When my parents first brought Star Gazer I thought they were mad. At the tender age of 19 I thought Barbados was too quiet, lacked tacky bars serving fishbowl cocktails and didn’t have the vulgar nightlife scene my friends and I were looking for. Now, in my early thirties and with a husband and family of my own I can’t get enough of the island – and it didn’t take me long to change my mind!
Barbados has become our second home. From the minute we step off the plane at Grantley Adams airport and get hit by that wave of hot air and sunshine, we are relaxed and ready to get into the Caribbean way of things. We grab our cases, pick up the car and take that all familiar drive to the Sugar Hill Estate.
When we arrive at the entrance its every bit as breath-taking as it was the first time we visited the complex. The security guards greet you with the familiarity of a long lost friend and we are waved through ready to get unpacked and settled at Star Gazer. After a quick sort out, it’s an old tradition of ours to head down to Surfside or Zaccios for a cheeky happy hour rum punch to watch the sunset. For me, there is no better way to start my holiday.
Even after all these years of visiting Barbados, we still discover news things to see and do as well as returning to our old favourite spots. No trip is complete without a drive across to the East coast. With its roughened terrain and choppier waters it’s a complete contrast to the calmness of the West Coast and a great spot for a nice hike across the rocks and cliffs or a spot of lunch with a cold glass of wine. Rum distilleries like St Nicholas Abbey are beautiful and serve some of the best rum punches on the island. Depending on the season you could choose to catch a game of Polo and experience how the other half live for an afternoon or head up to the animal sanctuary to see the baby monkeys in time for feeding or get your adrenalin kick with a quad bike tour of the island.
There are some truly decedent five star restaurants and bars on the island and I would be lying if I said that we didn’t treat ourselves to a bit of indulgence from time to time choosing to dine at the Lone Star or The Cliff. But by far one of my most favourite things to do when I’m in Barbados is to adopt the chilled out, laid back attitude of the Bajans. I love nothing more than finding a jerk chicken stand on the street to grab some dinner and enjoying cocktails with the locals at the street party on Second Street. Back at Star Gazer, we often choose to stay in, watching the sun go down from the comfort of the Jacuzzi on the roof terrace, a glass of rose in hand, followed by a BBQ with the fish bought earlier that day from Smokey’s fish market.
If I could go back in time and tell my 19 year old self that I would be enjoying this island as much as I do, she wouldn’t believe me. Something about this island has got me. The sounds, the smells and the exuberance of the local hospitality have captured my heart and I so look forward to our holidays here. Thankfully it didn’t take long for my husband to fall in love with the island too. In 2014 it was the place where we chose to host our wedding day and were lucky to be joined by 50 of our nearest and dearest who took the opportunity to come out and see what all the fuss about our island was about.
Over the years Barbados has been the maker of so many treasured memories for me. Next Easter we will be taking our son there on his first ever holiday. What a place to start. I look forward to introducing him to the beautiful country that we love so much and starting a new chapter of memories together.
