Shine bright like a diamond in Rihanna’s neighborhood
How’s your year going? Someone who’s having a pretty fine “Year of the Rabbit”: Rihanna. Whether you loved or hated her Super Bowl halftime show — a Rihanna concert with football, some called it — Bad Gal RiRi (her Instagram handle) was fierce. She danced on a platform elevated 60 feet off the ground, wearing a puffer coat, in 75-degree weather, while three months pregnant. Rihanna followed that up with a performance on the Oscars telecast, singing “Lift Me Up” from Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
By now, everyone knows that Robyn Rihanna Fenty, global superstar and fashion/makeup mogul, was born on the island of Barbados. In 2018, she was appointed as an official Barbadian ambassador by the island’s government, due to her philanthropy and patriotism. In 2021, she was named a “national hero” of Barbados by the country’s prime minister, Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, who encouraged her to “continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation” with her actions. With this honor, Rihanna was bestowed with the title “the Right Excellent.”
Rihanna has fans aplenty, but nobody loves her like Barbados. “Down to the ingredients of her skincare line, Rihanna has proudly showcased Barbados to the world,” says Jens Thraenhart, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. “She truly loves her country and never lets the world forget that . . . . People flock to the island year-round to experience [Rihanna’s] home country.”
If you’d like to capture some diamond-like sparkle yourself, head on down to Rihanna’s stamping grounds in the eastern Caribbean. There are nonstop flights to Barbados from Boston. Nobody is doing an official “Rihanna tour” at this writing, but you can certainly do it yourself. The location of her childhood home in St. Michael, one of the island’s 11 parishes, is no secret: They’ve renamed her street, formerly Westbury New Road, “Rihanna Drive.” “My whole life was shaped on this very road. I was just a little island girl flying kites in the cemetery. But I had big dreams,” the singer has said about her life there.
A DIY Rihanna tour
You can cover most of Barbados by car in about 24 hours. Dedicated fans, a.k.a. Rihanna’s Navy, drive past the church where her singing talent emerged, and the schools she attended, the Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere School, where Rihanna was an army cadet. Rihanna was part of a singing trio at Combermere, leaving the island at age 16 to launch her career. That went well; the singer/entrepreneur is the first billionaire in Barbados, with successful lingerie and beauty lines as well as her music.
Casual conversation reveals that nearly everyone on this island (of 269,806)) was either a school chum of Rihanna, knows her parents, or has partied with her at Crop Over in August, the island’s major festival. (Dancing in the streets of Bridgetown with RiRi! Be still, our fangirling hearts!) No word if she’ll attend this summer.
When Rihanna arrives on these shores, she’s got a great place to stay: a $22 million condo with views of the Caribbean Sea at One Sandy Lane estates, part of the five-star Sandy Lane Hotel (www.sandylane.com). The hotel, set on the site of a former sugar plantation on the island’s west coast, is a tropical fantasy come to life, with a private beach and an open-air, ocean-view restaurant, L’Acajou, said to be one of Rihanna’s favorites.
But our girl isn’t all about fancy. On Instagram, she’s shared pictures of chicken nuggets from her go-to local fast-food joint on Barbados, Chefette (www.chefette.com). We’ve tried the Chefette at the airport, and it’s not bad. The chain is known for rotis, their signature “broasted” chicken, pizza, and burgers. The original Chefette is located in Fontabelle.
Where to find the Bajan spirit (and spirits)
On our last visit to the island, we tried fried chicken necks, a popular street food, at Granny’s in Oistins. They’re not for everyone. Oistins, a fishing village, is most famous for its openair fish fry, the quintessential Barbados dining experience. Held on Friday nights, the Oistins Fish Fry is a go-to for grilled fish (tuna, swordfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, flying fish), lobster, and chicken, with sides. There’s also live music and vendors selling craft items. The crowd is as lively as the fish is fresh, a mix of locals and tourists.
Touring the island, amid glorious views of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, you’ll notice cricket fields, kids in school uniforms, pastel-painted Georgian buildings (especially in Bridgetown), churches, and rum shops. Rum has been produced in Barbados for more than 350 years, and it packs a punch. Mount Gay Distillery, founded in 1703, is considered to be the world’s oldest rum. The Mount Gay Rum Visitor Centre (www.mountgayrum.com) is a must for any rum aficionado. Another must-stop in this category is St. Nicholas Abbey (www.stnicholasabbey.com), a working plantation with a steam mill and rum distillery. The property’s great house and tropical gardens are also open to visitors.
If you’re a first-time visitor, consider the Lickrish Walking Tour (www.lickrishfoodtours.com). The tour covers about 1.5 miles in the capital city of Bridgetown. It’s a fun introduction to local landmarks, history, and local food. Tastings include Bajan favorites like pig tails, fish cakes, native fruits, and homemade ice cream.
Could a nine-time Grammy Award winner slip into the Cove nightclub and dance the night away, anonymously? Probably not, but for most of us, that’s not a problem. This buzzy venue offers calypso, reggae, and R&B — it’s one of several nightlife options in the Gap (a.k.a. St. Lawrence Gap), a zone of clubs, food, and shopping in the parish of Christ Church.
You probably won’t find Rihanna sprawled out on a public beach (there’s a secluded one at Sandy Lane), but Barbados has some gorgeous specimens. Pink-tinged sands meet aqua waters at Crane Beach, on the island’s east coast, a favorite for boogie boarding and lounging.
The landscape is a bit wilder up the coast in Bathsheba, as is the vibe: The Soup Bowl at Bathsheba is a surfing hot spot.
On the south coast, a wide beach known as Accra or Rockley has soft white sand and is shaded with casuarina trees. It’s a good one for families thanks to shallow pools and vendors who sell snacks (fishcakes and beer) and handicrafts. Another good swimming beach is Bath, on the Atlantic side, with picnic spots and changing rooms.
No story about sparkle in Barbados is complete without mentioning Harrison’s Cave https://chukka.com , an underground cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites, waterfalls, and glowing emerald pools. The cave is considered one of the island’s greatest wonders. Then there’s Animal Flower Cave (www.animalflowercave.com), named for the sea anemones that cluster in its pools. Some people swim in the pools; some head to the cliffside snack bar for a cutter (a sandwich served on Bajan salt bread). Fun fact: Animal Flower Cave was featured in the music videos of singer Billy Ocean.
All good things, for sure. But the best thing about Barbados, according to Rihanna? The people. While accepting her national hero designation, she declared, “You all are the true heroes of Barbados and I take you all with me wherever I go,” she said. “I’m so proud to be a Bajan [from Barbados]. I’m going to be a Bajan till the day I die.”
Don’t be shy about chatting up a stranger; perhaps you’ll hear a story featuring “the Right Excellent” Rihanna.
www.visitbarbados.org.