Decades ago, Janet and
I had both been to Barbados. She went there with her mom, and I had taken my
kids there on a family vacation. We were looking forward to returning and
exploring more of the island and we booked a two-week trip to Barbados, staying
at both the Sandals and the near-by Dover Beach Hotel in the touristed area of
St. Lawrence Gap. We saw a lot and still we needed more time.
Here’s a list of what
we did during our stay:
OISTINS FISH FRY
We learned about the Friday
Night Oistins Fish Fry after we booked our Sandals vacation and rather than
slide around the days we decided to just come early, and so we booked a few
days at the cheaper but convenient Dover Beach Hotel, literally steps from
Sandals.
Ho-hum, another few
days in paradise.
Oistins Fish Fry
Oistins is an active fishing
town, not far from where we were staying in St. Lawrence Gap. Open daily, the
fish fry begins around 7 pm. It’s a very popular destination for visitors and
locals and the main attraction is the food. Make sure you get there before 8 pm
or expect a long wait.
You have a choice of
marlin, mahi, tuna, swordfish, red snapper, salmon, flying fish and lobster and
chicken, either grilled or fried, depending on the vendor you order from. You
are served A LOT of your choice and a meal with one beer should cost anywhere
from $15-$18 usd. We went to the vendor Uncle George’s, but another notable is Chillin
‘n Grillin. Seating is haphazard with our server moving people already seated
to put out more tables.
Although Oistins is
open every night, Fridays are especially busy. Sometimes there’s a live band,
sometimes there’s DJ music and there’s always a roving Tuk Drum band playing
for tips. There is art and crafts and jewelry for sale, there is dancing, there
are kids running around in this informal family friendly event.
Here's a short clip of a Tuk Band at Oistins:
BTW:
Don’t book a tour or hire a car service from a resort like Sandals. They charge
too much money. Just flag down a cab. There are a lot along Dover Road in St.
Lawrence Gap. Make sure you negotiate the price first. It should be USD $15 (or
BDS $30) each way for a ride, no matter how many people in the cab. We got a
van and there was six of us and it still cost just $15. Sandals wanted to
charge USD$60 per couple. On the way back we hailed a cab on the street.
BTW2: A Tuk Band is basically
a group of people playing drums and snaking through the crowds, being led by a
costumed character. On our night it was “Mother Sally”. She represents
fertility with her exaggerated behind and is a favorite with Bajans and visitors.
It is customary to tip the band as they parade past.
A Mini-Moke
TOURING THE ISLAND
What was I thinking?
Long ago when I first
went to Barbados, I rented something called a “mini-moke”, an open-air car that
was originally designed for military use, but quickly became popular in the
Caribbean as a civilian car. It was the only time I ever drove on the left side
of the road. Thankfully Mokes don’t go very fast and somehow me and the kids
survived. I wasn’t going to do that again.
Now older and wiser we
decided to get someone to drive us around to tour the island. Barbados has
something like 900 miles of roadways and the difference between the east coast and
the Atlantic Ocean and the western Caribbean Ocean side is dramatic.
A newer Moke
We hired the highly
recommended Sanjay for a day touring the island. His schedule is packed, so
unless you're going to rent a mini-moke, even if today’s models look more like a
car than an amusement park ride, and test the limits of your nerves, plan on
booking him far in advance of your travels to Barbados.
For instance, we first
contacted Sanjay in May for a tour in December, and then we couldn’t get him until
very late in our stay in Barbados. He was very busy as the Wisden Trophy, a major
cricket tournament between England and the West Indies, had shifted to the
Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados the week we wanted to hire him. Traffic
in Bridgetown was horrific. Sanjay is a big fan of cricket and wore a West
Indies team hat (The Windies) on our tour with him.
Windies logo
Beaches and Caves and
Monkeys and RUM!
There’s a lot to see in
Barbados and Sanjay offered suggestions in the back-and-forth emails with
Janet. We finally settled on seeing one beach on the east coast, one cave in
the north end of the island, a troop of monkeys in the jungle and a lot of shots
of rum.
Bathsheba
Barbados is ringed by
beautiful beaches, and all are free. The western side is calm with soft white
sand and crystal-clear water is inviting and popular with scuba divers and
snorkelers. Bathsheba best represents the power of the Atlantic Ocean side. We
stopped at this fishing village for the dramatic rock formations just offshore.
