Woah, I'm going
to Barbados!
Looking down from my window seat at the deep blue sea below, as we were coming to land, I couldn't help but reminisce lines from the 70’s song, ‘flying coconut airways, to Barbados, in the sunny Caribbean sea’, except that I was on a British Airways flight heading for Grantley Adams International Airport.
The 45 minute drive north from the airport, along the west coast towards Speightstown, brought me to the Cobblers Cove Hotel, right on the sea front. Set in beautiful tropical gardens, teeming with Bougainvillea shrubs and Hibiscus flowers, and the blue sea in front, this just looked perfect for a balmy 83 degree sunshine holiday. Sipping an iced cold rum punch with a sprinkling of nutmeg, and watching the sun go down was a good start.
Chattel Houses
But what brought me to Barbados was more than a seaside holiday. This is a popular destination for British holidaymakers who come here for sun and relaxation, and feel at home, with English place names like Brighton, Worthing, Hastings, Bath and so on which are widespread on this island. Barbados is also an island steeped in 17th-19th century history. For an island just 21x14 miles, there’s plenty to explore, from several National Trust properties to historic sites and architecture.
Then there are beautiful gardens, countryside walks, and you can’t return without spending an afternoon witnessing a cricket match - the islands national sport. To explore Barbados at your leisure, wheels are a must. So one of my first priorities was to take delivery of my hire car.
It’s a pleasant coastal drive south to Bridgetown. On one side is the sea and beach with swaying coconut palm trees and on the other side, Flamboyant trees in full bloom and traditional ‘chattel’ (meaning movable) houses that still remain today. These small timber houses are built on coral rock platforms so they can be moved from place to place. Its historic background is that, people who did not own land could set up home and work on plantations. When the work was over they had to dismantle their houses, transport it by cart and set home at another spot.
Bridgetown
For a small island, the capital Bridgetown is quite a large town. Right in the middle is a marina, with a backdrop of colonial style buildings, and even a mini Trafalgar square with a statue of Nelson.
The Barbados Synagogue (near National Heroes Sq), built in 1833, and once an abandoned building, was beautifully restored in 1986. The interior is especially beautiful and is a pleasant place to spend an hour. St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral dates back to the 17th century, and has gone through a couple of periods of restoration to bring it to its former glory. Its graveyard tablets contain names of dignitaries and government people who have been buried there.
Synagogue
St Michael’s Cathedral
Some of the grand old colonial style houses still remain in Belleville, once a rich residential suburb
of Bridgetown.
For those interested in military history, a short drive will bring you the Barbados Garrison (Savannah) which has been declared a World Heritage site, with some magnificent colonial buildings, and grounds with old canons.
If shopping is your thing, then there are plenty of Duty Free shops along Broad Street. But remember, Duty Free does not necessarily mean cheaper! For those with lunch time hunger pangs, a flying fish sandwich by a marina side restaurant will do nicely.
Garrison
Belleville
Up at 5.30 in the morning, the only sounds outside are the birdcalls and gentle sound of waves breaking. There were several tiny sparrow like birds, and a couple of hummingbirds in the hotel gardens, as I made my walk along the beach which took me to a nearby little village and boatyard. There, several elderly women in their swimsuits greeted me with ‘good morning’ as they stepped into the water for a dip. Barbadians (or Bajans) apparently prefer to take to the sea early mornings, while the tourists tend to show up on the beach usually by mid morning.
Back at the hotel for breakfast, Smoked King Fish with poached eggs was on the menu. My programme for the day was a visit to one of the finest properties in Barbados - St. Nicholas Abbey. Just 15 minutes drive inland, through countryside, brought me to this 17th century Jacobean architectural gem, surrounded by beautiful gardens with Bougainvillea and Allamanda flowers, and Travellers Palm trees. The mansion’s architecture has an European style design, with curved gables. The interior is full of antiques, and old British furniture, Mahogany tables and chairs.
One particular item that caught my eye was a gentleman’s chair. Made in 1935, it is described as an ‘ideal easy chair’ that has a book rack, reading lamp and footrest, and can be converted into a full length couch. A guided tour showed us visitors a library, containing books on slaves that were kept at plantations, and what each slave was worth - £15 being the highest price for a man and £5 for a child. Some Bajans are naturally against the restoration idea of such properties, as they symbolise the days of the slavery, while others accept it is a part of history that must be preserved while telling people about the horrors of slavery as well.
