Barbados
We flew from Gatwick with British Airways. The flight was just over eight hours which is really quite quick for the Caribbean. On the way home it was even shorter at 7.5 hours. I was also lucky enough to experience business class on the way home and so the journey went really quick for me and to be honest I was quiet disappointed when the plane landed back to Gatwick as I was quite happy in my luxury seat, waited on hand and foot.
Our first two nights were spent at the Turtle Beach hotel which is an all-inclusive property located on the South Coast. There are many local bars and restaurants within walking distance of this hotel so it is very good if you want to go out and experience the local vibe. We had a gorgeous view of the ocean from our room and overall the hotel had a lovely laid back Caribbean feel to it. We only ate in the hotel for breakfast and one evening meal but all the food that I has was lovely, the only slight issue I had here was the ocean was quiet rough in comparison to other areas of the island I visited.
The next day we was taken to Harrison’s Cave which was a great way to get out of the mid-day heat and experience these natural caves that were only properly discovered in 1970. We were taken around on train type vehicle and given a guided tour with lots of information about the caves and how they were discovered. After this we were taken to St Nicholas Abbey where there is a Plantation house, museum and rum distillery - I would definitely recommend a trip to here as you get a real experience of what life would have been like on this plantation many years ago. We also saw some amazing views on our journey to and from here as well as getting to taste the fabulous Rum and enjoying a lovely lunch in this beautiful setting. After heading back to our hotel to enjoy our free hour on the beach we then headed back out to the Sea Breeze hotel where we had a hosted dinner. Day two was spent visiting some beautiful hotels - The Sandpiper was definitely my overall favourite. What a hotel! Pure paradise. A small unique hotel set on the beach with great facilities and gorgeous rooms. The hotel had a lovely relaxing feel to it and it was easy to see why it is one of the small luxury hotels of the world. From here we went onto the Coral Reef club which had a real colonial feel to it. The rooms were set out in beautiful gardens and I loved the spa here and wished I had time to experience one of the treatments but unfortunately it was on to the next hotel which was the Fairmont Royal Pavillion. We did a site inspection here as well as having lunch which was in a stunning setting overlooking the beach which is absolutely gorgeous. All of the rooms here are ocean facing and it is easy to see why many people return to this hotel year after year.
From here we moved onto The Waves hotel which is where we would stay for our final three nights. The hotel has recently been refurbished and it has a lovely modern feel with a relaxed atmosphere as soon as you walk in you can see and hear the ocean and the sea here was so much calmer than at our first hotel.
The Waves hotel is a spa and wellness hotel and I was lucky enough to experience a spa treatment here. I opted for the back massage which I would highly recommend to anyone staying here, all of our group were very happy with the treatments they had chosen as well. There are two sides to this hotel, the beach side and the spa side. I would definitely opt to stay on the beach side as all of the rooms here have the most stunning views.
The next day we visited the Crystal Cove Hotel. This is an all-inclusive hotel with a unique pool bar and cave. I would recommend this hotel to families as it has a great children's club and water sports facilities. A lot of the hotels we visited are part of the Elegant resorts group and one of the things I really liked about this group is you can use the facilities of each hotel and they provide a great water taxi service between all of their properties on the west coast. From here we headed to Bridgetown for a sunset Catamaran cruise. This trip was the highlight of my time in Barbados and I will certainly be recommending this to my clients, it has to be one of the most amazing trip Barbados has to offer. We swam with turtles and snorkelled over several shipwrecks. We sailed into the sunset whilst enjoying a lovely buffet on board and then drank cocktails and danced until the sun disappeared.
Day four was spent doing another unique excursion that I had never done before, a trip on a submarine. We went 140ft down to the bottom of the ocean and saw some amazing sea life and coral, I must admit this trip would not be for anyone who is claustrophobic but would recommend for those that want to see what is at the bottom of the ocean without getting wet! We then went on to the famous Mount Gay rum distillery which is a must for anyone who likes a tipple of rum. Personally it is not my favourite drink but one of my colleagues was happy to take my free samples from me. Today was finished off with three more hotel inspections; The Colony Club, The Tamarind and The House.
On our final day we had some free time so I used this time to enjoy the beach and ocean at Waves and reflect upon all that I had seen and done on this beautiful island. Barbados really has got something for everyone the hotels range from modest 2/3 stars right up to the real top end 5 stars. It is an island that you really do need to get out and about to appreciate. So if Barbados is on your holiday wish list, please do get in touch as I have no doubt that I can ensure your trip will be as memorable as mine was.
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