Eroded by the tides, the rocks look like they will topple with each crashing
wave. Enjoy the view, but swimming is not recommended because of the strong
undertow. Bathsheba is popular with surfers.
Bathsheba
It was our only beach
stop on the east coast of Barbados.
BTW: Another beach to
visit on the east coast is Cattlewash. North of Bathsheba this
long remote beach is literally named for the cattle that farmers used to bring
down to the beach to get washed in the tide pools. I had been here long ago
with the kids, and we were surprised by an inquisitive cow as we were admiring
the surf. The farms, and the cattle, are
gone, but the name remains.
Sadly, we did not stop.
We just drove along the beach road onto our next destination, because we wanted
to make the 11:00 am feeding of the green monkeys at The Grenada Wildlife
Reserve.
BTW2:
Carlisle Bay Thoroughbred horse racing
is popular in Barbados and held at the Garrison Savannah, the home of the
Barbados Turf Club in Bridgetown. Every morning from sunrise to around 7:00 am handlers
bring their horses to bathe them in the calm waters of Carlisle Bay, also a
popular place for snorkeling and scuba diving as there are 5 shipwrecks in the tranquil
waters of the bay.
Crane Beach is sometimes listed as
one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world! When the conditions and
the algae are right the soft sand takes on a pink-hue. It was on my Bajan “return
tour” listing, having been there long ago with the kids, but logistics had us decide
on Bathsheba.
GREEN MONKEY BUSINESS
Feeding time for the
green monkeys at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve is at 11:00 am. The Bds$30.00
per person is worth it to get close to the monkeys as they clamor for the fruits
and vegetables laid out for them. There was some roughhousing and some of the
younger monkeys were chastised by the older ones when they didn’t wait their
turn.
Signs everywhere warn
visitors that the monkeys are wild animals and to not touch them, but I watched
as a young monkey held a woman’s finger, almost lovingly, as it waited
patiently for the food to arrive.
After a few minutes of frantic activity, the monkeys all scatter again. We then explored the Grenade Hill Signal Station and the rest of the reserve that was home to tortoises and peacocks and macaws, snakes and fronts, but it was a bit anti-climactic after the monkey feeding. Most of the people who came for the feeding left soon after as well.
BTW1: Green monkeys are not
native to Barbados but were brought here from Africa by early settlers as pets
and unfortunately for the green monkey are now used to create polio vaccine. According
to the Reserve’s pamphlet one green monkey can create 2.5 million doses of the
vaccine.
ANIMAL FLOWER CAVE
On the extreme northern
point of Barbados is the popular Animal Flower Cave. Enjoy the dramatic views
of the waves crashing into the cliffs and then descend the stairs with a guide
to get a tour of the sea-cave below. It’s slippery and the “animal flowers”,
what the locals call sea anemones, are a bit underwhelming, at least for this dufus
who was more interested in preventing a slip and fall. As a nature stop though
it was quite beautiful but be sure to wear the correct foot gear and not
sandals if you decide to go. It is possible to swim in a pool at one end, but
we decided against it.
It costs USD$20.00 to for
entry and you should tip the guide who will try to steer you towards his meager
array of “collectables” after his tour.
There’s a restaurant on
the premises offering sweeping views of the sea, where it’s possible to espy
migrating whales.
If you want to save
money, I will attach a video a man recently took of his tour of the Animal
Flower Cave and you can decide for yourself.
BTW:
Harrison’s Cave Eco-Adventure
Park
The Animal Flower Cave
is not the only option for spelunking in Barbados. Harrison’s Cave is a far
larger cave system and has stalagmites and stalactites, caverns and pools and
underground streams. You tour the cave via a tram that takes about 1.5 hours and
costs USD$57.00. The “adventure pass” which costs more, gives you access to the
zipline and hiking trails and pool and a “challenge” course.
This is one of the main
tourist attractions in Barbados, but we figured trying to squeeze it in during
our tour of the island would be too much. Better to return another day.
