Whoa! I’m going to Barbados

“Welcome aboard Coconut Airways” is one of the opening lines of band Typically Tropical’s 1970s hit “Barbados” that captured the swaying palm trees and steel band vibe of this Caribbean island that has a particularly British ‘twist’ to it. 

It’s one of those happy tunes—and what they call a ‘one hit wonder’ that is irresistibly corny, but makes you feel happy, just like Barbados.  I heard a statistic the other day that visitors rate the friendliness of Barbadians so highly that it’s responsible for 39% of repeat visits to the island. It must be great for a nation to known for that rather than punctuality, or something similarly bureaucratic.

I like the Britishness of this island and it’s one of the reasons I’ve been taking holidays there for quiet a few years now. Did you know that its nickname “Bimshire” appears in the Oxford English Dictionary and that Bajans (the slang name for anyone from Barbados), which is the name for a person from Barbados, still love to take afternoon tea, although, there might be a splash of local rum in the china cups? Its name actually comes from the Spanish for “the bearded ones” and I think we can assume that when the Spaniards first landed the natives hadn’t discovered Gillette razors. I don’t blame them, I quite like a bit of designer stubble myself.

Great weather and white beaches

Barbados is in the tropics, so it’s sunny year round with an average daytime high of 30°C / 86°F. In fact, Barbados has over 3,000 hours of sunshine annually! Fortunately, because it’s surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and its location, there are trade winds that create a cooling breeze so it’s never unbearable. Depending on what you prefer, the driest months are December to May and June to October will keep you ducking out of tropical rainstorms. I have to say that I don’t mind these, because they dry up quickly and they add a ‘refreshed’ feel. There’s something compellingly tropical about the smell of lush foliage after a rainstorm and the way the water drips off the leaves, while you’re wandering around in your swimwear.

Things I’d recommend to do

Atlantis submarines: 

if you don’t dive or snorkel, or you have kids with you, then take this underwater voyage on a craft that submerges to 150 ft and travels across a coral reef teeming with bright colored fish. The tour lasts 90 minutes, but please note that children must be a minimum of three foot tall. It’s simply brilliant and all the family will love it.

Barbados Concorde Experience: 

believe it or not, at the island’s main airport you can tour Concorde G-BOAE and watch an exciting sound and light show on the side of the plane. It’s a better way to spend your time before flying home than in the duty-free shop.

Garrison Savannah: 

it’s one of the world’s famous racetracks and a great place to go for fun and a picnic. Highlight of the Barbados season is the Sandy Lane Gold Cup. Members of Crypto888 will have an added interest in the Sport of Kings now because of the sports arbitrage betting programme.

There are lots of plantations to visit and see how they lived back in the day and you can get a really amazing Sunday lunch at Sunbury Plantation House. The historic part of Bridgetown is really fascinating and if you’re looking for some local nightlife then you must go to Oistins Fish Fry on Friday nights. It’s a street party where the women fry the local catch and there’s live calypso and reggae, plus beer and rum. Yes, of course there’s rum! I bet you want to sing “Whoa! I’m going to Barbados” now!