Barbados Trip report 11/26-12/2/06

I apologize this is not being written immediately upon my return. I have a full time job and I’m the mommy” so there is very little time for myself if I ever want to sleep. I’ve also been tweaking it because I wasn’t happy with it but now that its been 5 months and I’m hopefully only 10 days away from a last minute trip to St. Croix, its now or never. Anyway, I hope its still helpful to someone.

Some background on this trip to help put it in perspective- This was our first trip to Barbados, about my 14 or 15th trip to the Caribbean, and our 4th with our daughter, who was 27 months old at the time.

We traded our week through Interval International for a week at the Divi Southwinds. I got an incredible deal on the air. We flew non stop on AA from JFK and the total for the 3 of us (with my daughter paying a full fare) including the taxes was only $1048. In addition, the flight times could not have been better for us. Our outbound flight was at 10:05 am. We live in a suburb of Hartford so we were able to leave the house at 6:00 and make the flight in plenty of time. We hit no traffic, which is amazing considering that was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest of the year. I knew that when booking but it didn’t sink in until we were driving to the airport.
We checked in at the counter with a very short wait, less than 10 minutes until we got to the counter so we had time to spare for a leisurely breakfast at Au Bon Pain before clearing security. Side note there- I was careful when packing to try to keep liquids to the smallest of sizes. There was a person from security handing out ziplock baggies before you got to the line to be searched. They let us bring 3 juice boxes for my daughter, which they technically probably shouldn’t have and I was prepared to give them up but the security worker thought out loud about it for a moment and decided it was fine since they were clearly for a toddler.

The flight was fairly full. It was a 757. We had a lunch, which was not bad (chicken and pasta, which thankfully are also my daughter’s favorites so it helped keep her from being one of those children you are cursing as you deplane.)

Arrival- Grantly Adams Airport is quite busy, large and modern. Despite this, there are no jetways and one must still use the stairs and then walk under a cover to the Customs and Immigration area. When we deplaned, I saw the 2 BA jumbos and 1 Virgin Atlantic parked already. I envisioned a long wait behind all of those people but fortunately, they were long gone and clearing only took us about 25 minutes and that was mostly due to the fact that we were some of the last people off the plane since its just easier with a toddler to let the others go ahead. There was no entertainment waiting for us or free drinks ( like in MBJ or SXM) but the airport is air conditioned.
This airport had obviously undergone some sprucing for the Cricket World Cup. This airport is comfortable, and it’s large enough in the departure area to accommodate all the jets coming and going but it could still use more restrooms and food options.

After claiming our bags, we went outside and got a cab. It was $15 US plus tip to get to the Divi, which is right in the Gap. I think it was about a 20 minute cab ride, if that.

The Divi- We were quite pleased with it. It’s a solid 3 star property. We were not right on the beach but the beach was a very short walk, about 3 minutes across a small street. The resort is undergoing renovation. Aside from the sight of piles of wood, and men pushing wheelbarrows, we weren’t inconvenienced by the construction at all. There was no construction noise and nothing was closed because of it. All of the staff that we encountered were quite accommodating. The crib we had requested was in the room on arrival.

We were in unit 114 which was on the first floor, not far from reception. We had a unit that had been redone. It was a 1BR which was fine for us but if you wanted to put 4 adults in it, it would have been cramped. We had a full kitchen that was fully stocked with utensils, plates, cooking items, etc. I found it odd that we didn’t need to fill out and sign a list stating everything was accounted for like in most timeshares but that was one less thing for me to do. The unit was very clean and had a granite bi level counter in the kitchen with stools. We had 2 tvs- one in the bedroom and one in the living room, which strangely didn’t have a couch but 2 chairs instead. Again, no problem for us. We had plenty of drawers and closet space. The bathroom had a shower/tub and toilet area with a door and then there was a separate area with 2 sinks. There was a safe, phone, coffee maker ironing board, mop- everything I could have needed.

