5 Things to Do in Barbados
Barbados, an island in the Caribbean gets the most repeat visitors for several reasons. First, the Barbadians or Bajans are super-friendly and courteous people. Second, it’s the home to miles and miles of unpolluted beaches catered to visitors of any age group and interest.
Of course the 3,000 hours of yearly sunshine and constant northeast trade winds that lower the humidity make Barbados ideal for sun bathing, hiking, golfing, sightseeing and just doing nothing but relaxing.
Over
10 airlines fly into Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) in Barbados. It takes
four hours 41 minutes from New York,
four hours 33 minutes from Charlotte NC and
eight hours 55 minutes from London, United Kingdom.
Ready to go? Here are 5 things to do in Barbados:
One: Take a guided tour
Let a local guide introduce you to all the main attractions in Barbados. Find out about the different beaches, gardens and historical sites of Barbados. We suggest either the JustBIM Tour or Los Barbados Tour.
The Just BIM full day tour will take you to attractions like Harrison’s Cave (the most visited place in Barbados), Bathsheba, Morgan Lewis Windmill, experience a local lunch at the East Coast, Flower Forest and St. Nicholas Abbey (visit the historic house and try out Barbadian rum).
If you take the Los Barbados Tour you will not visit the Flower Forest but you will get to see Barbados’ native green monkeys at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve.
You can do the same tour at your own pace with a rented car as well. Remember Barbados road signs are not so visible and they drive on the left of the road.
Information:
Glory Tours
Two: Water sports
The west coast area like Speightstown, Mullins Bay, Paynes Bay, Heron Bay and Sandy Lane are some of the best beaches in Barbados for swimming, snorkeling, jet skiing and kayaking.
These areas have perfect conditions like calm and crystal clear waters for relaxing water sports and swimming.
Except for Pebbles Beach and Carlisle Beach near Hilton Hotel, the south beaches have medium waves. South beaches like Accra and Dover are perfect for jogging, body surfing and kite surfing.
The area around the popular Crane Resort located in the southeast coast has big waves and is not suitable for swimming. The Crane Beach is suitable for boogie boarding.
Three: Dining
If you like fish you will love dining in Barbados. The variety of fresh fish includes Mahi Mahi, the locals call Mahi Mahi “dolphin”, Flying Fish (a common tropical fish in Barbados), kingfish, Marlin and barracuda.
We recommend a trip to Oistins Fish Fry event on Friday nights. Oistins is an active fishing town located in south Barbados. The area comes alive every Friday evening. It’s like a street party with music and more stalls usually not found on other days, selling grilled fish or fried fish with macaroni pie and coleslaw.
Dine under a canopy with picnic tables filled with happy tourists and locals while the music play at the bandstand. We recommend Pat’s Place for the Mahi Mahi and marlin (and not the shrimp).
For dinner by the calm west coast beach, head over to Lone Star. This oceanfront restaurant serves Asian, Western and Caribbean cuisine. Make sure you dress business casual when dining at the Lone Star and make a reservation especially during high season and the weekends.
Four: Liming
Barbadians use the word “liming” quite often. It means hanging out with friends and family or strangers. Usually with some type of alcohol and in a relaxing environment. The best place for liming is at St. Lawrence Gap and on Fridays at the Oistins Fish Fry.
St. Lawrence Gap is a mile long beach nightspot located along a quiet bay. There are plenty of bars, restaurants and open air nightclubs in the area.
Five: Golfing
You can golf year round in Barbados in one of their finest golf courses. Sandy Lane has two Tom Fazio designed courses, Royal Westmoreland has Robert Trent-Jones Jr. masterpiece and the Barbados Golf Club championship course was designed by Ron Kirby, one of the top golf course designers in the world.
There’s much to do and see in Barbados. Before you go, here are 4 tips to help you plan your trip:
1.
Hotel deals in Barbados.
2. Barbados uses the Barbadian dollar. Which is about half of a US dollar. The US dollar is widely used in Barbados.
3. For quiet beaches, we recommend staying in the west coast area.
4. Busiest tourist season in Barbados is from mid-December to April. It’s also the most expensive time to visit the island.
