A tour of the spectacular Harrison’s Cave is also a must-do on the island
By Eileen Ogintz
We missed the swimming horses. That’s a not-so secret opportunity as long as you are willing to get to Pebbles Beach along the southwest coast of Barbados at 6 a.m.
That’s when the trainers exercise the racehorses from a nearby track by letting them swim in the warm tropical seawater.
While that’s an unofficial albeit popular tourist excursion–no charge other than just to get there—we did make it to one of the island’s most popular attractions, Harrison’s Cave. It was discovered centuries before and first opened to the public in 1981. It is a massive stream cave system that’s 1.4 miles long and nearly 50 feet high in the Great Hall. It’s an active cave which carries water that nourishes still-growing stalactites and stalagmites. We take a tram through the cave, oohing and aahing at the shapes. Does that look like a jelly fish? A woman holding a child? A cactus?
For those looking for more action, you can take an “Early Explorer” tour where you crawl through hidden passages, wearing headlamps for light. There is also a zipline, challenge course and a small pool.
We also saw the spectacular Bathsheba Beach on the east coast, popular with locals who come to surf or fish. The current is too strong for swimming but just watching the crashing waves is mesmerizing. A good place for a picnic, suggests our driver and guide Kevin Ward.
We hit another spot as popular with locals as tourists, Champers Restaurant in Bridgetown overlooking the ocean. If you are conjuring an image of a romantic Caribbean restaurant, this is it. There is no better place to watch the sunset than from the terrace. Check out the art gallery upstairs featuring regional artists. And the food is delicious—you’ve got to try the restaurant’s signature coconut shrimp (yummy!) We also feasted on seared ahi tuna, snapper (the catch of the day), and bread pudding and coconut cream pie for dessert. Come for lunch if you can’t get a dinner reservation. It’s a meal we will remember, especially when we are eating leftovers back home.
For those who want to get off the tourist track, there’s Walkers Reserve, a 277-acre nature preserve where you can take a coastal nature walk, a guided birding tour, or even learn about bee-keeping.
That’s as long as you can pull yourselves and your kids out of the pools, Sea Breeze Hotel where we stayed had three pools, as does its sister all-inclusive O2 Beach Club & Spa. Both hotels offer apartment-like units as well as rooms and both are family friendly. Sea Breeze has children’s programming and a variety of water sports, while O2 boasts an expansive spa and is aimed more at families with older kids or couples. Those staying at O2 can take a shuttle over to Sea Breeze for the water sports.
If you are looking for something off the beaten track, the 10-room ECO Lifestyle + Lodge, formerly known as Sea-U Guest House, for you. Overlooking the rocky east coast, the lodge was restored by is the realized dream of New York natives Kyle & Maryam Taylor, who moved their young family from New York several years ago. They’ve renovated the lodge to reflect their natural and easy-going style with inviting white hammocks hung between palm trees and decks made for kicking back. The 10 guest rooms are designed with comfort in mind; up-cycled mahogany furniture, soft linens and artisanal bath products invite you to unwind. You’ll find personal touches throughout, from items collected on Kyle & Maryam’s travels to inspiring quotes popping up throughout the property. All rooms face east – our view of the eastern horizon is unmatched; each day starts with an illuminating sunrise and ends with a sunset drenched in color.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle, where we will stay the last few days of this visit. It’s all-inclusive with four pools, tennis and pickleball courts, daily activities including duck racing in the family pool, beach soccer and volleyball, line dance and Reggae dance classes, and much more.
This 400+ room hotel, on the southeast coast of Barbados just opened last fall and is the largest on the island. Sam Lord’s Castle was a Georgian mansion built in 1820 by buccaneer Samuel Hall Lord. According to local lore, he acquired his wealth by luring ships onto the reefs off the coast by hanging lanterns in coconut trees.
Today the castle is a ruin, the new modern hotel on the grounds. There is a kids club for babies through age 12, a spa parents can enjoy while kids are otherwise engaged, a shallow children’s pool, miles of sandy beach, and plenty of dining options with everything from sushi, seafood, burgers, or fine dining with views of the castle. There is a focus on farm to table ingredients. And no need to pull out a wallet as this is an all-inclusive resort.
The hardest part is deciding how and where to spend the day. Beach or pool?