The hotel itself has a pool with a swim up bar, a mini mart open with generous hours, a small fitness center, and tennis courts. Oh yes, and it also has monkeys!! If you get up early ( before 6am) you can see them around the tennis courts and on the roof of the restaurant.
There are two restaurants. One by the pool, Bajan Breeze, which was open for BDL and the other by the ocean , Jocelyn’s, which was open until 6PM.

The beach- The beach is Dover Beach. I liked it very much. There were restroom at the restaurant ( very nice ones too- tiled and very clean), trees for shade, umbrellas, and chairs. These were free for hotel guests but no one ever asked us though if we were at the Divi or not. It’s a walkable and swimable beach but manageable in size. There were a few vendors but they don’t bother you if you say you aren’t interested. We did book a trip to swim with the turtles through Beulah who has a “ beauty shop” which is really a chair on the end of the beach. Some others who had been going to the Divi for years recommended her. She can get you almost anything and I think is reputable. I also noticed quite a few police walking the beach and in the Gap area. I travel no matter what and I’ve been many places alone so I’m not one who is incautious or overly scared but it was nice to see that this island seems to care about its visitors unlike some other islands. I will also say Barbados is very clean and looks prosperous.

Weather- The weather was hot. Its was in the mid to upper 80s each day. The water was warm too ( but that’s a good thing). I’ve been to Aruba in December and it was not nearly as warm there. I enjoyed the weather. It did rain a bit while we were there but never enough to really ruin anything for us and it was mostly after dark when it rained.

Location- This trip was the first one where we didn’t rent a car. We usually get out and explore and Barbados being a large island, it would have made sense. I think we didn’t just because unlike our usually active vacations, we just needed to relax and do not much of anything. It wasn’t because we had a child with us. It did bother me a bit not to explore more but I just didn’t have the energy on this trip. Being after Thanksgiving and before Christmas and having forgone our normal spring vacation, I was overdue Also, where we stayed didn’t make a car necessary. The Gap has plenty of restaurants, cafes and shops to not necessitate leaving the area. We walked the small street with a stroller and it was no problem. There isn’t much traffic and there are sidewalks.

I will say I found Barbados to be one of the pricier islands I’ve been to, even with a 2:1 exchange rate ( i.e. they do use the Barbados Dollar more than the USD but you can pay for everything in USD, just cut the price in half). I think it was about 50/50 how often I got USD change or BBD change. It seemed to depend on how much change I needed. You also need to check your bills. Restaurants will add a 10% service charge. Being an American who has worked for tips, I added more but its not always expected there since they still tend to follow the Europeans there. Americans are only the 4th biggest travel market for Barbados. The European tourists don’t usually tip like the North Americans do. People don’t expect tips as much as on other islands, but they are always happy to get them and know that the Europeans don’t tip often. It seemed to me you got the same service whether or not you tipped.

Meals- Unlike other trips, we didn’t really seek out any specific restaurants. We just went to whatever place we could walk to in the Gap for the most part. We never really had to wait very long most nights. Service in general was fine. We are amateur foodies although not food snobs. We like 5 star as much as a stand on the side of the road. At home we eat healthy and we also like to try ethnic food and local food. We generally do eat at at least one upscale restaurant while on vacation and I usually do research where I want to go but on this trip, I didn’t really.

Our first night we just ate at the Bajan Breeze Café at our hotel. It was a bit later but I think we were the only ones there. I don’t think this was due to the restaurant, other nights it was full. Rather I think it was the time of day and the fact that the hotel wasn’t near capacity. The food at the Divi was good but my only complaint was they didn’t offer kids portions, which is odd seeing as they have plenty of kids who go there. That night we had pasta carbonara, stuffed chicken and snapper. All very good. I think our total bill with 2-3 drinks, juice, and a desert including a tip was $76US.

