Barbados travel guide

There are beaches along most of the south and west coasts. Although some hotels make it hard to cross their property to reach the sand, there are no private beaches in Barbados. For example, just north of Speightstown there is a narrow road between Almond Beach and the Port St Charles Marina, which ends in a small car park giving access to the good beaches which front these properties. The west coast beaches are very calm, and quite narrow, beach erosion is a serious worry and the Government’s Coastal Conservation Unit is trying to sort it out. A swell can wash up lots of broken coral making it unpleasant underfoot. The south coast can be quite choppy, but there is more sand. The southeast, between the airport and East Point, has steep limestone cliffs with a series of small sandy coves with coconut trees, and waves which are big enough for surfing. Bottom Bay is currently the place to go. Be careful on the east side of the island, currents and undertow are strong in places. Don’t swim where there are warning signs, or where there are no other bathers, even on a calm day. Bathsheba, on the east coast, is quite spectacular, with wonderful views. Some hotels sell day passes for the use of their facilities: pool, showers, deck chairs, etc. Work on the new Sandals Resort at Paradise Beach has been shelved and the beach is beautifully deserted. Go to north end of Spring Gardens Highway, then up west coast road Highway 1 for about half a mile, then turn sharp left. Drive down to Batts Rock Beach, walk south to get to Paradise Beach. You can keep going along the shoreline as far as Deepwater Harbour, a nice walk, mostly beach. Near the south end of this stretch at Brandon’s Beach and accessible also from Spring Gardens Highway, is Weiser’s Beach Bar T4256450, which has beach volleyball and an afternoon happy hour (Friday happy hours 1700-1900, 2200-2300), but it can be crowded if there’s a cruise ship in. Just south of Bridgetown is Bayshore (in the old police station site on Bay St, T4352909) set up as a beach facility for cruise passengers, beach chairs US$5, lockers US$5, beach volleyball, small pool, internet café, Joe’s bar and restaurant, dinner main course US$20 and up.

Many villages hold street fairs from time to time. For a diary of events and festivals see http://barbados.org/eventcd.htm.

1 Jan New Year’s Day.

2nd week Jan Jazz Festival, contact Gilbert Rowe, T4374537, http://www.barbadosjazzfestival.com.

21 Jan Errol Barrow Day.

Feb The Holetown Festival (contact Alfred Pragnell, T4356264), commemorating the first settlers’ landing in Feb 1627.

Mar The Holders Season is a popular festival started in 1992 with a season of opera, Shakespeare, cabaret with international performers and sporting events such as cricket, golf and polo. Performances are beautifully staged outdoors at Holders, an old plantation house overlooking the polo field. Take a picnic and an umbrella, tickets US$15-90. T4326385, http://www.holders.net.

Mar/Apr Good Fri and Easter Mon. The Oistins Fish Festival, held around Easter, celebrates the signing of the Charter of Barbados and the history of this fishing town with three days of competitions, parades and demonstrations of fishing and cooking skills. A big street party goes on late into the night and lots of fried fish and fish cakes are consumed.

28 Apr National Heroes Day.

Late Apr Congaline Street Festival finishing with a Mayday jump-up in the streets from Garrison Savanna to Spring Garden. Bajan and other Caribbean music. Contact the National Cultural Foundation, T4240909.

May Gospel Fest (contact Adrian Agard, T4307300) and the Celtic Festival, music, dance and sports.

1 May Labour Day.

May/Jun Whit Mon, 7 weeks after Easter.

Jul-Aug Crop Over, parades and calypso competitions over the weekend leading up to Kadooment Day (the first Mon in Aug), and calypso ‘tents’ (mostly indoors though) for several weeks beforehand. The celebrations begin with the ceremonial delivery of the last canes on a brightly coloured dray cart pulled by mules, which are blessed. There is a toast to the sugar workers and the crowning of the King and Queen of the crop (the champion cutterpilers). The bands and costumes have improved but are a pale imitation of what Trinidad has to offer. However, even Trinidadians now take Barbadian soca and calypso seriously and talk of the Bajan invasion. The big crowd is on the Spring Garden Highway outside Bridgetown Mon afternoon, which has roadside music and places selling drinks for 2 weeks before Kadooment. Next to the highway there is Festival village, an area for open-air parties with live music, small entry fee. Baxters Rd Mall runs for a couple of weekends beforehand; the road is closed off for fried fish, music and beer. For information contact the National Cultural Foundation, T4240909, http://barbados.org/cropover.htm.

