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Home > Features > Barbados
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Nigel Tisdall's Barbados Report
Posted On
26.03.07 |
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Warm, safe and easy, Barbados is a small, beautiful tropical island where everyone seems to have a good time – jetsetting celebs, golf and cricket fans, lovers of nature and history, families taking a break by the beach. Some visitors go to lie in the sun, others get out and explore. Either way, I reckon it’s a wonderful winter escape.
Shaped like a pork chop, Barbados is only 21 miles by 14 with most of the tourist action concentrated along its western and southern coasts. Contrary to expectations, the beaches here are not as wide and empty as you might hope, and some suffer from heavy use. The sheltered west side of the island, its so-called ‘Platinum Coast’, is where you’ll find the five-star hotels, smart restaurants, polo fields and villas fit for famous footballers – even Prime Ministers.
The east coast of Barbados is much wilder and less developed, buffeted by the deep blue waves of the Atlantic. In between lie undulating green hills where sugar cane fields and ruined windmills are reminders of the days of slaves and plantations. Barbados has a unique connection with Britain that dates back to 1627, and its maps are full of engagingly familiar place-names like Folkestone, Scarborough and Scotland. Historic houses such as Francia Plantation and St Nicholas Abbey bring this past to life, while the capital, Bridgetown, with its fast food outlets and shops catering to visiting cruise ships, reflects the growing influence of the U.S. on Bajan culture.
To get the best of Barbados, you’ll need to rent a car for a few days or join some organized excursions. Though best known for beach vacations, this is a lovely island that offers much more, with good walking and riding inland, and cultural attractions that include bountiful gardens, heritage sites, vibrant festivals plus the ever-popular rum distillery tours. Barbados is also sunny, friendly and still touchingly English - and that’s why everyone keeps going back.
Nigel Tisdall is Travel Editor of Marie Claire magazine and writes regularly for the travel pages of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. “Getting to know the Caribbean is a lifetime job” he explains, “and I’ve probably got another twenty islands to go – which is an awful lot of rum punch.” A recipient of many awards, Nigel was recently named AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2005 by the Association of Independent Tour Operators.
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Nigel Tisdall, Travel Writer
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