Trip to Barbados - November 2005 
 (click any picture to get enlargement)
 
Our trip to Barbados is a continuance of our travels around the Caribbean.  We have a goal to see as many of the islands as we can while we are stationed in Venezuela; 18 months to go & lots more to see!

Our trip began in Caracas and required a full travel day... to connect in Trinidad, and then in Tobago, before getting to Barbados.  

Unfortunately, we had to buy one-way tickets for much of the trip, so it was somewhat expensive.
 

The airport is located on the Southern part of the island and was not far from our hotel at Inch Cape... see X1 on the bottom of the map.

This story will take you, 
in order, from: 

X1) Inch Cape (south)

X2) Bathsheba (middle east)

X3) Rum Factory (inland)

X4) Bay Views (south east)

X5) St. Lawrence Gap (south)

 
We found our 'Inch Cape' hotel via the internet, and we were very satisfied by what we were given.  The hotel had only 11 units and was quite cozy; we even got cable TV!  
The most important things we were looking for was cleanliness & spaciousness... we got that, plus a nice kitchen and bathroom.
On the first night we hear a lot of loud noises from little frogs.... anyone up for a snack?
We were on the ground level & the terrace was quite large.
We set up a windbreak, as bad weather was on the way.		 We had a nice view, a hammock, and luckily... quiet neighbors.

<==== Our 'yard' had a gate which led to a road to the beach.

====>
The front building of the hotel was where the owner lived and was almost on the ocean.

 
 
If we went to the right, there was  a little path which took us to the south-most point.  

From there you could look up the west coast a bit and see some nice homes and a little beach.

Coming back to the road and going left took us to 'our beach'.  

All beaches in Barbados are public and have access; 
either by car or by walking.
Behind our beach was a large hotel complex called Sandy Point.  We were allowed to use their facility for a nominal fee, but never needed to... since our place was just 30 seconds away. 
 
The water was gorgeous to look at & swim in; the color changed hue as the sun position changed.
This was taken at the other end of 'our beach'. From this point a small path took us yet to another beach... 
this one was totally secluded ... no buildings around here ... yet!
Almost every day we had rain, which got quite heavy at times.  Some locals said that the weather was highly unusual and was due to due a tropical depression going past.  Barbados is the east-most island and doesn't get many hurricanes... thus we got to see a lot of tall plants & palm trees!
Wherever we went in our little rental car, we encountered bad road conditions... this is still a developing country.  The traffic was a lot worse than we expected and even short trips took a long time. The inland was nice and lush.  Most places were quite crowded though... there are many people!. 
Sunday:
Our first 'road trip' was up the west coast to the capital city of Bridgetown.  We expected to find nice places to shop, but the town was disappointing and everything was closed.  We continued up the west coast and could only see the entrance gates of some very elaborate villas.  We then cut inland and visited a wildlife sanctuary.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along, so there are no pictures.  It then started raining very hard and we slowly made our way back to the hotel.
Monday: We swam & then drove to Bathsheba, in the middle of the east coast... see X2 on the map.
The weather was overcast, but we wanted to see the area since we almost stayed at a hotel here.
One of the many older churches which dotted Barbados.  The coast was quite rugged on the east side, as it faces the fury of the Atlantic ocean.  
The hotel we were going to stay at had a nice garden area with plenty of hammocks.  
The view wasn't that great though, and the beach was down a cliff & was full of fishing boats.
Since this coast faces east, it gets the big Atlantic waves... which makes it great for surfing.
One area is called the 'soup bowl' and is among the top surfing spots in the world.
We were surprised to see so few people on the beach, but it could have been due to the weather.  This coast was wonderful to see and would probably be stunning if the sun was shining.
We had drinks and dinner at a different hotel in the area.  this place had a much nicer view... but the access to the ocean was still too difficult.

We headed back after dark and got lost a few times.  The roads are all intertwined and the signs are terrible... non-existent!
Tuesday: We drove inland and visited the Four-Square Rum Distillery (see X3 on the map).
The main industry for Barbados is tourism... but they also make a lot of good rum, from sugar cane.
We couldn't leave the island without visiting one of their factories.
The operation was very small and we walked around the distillery on our own.  They had been in business for quite a while and had many old pieces of machinery in their park area.
The garden area was filled with beautiful flowers and interesting plants.  The only disappointing thing was their lack of a tasting area... no free samples!  Time to return to the hotel for happy hour.
Wednesday: We took a 'day off' and hit the beach and a few shopping malls.  We heard that the shopping was excellent in Barbados, but we didn't find much that got us excited.  We later met up with friends that flew in for a running event and then relaxed at the hotel.
Thursday: We drove along the south coast to Bottom Bay and Crane Bay (see X4 on the map).
 
When we got to Bottom Bay the wind was blowing and the weather looked threatening.

The coast, as we looked to the left, was a limestone cliff that was slowly getting eaten away by the ocean.
When we looked to the right, we could see a nice, secluded beach and some homes; we failed to find a way down to the beach.
We then drove down the coast a bit to the Crane Hotel.  The place was situated on a cliff over the ocean and was somewhat exclusive; we had a bit of trouble to get in and take pictures.
To get to the very nice beach area, you had to go down some stairs and follow a path along the water.  The beach is public, but you had to pay to access the hotel stairs and their path!
Friday: The sun came out strong for the first time all week!  
We played at our beach and then packed our bags, as we had to leave early the next morning.  
We then drove to a beach in the touristy area called St. Lawrence Gap. 
This beach area was much nicer than we expected.  We were almost facing west, so there were few waves to play in. If you looked further, you could see the south point lightouse. 
As the sun began to set, more people appeared on the beach; the colors got quite nice!
As this was the only sunset we saw all week, we decided to make the most of it.... toast!
The main street in St. Lawrence Gap... quite busy with cars. Our favorite place for Happy Hour ... the Ship Inn... ... where we met up with all our friends from Caracas... finally!

That concludes the story of our trip to Barbados... an island with great beaches which offer a chance to get away and relax. 		 ...