Escape at the Gap, St.Lawrence Gap, Barbados. (Other locations...)

Member Name: londonboy47

Product:	Other locations...
Date:	22/07/03 (1127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: English speaking, VERY friendly people, Top beaches

Disadvantages: beach hawking

O.K. here we go, I will split this post into sections (The Island, for people who haven?t been before. The Hotel for those who are staying at ?Escape at the Gap? etc, etc)

The island

All things are relative and you only judge things on your past experiences. Speaking as someone who has been to a few Caribbean islands, Barbados is without doubt one of the easiest to get around. The roads are much better than expected and the people are only too willing to point you in the right direction should you take a wrong turn ( which you probably will at sometime as the road signs are not the best ) We hired a car for 3 days (BS$327.40) and saw pretty much the whole of the coastal roads and visited a couple of attractions inland. These can just as easily be done using the local transport or indeed official tours. We visited Harrison?s Cave and found it interesting ( well worth the BS$25 entrance fee) also the Animal Flower cave which again was worth the BS$10 but was not for anyone unsteady on there feet as there was a lot of clambering through rock pools involved. The wildlife reserve was probably our favourite as we are both suckers for animals and the deer, tortoise, crocodiles, flamingos, monkeys, etc did not disappoint. The stunning scenery of the St Andrews district was more than worth the steep roads you have to negotiate. But the steepest road we encountered was the one leading down to Bathsheba beach, I prayed all the way down that the brakes on the little mini moke would hold (which they did) because on the beach the day we went, there was a big international surfing tournament going on and the whole area was packed solid with people and I didn?t want to make headlines. We are ashamed to say that we largely avoided Bridgetown, we were enjoying ourselves in the countryside too much, maybe the next time. We tried to go to the Marine Wildlife Park but made the mistake of going on a Sunday and it was closed, although we were told by someone who did g
o during the week that it was ?really good?. One thing I must mention is the day we had lunch at an Italian restaurant called Il Tempio at Fitts village St James, south of Holetown just opposite Jordans Supermarket. A fantastic meal with a fantastic view, situated right on the beach (a lot of restaurants are) but, as friendly as all the people we encountered were, no one could match Anna the owner. She made us laugh, filled us in on island life and served us the best lasagne I have ever tasted. I even got a free masterclass in appreciating and recognising the different types of Grappa. If you don?t know what grappa is, go and ask Anna.

The Hotel

?Escape at the gap? is pretty typical of most mid range Caribbean ?all inclusives?. The hotel is split across the road that is mid way along St Lawrence Gap, the beach side is the original hotel and the other side is a new addition. What you lose being slightly further away from the beach and seascape restaurant I think you gain from having a newer room, peace and quiet (should you want to go to bed before midnight) and the big pool on your doorstep. Also the Pirates restaurant is on the new side.
Breakfast and lunch is always in the ?Seascape? that overlooks the beach and is buffet style as is usually the norm in all inclusive places. Dinner is split between ?Seascape? and ?Pirates? ,?Pirates being A?la Carte. The hotel asks that you book a sitting for dinner at breakfast time to assist the kitchen (18.30-19.00-19.45-20.00). If you intend to spend the day out they will also supply a packed lunch for you if you fill in a request form the day before.
Pirates side has a fully equipped gym next to the pool and a good amount of sunbeds, tables and chairs. The pool itself is 4 ft deep shallowing to a few steps at the other end. Shade starts to drift across at about midday so if you have had enough sun you could sit by the bar (open from 10.30 til 16.00) in comfort. The gardens are well kept and at nigh
t the grounds are well lit.
Seascape side has the reception area (cigarettes available at BS$12), the rep?s desk/notice board/information folder, etc there is a kids playground with swings, slides and a climbing frame all situated on a safe ?rubber? gravel, (made from shredded car tyres I think). Through the grounds to the beach and you find the main bar (open from 10.00 til 23.00). Opposite is the seascape restaurant and next to the bar is a small concession area where during the day a local trader sets up a small stall selling sarongs and costume jewellery etc. But there is no pressure selling it?s all very relaxed. The pressure comes when you hit the beach and the guys selling aloe vera and trinkets catch you, but to be fair to them they are not too bad and if you tell them that you are not interested, they will back off. There is a club room for the use of the kids club, but when we were there this was sorely underused, although there were quite a few kids holidaying there only 2 to our knowledge made use of it. Which was a great shame , as we met the lady running the kids club and she was lovely and the couple of girls in her charge seemed to be having a whale of a time. Back to the beach and the sand is that coral type that never gets too hot and the sea was warm as you would expect. The sunbeds are charged for @ BS$5 a day plus if you want a mattress it is another BS$10, that is for 2 so about a fiver for 2 for the whole day is not too bad. At 16.30 every afternoon sandwiches and biscuits are served in seascape and they hold a beach towel exchange session to the side of the bar.

