Beautiful Barbados

Your time in Barbados is guaranteed to be amazing.  Now that it is growing massively in the tourism district there will be lots of great things to do.  Here are some of the things that you should definitely try when you are going on Barbados holidays:

1. Go cruising on a catamaran.  This is a great way for you to enjoy the clean blue ocean while having a few beers and being told about the area by a guide.  You’re sure to have a great time and maybe even a dip in the sea.

2. Try the Ocean Park Aquarium.  You can go to the fresh water falls and feed piranhas or go and see all the rays they have swimming around.

3. Rent a surf board and head out to the waves.  This is a must, what a great sport. Even if your not completely successful you must give this a try and you will such a fun time.

4. Island Safari.  Join an island safari and visit some of Barbados best kept secrets you will have a great time and see things others won’t have ever seen.

5. The arts and crafts born in Barbados.  If you get the chance you must try and visit some of the museums or galleries with some very unique art.

6. The Submarine adventure.  This is a must, sit in the submarine and enjoy all of the underwater life out of a window, no snorkel needed.

7. St Nicholas Abbey.  This is a breathtaking sight and when you reach the top at 800 feet above sea level, you will be provided with an amazing view over the island.

8.  Cave Bay. A very quite and calm beach where you can calm your body and enjoy the scenery.  It is surrounded by rocks all the way around its perimeter and has stunning ruins behind it as well.

9. The St Lawrence strip. For all those looking for a crazy late night out, go and enjoy a miles worth of pubs, bars and clubs.

10. Try the Barbados Inn. For all you swashbucklers out there, or just those that want to experience the life of a pirate, head to this pub for a smashing time.

 

So go on Caribbean holidays in Barbados and have a great time.  If you really like it you can have your weddings abroad as well.

 

From http://sayanginanda.com/travel/travel/make-sure-if-your-going-to-barbados-to-check-out-these-amazing-top-10-sights-529

View the events listed below taking place in Barbados this weekend.
Thursday April 30th, 2009
» Gender and Development Training Programme - Deadline to Apply!
» Frank Collymore Hall - Lecture Series
» Harbour Master Starlight Dinner Cruise
» DB Home Wedding Day Event
» Overdose Fridays at Club Xtreme Special Edition
» Unity Bar Lunchtime Lecture

Friday May 1st, 2009
» National Holiday - Labour Day
» Barbados Polo
» The Cave Hill School of Business Open Enrolment Programmes 2009
» Barbados Rally Club
» First Friday Funk at Bump n Wine Cafe
» Harbour Master - May Day Lunch Cruise
» Large Garage Sale
» Barbados Archery Association Events May 2009
» Yard Sale in Aid of the NICU
» Fun Day at Ocean Park

Saturday May 2nd, 2009
» Barbados Co-Operative and Credit Union League Training Events
» Saturday Sailing Course 3, Day 2
» Dinghy Regatta
» Advanced Certificate Course in Business Administration
» BIMAP Small Business Training Opportunities
» Get Moving Barbados
» May Day Ball
» Trinidad's Most Successful Comedy Show
» Large Garage Sale
» Barbados Archery Association Events May 2009
» Yard Sale in Aid of the NICU
» Super Celebration of Choirs
» DLP Branch Meetings May 2nd, 2009

Sunday May 3rd, 2009
» Blue Box Cart 2009 Cropover Band Launch
» Hike Barbados - Roberts Manufacturing
» Events At Lancaster Great House 2009 (for this week)
» Sunday Scenic Tours in May 2009
» Barbados Rally Club and Motor Club Barbados Inc
» Barbados Polo
» Cruiser / Racer Offshore Regatta
» The 6th Annual Hip Hop Festival
» The Ship Inn Fun Run 2009
» Seventh Day Adventist Church National Health Walk
» Large Garage Sale
» Naniki Jazz Brunch Buffet for May 2009
» Sunday Coast Roast
» Barbados Archery Association Events May 2009
» Ocean Park Buffet Sundays
» Super Celebration of Choirs

From http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/travelleisure/article/638162

By Jill Wilson
THE CANADIAN PRESS

ROCKLEY BEACH, Barbados - I have been to the stunning north coast, watched the awe-inspiring Atlantic crash and foam on the steep cliffs and been through the animal flower caves.

Enlarge Photo

The Canadian Press

Rockley Beach is one of the jewels of Barbados.

I have frequented the wild and beautiful east coast -- walked on the white sand of the chi-chi Crane beach where Hugh Grant's been known to frolic, had my bathing suit filled with sand as the powerful waves of Bottom Bay dashed me to the ocean floor, wandered around the huge, eerie coral formations of Bathsheba, which look as if a giant deposited them randomly around the shore.

I have visited the west coast, where the turquoise water is so blue that the word "turquoise" seems inadequate and where every beach is a postcard waiting to happen.

I have been to the legendary Friday-night fish fry in Oistins on the south coast, where it seems as if the whole island gathers to eat fresh flying fish or dolphin (mahi-mahi) and macaroni pie, drink Banks beer from sweating bottles that are warm before you finish them and dance the night away to reggae music.

I've been to the Barbados Jazz Festival on Farley Hill, a natural amphitheatre complete with crumbling ruins at the bottom and a panoramic view of the island at the top.

I've seen sharks and barracudas and fed a stingray at Ocean Park aquarium; I've seen green monkeys and haita congas and been attacked by a goose-like creature with a pink horrible beak at the Barbados Animal Reserve.

