BARBADOS FOR 2 0 - SOMETHINGS
Victoria Childs and her friends quickly discover their inner Bajan – indulging in pure relaxation before sampling the rum punch and getting down to some serious partying
The sun was burning through the fluffy white clouds as we were greeted at reception with a deliciously cold rum punch at the Sea Breeze Hotel (sea-breeze.com). We chose the hotel because of its location between the lively town of St Lawrence Gap and fishing town, Oistins. With just 78 rooms it was smaller than we were used to, but it suited our needs perfectly. With plenty of sun loungers surrounding the two swimming pools, and three restaurants to choose from, it provided the perfect base for our Bajan adventure.
As a group of friends in our twenties, our day-to-day lives are fairly relentless. With careers being forged and social calendars fit to bursting, we were looking for an escape that would give us enough sunshine and relaxation to recharge our batteries but also provided the party lifestyle that we have come to expect. We visited in July to experience Crop Over, a month-long festival to mark the end of the sugar cane harvest, which culminates with a huge carnival known as Grand Kadooment.
Having seen pictures from previous Crop Over celebrations, we were hoping to bump into celebrities such as Rihanna who are regularly spotted partying on the island during the festival. We picked the right time to go. Every day in Barbados is a summer’s day: although July is traditionally seen as rainy season, the showers are short and pass quickly. Our driver Bill, who became our Bajan dad during the holiday, reassured us that it was liquid sunshine and should be embraced.
You can’t come to Barbados and not hit the water, and the best way to do it is cruising on board Jammin ( jammincats.com). The vast catamaran offers daily sailings and we opted for the Sun Blast, a five-hour tour around the south coast fuelled by the famous (and slightly potent) Jammin Punch. This was our first full taste of Bajan hospitality; the buffet lunch served on board was an impeccable mix of succulent barbecue chicken with salads and macaroni pie; it may not sound particularly Caribbean, but macaroni pie is served with everything and has to be tried.
We made three stops around the coast to moor up, swim and snorkel with the turtles leisurely swimming around our boat in the hope of being thrown a morsel of tuna. On our return journey to the port in Bridgetown, we were kept occupied by the crew up on deck, teaching us dance moves that they explained were absolute necessities for the Grand Kadooment and Foreday Morning parties later in the week.
Before arriving in Barbados, we were told we simply had to visit Oistins Fish Fry or risk missing out on some of the island’s best food. Oistins is the major fishing community in Barbados and comes alive on Friday and Saturday nights for a barbecue of super-fresh fish. We were recommended Uncle George’s, which offers long tables for casual dining. For just under £10, we tucked into mountains of fresh lobster, macaroni pie and homemade coleslaw, washed down with yet more rum punch. As the rum flowed and the night drew in, the pumping Caribbean soca music was turned up and the stage became a mass of dancing bodies as tourists and locals alike joined the party. Cries of “Loosen the hips” or “You’re too stiff ” are not uncommon, but they are not meant unkindly. All Bajans seem to have natural rhythm (something my friends and I quickly realised we did not possess) and are keen to help guests to the island find theirs. We had a lot to learn if we wanted to keep up at Grand Kadooment.
The next day, we arrived early at the National Stadium to secure a good spot for the start of the Grand Kadooment parade (barbadoscropoverfestival.com). The parade is made up of individual bands (troupes), each with a different theme, from The Hunger Games through to “cocktails and positive vibes” – the one thing they all have in common is the colours and seemingly ubiquitous feathers. Each group is a riot of ostentatious colour and style, every costume being lovingly handmade by individual designers. I was told those who “jump” (dance) with a band have to start stamina training at least a month before to ensure they can keep dancing for nine hours or more.
On leaving the National Stadium, we followed the bands as they slowly made their way to Spring Garden Highway, each following a truck piled high with speakers that wouldn’t look out of place at a rock concert, all blasting out this year’s Crop Over hits. To take in as much of the day as possible, we secured a place at an all-inclusive tent, which (for a small fee) kept us fed and watered throughout, offering premium spirits including Mount Gay Rum and Patrón Tequila accompanied by a well-stocked barbecue. It was from this position that we launched our attempt to make Rhianna our new BFF – she was jumping with Zulu International, dressed as Mockingjay from The Hunger Games, when we spotted her on top of the truck, and we sprinted down the road through revellers to try to get the best pictures possible.
Despite failing to make friends with Rihanna, we did seem to befriend everyone else around us as we got into the spirit of Grand Kadooment. The Bajans are very forthright though – at one point, when trying out our newly learned dance moves, we were told that an ambulance wouldn’t be able to reach us if we put our backs out. Clearly our rhythm hadn’t been quite as well perfected as we thought.
After all the excitement of the previous few days, we were looking forward to sampling the island’s duty-free shopping before heading home. Michael Kors, Burberry, Gucci and Ralph Lauren are just a handful of the brands we found in the Limegrove Lifestyle Centre (limegrove.com) in Barbados’ most stylish town – Holetown. Limegrove is designed around a number of courtyards, each of which has a central focus in the form of a bar or restaurant. After a busy morning shopping, we spent the afternoon sipping cocktails at the Lime Bar and people-watching.
We decided to treat ourselves on our final night and had dinner at the famous Cliff Restaurant (thecliffbarbados.com). The restaurant is located in Saint James and is aptly named because of its location on the edge of a cliff overhanging the ocean below. We went for an early dinner to capture the sunset, which was simply breathtaking; the sky was awash with yellows, oranges and purples – and unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. We were bathed in pink light as we dined on delicate snow crab cakes followed by an exquisite grilled Mahi Mahi accompanied with wilted greens and creamed potatoes, and the meal struck me as a fitting end to a memorable week releasing our inner Bajan.