1 Aug Emancipation Day.

First Mon in Aug Kadooment Day.

Oct Blowin’ in de Windies, a youth jazz festival with school bands from the UK, North and South America participating in performances and workshops.

Nov NIFCA, the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts is a more serious affair, with plays, concerts and exhibitions in the 4 weeks before Independence Day.

30 Nov Independence Day. Several events are held throughout the month commemorating Barbados’ independence from Britain in 1966.

Dec Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The island is fairly small but it can take a surprisingly long time to travel as the rural roads are narrow and winding. The Adams Barrow Cummins highway runs from the airport to a point between Brighton and Prospect, north of Bridgetown. This road skirts the east edge of the capital, giving access by various roads into the city. Minibuses and route taxis run around the capital, cheaply and efficiently, but are terribly slow in rush hour. You can get a bus or taxi from the airport to Bridgetown. The highway and roads into Bridgetown get jammed morning and afternoon; the city centre is worst in the middle of the day.

Taxis are expensive. There are plenty at the airport, main hotels, and in Bridgetown. There are standard fares, displayed just outside ‘arrivals’ at the airport, and are also listed in the Visitor and the Sunseeker. You may have to bargain hard for tours by taxi but always agree a fare in advance. They will sometimes try to exceed the official rate per hour of US$16.

Buses Flat fare of B$1.50 (B$1 for schoolchildren in uniform) per journey anywhere on the island, so if you change buses you pay again. Almost all the routes radiate in and out of Bridgetown, so cross-country journeys are time-consuming if you are staying outside the city centre. However, travelling by bus can be fun. There are some circuits which work quite well; for example: 1) any south coast bus to Oistins, then cross country College Savannah bus to the east coast, then direct bus back to Bridgetown; 2) any west coast bus to Speightstown, then bus back to Bathsheba on the east coast, then direct bus back to Bridgetown. Out of town bus stops are marked simply ‘To City’ or ‘Out of City’. For the south coast ask for Silver Sands route.

Barbados’ popularity as a tourist destination has resulted in good transport connections with many flights from Europe and North and South America. The Grantley Adams International Airport is 16 km from Bridgetown, near the resorts on the south coast and connected to the west coast beaches by the ABC Highway which bypasses the capital. Cruise ships call at Bridgetown and some passengers choose to start or break their journey here, but otherwise there is no passenger shipping. Easy Cruise, http://www.easycruise.com, started cruising the islands from Barbados in the 2005/2006 winter season, allowing you to get on and off the ship anywhere along the route as long as you stay on board at least two nights.

Canada, 105 Adelaide St W, Suite 1010, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1P9, T416-2149880, 1-800-268 9122, canada@barbados.org.

France, c/o Tropic Consulting, 48 rue des Petites Écuries, 75010 Paris, T33-1 47 70 82 84, france@barbados.org.

Germany, c/o The Mangum Group, Sonnenstrasse 9, D-80331 Munich, T49 89 23 66 21 70, germany@barbados.org.

Italy, c/o G & A Martinengo, Via F.lli Ruffini 9, 20123 Milano, T02 4802 2768, Barbados@martinengo.it.

UK, 263 Tottenham Court Rd, London W1P 0LA, T020-76369448/9, btauk@barbados.org.

USA New York, NY, T212-9866516/8 or toll-free 800-2219831, btany@barbados.org; Coral Gables, FL, T305-4427471, btamiami@barbados.org; Los Angeles, CA, T213-380 2198/9, toll free 800-2219831, btala@barbados.org.