This year I decided on Barbados!  There are many hidden gems in the Caribbean and I know many of us only get to live vicariously through other’s pictures but I hope my reviews, not only pictures, will encourage you to travel this beautiful Earth we live in.

Hilton Barbados- We stayed at the Hilton for four nights.  The property was at a prime location, in the capital of Barbados.  It was close to three beaches:  Pebbles Beach, Brownes Beach and Carlisle Bay, all next to each other and easily accessible from the hotel.  The Hilton’s beach was small and seaweed infested so we walked over to the nearby beaches which were all very gorgeous.  They were clean and very relaxing.  The waters were a beautiful turquoise blue.

Room service- I ordered room service for three nights of the same dish, the Surf and Turf pasta.  Delicious!

Cuppa Café- I had sweet iced tea and vegetable pie (similar to the American quiche) every morning.  This is a bakery, coffee shop on property.

Gatsby Boutique- I shopped here for a new swimsuit.  It had a nice selection of resort wear:  swimwear, shoes, sandals, sunglasses and hats for men and women.  This was also located on property.

Columbian Emeralds- They had a nice selection of jewelry.  I bought an Effy piece, white gold necklace with a black diamond cross and hubby gifted me an Italian gold set of tassel jewelry; earrings, bracelet and necklace.  This was also on the Hilton property.

Walking distance from the hotel was Brown Sugar Restaurant.  We wanted to try a local restaurant and was told by one of our drivers to go to Brown Sugar.  We had the pasta pesto with garlic shrimp and mahi mahi dolphin.  The food was good and the service was great.

Also walking distance to the hotel was Jamaica 246.  It served Jamaica’s staple dishes.  We tried the oxtail and curry chicken.  Both were good.  I believe it is always a great idea to support local vendors and restaurants so try both places if you are ever in Bridgetown, Barbados!

I booked two tours on Tripadvisor.  On Saturday we went on the Beautiful Coastal Sightseeing Tour of Barbados.  The tickets were $90 each and exactly as described.  We went around the entire island and learned a lot of history from our tour guide Calvin.  We snacked on Miami Beach at the Mr. Delicious Bar and from there went up to North Point for lunch overlooking the Atlantic and made our way down the west coast of the island.  This tour is a must if you are ever in Barbados!

On Sunday we went on the Barbados Sunset and Snorkeling Catamaran Cruise.  The tickets were $80 each.  It ended up being a morning cruise, not a sunset cruise.  I believe they may have combined two groups that day.  The description stated there would only be 12 people but we had about 30 on our cruise.  We left the port at about 10am and returned around 3pm.  I was looking forward to seeing the sunset on the water, but other than that it ended up being a nice cruise.  We stopped to snorkel in two locations.  I was able to pet a turtle that swam up to me, but unfortunately I forgot to buy a waterproof camera.  The crew was extremely friendly and professional.  We had access to limitless snacks and drinks and lunch was phenomenal!  It was chicken and/or fish with rice and peas, Caribbean style mac and cheese and potato salad and house salad.

TIPS:  Try at least one tour to experience the island and bring a waterproof camera!  In addition, if you are comfortable getting out of the confines of the resort, shop at a local store or gas station.  It costs less!  Currency:  1usd=2 Bajan

THINGS TO KNOW:  There is a charge on your hotel bill listed as ‘room levy’ that has nothing to do with daily room cleaning.  According to the front desk it is a newly imposed government tax for each night stay at the hotel.  I questioned it because I booked my hotel through hotels.com and it made no reference to a resort fee.  I also received a great deal online since their crop over festival ended on August 6th.  Rates went from $227/nt usd, to $147 so I took advantage of it!  There were eight $20 charges on my bill and we only stayed for four nights.  They corrected it by removing four.  That is 20 Bajan per day.  All your charges on the island is Bajan therefore $20 is 10usd.

Overall, my experience in Barbados was a great one!  The island is small, beautiful and filled with some of the friendliest locals, very warm and hospitable.  You’ll see what I’m talking about if you ever go!

Try the rum punch, if you love to drink.  Also, a great souvenir or gift would be Barbados’ Mount Gay Rum.  It is manufactured in the oldest rum distillery in the world.  We met another tourist saying that as a rum collector, it is the best he has ever had.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to Barbados.  If you’ve ever been, please share your experience below and note a few tips of your own as well!

Haze- Blue Crush Travel

Pics:  Carlisle Bay, Bathsheba and Pebbles Beach