St Lawrence Gap

?The Gap? is the entertainment centre of Barbados, or so the guides say. Well it certainly contains enough bars and restaurants to keep anyone happy for a 2 week holiday. To answer those who asked about the roadworks, I can confirm that they are finished with ?phase 1? which I assume was from ?Escape at the gap? to past ?The Ship?. Phase 2 will b
e from the ?Escape? going the other way past ?Time out at the Gap? and beyond. When we first arrived, the workmen were finishing off inlayed tiles on the pavement and it looks great now it?s done. The whole road now is ?Marley blocked? and there is not a pot hole in sight. Which, if the rest of the gap is anything to go by, is a massive improvement.
As for the bars, they were not busy at all the first week we were there, but custom was picking up by the second week, as the season proper draws nearer. The Ship was O.K. but as it is such a big place it had no real atmosphere when we went in, so I think that?s one for later in the season. ?Mc Brides? had a live band on the night we went and (being smaller than the Ship) had much more atmosphere, and they sold Guinness. The bar further along opposite the church ?Bar Sol? I think it was called was fine, and when we turned up was rocking, but at around midnight, 5 minutes after talking all 6 of us into buying a 2-4-1 cocktail they announced we all had to leave and started pouring our drinks into plastic glasses and taking the chairs away. Needless to say we didn?t go back there again. Of all the bars in The Gap I think we preferred ?Cool Castaways? situated between the convenience store and the Ship, it summed up the whole Bajan attitude to me. Barbeque smouldering as soon as the sun went down and cool blues playing on the sound system, coupled with very reasonably priced drinks made for a few layed back nights.

The People

The Bajan people are truly lovely, I know the cynics among you may say ?The hotel workers are paid to be nice? but talking to an 80 (odd) year lady for ages one Sunday morning on her way to church, and even just the ?good morning? you get from anyone in the street told us this friendly demeanour was no put up job. But with regard to the hotel staff, every one of them were fantastic, we had heard before we went, that they were among the best staff In Barbados and they did not disa
ppoint. I know I shouldn?t mention favourites but there were a couple of ?stand outs? for us, Clyde and Rawle on the bar kept us happy for 2 weeks and Helen in the restaurant was fantastic to the extent that after her shifts had ended she sat with us for a while telling us about her grandson, who is the centre of her life right now . If you go to ?Escape? look out for Helen and have a chat, she?s lovely.

Well that?s about it, sorry if I have missed something but just reply to this post or e-mail me direct if you have any specific questions. Last , but by no means least, I would also like to say a big thank you to 4 other people, because no matter how good a hotel is, no matter how beautiful a resort is and no matter how friendly the locals are, holidays can be made or ruined by the people around you. We were lucky enough to meet Rob & Amanda (Chucky) and Jan & Jude, who possess the rare inner beauty, humility and humanity that only those around them can truly appreciate. Thank you all for making our holiday one we will never forget lets keep in touch and do it all again next year, and just remember what Frank Sinatra once said ?I pity people who don?t drink, when they wake up in the morning that?s the best there gonna feel all day?.
Tom & H Connor.

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