Christmas, for me, is usually all about eating mince pies, rewatching festive classics like Home Alone and Love, Actually, spending time with family and friends, and wishing for snow.
Last year was rather different.
As my sister was working in Martinique (an overseas department of France), my family had planned to visit her there at Christmas. But if there’s one thing France loves more than a jour férié (bank holiday) it’s a grève (strike). Striking borders on a national sport in France (and here in the UK too, over the past year or so, it would seem), and the more likely than not scenario of an Air France strike over the festive period led my parents to opt for a different Caribbean island instead: Barbados.
Prior to visiting, I only knew one thing about Barbados: it’s capital city is Bridgetown. (One year, back when I was in secondary school, my New Year’s Resolution was to learn a capital city every day. I kept it up for a decent chunk of that year, and still remember a few of them now.) I now know a few more things about Barbados, such as:
- Both Barbadian Dollars and US Dollars are accepted. We learnt this the hard way, having inadvertently ordered Bahamian Dollars instead of Barbadian Dollars. (Don’t ask how. I still don’t know how we managed it – and to think we could’ve spared ourselves that cock-up by just ordering US Dollars…)
- When it rains, it pours. We got caught in a couple of downpours; fortunately, they didn’t last too long.
- Chefette > McDonald’s. We wandered up to Rockley Beach and along The Richard Haynes Boardwalk one afternoon, and swung by Chefette on the way back to Dover Beach. When in Barbados…
- Monkeys live there! I only saw one on this trip, on a pre-breakfast walk along Maxwell Beach, and it was too speedy to snap a photo. (I love monkeys.)
- Also on the theme of local wildlife: the chickens roost in trees. I don’t know why this tickled me so much, but there was something simultaneously endearing and hilarious about seeing chickens snoozing in the trees.
I’ll share snippets of what we got up to and some snapshots from our trip in this post. We flew out on Christmas Eve, and stayed at Time Out Hotel across from Dover Beach; it was a good base for exploring the surrounding area. We spent most of Christmas Day at Dover Beach, and I ended the day the colour of a certain reindeer’s nose.
On Boxing Day, Laurence and I went for a walk to Rockley Beach. (My family arrived the day before us, so had wandered a little way up the coast on Christmas Eve.) We passed brightly-painted buildings, slivers of golden sand, lots of crabs (some brown, some orange) and a brightly-coloured mosaic of fish and turtles made from shards of pottery.
We had a wander along the beach every morning before breakfast (sunshine and sand definitely beats our usual wintery grey skies and concrete backdrop for morning walks).
I’m not especially fond of boats (in case they sink). I’m also scared of tunnels (in case they cave in). So the next thing we did on our trip was not something I ever thought I’d do.
We went on a submarine.
Atlantis Submarines, based in Bridgetown, have been taking tourists from the surface to the sea floor (and – most importantly – back again!) since the late 1980s. Going on a submarine felt a bit like being spun around on a carousel, but it was a neat way to see the shipwrecks and marine life up close. Our sub pilot pointed out various shoals of fish, and we also saw a couple of turtles. We even received a little certificate to commemorate the trip afterwards.
After a late lunch on the beach, we ventured into Bridgetown. As it was a bank holiday, the city’s colourfully painted streets were very quiet. Laurence, Vicki and I spent an hour or so chilling at Carlisle Bay, before rejoining my parents and heading back to Dover Beach.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was Tropical Garden Barbados. There’s a one-way route through the gardens, with a few side trails for those wishing to extend their walk, and lush, dense greenery as far as the eye can see. I don’t recall seeing many (any?) other people while we were there, but I imagine on a busier day the trails could feel a bit narrow in places.
Our next stop was Welchman Hall Gully, which was originally part of Welchman Hall Plantation. Gullies once provided shelter, firewood, medicinal plants and food, amongst other things, to Barbados’ indigenous populations and colonisers. Today, the many species of flora and fauna that dwell in, or migrate through, Welchman Hall Gully are protected by the Barbados National Trust.
We ended the day in Oistins, a fishing village on the coast. After lunch at Mo’s Grill, Laurence’s pre-trip research led us to the small pier behind Oistins Fish Market. Seeing the turtles up close was another trip highlight for me!
On our last full day, Laurence, Vicki and I caught the bus up to Holetown. A short walk from there is Folkestone Marine Park and Visitors’ Centre, which is a perfect spot for snorkelling (especially if you’re new to it, like me) as it’s a boat-free zone. We decided to buy snorkelling masks, but you can rent them if you prefer. If you’ll do it more than once and/or plan to spend quite a while in the water, you’re probably better off buying one. I had so much fun snorkelling, and I would definitely do it again if I got the chance. (My parents weren’t so keen on snorkelling, and opted to take the bus further up the coast to Speightstown instead.)
And that’s a wrap (no pun intended) on our Christmas trip to Barbados. Up next: Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Getting there | We flew with BA from Edinburgh to Barbados (with a transfer at London Heathrow). From Grantley Adams International Airport, local buses and vans run up the west coast; unless you’re arriving at some ungodly hour, these will get you to any of the touristy spots and (in December 2022) a one-way ticket in one of the white vans cost BBD$3.50pp. To get to the bus stop, exit the airport and cross the car park (aim for the little green hut, on the same side of the road as the car park).
- Currency | Both Barbadian Dollars and US Dollars are accepted; the exchange rate is roughly BBD$1 to USD$0.50.