Monday- We hit the pool and the beach. My daughter loved both so we split our time. Lunch was at Jocelyns. We had fish sandwiches.Quite good. I never order fish sandwiches at home but in the islands I often do. $66 BBS for lunch. Dinner was at the Ship Inn. (Chicken nuggets for my daughter, stir fry for me and fish with rice for my husband). Not bad, fairly standard. Nothing special but no complaints. This place is very publike and would have probably been fun to hit later without a child on our own. Lots of people from the UK there. We sat outside under a canopy. All of the restaurants we ate dinner we were fortunate enough to be able to eat outside under a cover.

Tuesday- This morning we went on an outing to swim with the turtles with Just Breezing Watersports. This was amazing. The turtles are wild, unlike the various dolphin programs that are probably not good for the dolphins. Yes, the turtles come because the tourists feed them, that probably is not that good for them either, but other than that, they are free to come and go as they wish. I do have mixed feelings on this since its not really a natural thing for them and I have read since doing this that it effects their eating habits but on the plus side, it does also raise awareness of these beautiful creatures.

A car came and picked the 3 of us up at the hotel about 8:45. The woman who drove us gave us a nice background on the island, its history and current economy. It was about 35 minutes or so to get to the beach where we caught the boat. It was near Sandy Lane Hotel. We were very fortunate in that we were the only ones to have booked that day, we had the boat to ourselves!! Well, I say fortunate but it wasn’t so fortunate for me later in the day but I’ll get to that. First I’ll cover why this is one of the best excursions I have done in my world travels first before I explain why it was not fortunate for me and I’m an idiot. The boat was a glass bottom, which was one of the reasons we booked it because our daughter would like it, and she did. It was covered but you could also climb up and sit on the roof, which I liked for the ride back. We made one stop first and did some snorkeling. We took turns, one of us snorkeling, the other on the boat with Addison. The snorkeling was fairly good. Not the best I’ve ever done, but probably a 7 on a scale of 10. After that we moved a short way to where the turtles are. Another reason I would recommend this outfit is we got there before the other large boats of daytrippers from other resorts and cruise ships did so we had at least 20 minutes alone with turtles before the hoards descended. We did take Addie into the water with us and tried to have her look at the turtles. She had on a life vest. Obviously, the water was completely flat or we would not have attempted this. She loves water and swimming but being 2 she can’t really swim so we had to hold her tightly. I think she did see the turtles, I’m not 100% sure. We had a baby sized mask for her. She definitely loved being in the water. We fed the turtles. They come right up to you, even if you don’t have food. Its just amazing. I think they were a bit smaller than some I’ve seen in the BVIs but the ones I saw in the BVIs were a random one here or there. This was a turn ( I think that’s the proper word for a bunch of turtles).
Here’s where I prove I’m an idiot. I enjoyed the ride back on the roof of the boat. My husband let me sit up there by myself while he stayed below with our daughter. I’m not a sailor but I like being on a boat for a daysail. Here is where I admit that I’m really stupid sometimes for someone who others generally consider to be smart and who has only lost one trivia game in my life. They had brought the rum punch that you get on this trip and had brought the normal amount for a bunch of people. Stupid me drank one on an empty stomach as we started back. ( skipped breakfast since I wasn’t hungry at the time) Then I drank another one and apparently, another one or two more. Keep in mind at home I don’t generally drink rum at home and I was in the sun. Here’s where it gets fuzzy- I remember pulling up to where we stared but I have no recollection of getting off the boat or the trip home or anything until I woke up in the bathtub about 3pm. I can just imagine my poor husband having to deal with a strong willed toddler and incoherent wife at the same time. And I’m a sloppy drunk. I’m so embarrassed. I hope he tipped our skipper and driver well. I’m not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to soak in the tub but apparently it was my idea to do that. Luckily for me, I had no ill effects when I “came to” and my husband promised to only make fun of me for the rest of that day, which I totally deserved.

