The Wandering Pope: Barbados

Ahhhhh

One of the things that I am thankful for at Thanksgiving are those times when I don't have to eat the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I hate it. All of it. Well, maybe not the sweet potatoes but just about everything else. That's why I was so excited to get away for turkey day.

We left Thanksgiving morning which is a much more civilized day to travel. Getting to Barbados is fairly easy as we just had to make one connection in Miami and from there the non-stop flight to Bridgetown was around 3 hours. Barbados is a former British colony so it's very popular with the Brits.

They do not have jet bridges upon arrival in Barbados so you have to deplane via stairs and walk across the tarmac. Do not dawdle getting off of the aircraft as customs backs up quickly with multiple flights arriving at the same time. It took us almost an hour to clear! Once through it was very easy to claim our bags and make our way to the taxi stand.

We had arranged a pick up through our hotel but it is also easy to hail a cab. Don't be thrown off when you try and get in a taxi though...Bajans drive on the left hand side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. I was there five days and still forgot which side of the car to get in half of the time.

About Barbados

What are you looking at???

Barbados is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The east coast has large waves and is popular with experienced surfers. The west coast is called the Platinum Coast and is where most of the resorts are located because the surf is much calmer.

Barbados used to be a British colony but declared it's independence in 1966. We were there the week prior to their Independence Day celebrations and the entire island was starting to decorate. There are very few Americans and when we asked why the response was that people think that Barbados is too far away. Interesting since it takes only about 20-25 minutes longer than getting to St Thomas, USVI.

Where We Stayed

We looked at a variety of resorts but settled on The House for several reasons: 1) it is adults only; 2) it is constantly rated as one of the top resorts on the island; 3) it is directly on the beach and 4) did I mention...it is adults only.

It's a small, boutique hotel with 34 rooms and amazing service. Included in our room rate was a 30-minute welcome massage, champagne breakfast every morning (including omelette station), afternoon treats as well as tea and canapés. It is also part of the Elegant Hotel group and there is a shuttle to their other properties if you decide to check them out (we did not feel that need).

Beach at The House

The people there are all so friendly and most have worked there for years. Even more telling to us was the number of people we met who were return visitors to the hotel. One couple has been going there for over ten years!

There are water sports available and you can easily walk up and down the beach to other resorts for lunch, etc. The pool area is small but then again there are only 34 rooms at the resort. While we may not have gotten our first choice of chairs, we never had an issue finding a great place to sit during the day at either the beach or the pool.

Our favorite thing was a food and wine tasting that the chef at Daphne's did. He was funny and engaging in telling stories about his journey from Italy to London to Barbados to cook Italian food.

What We Did

Caves

We were only there for four full days so on the first day we hired a driver to take us around the island and show us the hot spots. Our favorite was Animal Flower Cave. The views are amazing and there are black bellied sheep wandering free around the property. We also visited the main surfing beach, an old windmill that sits on one of the highest points of island and saw tons of roadside bars.

Apes Hill Golf

We played golf at Apes Hill Club the next day. This is a beautiful course which is on the Platinum Coast and you can both sides of island from it's elevated location. There are rock formations and cave as well as tons of monkeys on the course which makes for even more exciting scenery.

We ate at the clubhouse and the bajan flying fish sandwich with pineapple and pepper jack cheese is to die for.

The other two days we sat our assess on the beach and did nothing. We were on vacation after all!

Where We Ate

The Tides

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant Daphne's on our first night and had a great table outside which overlooked the ocean. The food and service were both impeccable. We had pumpkin salad, lobster and chicken saltimbocca. Everything was delicious. We also had lunch there later in our trip and it was a great place to wait out a rain shower, drink some wine and have a casual lunch.

We celebrated my birthday at The Tides and it was the perfect place for the occasion. We had a table that overlooked the water allowing us to hear the waves crashing while we ate. The food was amazing and they had a surprisingly diverse wine list for a Caribbean destination.

Fusion Rooftop is....you guessed it... a rooftop restaurant. We were a little worried when we realized it was on the top floor of the local mall but as soon as we walked in we realized that our worries were unfounded. This is hip, fun restaurant that you might find in Miami instead of Barbados. They have great sushi and the calamari was exceptional. In true island fashion, our waiter was the same guy who waited on us at Daphne's during lunch.

Lone Star

Having to live in Texas, going to dinner at a place called Lone Star was the last thing we wanted to do. Our concierge assured us that there would be no cowboy boots, backwards philosophies or barbecue so off we went. This place was great. It is on the beach and feels very much like something you might find in Key West. The food as with every other place we went was great.

Because we are die hard Tarheels, we had to try and catch a UNC basketball game so we wound up Surfside Restaurant and Bar in Holetown one night. This place is the perfect beach front bar/restaurant. Food was good and the drinks were cold. What else do you need? This would be a fun place to hang out during the day.

Why You Should Go

The people, the views and the food. Go and check it out....but don't tell too many people! We don't want to ruin our little secret!!!!