(Besides, I hate ziplines)
Mount Gay has been distilling
rum since 1703, making it the oldest distillery in the world, and no tour of
Barbados would be complete without a visit and a sampling. Different varied
tours are available at the actual distillery which is at the northern end of
Barbados in the parish of St. Lucy. All include a tour of the distillery
grounds and rum sampling and cost anywhere from usd$70.00 to $113.00 per person
depending on the activity included. We opted for the 2:30pm “signature rum
tasting” at the Mount Gay visitor’s center. At just $25.00, the tasting
included a welcome cocktail, a movie and a guide who walked us through the
history of Mount Gay and then described the nuances of each of their rums as we
sampled 4 rums: Silver, Eclipse, Black and XO. We were all very impressed with the
XO and purchased bottles of it in the gift shop. There is a bar on the premises
and food for purchase available, but as this was nearing the end of our day
with Sanjay we decided to eat when we got back to Sandals.
To make the Mount Gay 2:30
tasting, the last one for the day, we could not linger over lunch at the Animal
Flower Cave, but we were able to leisurely drive down the west coast through
the towns of Speightstown and Holetown, and past the many white beaches along
this stretch of the island as Sanjay gleefully pointed out this expensive place
or Rhianna’s apartment, etc.
The final stretch of
our tour was to drive through our neck of the woods in the Gap along Dover Road
and we pointed out to our friends who were on the tour with us the restaurants
we ate at before we checked into Sandals Barbados.
There are plenty of
bars and restaurants along Dover Road. It’s a party area, but safe. We saw police strolling
the street and there were lots of police surveillance cameras. Many of the
restaurants have ocean side seating. We ate at three different places:
Socialites
A small colorful place on
Dover Road. Popular with locals and tourists. Outdoor seating are gaily painted
picnic tables. Surprisingly good food. We split a pulled pork sandwich with
tons of fries.
Sea Fans Beach Bar and
Restaurant
Located in the Infinity
on the Beach Hotel, at the corner of Dover Rd and St. Lawrence Gap, this quiet
open-air restaurant overlooks the beach. We had fresh tuna steaks for just USD$25.
BTW: The Barbadian dollar
is 2-to-1 to the US dollar. The restaurants were surprised we wanted to tip. A
lot of British travel to Barbados and tipping is not a high priority for them.
Mimosas Trattoria and Bar
Lovely place for brunch
on St. Lawrence Gap Road, not far from Divi Southwinds. Try to get seated on
the porch by the bar, but the patio still offers a great ocean view, although
it is sunnier and hotter. There’s a little playground for kids on the grounds.
Writing this entry
makes me want to return to Barbados.
As a happily married
couple Janet and I agree about everything!
Okay, that definitely is a stretch,
but we certainly believe we would be bored at a Sandals resort after a few days
if we did nothing but laze about, trying to decide whether we are to get a
chaise lounge at one of the many available pools or the beach, or what adult
libation to order at the swim up bar, or where to eat that evening. The days would begin to blur.
This is not to diminish
the resplendent beauty of a Sandals resort, or the indulgent pampering one receives
as a guest. As an all-inclusive, couples only family of resorts located
throughout the Caribbean, we certainly enjoy vacationing at a Sandals, and with
free scuba diving offered at all the Sandals resorts, the cost of a vacation there
is worth the money.
Scuba diving at Sandals is a big draw for us. We don’t own any equipment, but we are PADI Open Water
certified.
(I started my
certification process while on my honeymoon in Antigua…another trophy wife
decision).
Open Water
certification is good enough to dive to 60 feet and see all the pretty fishes! That's what we love to do at Sandals and usually the experiences are beautiful and fun.
Trophy wives are ALWAYS elite
ELITE?
On the last couple of trips
to Sandals though we ran into a new “tier” of diver called “elite”. These “advanced”
divers are automatically signed up for every dive. For us to get on a dive we need
to hike over to the dive shop and hope someone cancels or doesn’t show up and
you need to get there around 7:30 am.
In Curacao the dive shop
was ½ mile away. In Barbados, our most recent trip to a Sandals, the dive shop
is also on the extreme end of the other resort.
(There are two resorts
side-by-side in Barbados. Though as a guest of either resort one has full
access to all the pools, bars and restaurants, we were staying in the “other”
resort.) That’s a lot of walking in the morning!!