Tony had lunch that day while I was snoozing off of Le Roy’s truck. He has a catering truck and was on the road to the beach. Very plentiful and not too expensive. We had roti, potatoes, curry, fish stew and macaroni for $12 US. ( I ate the left overs) Great local food. (Apparently I was hungry after I got out of the tub). Dinner was at Mc Brides in the Gap. ( pizza, fettuccini carbonara and ice cream). This was cheap but not that good. It was the kind of pizza that probably was frozen. Our bill was only $60 US. ( I chuckle as I type only $60 since at home, I’d expect a $60 meal to be good, but here I didn’t care because I considered this cheap).

Wed- A little rainy but not enough to ruin anything for us. . Pool and beach again. This night we had by far the best dinner of our trip. We went to Pisces which is a seafood place toward the end of the strip in the Gap. The setting is interesting. Its on the beach side of the road (and the only place we had dinner the entire trip which was on the beach side). It’s sort of like being in an old fort. The food was excellent as was the service. We also got lucky in that this was the day Addison didn’t take a nap so she basically fell asleep standing up about 7pm and was out for the night so we got to enjoy our dinner. She stretched out on two chairs next to our table. We had lobster surf and turf, coconut shrimp, tuna steak , red wine, and a bananas foster type of dessert. I think our bill was about $200 US. We took a taxi back to the hotel rather than walk since it was about a 20 minute walk back. I think with tip we paid $10US for it. I definitely would recommend a dinner there.

Thursday- We were fortunate to be here for Independence Day. It was the 40th. The hotel had a nice day planned for its employees and guests. Some people may be put off by the fact that the employees were allowed to bring their families and let them use the pool and play games but I thought it was a nice gesture and my daughter enjoyed playing with the Bajan kids. There was a lively cricket game. Having lived in Australia, I was going to join in and I was welcome to but I decided not to when I realized it was an annual thing men vs. woman and there was pride and a trophy at stake. There was a dj and balloons and a very nice buffet of awesome local dishes. It did rain again on and off this day but again, not enough to ruin anything. The buffet was about $15 US per person.
I did some shopping that day in the Gap, walking to the left out of the hotel in the opposite direction of the way to the restaurants we ate at. I bought a painting from a local artist named Cox of Bathsheba Beach. I like to collect local art from the Caribbean. I think I paid about $35 US for it. That night we had dinner again in the Gap at Pun De Grill. We had simple things like grilled chicken, ribs, a cheesesteak sandwich and fries. I think our tab was about $40 US and that included some beer, ice cream and bottled water. This is a place where you order at a counter and they bring it to you. Nothing fancy. You can sit here and watch the people go by on the street.

Friday- This was a nice day and our second to last on the island. We took a taxi tour. It cost us $130 for a customized tour for the 3 of us and I gave our driver a $20 tip on top of that. Our driver’s name was Reuben. We met him when he drove us home one night. We stopped at the Pottery Works per my request. I also like to collect local pottery along with the art. I thought I could be in and out in 10 minutes. It wasn’t my intention to shop long but everything was so beautiful it was difficult to make up my mind. I didn’t want to ship anything so that limited my choices but I still was there 45 minutes. I bought a rectangular serving platter for $27US. After this we stopped at a place just called Lookout. This was a nice stop. It was like a rest area actually but it was on top of a hill with a gorgeous view. It has snacks, bathrooms, horseback riding, a small gift shop, bar, and best of all for my daughter, there was a monkey there and also a resident cat. She couldn’t decide which she liked better. It was a good way to see a monkey up close. We also went to Bathsheba since I wanted to see the place I had bought the painting of. After that we stopped at an old church, St. John’s Parish Church. Not a place I would normally ask to stop but I’m glad we did. It had a nice view and I like to look in old cemeteries. It also has a gift shop area with a bathroom, which is a must with a recently potty trained 2 year old. We also stopped at The Crane. Lots of construction going on there. Very nice view as well but it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Just before we got back to the hotel I asked to stop at Chefette. I love Chefette!!! It’s a chain so its essentially Bajan fast food. Yes, it was like going to McDonalds while on vacation but I like the food. I got roti. I love roti. I also got rum raisin ice cream. ( Not a flavor I order at home but on vacation I get it as often as possible). Some people may think I’m nuts for wanting to eat at Chefette but its also not too pricey. I don’t eat much fast food at home so this is ironic. In another added plus, they carry chicken nuggets which are another of my dauther’s favorite foods. We hit the drive through in the taxi van.