I've taken the awesome Adventureland 4x4 tour and bumped and banged around the backroads and byways of the island; I've visited the Mount Gay refinery, home of the oldest rum in the world.

In short, I have explored Barbados from top to bottom, so perhaps I can be forgiven, on this latest trip, for doing almost nothing at all.

My friends and I decided that our only desire this time around was to sit and watch the waves at Rockley Beach, our favourite of Barbados' many lovely strips of sand. On calm days, it's perfect for snorkelling, with a well-marked coral reef within easy swimming distance (and lifeguards on duty). On windy days, the surf kicks up enough to allow for some decent boogie boarding or body surfing.

The one concession we made to our plan of lying motionless on deck chairs and frying ourselves to a melanoma-be-damned crisp was to go on a three-hour hike at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning, which turned out to be a significant concession.

These free weekly National Trust hikes set off from a different starting point each week; the goal is to cover most of the island in the course of a year. There are morning and evening hikes, but the 6 a.m. start time allows for at least an hour of cooler weather before the sun begins to beat down.

When we arrived at the marshalling area, we were surprised at the number and variety of people -- it's clearly a regular gathering for local hikers.

There were four levels to choose from: The Stop and Stare, which covers eight to 9.5 kilometres in the three hours; the Slow Medium, which covers 13 to 16 kilometres; the slightly more ambitious Fast Medium and the clearly suicidal Grin and Bear, which leads you on a 19-kilometre trot.

We chose the Slow Medium and set off, getting farther away from main roads and into areas we'd never seen before, from open fields to gated mansions. I'd suggest, however, that "Slow Medium" might be a misnomer. This is not a walk for dawdlers or lollygaggers; it is not a ramble. It is for serious walkers. It is, in a word, brisk.

Luckily, Christ Church is not the hilliest parish, but the walk did take us through sugar cane fields where a machete might not have been out of place and where you had to keep an eye on the ground or risk a turned ankle.

It was fantastic, giving a whole new view to the island that we never could have seen, even touring in a car. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the scenic vistas because if you so much as stopped to tie a shoelace, the rest of the group would be a dot in the distance by the time you stood up.

After the hike was over and we'd bandaged our blisters, as one of my travelling companions put it, "Now the only thing we have to worry about is where and when we're going to eat."

But for three dedicated food lovers, that's a considerable worry. Luckily, one of our dinners was already arranged, as I'd made the reservations months prior.

Tell anyone who's familiar with either Barbados or fine dining that you're going to The Cliff and his eyes will widen gratifyingly. The restaurant -- thanks to chef Paul Owens -- has the highest Zagat rating on the island, with prices to match: BBD$245 (C$151) for a two-course prix fixe menu (not including cocktails, wine or dessert, all of which we indulged in).

In these tough times, it seems ridiculously indulgent to spend such a princely sum on dinner, but what we got was fit for a king (or at least a prince -- Prince Andrew has been known to dine at The Cliff) and how often do you get to visit a restaurant with the reputation as one of the best in the world?

Lit by flickering torches, the restaurant sits perched on a cliff, with wide stone steps that lead down to intimate tables overlooking the surf that rolls into the scenic bay below.

And the food is truly incredible: beef carpaccio that melts in the mouth; gnocchi as fluffy as pillows; perfectly cooked tender duck breast; ravishing lobster ravioli; a lemon tart that might be the best dessert I've ever had.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we'll remember forever. And be paying off for several months.

On the other end of the spectrum -- but no less enjoyable -- is It's All Good, a modest shack on Rockley Beach manned by the ever-smiling Jasmine Brown, who whips up healthful smoothies with juice and vitamin supplements. What keeps us coming back, though, is what might be the best daiquiri on the island, made with fresh bananas and a generous helping of dark island rum. For BBD$12 (C$7.50), you get an overflowing plastic cup, which Brown will often top up with whatever's left in her blender.

She also slaves over a hot barbecue to grill flying fish, marlin, swordfish, garlic shrimp and other seafood, which she serves on a plate heaped with seasoned grilled potatoes, plantain and a crunchy-sweet coleslaw-like salad topped with walnuts and raisins. It's not elegant, but it's delicious.

Another high-end highlight was Pisces in the St. Lawrence Gap, where the rum sour was perfectly mixed, the Asian-style scallops with crispy lentils perfectly seared and the atmosphere -- terra cotta lanterns, a sea breeze and a view of fishing boats bobbing in the ocean -- perfectly lovely.

Our other splurge, one we've never gone without, is a day trip on a catamaran. A five-hour cruise on a Tiami ship is BBD$175 (C$108), and more relaxing than a day of being pampered at a spa. They pick you up at your hotel and you're greeted at the harbour with a mimosa, after which you set out along the island's west coast, skimming over unreal waters that shift from indigo to azure and sipping the beverages that are brought to you from the open bar by the attentive staff, who strike the perfect balance between funny flirtiness and serious sailoring.

Along the way, you stop to snorkel and swim with sea turtles, which, no matter how many times you do it, is a wondrous experience. The turtles, with their wise-looking faces and mottled shells, are not shy and will brush up against you in the water.

After a lavish buffet lunch, the boat anchors off the luxurious Sandy Lane resort, where you're free to swim ashore to the beach or just lie back and bob effortlessly in the buoyant blue.

God forbid we should exert ourselves.