On past trips to a
Sandals resort we would mosey over to the dive shop after we settled in and sign
up for the next available dive, which usually would be the next day. We checked
in on a Monday and the dive shop personnel said our first available dive would
not be until SATURDAY!! That caused a lot of angst, and some complaining, and
made us doubt the whole Sandals experience.
Shipwreck at Carlisle Bay
You see, there are
other resorts that are as beautiful, but cheaper because diving is an add-on
cost.
We enjoy our Sandals
vacations, but we really enjoy our scuba diving. We don’t want to dive every day,
but we felt slighted that we would have to wait nearly an entire week before getting
on a dive.
Fortunately, Sandals did
see the “error” of their scheduling conflict and put us on an afternoon dive that
Wednesday.
downtime during our downtime
8 DAYS A WEEK
Too much of a good thing can become a chore. We don't want to dive every day, because again, the days would become blurry. Thankfully we still keep track of our dives in our dive books, which helps. But, because we don’t want
to dive every day during our vacation, this trip to Barbados we booked an 8-day
stay. We reasoned we could dive for a day or two and then take off a day to
explore the island or laze about quibbling over restaurant choices and then
dive some more on subsequent days. It was a good plan, a few days of diving, a few days of lounging, but because of the
snafu with the dive schedules we ended up going out for 5 days, with 4 days in a row of diving. We did take a day of exploring to break it up somewhat, (more on Barbados in a later entry), but by the end of our diving it had become a chore for me. One needs some downtime during their downtime.
Hopefully the Sandals
family will reconsider this elite status, which incidentally costs money to join, and
realize the ocean is for EVERYBODY!
We are now at the Sandals
Barbados resort, trying to stave off winter for a while. Located on the southern
end of the island there are two Sandals right next to the other. One is pricier
and appropriately called Sandals “Royal” Barbados.
Guess which one we’re in.
The thing is you have free
reign of both resorts while here, all the pools and restaurants and bars are
open to the patrons of both resorts. There is even a four-lane bowling alley in
the Royal section, called Lover’s Lane, with the bar offering craft beers!
The powdery
white sand beach is pristine, and because the crystalline waters on this
southern area called Christ Church can be rough Sandals has a jetty breaking
the waves before they reach us. This is a very nice resort.
Upon arrival one is greeted
with “Welcome Home!” by the staff and the pampering begins.
Everywhere there
are reminders of the Christmas season with festive Christmas trees and holiday
bunting in the lobbies and many of the staff wearing reindeer horns, but the
warm Barbadian weather is a delightful respite from the cold of home, and the
only ice is in my rum drink that is incessantly refilled.
6 TIMES A CHARM
This is our 6th
visit to a Sandals resort in just over 5 years. Our first was our honeymoon to
Antigua. Somehow Janet convinced me to spend the money on Sandals. Previously I
would have been loathe to be so lavish, but trophy wives have that influence.
It’s worth the money
though. When you factor in food, drink, service and amenities like diving and
airport transfers, etc., the Sandals Resort family is a great value.
COVID
The pandemic put a
damper on our traveling. Our honeymoon trip was the first week in December,
which coincidentally is a less expensive time. The high season in Barbados
starts mid-December to April.
Our next trip was to
the Sandals Royal Bahamian, which proved to be less desirable because it was chilly
during the evening. Nonetheless the diving there was great.
Our next planned trip though was delayed due to COVID and we missed the December week. We finally traveled to Sandals South Coast on Jamaica in May of 2021, with severe travel restrictions. Our next two trips, to Grenada and then Curacao were also in May.
PLANNING AHEAD
where to go next?
There are Loyalty travel
deals at the resort, so they suck you in for the next vacation by offering up
to 10,11, or 12% savings (depending on the level of service) and you lock in
that year’s price. We usually try to get the cheapest room.
While in Grenada we
booked Curacao for May of 2023, but also this trip to Barbados for a return to our
preferred time slot and at last year’s prices. So, though it seems wildly
extravagant to go to a Sandals twice in one year, we are now home for the
holidays.
We travel next December
to the Sandals Grande in St. Lucia and in 2025 we will go to their newest
resort on St. Vincent's in the Grenadines.
