Barbados Travel Guide

Written in collaboration with Clara Manning
Barbados is a small island in the Caribbean surrounded by crystal clear waters and bursting with adventure and culture. The Banjan people are lively and welcoming, primarily Afro-Caribbean and speaking mostly English sprinkled with Creole. The literacy rate in Barbados is almost 100%, with many children completing higher education courses on the island or abroad. Barbadian people seem to prioritize close knit family and community relationships, and parents seem to be pretty conservative with their kids. Crime seemed to be low, along with a small transient population. Lots of people were going about their lives in the late night and wee early mornings without worries. The food is flavorful and well balanced and the weather is mild, contributing to an overall happy and healthy population. In fact, Japan and Barbados have the highest rate of centenarians in the world! Not only is Barbados the birthplace of rum, it is also home to the second largest hawksbill turtle population in the Caribbean and an overwhelming tribe of green monkeys.
Clara, my youngest daughter, and I decided we would have a one-on-one trip to this gorgeous island for some relaxing quality time. We filled our days with exploring and enjoying all that the island has to offer, and we’re here to share it.

What to do:
Our main focus of the trip was snorkeling, because that is what Clara loves to do. Naturally we jumped around to tons of different beaches in our quest for awesome snorkeling. Our favorite place was Folkestone Marine Park and the surrounding areas, up north to Thunder Bay. We ended up hiring a small jet boat with a Capitan and he took us around to some shipwrecks and reefs, and then he added to the fun whipping us around the bay on a tube as well! There were tons of fish, but not much colorful coral as I was expecting. This did not diminish the experience though, as we saw plenty of aquatic life. We also spent a couple of days renting some lounge chairs and umbrellas at various locations so Clara could snorkel away the day until sunset. We enjoyed the Carlisle Bay shipwrecks, which were about the same as Folkestone, and then all of the beaches on the south side of the bay towards Pebbles Beach, which is where we found the most clear water for floating and swimming.

Another fun activity is Surfing, and there were several options. For us the best was Drill Hall Beach because of the way the break was coming in on our visit. However, I know there are also good breaks at Accrra Beach and Freights Bay. Bathsheba Beach is known for amazing viewpoints and cool little swimming holes, but the break there, Soup Bowl, is good for surfing as well. There are no surfboard rentals in the area though so you would need to bring your own board to Bathsheba. We recommend surf lessons and/or board rentals from Ride the Tide Surf School near Freights Bay- they were fantastic to work with!
Another item that shall not be missed is observing the Green Monkeys at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. Get there around 2pm for feeding time and you will be in for a treat. These monkeys are not native to the area and in the past have created quite a nuisance to the human population. At one point people were granted permits to shoot and kill them because they would become such a crop pest or too aggressive, even enough to attack the family dog! The monkeys at the Wildlife Refuge are pretty tame, although they will absolutely still bite if you try and touch them. Have fun observing their play, fights, and families as they eat their afternoon meal. You can also check out the nearby Morgan Lewis Windmill after your visit.
Harrisons Cave is popular and interesting to visit as well, with the nearby Welchman Hall Gully as a nice hike if you have favorable weather. Wander around the Richard Haynes Boardwalk if you are in the area, and stop by the Oistins Fish Fry if you are in Barbados on a Friday Night. Animal Flower Cave is another popular attraction but we skipped this one, although it sounds cool.
Finally, check out some fun restaurants with a view, like Zen Restaurant at the Crane Resort or Marco Polo Bar and Grill. There are so many places to eat with an ocean view so take advantage of it! Barbados has a full collection of cuisine options, but try some typical Barbadian foods as well. Flying fish is a local staple, along with Bajan fish cakes, macaroni pie, and rum punch.

