Barbados
Our Posts about Barbados
As we’ve mentioned before, it’s Carnival time just about anytime somewhere in the Caribbean. Right now, the party’s in Barbados where the annual Crop Over Festival is in full swing. We plan to run a comprehensive post on the fete in a few days, but for now, we hope you’ll enjoy this video showcasing the event’s grand finale, Kadooment.
If you like what you see and want to get in on this year’s festivities, fear not: Kadooment is always held on the first Monday in August (this year it’s August 2nd), so there’s still time to grab your feathers, your flask and your flag, and get down there!
As you can easily tell by reading any of his articles on the subject, Patrick REALLY enjoyed exploring Barbados earlier this year. We don’t play favorites here at Uncommon Caribbean, (unless St. Croix or Cruzan Rum are involved), but if we did I’m guessing that all things Barbados would merit a gold star from my bro.
From the quiet seclusion of Archer Bay and the storied heritage of St. Nicholas Abbey, to the bustle of the St. Lawrence Gap and the sublime elegance of The House, Barbados put a spell on Patrick that will likely never be broken. About the only thing that could’ve made his week in Barbados any bit better might’ve been a personal tour of the island with its most famous local, R&B superstar Rihanna.
That will have to wait for a future visit (dreams do come true sometimes, right?)… In the meantime we can all enjoy Rihanna’s brief video intro to her home island above.
Enjoy the weekend everyone!
St. Lawrence Gap
There are some definite pros and cons to staying at full-service resorts and all-inclusive properties. On the plus side, everything you could want is right at your fingertips — entertainment, dining, spa, pool, beach, etc. The tradeoff for me, though, is often a distance from the lively culture and “real” people that make the Caribbean such an amazing experience.
To get the best of both worlds, sometimes I like to try something a little different: a do-it-yourself resort experience. The basics are easy: just find a vibrant, tightly packed location with dining, a world class beachfront, entertainment, and shopping. Then, just book a stay smack in the middle!
It sounds so easy, but the truth is, perfect little locations like this can be hard to come by. For a great one, try St. Lawrence Gap in Barbados.
The little island of Barbados, with nearly 300,000 inhabitants, has the highest population density in the Caribbean and the majority of these fun-loving folks (nearly 50%) live in urban areas around the southern part of the island where St. Lawrence Gap is located. With this kind of density, Bajans have become experts at fitting a lot of fun into small spaces, which is exactly what you get at The Gap.
There are top-notch restaurants overhanging the bay, local hangouts like the Reggae Lounge, party places like McBride’s Pub, shopping and access to white sand beaches just a few steps from the action. And this isn’t just some fabricated tourist zone either. Locals also flock to the area in the evenings to enjoy everything The Gap has to offer.
St. Lawrence Beach Condominiums Pier
Now that you’ve found the perfect, compact location, try staying at the St. Lawrence Beach Condominiums. Right on the water and in the heart of The Gap, you can secure yourself 1, 1.5 or 2 bedroom accommodations overlooking the quiet pool, the delightfully picturesque pier in the photo above (perfect for late night make-out sessions amid the soothing sound of waves… which I was unfortunately unable to test for you), and beyond it, the crystal clear Caribbean.
Sure you lose out on the 1 price for everything advantage of an all-inclusive, but all the fun and activities you could want are still at your fingertips. Plus you get to experience the real Barbados— it’s the perfect balance for more adventurous travelers.
Watching waves at Freights Bay, Barbados
When people think of surfing, they don’t generally think of the Caribbean. It seems like if the Pacific Ocean isn’t involved somehow, it’s not real surfing. Well that’s where they’re wrong. There are plenty of excellent, off-the-beaten-path sessions to be had all around the world and some of the best are in the Caribbean. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what Scott Hargreaves, Rip Curl International Event Manager had to say on the subject just last month when it was revealed that their 2010 world-class surfing event would be hosted in the Caribbean:
“This year’s event is going to be a new experience for everyone and will definitely take a few people by surprise. The Caribbean is home to some beautiful countries and many A-grade waves, so it’s sure to be an exotic and eventful adventure.”
This is an official Association of Surfing Professionals (or ASP) event that has already highlighted uncommon breaks in Reunion Island, Mexico, Chile, Bali and Portugal. Mick Fanning, reigning ASP World Champion and two-time defending Rip Curl Pro Search champion echoed the event organizer’s enthusiasm:
“The Caribbean looks insane! I’ve never been there but I’ve been checking out a lot of footage on the net and there definitely seems to be plenty of quality breaks down that way. Everyone I’ve asked about the place says the waves can get super punchy, which I love, so fingers crossed it delivers when we’re there.”
So, how can you get some Caribbean practice sessions in before the pros come to town? You could do a lot worse than giving Barbados a try.
