Of course, Barbados has endless miles of breeze-buffed Atlantic and Caribbean beaches, equally endless romantic sunsets and dining on fresh caught seafood. Also making it a must-visit destination is its endless variety of activities, including a few you don’t expect to find in the Caribbean.
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The Need for Speed
Bushy Park is a bona fide racetrack, with official sanctioned motorsports racing between November and March. The rest of the time, visitors can drive a course of hairpin turns and straightaways in a Suzuki Swift, adapted for the track with a safety cage replacing all the seats but the driver’s, a six-point harness instead of the conventional seat belt, and racing suspension. It takes a couple of moments to adapt to right-hand steering and shifting the six-speed manual transmission with your left hand, but then it’s G-force exhilaration all the way, and you get a diploma as a souvenir and a video from the dash cam for bragging rights.
Horsing around at Apes Hill Polo Club.
Giddyap, Horsey
Prince William and Prince Harry have played polo at the Apes Hill Polo Club, which stables more than 100 horses in season (January to May). Lessons are atop retired polo ponies who get their geriatric exercise by walking, never running, after the ball around the practice field. The lesson includes the intricacies of wrapping the mallet properly around your wrist for maximum torque, and learning to time the horse’s gait with your swing. Not as easy as the experts make it look.
Surf’s up in Barbados
Surf’s Up
Also not as easy as it looks is riding a surfboard, but the goal of champion windsurfer, kitesurfer and paddleboarder Brian Talma is to get you to stand up and feel the thrill. After earning his reputation in Hawaii and competing in both the 1988 and 1992 Olympics (South Korea and Barcelona), Talma returned to his native Barbados to open the island’s first surfing school, De Action Surf Shop on de Action Beach. Or, just rent a board for an hour or longer, and be sure to leave time to hang with Talma to see his artwork and learn about what he has named Beach Culture, which includes saving the fishing villages and their way of life at the world’s best surfing beaches and sharing them with surfers.
Scuba diving in Barbados
Water World
Submerge yourself 130-feet safely inside Atlantis Submarine and experience coral reefs and sea life normally accessible only to scuba divers. There’s also a shipwreck, which the crew announces by playfully humming the first few bars of the theme song from “Titanic.” Scuba divers can explore more shipwrecks in Carlisle Bay Marine Park, a protected area with healthy reefs and abundant fish. Several of the wrecks, including an old local ferry, were sunk deliberately after being stripped clean of toxic paints, wiring, etc., to create a reef. The wrecks are at 30-50 feet, and visible in the crystal clear turquoise water to snorkelers paddling around the surface.
Drink Up
Mt. Gay, founded in 1703, is reputed to be the oldest distillery in the Caribbean. Their popular tour is equal parts history and sampling, as a guide regales you with aged rum’s origin story. By happy accident, a few years after discovering that the vile clear distillation of sugar cane known as Kill Devil turned brown and smooth on its months-long journey to Britain—voila!—aged rum was born. In addition to the standard tour, opt for a mixology class to create your own beverage from ingredients that include fresh fruits, hot sauce and sweet syrups.
Washington Slept Here
History buffs will appreciate Washington House, the 17th century home named for its most famous visitor. It is the only place outside of the Continental U.S. that George Washington ever visited. The trip took place in 1751, accompanying his brother, Lawrence, who was recuperating from tuberculosis. The home includes original furnishings downstairs and a small museum upstairs. In addition to an exhibit on the role of Barbados in the slave trade, one section shows how the house’s proximity to a British garrison influenced Washington’s decision to join the military after returning home. What remains of the garrison are eight large canons pointed to sea. Known locally as “the fort,” it’s adjacent to the Hilton Barbados Resort. Visit at sunset, then head for a remarkable candlelight dinner at Washington House, with a George Washington re-enactor and servants in period dress.
Nidhe Israel
Nidhe Israel is one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere. Both the building and graves in the small graveyard date from around 1700, and a spring-fed stone mikvah, or ritual bath, is even older, from 1654, when the community was founded. The adjoining schoolhouse now contains a modern museum about the influence of the Jewish population on Barbados and in cities around the globe where Jewish immigrants from Barbados created communities, including New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. The historic district in Bridgetown, the capital city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and includes the oldest Quaker cemetery in the Caribbean.
Let’s Eat
Dining in Barbados ranges from romantic, waterside white tablecloth fine dining at Champers to street food rotis. On weekend evenings, just about everybody on the island heads for Oistens, a fishing village on the south coast, for its famous fish fry. A two-block cluster of outdoor restaurants serves heaping platters of caught-that-morning marlin, flying fish, grouper, shrimp, lobster and mahi mahi, prepared on huge outdoor grills, with sweet plantains and the ubiquitous sweet potato, washed down with bottles of local Banks beer. There’s music on the main stage, vendors offering locally made shell jewelry, wood carvings and baskets, and a family-friendly vibe.
Photo courtesy of Sandpiper Resort
Excellent Hotels and Resorts for Every Type of Vacation
The island has no shortage of great hotels and inns, especially in Christ Church, St. James and Paynes Bay. For an intimate luxury experience in St. James, opt for the family-run Sandpiper Resort. If you’re looking for a wonderful, affordable family option, head to the Legend Garden Condos, which includes kitchens in each room. For a a romantic, adults-only getaway, book the all-inclusive SoCo Hotel in Christ Church.
Evelyn Kanter
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