Humble and charming, ramshackle and breathtakingly beautiful, Barbados is one Caribbean island that will capture your imagination and have you coming back for more. Landing in this tropical island paradise is to be immersed in another world where life is simple, the pace blessedly slow, and the locals ready with a smile. The unspoilt beaches and warm waters are perfect for lazing about, but there is more to Barbados than just sun, surf and sand.
Although tourism is the island’s main industry, you won’t find any cliché glitz or pushy hawkers here. Visitors simply blend into the local population going about their business.
Children in tidy school uniforms (not a shirt untucked) wait at bus stops, people go off to work and out to eat. They play sport and shop from local stalls selling cassava, yams and breadfruit. Local ladies browse in clothing stores, enticed by window displays of the latest colourful fashions. Other residents kick back in one of the 1500-plus rum shops dotted around the island – not bad for a stretch of land only 34 kilometres long by 22 kilometres wide. Rum punch is the tipple of choice for locals and tourists alike.
The sweltering wooden rum shop I wander into mid-morning has a bar, plastic furniture and little else, but others are air-conditioned, upmarket and attract local cricketing legends such as Sir Garfield Sobers, considered history’s greatest all-round cricketer. This day, locals Irvin and Stephen are enjoying some time out and some local rum (Barbados was the first place in the world to distill its own rum and George Washington insisted on a barrel of Barbados rum at his inauguration).
Stephen is enjoying a few drinks before he starts work as a caretaker at the community centre and Irvin has settled in for the day while his taxi is in the garage for repair. “When I’m not working I come here to relax with my boys,” Irvin says in a lilting Barbadian accent that sounds Jamaican with an English twist.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
The British have made their mark on this beautiful part of the world. It was a colony until independence was granted in 1966, but Barbados remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations and its people are proud monarchists.
I am lucky enough to be staying at The Fairmont Royal Pavilion on the picturesque west coast. Set on 11 acres of tropical garden fronting the beach, the grand colonial hotel is simple, but nothing short of luxurious. Each room has uninterrupted views of the calm turquoise blue ocean, which is close enough for the sound of lapping waves to lull you to sleep. The food is phenomenal, the service impeccable and, with only 72 rooms, the hotel is small enough to make it feel like a home away from home.
As the most easterly island of the Caribbean, Barbados was the first drop-off point for ships arriving with slaves from Africa, and the last port for ships travelling from The Americas to Europe. This strategic position made it a very important port, and the hard work of slaves in the sugar cane fields transformed Barbados into the most valuable colony of the British Empire.
By 1825 there were 500 sugar cane plantations on the island, and three of the plantation homes are now open to the public. I take a guided tour of a Jacobean mansion called St.
Nicholas Abbey, built in 1658 according to plans drawn up in England, which is why most rooms have fireplaces. Temperatures in Barbados are balmy, wavering between 27 and 30 degrees year-round, so the fireplaces are unlikely to ever have been used. The most interesting (and distressing) item we are shown on the tour is an original ledger containing lists of slaves and their ‘worth’. When slavery was abolished in 1834, slave owners were compensated for each slave freed. The ledger assigns the strongest and hardest working men the most value: 100 to 150 pounds.
Slavery existed for 210 years and some 170 years have passed since it was abolished. Simple, wooden cottages called chattels are still common sights around the island – these character-filled temporary dwellings were built by freed slaves living on leased land owned by their employers. If they changed jobs, they had to move and take their houses with them.
Educated and proud, Barbadians are taught from an early age to believe in what they can become, rather than what they were, and Barbados is envied for being the most advanced of the Caribbean islands. Despite the British influence on education, religion and sport, the rhythm of the African people comes through in the island’s language, music and food. The 280,000-strong population remains at least 95 per cent Afro-Bajan. Smoking was banned in public places last year and visitors can feel safe and at ease anywhere on the island.
