OFF THE GRID
Slip away from the obvious resorts in favour of deserted beaches and sunset swims – a more authentic Barbados awaits
JUST BEFORE YOU REACH THE WONDERFULLY named Granny’s Bay on the north coast of Barbados, you’ll find a bright blue Olympic-sized swimming pool overlooking the ocean. It is so enchanting in its perfect symmetry it’s as though Wes Anderson created it for a movie. When you’re on an island fringed by over 80 beaches, pool swimming wouldn’t be most people’s first thought. But we were on a mission to discover the lesser-seen bays and by-ways of Barbados, away from the five-star resorts. Which is why our first morning, a Sunday, was spent driving through the countryside of Saint Lucy, past churchgoers in floral outfits and matching hats, sun-scorched melon fields and breadfruit trees, each hanging heavy with their gravity-defying crop in their neon-green skins.
Of the 11 parishes of Barbados, Saint Lucy is the only one named after a female saint, and it’s this part of the island where the coastline becomes rocky and wild. We were heading to Archer’s Bay, a secret-ish little beach frequented mostly by locals and reachable only by driving off-road through sparse forest. Much like the rest of the north coast and some of the east, Archer’s Bay is not the place to come for sea swimming as undercurrents can be strong. However, unlike the west-coast beaches, this is one you might get all to yourself, with just wild turtles, the sound of the sea and bottles of Carib beer for company.
And it was from Archer’s Bay that a short walk brought us unexpectedly to Catch-22, a simple fish restaurant where we tried our first flying fish cutters (a kind of fried fish sandwich that’s famed across the island). It’s also where we discovered the aforementioned dream pool, which sits just a few steps away from the restaurant, making after-lunch swims far too hard to resist.
The alluring beauty and ruggedness of northern Barbados continues along the east coast all the way down to the truly magical and mysterious fishing village of Bathsheba, which is home to intimate hillside hotel Eco Lifestyle + Lodge. After winding up and down narrow roads through banana plantations and compact farms, the first view of Bathsheba from the hills high above took my breath away. With a backdrop of pastel-coloured churches alongside hundreds of palm trees, the beaches here are littered with huge grey and peach-coloured boulders moulded in the strangest of shapes. Dominating this whole stretch of coastline, the mysterious mottled rock formations that protrude from the azure waters are said to be colossal coral boulders that separated from ancient reefs millions of years ago. Having been slowly eroded by the continuous crash of waves, sea salt and wind, the formations have taken on an almost eerie appearance that becomes even more fascinating at dusk.
But while the island’s craggy beaches charmed us with their mysterious ways, we also wanted to lie on hot, pink-tinged sand and swim in the turquoise waters the Caribbean is famous for. Thankfully, on finding Crane Beach, our wishes were granted. Around a 50-minute drive from Speightstown – our base for the trip – we sunbathed on striped towels and bought fresh coconut cocktails from a makeshift wooden bar painted in shades of bold yellow, red and lime green, only occasionally breaking our relaxation for a swim in the calm waters. The rose-hued sand of Crane is surrounded by menacing jagged cliffs overhanging the brilliantly aquamarine sea, giving the place a James Bond movie vibe. There’s not much to do but eat, drink, swim and repeat – but that’s exactly the point. When the heat of the day hit, we’d retreat to picnic benches hidden under palm trees set right back from the beach, sipping blended ice daiquiris from a bar called The Grove.
On days when we wanted to stay a little closer to home, supermarket snacks would accompany us to our favourite place on the island, Gibbes Bay: a pretty patch of sand that’s deserted most days. The perfect waterfront stretch is backed by coconut trees, while the sea is beautifully tranquil, with no rocks or coral as you enter. Lazily reading our books, we’d break to take walks up the coast, finding Sea Shed, a relatively new bar on Mullins Beach, that serves potent rum punch, making us all the more giddy at our blissful surroundings.
Our evening ritual for the duration of our trip was sunset swims at Smitons Bay. We’d watch the sky turn from cobalt to pink to pale orange before dining on grilled Caribbean lobster with roasted pepper and coriander butter, or sautéed tiger shrimp with black bean and soy glaze at The Fish Pot restaurant. Friday nights were reserved for Annie’s stall at Oistins Fish Fry: paper trays filled with grilled mahi-mahi, rice and peas and macaroni pie, washed down with Banks beer and eaten on communal wooden tables against the sound of dominoes being played by men with beards in the background.
The best move for making our Barbados break more memorable was hiring a car and avoiding one of the resort hotels many holidaymakers flock to. The car brought us freedom to explore and I felt invigorated and inspired by our cross-country adventure. Hunting out lesser-known beaches and stopping off at Rihanna’s much-loved fast-food chain, Chefette, after a day in the sun proved the less luxe side to Barbados makes for a just as memorable break.
Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) flies from London Gatwick to Barbados from around £430 return
“After winding through banana plantations and compact FARMS, the view from the hills took my BREATH AWAY”
“We’d take walks up the coast for RUM PUNCH, making us all the more giddy at our BLISSFUL surroundings”