The island once had more than 800 windmills. Today, Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, is the only working one to survive and is a heritage site. After several stages of restoration by the National Trust, it is now open to visitors.
St Nicholas Abbey
Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill
Ruins at Farley Hill
More historic sites can be found at Farley Hill National Park, where the ruins of an old mansion today serves as a backdrop for movies, music shows, and even weddings. The whole scenic area around it is now a national park, and is a great picnic spot for locals.
Codrington College
The straight driving path lined with cabbage palm trees on either side, leads to Codrington College. It is surrounded by beautifully landscapes gardens, Frangipani trees, magnificent lily pond, and with views of the ocean. The 18th century building was an Anglican theological college, and today priests from all over the Caribbean come here to study and reflect. It is also a family friendly place, with picnic tables, benches and play areas for children. Visitors are also welcome to attend and worship at the chapel.
Sunday worship is customary throughout the island, and driving along the west coast, near Holetown I paused for a quick visit to St James Methodist Church (built in 1912). I was in time to watch people in their best colourful attires, and wide brimmed hats attend the morning service.
While I did not visit as many historic houses and NT properties as I would have liked to, I did manage to get a quick peek at Villa Nova, once a plantation house, now converted into a luxury hotel.
St James Church
Andromeda Gardens
Flower Forest
Crab Claw flowers
For nature enthusiasts, Andromeda Gardens on the East coast is well worth a visit. You’re given a leaflet showing the winding paths to follow, and with a description of types of plants and flowers on site. At the time I visited (in May), the gardens were teeming with Crab Claw flowers, Bougainvillea, Hibiscus and, and huge Breadfruit trees. It also has a water lily pond and orchid house.
For a wilder environment, 800 feet above sea level, in the Scotland area is the Flower Forest. Although nicely landscaped, with walking trails, it also has a wild area, letting everything to grow naturally. There was an abundance of tropical flowers and shrubs, like Red Ginger, Torch Ginger and Heliconia. The picturesque hillside views all around, almost looked like England.
Hibiscus
Island flora (from left) Torch Ginger, Allamanda, Phalaenopsis Orchids, Frangipani, Water Lily
One of the best ways to learn about the island’s history and culture, is to go on a countryside hike with a knowledgeable guide. For this, I joined a small group for a two hour trek where we went through sugar cane fields, grassland, small papaya and cassava plantations, learning about the medicinal plants and trees. Led by a British man, who is an environmentalist and worked for the NT, he also explained the dire consequences of the slave trade, and was very much against the expansion of hotels and golf courses. What also interested me was to see how many Bajans with children had joined in with us tourists.
If dinner with a cultural show interests you, there are several venues (check with your hotel) that put on twice weekly performances. The lively music, with carnival dancers in their dazzling colourful outfits alone, are worth going to see.
My last few days were spent beach combing, swimming in the calm blue waters and watching beautiful sunsets. The coastal scenery is simply stunning, with soft sandy beaches and leaning coconut trees. The island’s west coast, from north to south of Bridgetown is crammed with places to stay, from guest houses to 5 star luxury hotels. All beaches are public, and not usually overcrowded, as tourists usually congregate on the patch of beach in front of their hotels. So it is still possible to find an empty spot of beach to call your own this island in the sunny Caribbean sea.
FACT FILE
Population: Approximately 287,300 (in 2020)
Local Time: GMT-4 hrs
Flying Time: 8.30 hours. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have direct flights from the UK
Driving & Parking: Driving is on the left. Bridgetown is best explored on foot. So it’s best to check on Google a couple of parking places before you arrive, as they can get full by midday.
Food and dining: Eating at hotel restaurants and those in Bridgetown can be expensive. Small restaurants and roadside cafes are much cheaper, and the food is great too.
These are some of the local food I had: Calaloo soup - Okra and squash vegetables mixed with ground fish Dasheen (Taro) yams, boiled Green Banana, mashed sweet potato, and pumpkin fritters.
Fish: Dolphin Fish (Mahi Mahi), Flying Fish and King Fish are the most popular.
Drinks: Calypso Coffee - with nutmeg and Tia Maria.
Non-alcoholic Fruit Punch - crushed fruits with a dash of Grenadines.
Coconut Water: Look out for roadside coconut water sellers. You can drink it straight from the fruit, or they’ll fill it up in a bottle for you. Deliciously refreshing and healthy, but beware it can be expensive, costing between £4-5 a fruit.
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