Barbados, Grenada & Carriacou
Written: Apr 10 '04 (Updated Apr 11 '04)
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Pros: The weather, the beaches & sea, the food and everything about Carriacou.
Cons: The cost of food and accommodation, although better value on Carriacou.
The Bottom Line: Great weather, breathtaking scenery and friendly people. You could do it on a budget but not recommended. If you can only visit one of the islands, make it Carriacou.
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| splodge's Full Review: Barbados |
My boyfriend and I traveled to the Caribbean on 9th March 2004 for three weeks. The plan was to try and “backpack” to save cost and ensure we found accommodation we were happy with in a place we wanted to be, rather than what you’d get with a package. We had a great time but it all turned out a bit more expensive than we’d planned and we found that the Caribbean isn’t really geared up for backpackers.
We traveled to Barbados, Grenada, Carriacou and back to Barbados. The weather at this time was about 28 degrees centigrade with the occasional short, sharp shower.
In Barbados they accept US dollars (US$) as well as Barbados dollars (BD$) for the majority of transactions. The BD$ is linked to the US$ and you get approximately 2BD$ to every US$.
We traveled with BA from London to Barbados at a cost of £380 each, having booked our flight about a month in advance. We had arranged 2 nights accommodation in advance in Sunset Crest, Holetown on the West Coast, to ensure we had somewhere to stay when we arrived, at a cost of US$90pn. The West Coast of Barbados, is in our opinion, the best place to stay but it is expensive. We reduced the cost of our accommodation by not having a sea view and staying in what is a residential area. The sea, restaurants and shops were all within about 10 minutes walking distance.
My boyfriend was keen to check out the south of the island so we took a bus down to Bridgetown at a cost of BD$1.50 each. There are private yellow buses and government blue buses running all over the island and the cost is the same no matter how far you wish to travel. On the south coast you also come across ZR taxis which are small white mini-buses that will stop for you anywhere along the road. Although their driving standards aren’t as high, they are very regular (about every 5mins).
In Bridgetown we hoped to hire a motorbike to get us to the main hotel area along the south coast, otherwise you would normally need to change to another bus. However, we discovered that they just don’t hire motorbikes/mopeds in Barbados and ended up getting a taxi to the St Lawrence Gap area. Always agree the price for your journey!
The South Coast of Barbados is much busier with nightlife, restaurants and hotels. We looked at a number of hotels which varied considerably in price. Our favourite without reservation were the Maresol Beach Apartments. These are located in St Lawrence Gap, at the far end of Dover beach (which is beautiful) and within walking distance of the restaurants etc. However, they are far enough out to be extremely peaceful and relaxing. They were the most expensive apartments we stayed at (US$145 per night) but extremely good value for money given the size of the apartment. We also looked at:
Dover Beach Hotel (US$165 pn) - this didn’t compare to the Maresol
Cherry Tree Apartments (US$45pn) – good value for money, about 10 mins. from beach
Salt Ash Apartment Hotel (US$70) – a bit tired but on the beach
We stayed at:
Carib Blue (US$70) – small tired room but 5 mins. from Dover beach.
Leeton Apartments (US$70) – located on the Maxwell Coast Road on a sand/rocky beach. Very friendly owner and great if you are a surfer, but not so good if you are looking for a peaceful night's sleep!
One thing not to be missed on the south coast is the Oistins fish fry on a Friday night. There are loads of stalls selling a fantastic variety of fish at great prices. It is a place for locals and tourists alike. We also visited on Sunday evening and, while not all the stalls were open, you could still get an excellent meal.
For drinks on the south coast we recommend the happy hour at Café Sol, although beware of the rum punch which is very strong!
We left Barbados for Grenada. We flew with Caribbean Star at a cost of £190 return for the two of us. This was arranged for us by St James Travel in Holetown, who were extremely helpful.
In Grenada they use US$ and Eastern Caribbean Dollars (EC$). US$1 is equal to about EC$2.7.