For our last night we had dinner in the Gap again at Sweet Potatoes. As you can tell from the name, they specialize in local dishes. I had a craving for some sweet potatoes so that’s why we went there. We had stuffed creole plantain, some fruity drinks, Banks beer, jerk pork, fish, and banana flambé. Excellent. Total was $163BD incl the tax. Took a taxi home again. I had been determined to go to the fish fry in Oistins this night but for some reason that I can’t recall right now, we blew it off and just went here. I think again “sand gravity” set in and we didn’t feel like bothering to get a taxi and drive there. We just wanted to walk somewhere so we did. I do slightly regret it but I’ll do it next time.

Saturday- Our flight didn’t leave until later in the day so we had until about 1 to explore. After a leisurely breakfast at Jocelyn’s for $43US, Reuben took us to Bridgetown. We checked out of the hotel and left our bags in his taxi and arranged for him to pick us up and go to the airport. ( I love how you can do this in the islands). Bridgetown was large and not really what I expected. It was more city like, like Phillipsburg or Nassau or Willemstad but inviting. Although there were lots of shops, it didn’t strike me as being as touristy as some of the other islands I’ve been to. There weren’t cheap tshirt shops and liquor stores everywhere. There are jewelry stores if you want them. I did buy some things at the Ganzee Shop which is a chain of souvenir store. I hit Chefette again for another roti. We had a last drink at a place by the waterfront in Bridgetown. I can’t remember the name but it was relaxing. It was by the bridge over the water, near the fruit market. ( Where I got some very, very good fresh pineapple for $1US)

It took quite awhile to check in at American. I think almost an hour but it wasn’t too bad. I did buy some duty free Bailey’s and sugarcane brandy at the small duty free shop. I don’t generally do that but it was less than half of what it would have cost at home. It was a Christmas gift. There isn’t much to do in the waiting area at the airport. Its got plenty of seats and is comfortable ( which is good since when we left, there were no less than 7 jets there at anytime coming and going). There is only one small snack café and one bathroom though. It will be quite a nice airport once all the construction is done and more things are open. They might even be open now since its taken me so long to post this!!

Oh, one more side note that you may find amusing. Our flight was strange. The plane took off and banked left, which is not unusual but the Captain told the crew to stay buckled in until he turned off the seatbelt sign, something I hate to hear. Although I fly all the time ( I’ve been to Australia 4x,used to be a tourguide so I commuted from Boston to Zurich all summer long for two summers and worked in marketing for an airline so I flew somewhere at least once a week), but I HATE TURBULENCE!! It makes me very nervous. I know its usually a normal thing but I don’t like it at all. We stayed quite low for awhile, about 6,000 feet. Then we went quite high. The captain announced we were at 37,000 ft. and he was going to see if we could get cleared for 39,000 once we lost some fuel weight. Apparently, there was some extremely choppy air in the area. The plane was bobbing and I noticed my hands were dug into the armrests and my legs were actually shaking. We probably were not in any danger but I just almost hyperventilate when that happens. Anyway, my daughter was coloring away and singing to herself, as happy as could be. She likes flying. Well, then she started singing “ plane is going down, plane is going down” since we were descending. I’m sure she said that because on the way to Barbados, as we were descending to land, a woman sitting across the aisle said to her “ the plane is going down” meaning its landing. So Addison used those words, but I didn’t need to hear them even though they did make me laugh to myself. Good thing she didn’t notice Mommy was practically in the brace positions. But, obviously we made it through that air since I’m here writing this.

So, I’m sorry this took so long to post and that its so long. I feel as if its wordy but I didn’t give any real information. Bottom line, Barbados is one of my favorite islands in the Caribbean. My daughter loved it, she still talks about it nearly every day. I hope you enjoyed this. Please PM me if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.

-Brenna