DESTINATIONS BARBADOS | CARIBBEAN


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Rihanna’s childhood home; writer Lauren at The Rockley; a 4x4 tour of Barbados with Island


Safari PICTURES: Lauren McCarthy; Island Safari WHERE TO STAY


Sea Breeze Beach House This Oistins resort is well-suited to families and has a relaxed Caribbean feel with wooden cabanas, a rum shack on the beach that serves small bites and three pools. Having won the Inclusivity Initiative of the Year Award from T


ravel Weekly’s luxury


sister title Aspire last year, it is a great choice for LGBTQ+ clients. Rooms start at £480 per night based on double occupancy, all-inclusive. sea-breeze.com


O2 Beach Club & Spa Ideal for clients seeking a resort with plenty of Bajan activities. Daily ‘how to’ lessons include blowing a conch shell, playing dominoes and making a body scrub. The sea view from the eighth- floor spa – said to be the highest spa on the island – is phenomenal, while back at ground level, swim-up rooms offer guests some secluded lounging space next to the pool. Rooms from £414 per night based on double occupancy, all-inclusive. o2beachclubbarbados.com


day. But a sunset cruise with Tiami Catamaran Cruises (from $100 per person) offered an alternative way to get out on the water. Even before we’d set sail, a turtle popped its head above the surface, tapping the side of the yellow catamaran with its flipper, as if it wanted to come along for the ride. That alone was enough to boost my mood, but the joyful sound of the steel-pan drummer on board helped too. We sailed along the west coast to Bridgetown’s Carlisle Bay, where the sea was calmer, affording us the opportunity to jump off for a snorkel. I was soon surrounded by a school of shiny sergeant major fish, and looking to the seabed, I could glimpse a shipwreck – one of six in Carlisle Bay – that serves as a home for many of the colourful sea creatures. Fish weren’t the only species I had the chance to see. On a


We pass by a


rainbow of houses as colourful as a child’s painting – the most photographed of which is Rihanna’s childhood home


4x4 tour of the island’s verdant central hills and rugged east coast with Island Safari (from $110 per person), we spotted green monkeys – introduced from West Africa more than 350 years ago – plus endemic Barbados Black Belly sheep.


WILD RIDE Careering along the rough, off-road track was like being on a thrilling theme park ride. Our stops included


Gun Hill Signal Station and viewpoints with sweeping vistas that no camera could ever do justice to, while passing by palm trees towering over a rainbow of houses as colourful as a child’s painting. Perhaps the most photographed


of those jazzy buildings is Rihanna’s childhood home – the humble lime-green and terracotta-hued bungalow sits on the aptly renamed Rihanna Drive in Bridgetown. The house is now listed on Airbnb, but fans can still pose for photos outside.


FRY-DAY FUN For clients keen to sample more Caribbean culture, the Oistins Fish Fry is a Friday night institution. Here, street chefs serve mouth- watering fish dinners to a hungry crowd of Bajans and tourists, with plenty of sides including salads,


The Rockley A hotel that will help your clients to embrace island culture, with a lobby gallery showcasing local art (100% of earnings go to the artist), Bajan slang on the walls and a restaurant that’s used as a co-working space by locals during the day. Four of the restaurants on the nearby beach boardwalk are included in the dine-around plan. Rates from £181 per night based on double occupancy, including breakfast. therockleybarbados.com


BOOK IT T ² travelweekly.co.uk


If Only offers seven nights’ all- inclusive in a Luxury Ocean View Junior Suite at the Sea Breeze Beach House from £2,829 per person, based on two sharing. The price includes Virgin Atlantic flights and private transfers, and is valid for departures from May 30 to October 31. ifonly.net


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