In my case, I had never even touched a surf board, so I was going to need a little instruction. Before getting on-island, I connected with Boosy (pronounced boozey) of Boosy’s Surf School. I went with him because he seemed like a small, intimate operation that would be flexible in his process adjusting to whether I stunk or excelled. Besides, the line-up on the site that reads “The brain, the brawn and the inspiration” is pretty funny.
Boosy of Boosy's Surf School
At any rate, I met Boosy before my first lesson at Surfer’s Cafe in Oistins. It’s a chill little cafe right on Oistins Beach with a laid-back, surf feel where locals, surfers and aspiring surfers like myself could find coffees, a nice little bar and internet access. The side facing the ocean is open allowing a pleasant breeze to flow through the place further enforcing its sit and stay a while vibe… But we had some surfing to do!
A quick drive southwest brought us to Cotton House Bay according to my map, but the locals call if Freights Bay. Here we unloaded the boards and Boosy gave me the basics while still on land. Boosy is a great instructor, but I couldn’t help feeling like it was a lot to remember. Especially, the 5 step process to standing up… That was until he showed me the jump method, which just made a lot more sense. (Funny that I was being instructed on how to stand up, something I’ve been doing well enough on land for a few years now.) Anyway, I did my best to follow along on the brief land instruction and then it was time to hit the water.
Freights Bay is the ideal location on Barbados for the uninitiated to pick up surfing. The bay opens to the west and a large cliff shelters it from the Caribbean’s omnipresent trade winds that could make it difficult for novices to maintain their balance, so that’s one less thing for newbies to worry about. Additionally, some unfortunate off-shore waste pumping many years ago damaged the reef in the area with an interesting side-effect: weak currents. So yet another thing not to contend with while learning. Finally, the bay is quite shallow, so should there ever be a major problem, there’s a good chance one wouldn’t find themselves out of their depth.
Surfing Freights Bay, Barbados
Anyway, we climbed down the irregular cement stairs to a tiny sand “beach” only 8 feet wide or so nestled between some rocks. From here we set off paddling out to where a line of another 7 or 8 surfers sat bobbing in the water. About half way there, I noticed that although I’ve been a strong swimmer all my life, paddling was not going to be something I was going to like. My shoulders seemed to think I should be using my legs and the waves breaking in my face, pushing me back didn’t help. I did manage to make it out without too much trouble, though I did mentally note that for every wave I caught, there would be an unpleasant trade-off.
Now it was time to ride some waves! First try: wait, what am I doing again? Splash! Paddle. Second try: ok hands by chest, right knee, uhm… Splash! Paddle. Paddle. Third try: I’m up! I’m up! What do I do now? Splash! Paddle. Paddle. Paddle.
After each attempt, Boosy would be there with some observations, tips, and suggestions. Heeding his words, I improved each time which lead me to realize one of the best parts of surfing: sitting on your board, bobbing in the sea and just chatting. Boosy and I chatted about what I should try on my next wave. Boosy introduced me to all the other surfers, then we all just started chatting idly about surfing in general, tips on wave selection, where everyone was from, what kind of boards people were riding, how excellent this particular local surfer was, etc.
We carried on this way, riding waves and chatting and staring out over the water for over 2 pleasantly repetitive hours. As the sun began to set into the bay and my shoulders began really complaining about all the paddling, we called it a day. I enthusiastically asked if we should do it again tomorrow, but Boosy cautioned that my arms and lower back (from me holding my head up while laying on my belly) might be a bit sore after my first day.
He was right, but it wasn’t particularly bad.
It wasn’t until 2 days later that I caught up with Boosy for another session. Freights was pretty flat, so we chose South Point for the day’s activities. Several folks already sat out there bobbing in the water staring out to the horizon. One was Moo — a principal owner at Little Arches Boutique Hotel and the chef at Cafe Luna located on its roof, which just happens to be one of the best restaurants on Barbados. At any rate, this time I didn’t bother with the whole steps to standing procedure and just began jumping up when it was time to stand… mainly because I had forgotten the steps! But jumping was just more natural anyway.
After another fun, 2 and a half hour session full of riding and chatting and staring and unfortunately paddling, we drove as the sun set over to Surfer’s Bay Beach Bar.
Surfer's Bay Beach Bar
Polishing off several celebratory Banks beers in the glow of a small bonfire, I couldn’t help sitting on my bar stool with my back to the bar, keeping my eyes trained on the horizon for potential waves worth catching. Will I be the next Rip Curl Pro Search champion… probably not, but the prospect of spending time with all the other great uncrowded breaks in the Caribbean (like Soup Bowl) and the surfers who ride them certainly sounds like a good reason to visit more islands to me!
Your Monthly Moment of Zen
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