) beer. Sugar Cane used to be the number one crop, but times are changing, they have stated to grow some cotton and raise dairy cattle. Look for all the different fruit trees too – bananas, papaya, breadfruit and coconuts.
Keep your eyes open for the green monkeys that roam the island. I was lucky enough to encounter one just walking down the street one day. There are also mongoose and green turtles and hawksbill turtles that thrive around the island.
A bus tour is another fabulous way to get a great sense and view of the whole island. We opted for a 7 hour bus tour around the island with www.tedstour.wix.com, and although I was initially unsure about being on a bus all day – I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and it really ended up being a highlight of my trip. Ted made the trip a ton of fun, all the while showing us the island and telling us the history. We followed the east coast up through Carlisle Bay, Bridgetown, saw the street where Rihanna grew up, passed through Holetown and stopped at Speightstown for a lunch break (on your own) before continuing north then crossing the island near the top to head down the east coast. We stopped for refreshments and a breathtaking view at Cherry Tree Hill and then down through the hills to Cattle Wash beach and Martin’s Bay. Martin’s Bay stop included a chance to stretch and view the fabulous rocks (mushroom and teacup rocks) on the west coast. Then we headed back uphill to St John’s Church – another picture-perfect stopping spot high on a hill overlooking the sea with an old, beautiful church before heading back down the hills to the south coast near South Point Lighthouse and Ostin’s, stopping for a view of the surfers and turtles at Miami Beach and then back to the east coast.
The island is made up of 10 parishes – each with its own church and cemetery. Being a British colony, English is the primary language – although the locals – the Bajans- speak so fast that it can be a challenge to understand them!
The driving is on the LHS – or as Ted says – the “left side is the right side and the right side is suicide”. There really is no reason you need a car, as it is easy to take a taxi, a tour, or a fun “Z” bus. The Z buses are basically vans that drive up and down the streets honking, if you need a lift you simply wave them down and hop on. For a fare – which they will determine – you can pretty much get anywhere you want. But do be prepared to squeeze in as most of the Z buses are filled past capacity - but it’s all part of the fun and adventure!
Overall - The Bajans are friendly, happy people and it is easy to get around the island. The flight time out of Miami is 3 ½ hours, the time change is only 1 hour, and English is spoken by everyone. Add those factors to the water fun, the beautiful beaches and incredible food and you have an epic adventure just waiting for you! Travel makes us richer, so live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, enjoy the salty, breezes of the Caribbean and if you are in Barbados – drink rum! Happy Travels!