The Roads:
People drive on the left side of the road in Barbados. If you’re coming from somewhere that is also a left hand country – great for you. If you’re coming from the USA – be prepared.
The roads in Barbados are about 20% really nice, wide, freshly paved two lane highways with a full shoulder and lighting, and its great. The next 30% of roads are a simple two lane road with okay paving and no shoulder to pull over, which is okay. The final 50% has you saying “what the shit” about every 6 feet, potholed, unmarked, no shoulder, no lines, with buses in the oncoming lane and no room to swerve and its absolutely terrifying. You never really know what you’re going to get on a route so just be prepared to deal with all of it.
Something else to be prepared for is the amount of booby traps in the road. Firstly, people stop their cars ANYWHERE. Sometimes with their hazards on but mostly not. Just stopped. So you have to really pay attention to oncoming traffic and make your way around stopped cars and humans going about their leisurely way. Second, there are more roundabouts on the island than in any other country in the world. Okay I made that up, but it does seem like it. We arrived at half past midnight and I was already exhausted and nervous about the dark unfamiliar drive when the first direction from Siri was “at the roundabout, take the third exit…” (insert extreme eye roll here). If left hand, multi lane roundabouts full of booby traps are not your thing then you may want to reconsider renting a car in Barbados.
Finally, Honking is its own form of language in on the island. It might be a short “toot toot” meaning, “I am passing on your right.” It might be three “toot toot toot” meaning “thank you”. It could be a long “hooooonnnkkkk” meaning “you’re in my way tourist”. It could also be a single “honk” meaning, “go ahead.” Its not exactly culturally appropriate to honk at others where I live so this was hard to get over, but I managed, even if I couldn’t bring myself to participate.
We rented our car from Drive-A-Matic and it was a 10/10 experience, I highly recommend them. Not only were they completely accommodating, they were communicative and a good price as well. The car was clean and reliable and exactly what I expected and needed.

Where to Stay:
This depends on what you are interested in.
If you want to be near the best swimming beaches, close to surfing, close to the airport and Bridgetown for simplicity, then I suggest the Hilton Barbados Resort or something near that. You can surf just to the left of the hotel at Drill Hall Beach, or watch the race horses get water therapy at Pebbles Beach at 5am each morning just to the right of the hotel. You also have the best part of Carlisle bay and a bunch of bars and restaurants in walking distance.
If you are looking for the best snorkeling and/or a more posh area then you should look around and to the north of Folkstone Marine Park. This is where native born Banjan Rhianna has her house, Justin Bieber has his house, and a lot of fancy hotels are located as well. Plus there are no shortage of snorkeling spots for the daily dip, and several choices of restaurants and beach bars to keep you occupied.
If you are looking for something super quiet but with stunning scenery and you don’t really plan to get wet then the area by Bathsheba Beach is for you. It has almost no crowds, no night life, and its just tranquil and gorgeous. The craggy rock formations jut out of the crashing waves and the tide pools create a nice barrier to dip your feet.
We stayed in an Air BnB on the south side of the island by the Crane Resort, which was also nice because it was quieter and felt safer than Bridgetown, but still close enough to the city to have a range of food and activity options. However, we couldn’t have done it without our own car. Honestly unless you’re staying in Bridgetown/Carlisle Bay Area, you’ll need a car. Brush up on your honking language friends.

What to Pack:
The obvious tropical vacation stuff, but do not forget bug protection of all kinds! We were decimated by bugs our first night. Snorkel gear is a must so you can always have it with you when the conditions are favorable. Absolutely a quick dry towel, portable batteries and chargers, reef safe sunscreen, and a swim shirt. Water shoes are also nice to have, especially on the east and south sides of the island. I brought some cheap floaty inner tubes for lounging in those clear waters because it was so warm and delicious, and then left them for the next guests. I also brought a windbreaker, and it did rain here and there, but I never used it, so it maybe was not necessary. Although the island vibe is pretty relaxed around clothing choices, we found it fun to get dressed up a few of the nights and go to a nice dinner together.

Clara and I had a great girls trip to the island of Barbados. The weather was fantastic, the sunsets were superb, and the scenery was magnificent. So often the topography changed as we drove all over the island, from steep craggy mountains to rolling green hills of sugar cane or grasses. Rocky outcroppings standing sentential in the waves on the East to the placid white sandy shores of the West. High cliffs, low caves, and everything in between. We felt safe, welcomed, and included by the locals and we had great meals. It was so fun to take some quality time with my youngest girl, since normal life moves at such a fast pace. Its important to be able to connect and share adventures together for memories that will last a lifetime.