A Vacation To Remember In Barbados
Barbados is a small island in the Lesser Antilles that you might have forgotten because other islands in the Caribbean are more popular vacation destinations. However, there are a lot of amazing things to do on this island when you arrive. You do not need to go to other islands after you start your vacation, and you can stay in an amazing villa that gives you a view of the colonial styling of this island. Read more to learn how you can have the most amazing vacation to the Caribbean.
Go To The Beach At Carlisle Bay
Yes, there are a lot of amazing beaches in Barbados, but Carlisle Bay is the best. When you get to the island, you can try villas in Barbados for rent that are close to the beach. Some people prefer to live among the colonial buildings in Bridgetown, or you could rent a car to drive around the island.
Drive on the left side to get to Carlisle Bay where you might see someone playing cricket. You might see a small cafe that offers high tea, and you can sun on the beach every day of your vacation. If you are staying on this beach, you will never see a more beautiful location. However, this small island offers several different attractions you should visit.
Brownes Beach, Bayshore Beach, and Pebble Beach are spots on Carlisle Bay that you might like to try. Pebble Beach is the most popular of these beaches, and you can walk there from the edge of Bridgetown if you have a bungalow or villa that is close by.
Explore Bridgetown
You tried the beaches of Carlisle Bay, but you have the beautiful capital of Bridgetown behind you when you are sunning on the beach. This town is an amazing mix of canals and old world styling. You will see the pastel colonial buildings that were brought by the British, and you will almost feel like you are visiting a seaside resort in the UK.
Your first stop should be Queen’s Park which has a baobab tree that is over 1000 years old. This tree alone could be your favorite picture from your trip, and you will be amazed at how beautiful it is in this location. You can go to the Parliament Buildings for a tour, and you can cross Chamberlain Bridge to see more of the city.
Some people will ride a boat down Constitution River because they want to feel like they are in Venice, and others will go to the Barbados Museum to learn about this beautiful island nation. You will find more examples of colonial and neo-gothic architecture, and you will find dozens of amazing photo spots.
Plus, you might be surprised to find a landmark called the George Washington House during your tour of the city. Washington visited this house when he was only 19 years old to see his half-brother, and it stands a monument to the life of a President who did not yet know he would lead a revolution.
Go To Other Side For Bethesda Bay
Even though this island is not that big, you will see a dramatic difference between the Caribbean and the Atlantic coasts. When you travel to Bethesda Bay, you will see surfers riding the massive waves that have been cutting down this beach for centuries. Coral reefs were once submerged here, and the beach has been trimmed by the ocean to reveal beautiful rocks that are perfect for exploring.
Plus, you can take a surfing lesson in what is known as the Soup Bowl because of the white waves and shallow water.
Barbados is a geologically-diverse nation, and you will see a great example of this as you drive down to the bay. When you take a short road trip to this location, you will descend quickly through the hills. You can see how the sands of time have cut away at the rocks here, and you can stop just above the beach to visit shops and restaurants.
If you are not a surfer, you could go to the Atlantis Hotel for lunch, De Garage restaurant for a gourmet meal, or you might visit the Andromeda Tropical Gardens. The Flower Forest is close to this location, and you may need to return a few days in a row to make sure you have time to see everything.
Animal Flower Cave
Animal Flower Cave sits on the north of the island. This is one of the most popular spots for tourists in the area, and you will see humpback whales in the early spring when you visit this cave, and you can look inside to find amazing rock formations that have slowly come together over time.
The cave is not completely enclosed, and you can look through natural portholes out to the ocean on your tour. This is a fun place to take the kids, and it could become part of one of your road trips around this tiny island. They even have a restaurant near the cave that you can visit after your tour.
Some travelers enjoy spelunking and cave exploration. If you are one of these people, you should try Harrison’s Cave. That cave requires a hale et and a headlamp along with an experienced tour guide.
More Beach Time At Crane Beach
Crane Beach is one of the more unique beaches in Barbados because it has high walls on both sides. You will feel like you are on a private beach because it has white sands and soft waves. It almost looks like a movie set, and that is why it is a good place to go with your spouse.
You can go up to the Crane Beach Resort that is at the top of the hill, or you can stay on the beach for the rest of the day.
