The Crane
If you’re not lucky enough to actually stay at the Crane Resort during your trip to Barbados, this beautiful resort is certainly worth stopping by for a visit. Perched up on a cliff over looking the east coast of the island, the resort has an extensive pool complex which overlooks the beach 50 feet straight down off a cliff below.
The resort has several dining options, including L’Azure Restaurant, a more formal dining experience for three meals a day, and Zen, a Thai/Japanese restaurant (rated the #1 restaurant in Barbados in 2009 by Zagat).
A day pass to the beach &/or pool can be purchased by emailing The Crane in advance of your trip at info@thecrane.com. As of this writing, $13US per person gives you access to the beautiful beach & the restaurant. For $60US per person, you can reserve a day room, which gives you access to the pool (okay, calling it a pool is an understatement. It’s a pool complex. It’s amazing). Make sure to book both these in advance.
The Crane – http://www.thecrane.com – (246) 423-6220
Brighton Farmer’s Market
I definitely encourage visitors to rent a car while there in Barbados, as there is so much of the interior of the island to explore. Driving through rolling hills & past horse farms almost looks like you’re in the middle of Kentucky, not an island paradise. Amongst these horse farms in St. George is Brighton Plantation, which was founded in the 1600s by the Pile family (the same family that owns it today). It’s a working plantation, growing produce & selling it around the island.
Every Saturday morning, Brighton Plantation opens up their gates to host a farmer’s market. Popular with the Americans, Canadians & British ex-pats who live on the island, the market is bustling from the 6am start time. In addition to picking up your fresh produce for the week, visitors can enjoy a variety of items for breakfast. It’s much more of a social event than a traditional farmer’s market is. My favorites include the thai spring rolls & beef filled samossoa’s. On one of the last places on earth to escape the clutches of Starbucks, it’s a little hard to get a good cup of coffee in Barbados, especially given the British influence & popularity of tea. Brighton’s solution to that is Pilebucks – a play on the Starbucks theme which offers a darn good cup of coffee, lattes, & yes, of course, tea.
After grabbing a bite to eat, visit some of the local vendors which set up shop selling homemade goods. Among my favorite vendors are WinkBox Photography, which offers note cards & prints of gorgeous photos from around the island (I have some framed in my house – which is a testament to her talent, considering I have thousands of photos that I’ve taken of the island), a jewelry maker who makes all her necklaces, earrings & bracelets out of dyed seeds, & Stephen Bishop, a Barbados native who handcrafts small plaques & other wall hangings – I picked one up of some colorful chattel houses.
The farmer’s market gets busy early, so my best piece of advice is to set your alarm clock for 5:30am on Saturday morning & carpe diem. You’ll be glad you did.
Brighton Farmers Market – Brighton Plantation – St. George
Earthworks Pottery
If you look around the island, many of the homes & businesses have custom made plaques & signs displaying their names & addresses. These painted pieces of pottery all come from the same place: Earthworks. Tucked up a hilly, winding, narrow road (isn’t everything?), Earthworks offers some of the best views of the island & some of the best souvenirs from your trip.
Handmade by Bajans right in the shop, Earthworks offers everything from giant vases, to small catch-all bowls & plates, to entire serving sets. Their pottery is all painted in bright, Caribbean colors & designs, although the ones with simple lines & swirls in primary colors are my favorite.
My two best tips for visiting Earthworks: make sure & check out the “seconds” shelf – often the defects are so tiny & hidden you can’t tell the difference (except for in the price!) & make sure to bring your passport – you’ll get a small discount.
On the Earthworks property are two other buildings – a small store selling Barbados handcrafts (they have the best homemade jam!) & an art gallery. Make sure to stop & look to your right when standing in front of Earthworks facing out – you can often see cruise ships in port!
Earthworks Pottery – http://earthworks-pottery.com – (246) 425-0223 –
Open Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-1. Closed Sundays and public holidays.
St. James Parish Church
While he was president, Ronald Reagan & his wife Nancy visited Barbados at the invite of his good friend from back in his acting days, Claudette Colbert, who vacationed there until she died in 1996. While there, he attended Easter Sunday service at St. James Anglican Church, in Holetown, on April 11, 1982 (coincidentally, the day after B. was born). A plaque commemorates his visit on the front pew. He was the first sitting U.S. president to visit the island.
Presidential visits aside, this amazing church is still worth a stop at. The church was originally built in 1628 out of wood, but was rebuilt with stone following a hurricane in 1675. The building has been remarkably restored, with beautiful wood beams lining the ceiling & a very impressive organ. Really, the whole town of Holetown is worth a drive up to visit.
St. James Parish Church – http://stjames.truepath.com – 246-422-4117
a Bajan beach bar
One of the things quintessential to visiting the Caribbean is having lunch (or dinner or both) & a drink at a beach bar. Barbados has a ton of these places serving up flying fish (the local fish), cou cou (the local starch) & Banks (the local brew). My favorite is a small, dive-y place called the Carib, tucked away on the south coast. The flying fish is, in my opinion, the best on the island, & the laid back atmosphere can’t be beat. Located directly on the beach, you can set up a lounge chair, sun for a few hours, then pop in for lunch, bare feet & all (although you will have to throw a t-shirt on over your swim suit).
In the evening, the Carib (& almost every other beach bar like it) turns into a giant outdoor party, with music, dancing & a lot of merriment to go around. The entrees are just as delicious as the fish sandwiches & the cou cou, kind of a cross between mashed potatoes & corn bread, is homemade.
There isn’t an experience like it that I’ve found anywhere outside the Caribbean. In my mind, the beach bar alone is worth the journey down.
Top 10 Things to Do Part 1
PS I’m not perk’d or paid to write any of this – I can assure you that none of these places even know that I exist (except the Carib… & that is only because I have lunch there almost every day while I’m visiting!). But after five trips to the island in the past three years, I have a pretty good handle on what’s worth seeing & what isn’t. If you disagree with one of my recommendations, drop me a comment below!
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