TASTE OF THE CARRIBEAN
Barbados is considered the culinary capital of the Caribbean for good reason and there are plenty of delicious eating options. A highlight for anyone visiting is a night out at Oistins Fish Fry, an open-air gathering point for dining, dancing and dominoes. The food is simple, but if you’ve been enjoying cocktails and fine dining every night like I have, simple can really hit the spot. Flying fish cooked with local spices is the national dish of the island and, when combined with other local delights such a okra slush (a stew made with zucchini-like okra, meat and herbs), cornbread and macaroni pie, the only thing missing is a refreshingly cold local beer – called Banks – or rum punch to quench the thirst.
Hundreds gather here on weekends amid the reggae and calypso music, market stalls and clusters of local men enjoying animated games of dominoes – their fierce concentration interspersed with yelling just adds to the atmosphere. If you’re still in the mood to party come midnight, head to nearby Saint Lawrence Gap. This strip of bars, nightclubs and restaurants is bustling with life and, if I hadn’t already had my fill at Oistins, I would have tried an intriguing dish listed on one menu called ‘Jump Up and Bite Muh!’
Barbadian humour will have you grinning throughout your stay. My Island Safari guide is as entertaining as he is informative, and the catamaran crew on my snorkelling daytrip are ready to share a laugh at every opportunity (“If anyone sees my Rolex down there, please let me know, I’ve been looking for that thing for a week!”). The music of Bob Marley sets the scene on this easygoing day out and, in a definite trip highlight, I get to swim with giant sea turtles. I finish the day chatting and laughing with friendly locals at a nearby rum shop. Real life feels a million miles away, and as I down my second mango margarita, I wonder how far back I can push my return flight home.
GETTING THERE
Qantas flies direct from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth four times per week with onward connections to Barbados with oneworld codeshare partner American Airlines. Qantas also has daily flights to Los Angeles with connections via Miami to Barbados. Prices start from $2946 return, plus taxes and charges. For bookings visit qantas.com
LOCAL DELICACIES
Cin Cin By The Sea
World-class fine dining at a modern west coast
bar and restaurant. Try the crudo of seasonal fish with pink grapefruit, ponzu, ginger and chilli vinaigrette. cincinbarbados.com
Brown Sugar
Serves traditional Bajan food such as okra slush, fried fish, black bean soup and macaroni pie. A favourite with the locals. brownsugarbarbados.com
The Fairmont
Royal Pavilion
Relax and enjoy high tea on the patio in the afternoon or spoil yourself with cocktails and dinner when night falls. The jerk shrimp is nothing short of amazing. fairmont.com/royalpavilion
Tides
Beachside open-air fine dining with local art adorning the walls (if you like a painting, you're welcome to buy it). Try the ravioli of shrimp, scallop, calamari and asparagus. tidesbarbados.com
Champers
This delightful oceanside restaurant is a clear favourite among locals. The coconut shrimp is a popular choice and there is an impressive wine list. champersbarbados.com
THINGS TO DO
St. Nicholas Abbey
This plantation home has been restored to its former glory and provides a fascinating glimpse into what life was like for sugar cane farmers and their slaves. Sample the house rum after your guided tour. stnicholasabbey.com
Barbados Museum
Housed in a 19th century military prison, this museum is well worth visiting for those wanting to learn more about Barbadian history and the island’s African heritage.
barbmuse.org.bb
Catamaran Cruise
Enjoy a relaxed day on the water aboard a Tiami catamaran. Swim with the sea turtles and snorkel on a coral reef. Lunch, snacks and drinks are provided. funbarbados.com
Island Safari
See the sights and learn all about life on the island, past and present, in a safari-rigged Land Rover. Your guide is sure to keep you entertained and there are wonderful photo opportunities.
islandsafari.bb
Legends of Barbados Cricket Museum
Cricket fans will love this tribute to West Indies cricket (if your trip falls in April 2012, you can catch New Zealand playing on Kensington Oval just down the road). Tours are offered every half hour from 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. barbados.org
Crop Over Festival
To celebrate the end of the sugar cane harvesting season Barbadians throw a huge carnivale-style party. There is food, music, dancing and a king and queen of the festival are crowned (traditionally the man and woman who cut the most cane). barbados.org/cropover.htm
* The writer travelled with Latin America travel specialist Contours Travel, Barbados Tourism and Qantas airlines.