Given the opportunity to
see this world, one should seize it with both hands. Never let it slip away. You
may not have another chance to return to your destination. Once there make sure
you relish where you’ve alighted; savor its sights and sounds and smells and
flavors, her people and their customs. Sit quietly and take it all in and
realize how lucky you are, how adventurous you are to want to look beyond your
picket fence.
It's a big world out
there and there is a lot to see. Readers of this blog already know my take on
this. “LIVE TRAVEL LOVE” isn’t simply a motto, but a way of life.
You must travel
correctly though; no mad dash helter-skelter “If It’s Tuesday This Must Be
Belgium” shenanigans. That is travel without context. That is collecting
pictures.
LESS IS MORE
La Casa AndalusÃ
That was how we planned
our recent trip to Seville. We spent nearly our entire week in Seville and had
plenty of opportunity to linger and enjoy, but against our principles we did
take two single day trips in the middle of it. One day we took a train to
Cordoba and the next day we rented a car and drove to Ronda.
We did “see” these
Andalusian cities, each a worthwhile visit, but both days felt rushed.
Cordoba
Train schedules had us
in Cordoba for less than 8 hours and after our private tour with Isabel Martinez
Richter (+34 669 645, isabmr@gmail.com) through the Jewish
Quarter and the magnificent Mosque-Cathedral it was a brisk walk back to the station
to catch our reserved seat on the return train.
La Casa AndalusÃ
We arranged to meet
Isabel in the afternoon (she was booked in the morning) and our 3-hour tour
blossomed into nearly 4 hours. We spent the late morning (as per Isabel’s
recommendation) visiting a patio in one of the homes in the Jewish quarter and
getting a late breakfast (lunch time started in Cordoba after our tour began).
Patios
are a little oasis meant to offer respite from the Andalusian sun and the
people of Cordoba take great pride in their slice of paradise. In fact, there
is a fierce competition held in May as patio owners vie for the being selected
as the most picturesque patio. Decorated with plants and fountains, these quiet
places are open to tourists, and some are free. Click the link below to get a
list.
We
visited La Casa Andalusà on Calle JudÃos, 12, right next to the synagogue.
Enthusiastic, knowledgeable
and witty, Isabel walked us all through the quarter and pointed out several other
patios and then we toured the majestic Mosque-Cathedral.
Rather than tearing
down the mosque when Cordoba was captured during the “Reconquista” a Cathedral
was erected in the middle of it, perhaps saying to the Moors that Christianity
is more powerful. The arches of the mosque suddenly give way to a resplendent cathedral.
It’s a striking juxtaposition. Isabel also pointed out stonemason marks on many
of the pillars of the mosque, as a type of signature for their work.
The whole visit was
fascinating, but sadly our quick trip to Cordoba left me wanting more.
The next day the 124 km
drive through Andalusia to Ronda was wonderful, but not wanting to drive at
night our time was limited in the cliffside town. Diversions, albeit minor, were
almost impossible if we wanted to spend any time in Ronda. We did manage to
stop at Oleum Viride, to buy olive oil, and somehow survived the steep narrow
streets of Zahara de la Sierra before reaching Ronda.
Zahara is one of the Pueblos
Blancos or White Villages of Andalusia. I’m glad we did it, but we basically held
our breath and drove through the impossibly narrow and steep streets of this historic
town.
Long ago in another
lifetime I had been to Ronda with my young children and this town had made a
lasting impression and I wanted to return.
During that first visit
my children tussled in the Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Ronda bullring, the
oldest and the birthplace of modern bullfighting. My daughter repeatedly pirouetted
with her jacket as my son lunged at her with fingers as horns, to the applause
from people in the stands, before finally bashing her younger brother to the
sandy pitch.
Bullring, Ronda
I wanted to see the
bullring again. I wanted to gape again like all the other countless tourists at
El Tajo, the ravine 300 feet deep and 200 feet wide, that is Ronda’s main
attraction and feel the great, unsettling expanse of air. And, I wanted to have
a drink at the city’s parador, Ronda’s former town hall, that somehow clings to
the very edge of the cliff.
We did not take a tour,
but we did all three! We also had a great late lunch at Meson el Sacristan
located in the older section of town. The parador and bullring are across the
bridge in the newer section of Ronda.
