A beginner's guide to Barbados (Barbados)

Member Name: stuff10

Product:	Barbados
Date:	25/10/09 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Paradise island

Disadvantages: A little quiet

A while ago I did a review of simonseeks.com - a new website that allows you to write travel reviews. My review obviously didn't go down too well with the guys at simonseeks, as they never posted it on their website, so I'll post it on here for my 50p...

A Beginner's Guide to Barbados
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I've just returned from my first ever visit to Barbados (for my honeymoon), so here's my first timer's guide to this beautiful island...

Location, climate and currency
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Barbados is around an 8-hour flight away from the UK and is served by daily flights from Gatwick (from Virgin Atlantic and British Airways) as well as weekend flights from Manchester. It's an island for year-round sun, with average temperatures ranging from 28-31 degrees.

The local currency is the Barbadian Dollar, although US Dollars are also accepted. The Barbadian Dollar has a fixed 2:1 exchange rate with the US Dollar - so $2BB = $1US. In our experience, you will always get your change in Barbadian Dollars, even if you pay in US Dollars.

Where to stay?
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We stayed in the south west of the island in a resort called St Lawrence Gap. The Gap (as it is known) is described as one of the liveliest places in Barbados, but to us it seemed as quiet and laid back as the rest of the island. The Gap is located to the south of Bridgetown (approx 15 mins by car) and is a 10-minute drive away from the airport.

The hotel
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We stayed on a room-only basis in The Southern Palms Hotel, which is located right in the middle of the Gap. The hotel has 2 swimming pools, however these are very quiet as the hotel is located right on the beach and only yards away from the sea. Rooms were clean and benefited from a maid service every day.

We chose this hotel due to its location (in the Gap), the price (£1900 for 2 people for 10 nights) and also the number of amenities... there's an on-site mini golf course, a tennis court and the hotel also provides free body boards and snorkelling equipment. There's also free internet access for those who get withdrawal symptoms when they're away from a computer (like me).

Where to eat?
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We're not very adventurous when it comes to food - both my wife and I prefer plain food such as burgers and chicken. Luckily for us there were many restaurants that cooked to our taste, all at varying prices. Right across the road was St Lawrence Steakhouse that would serve up a terrific burger and chips for around $20BB.

Further down the Gap are mid-range restaurants including Café Sol (Mexican), McBride's (Irish) and the Ship Inn (English pub, showing Sky Sports). The food at all 3 places was excellent, with meals being nearer $40BB each.

Right at the top end of the scale is Pisces, a lovely restaurant overlooking a bay to the north of the Gap. This is one of the priciest restaurants in the area with a steak costing $89BB, but it was well worth it!

Many of the restaurants have a daily Happy Hour where all drinks are buy one get one free - an excellent way to start your evening whilst saving money!

What to do?
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As we'd just got married, we used our 10 days in Barbados to recharge our batteries - mainly lounging by the pool, soaking up the sun. However, we did go on 2 trips to break up the holiday, these were Calabaza Catamaran and Island Safari.

The Island Safari takes you (and 9 others) in a jeep, touring the east coast of the island. The knowledgeable driver also acts as your guide and will explain about the history of Barbados, as well as amusing you with a few of his own stories. Be warned: the ride can get a bit bumpy, so make sure you hold on! The trip lasted around 6 hours (9am - 3pm) and is priced at $80BB each. Tip: It's buy one get on free if you have a VIP card - get one online before you go!

My wife had done some research before we got to Barbados and we actually booked our Catamaran trip whilst we were back in England - we chose the Calabaza Catamaran as its numbers were limited to only 12 people, giving you a more relaxed and intimate time than being on a boat full of 80 or even 100 people. We were picked up from our hotel and taken to the port in Bridgetown for 10am, where we set sail up the west side of the island. The catamaran made 3 stops - once to swim with turtles, once to see an old shipwreck and then finally for lunch. The crew were friendly and forever filling up our drinks! At $200BB each, it's quite expensive, but definitely worth it... it was the highlight of our holiday!

Will we go back?
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We had a fantastic time in Barbados. The people were friendly, and the island itself is lovely. We'll definitely be going back some time in the future.

Summary: The perfect honeymoon