We stayed at the Riviera Hotel which totally suited our requirements. There are 20 semi-detached bungalows offering a kitchenette, right on Grand Anse Beach. For this we paid US$118, including 18% tax. You can walk from here to Morne Rouge Bay, where there is great snorkelling, and restaurants and shops are also within walking distance. However, the bungalows themselves are far enough away from the road to be very quiet, especially nos 1 and 2. We arranged a tour with our night security man, Alban Fletcher, which was excellent (EC$300 for three quarters of a day). He arranged transport and took us to the seven sisters waterfall, where we were able to swim, Fort George, which had great views and finally to Point Salines for more great snorkelling. Alban is willing to tailor the tours to your exact requirements and is very knowledgeable. His contact number is 444 0912.
Buses in Grenada operate much like in Barbados (EC$2) and you only wait a few minutes for a white mini-van to pick you up. Our accommodation was only 10 minutes drive to the capital of St George’s. This is well worth a visit but does not offer much at night accept the Tout Bagay restaurant which offers excellent food with beautiful views across the harbour.
We decided to take a trip to Carriacou which is a small island in the Grenadines, governed by Grenada. We took the ferry from St George’s Harbour and it takes about 1 hour 25 minutes to cross. This cost EC$180 return for two. The ferry leaves at 9am and returns at 3.30pm most days and the return ticket is valid for a year. We took advantage of this and stayed one night in Carriacou, although this didn’t really give us time to do it justice.
As soon as we arrived on Carriacou the peace of the place hit us along with the smell of fresh flowers. We stayed at the Silver Beach Hotel (US$50 pn) and had a room overlooking the beach. The room was a bit small and the bathroom took a bit of getting used to (the sink tap and the hot water in the shower didn’t work well) but the view was to die for. We ate lunch, curried lambie (conch), at the Seawave restaurant and this was very good, albeit the only option on the menu. We enjoyed our evening meal at the Green Roof Inn. A very well run establishment which also has 6 rooms. The restaurant is open air, very romantic with excellent views over the sea and great food.
In the morning we walked from our hotel to Belair National Park and beyond. We walked through local villages and didn’t feel in anyway concerned for our safety. The locals were all very helpful and friendly and, unlike Barbados and Grenada, there were no bars on the windows. That's not to say Barbados and Grenada are unsafe, but you do need to be more careful where you go, especially at night. We found a beautiful view of Petit Martinique and the Grenadine Islands to the north and a lovely view of the Harbour and beyond to the south. We would recommend hiring a car/moped or push bike so that you can really see the whole island.
It is worth noting that nothing other than the hotels and their restaurants are open on Sundays. The whole place appears to go to sleep and we couldn’t even buy a packet of crisps before our return journey to Grenada.
We spent a final night in Grenada before returning to Holetown in Barbados for the final 8 nights of our holiday. We went back to Sunset Crest where our main complaint was the number of dogs barking at night.
If you want to watch the sunset in Holetown we would recommend Cocomos who have a happy hour from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. It gets very busy but you may be able to find a quiet spot on a bench on the beach. Their food is also pretty good and not too expensive for this part of Barbados but again, it’s very busy. If you want something quieter try the Surfside Restaurant next door. We enjoyed every seafood dish we had, and it was reasonably priced, but my boyfriend wasn’t keen on their lasagna. On Sundays they have a steel band, so you might want to book.
Our best eating experience in Barbados came in the shape of the Starfish restaurant, overlooking the sea and within the grounds of the Settlers Beach Hotel. The food and service here could not be beaten and we only wish we had discovered it sooner. The staff couldn’t do enough for you.
Incidentally, if you have a bit more money to spend on accommodation, the Settler’s Beach is well worth a look. The apartments are huge (including an American fridge freezer and a washing machine) and set in beautiful grounds. They cost US$465pn for a one bedroom apartment at the time we were there, although are excellent value for money at US$218 on their summer rates which run until 18th December.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
splodge
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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