Parador, Ronda
Meson el Sacristan
specializes in grilled meats, and we ordered a lot of tapas, but had to limit
our drinking because of the drive home.
Both days we were rushed, but we managed to see and experience a lot. We did not try to do too much. Having a tour in Cordoba and context in Ronda was very helpful.
Now, if you're wondering about the "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" reference at the beginning of this blog entry, it is to a 1969 film about a bunch of Americans on an 18 day, 9 country tour of Europe. Other than the reference to frenetic traveling the largely forgettable film starred this shy scribe's first heartthrob, Suzanne Pleshette, and the original Mr. Roper in the television show Three's Company, Norman Fell.
There are several
options to get a bird’s eye view of Seville. Each of these tourist sites offer
visitors sweeping views of this beautiful and historical city. Some are up
close and centered within the city, and a few have vantages located on the
edges, a few offer drinks! And all are worthy of your time.
LAS SETAS OF SEVILLE
Located at La
Encarnacion Square, this mostly wooden structure has on its rooftop a path with
a panoramic view of the old city area. Las Setas is now the official name of
the structure that was originally called the Metropol Parasol, but everyone
thought it looked like mushrooms. “Setas” is mushroom in Spanish.
There’s a fee to get to
the rooftop, but the rest of the elevated grounds beneath the “parasols”
are free. Las Setas of Seville is very impressive! Follow this link for the official
website and to see views of Las Setas from above!
BTW...In the immediate neighborhood we found a lovely little bookshop where we purchased Spanish language versions of "Good Night Moon" and "Where The Wild Things Are" for our grandsons.
TORRE SEVILLA
Across the Guadalquivir
River on grounds of the Sevilla Expo’92 is the 40 story Torre Sevilla. This
office skyscraper was built after the expo and is the tallest building in
Seville with the Eurostars Torre Sevilla hotel at the top. Their Atalaya
Terrace isn’t just for guests of the hotel though, and for a small fee you can
have a drink and look out onto Seville.
BTW…The theme of Sevilla
Expo’92 was “the Age of Discovery” which commemorated the 500-year anniversary
of Christopher Columbus discovering the new world. He sailed from a port on the Guadalquivir
River.
Another observation
tower that was built for Sevilla Expo’92 is the Torre Schindler. It is about 18
stories and right on the edge of the Guadalquivir River and from the observation
deck all of Seville can be seen.
Torre Schindler is
located on the grounds of Navigation Pavilion which features a museum and interactive
games about jobs of a sailor during the time of Columbus.
Also along the Guadalquivir
River is a guardhouse created by the Moors in the 12th Century and
was meant to control shipping. A heavy chain ran from the tower across the
river preventing enemy ships from going further. Torre de Oro was part of the
city wall and today for a nominal fee you can climb to the small Naval Museum
and from there get a nice view of the river.
We took a guided tour
of the Cathedral, the world’s largest gothic church, and the Alcazar Palace. Part
of the tour was to climb the Giralda belltower. Rather than steps the interior
is ramped, which evidently allowed horses to climb the tower. After a climb of
over 300 feet the panoramic view is worth the effort.
view from the Giralda
Entry combo tickets for
the Cathedral and the tower are €11(€12 online) with an available audio guide
for €5, if you want to do it on your own.
Rooftop Tour of the
Cathedral
They call it a “visit
to the covers” and the guided tour of the Cathedral rooftop is not only a
unique way to see all of Seville, but to learn the whole process of the construction
of this massive church.
They are small group
tours, and you need to select your time and arrive 15 minutes early. They recommend
purchasing online: €21. The entry fee gives you access to the Cathedral and the
Giralda.
After a long day of Tapas touring and Flamenco shows we decided to
stroll over to the Cathedral to see it as the sun set. Activity on a rooftop
across Calle Alemanes caught our attention and we decided to investigate. We
entered a sedate hotel lobby where the staff pointed us to the elevator, and we
went right up to the most charming rooftop bar. The Cathedral was
aglow in the waning sunlight and we managed to find a seat, ordered some drinks
and giggled at our luck.
It was the perfect end
to our day and perhaps this was the best view of all in Seville.
.jpg)