Try The Barbados Wildlife Reserve
You might have already come to this area for Signal Station and the Grenade Hill Forest. However, one of the Crown Jewels of this island is the wildlife reserve. Barbados is not all fun and games. This special reserve was designed to protect the animals and plants that are native to this island. You can walk through the trails to see green monkeys, tortoises, deer, and iguanas.
Plus, you will be stunned by the mahogany forest because they smell amazing, the trees are beautiful, and they make you feel as though you have wandered into a tropical paradise.
The Oistins Fish Fry
When you ride into Oistins on a Friday night, you will come across the free Fish Fry. Not only is this one of the few things that you can do for free on your trip, but it is an amazing dinner. You can make new friends at this fish fry, and you can stay there all night. This is the party that you do not have time to host by yourself, and it will even entertain your kids.
Plan all your meals around this fish fry, and remember that you will meet people who run local businesses that you need to visit.
Farley Hill National Park
Farley Hill National Park is not your normal national park. The colonialists who came to Barbados built homes and made an empire for themselves. This park has an old home that was built in the early 1800s, and it has been completely overgrown by vines. There is a fence around the house, but you can get very close to take pictures.
Plus, you can walk through the gardens in this area when you want to see how the colonial mansion might have looked when it was first built.
St. Lawrence Gap
St. Lawrence Gap is not a gap. This is a long street that has restaurants and shops as far as the eye can see. You will be stunned by this location because of how beautiful it is. Plus, you will be amazed by the fact that you can stay here for hours. Some people cannot even make it to the end of this street that is over a kilometer long on their first try.
Plan more than one day to explore this street, and make sure you have a car that will help you carry all your trinkets back to your villa.
Welchman Hall Gully
This particular gully requires you to walk up a long flight of stairs to enter the gardens, and you will see collapsed caves that have flowers and trees growing out of them. The bamboo shoots are rising very high in this location, and you can walk around the gully for as long as you want before moving on. You will enjoy taking pictures here, and it is even a good spot for a proposal if you are on a romantic vacation.
The Richard Haynes Boardwalk
The Richard Haynes Boardwalk will take you by Accra Beach, and it allows you to visit many small shops and cafes. The boardwalk itself is a good place for a walk during the day, or you could take a romantic walk at night. Plus, you might want to plan a romantic dinner here. Tapas and Nauru are two amazing restaurants in this location, and they could serve as a pit stop that allows you to look out on the ocean.
Plus, you can plan to come back here more than once because this boardwalk is over 1.5 kilometers long. Your family can explore the boardwalk in pieces, or you can walk down to the beach to get some sun.
Sunbury Plantation
Sunbury Plantation was built in 1660 at the height of the trading companies and pirate ships that once roamed this area. The powerful trading baron that built this home left it behind as a museum for the people, and it features period costumes, furniture, and artifacts from the colonial era.
You can tour this mansion as part of a road trip, or you can ask a tour guide to walk you through the plantation as you learn how rich traders lived in the late 1600s.
Folkestone Marine Park
Folkestone Marine Park is one of the most unique marine parks you will find anywhere in the Caribbean. Plus, you need to decide what you would like to do before you come. You can bring your kids here to enjoy the playground, and you can go snorkeling in very shallow water if your kids are just learning.
However, there is more to this park than meets the eye. There is a sunken ship just off the coast that allows you to dive among the ruins. The government sank the Stavronikitia as a way to create an artificial reef, and you can dive through the wreck if you want. You can rent all the gear you need a shop near the shore, and you can go with a tour guide who will show you all the most amazing parts of this ship.
You can come back to shore for a picnic, or you might want to kayak around the shore for more pictures. The marine park offers something for everyone, and there is even a museum that has an aquarium.
When you take your kids into the museum and aquarium, you will learn about the marine life that lives around Barbados, and you might even see whales early in the morning.
Conclusion
A trip to Barbados will be one of the most amazing adventures of your life. You can start with a villa that sits amid a colonial city or near the beach. You can visit amazing beaches, historic homes, and boardwalks that stretch for miles. You will meet new friends at parties hosted on the island, or you can explore the caves along the coast that make you feel as though you have been transported to another world. Need more Caribbean getaway ideas? Check out this list of things to do in Grand Cayman.