I'm here and its AMAZING

[Sabiney]

Hey trinitygirl. Barbados is amazing, but the question is are you still there? :) Inquiring minds want to know...how was Calabaza?

 

Pat

[trinitygirl]

hi all, I went out with Calabaza on Monday and I had a great time: they are incredibly friendly and professional, and its a lovely vessel. There were 6 of us, and when the Tiami went past us, crowded to the gills, it definitely felt like the right decision. They served snacks (banana bread, fish cakes) and drinks right off the bat, then after the second stop, we had a wonderful lunch, and they kept the drinks coming right up until we got back to the wharf. The turtles were amazing - huge, incredibly "friendly" in the sense that they are used to be being fed and just keep coming around as long as there are people. To be honest the snorkling was really disappointing - there were lots of a couple of kinds of fish but I really was not at all impressed with Folkstone Marine Park - but that is not Calabaza's fault.

 

At the end of the day they followed up with an email with a link to the recipes from lunch, and we also were given a CD of the tunes they played as we sailed up the coast - both rounded off a great day.

 

Yesterday I went out with Ted's tours; he had 2 buses running - a big bus that was dealing with the cruise ships (5 ships in port yesterday), and the small bus (16 of us) which was the all day tour. He is a hoot - the bad jokes just keep flowing all day long. He has a patter that has been 27 years in the making. We had a stop in Speightstown, one at the top of Cherry Tree Hill, one at Bathsheba for lunch, and another at St Johns: that doesn't sound like a lot but we went the whole way around the island, learned a ton about island custom and I took a lot of great photos - it really was excellent. The atlantic coast is magnificent. Ted said that the cruise ship version of the tour is a half-day version of the same thing but less stops and no lunch. The only thing I really didn't like was that at each of these places there is a real emphasis on 'shopping' - there are tourist stalls at all these places - shell jewellery, bad tea towels etc. It was just me thought it seems, as everyone else seemed to like looking - but I am just not into that kind of thing. At St Johns, you can't get a decent view of the outside front facade of the church, because of the stalls, which is a real shame in my opinion. However, I DID appreciate the fact that he was into sharing the love with islanders all along the way - the tourist dollar is stretched out all over the island and that is an admirable thing. I did buy a couple of those delicious rum cakes which I had heard about - a banana cake and pineapple cake - mmmmm!

 

I was supposed to go out with Shasa today but the seas are still high and the visibility murky so I called last night and shifted it to Friday - and if it doesn't clear up I am going to cancel altogether.

 

So, five more days ... still here, having a great time.

 

: )

[rcprncss]

TrinityGirl, thank you for your review on Calabaza. I am thinking of booking with them over Sasha but I would still love to hear about your experience if you still go. Have fun!

[trinitygirl]

forgot to say, you can check out my photos here:

 

http://gallery.me.com/trinitygirl

[Sabiney]

trinitygirl, Thank you soooo much for posting you Calabaza review! Loved your photos.

 

Pat

[sunseeker09]

Thanks for sharing your adventures and great photos. We were only there for a day. We need to go back. Hey, I did a "toes" shot in just about the same place you did! lol

[trinitygirl]

: )

 

I cancelled the Shasa tour: I rang and spoke with them last night and it turns out that the 3 hour tour (which is the one running today) goes to exactly the same places we went on Monday with Calabaza and I couldn't see spending $60 for that because Folkston Marine Park just really wasn't that impressive. Jason was really lovely about it and agreed to let me cancel - which was nice because they could have charged my card anyway.

 

So, I have three days left - sad! But I have already provisionally booked for a couple of weeks next January so I'll be back. On Monday morning I fly to San Juan to catch the Millennium for my first cruise - exciting!!!

[rcprncss]

Trinitygirl, thanks for sharing your pictures! Have fun on your first cruise! :)

[world_traveler_et]

I am glad your having a great vacation:). Do you know if there are any stores or grocery stores near the port that would sell six packs of pop/soda? Did you have a chance to check out the Hilton or the Boatyard? If so, in your opinion which did you like better in terms of the beach area? Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

[trinitygirl]

I haven't checked out the cruise terminal so i don't know about the drinks thing - the closest place that i *know* about is bridgetown - there are a couple of supermarkets near the bus terminal where you could pick up drinks.

 

i am staying at Accra beach so had no need to go check out any other beaches - this one really is absolutely perfect. However, we sailed past the Hilton and saw all the beaches up on the west coast from either the water or the road, so I have seen them even though I haven't visited them. One of the things that was clear from what I could see was that loss of sand has affected many of those beaches - there seems to be quite a steep drop off between sand and ocean: because of the breakwater here at Accra, that has not occurred - it makes getting out of the water much easier than having to scrabble up a wee bank of wet sand.

 

but they all have umbrellas, and they all have the same gorgeous water ... for my money, i am coming back here for the Barbados day of our cruise.

[Johnthed0g]

There are shops at the terminal, a few more than there usually are as I recall, you can buy anything from a Rolex down.

[swimgirl1]

So these pic's are Rockley beach, how long and $$ from the criuse pier please?