Things to do?, 6 days in Barbados

[RAFink1]

My wife and I will be in Barbados (Allamanda hotel) for 7 nites in September. Cruising comes later.

 

We are 66 and 60 yrs old but feel much younger. I am an advanced scuba diver. Your suggestions for island tours and guides, boat tours, things to see and do, beaches, shopping, restaurants, etc. would be most appreciated.

 

My wife is a miniature liquor bottle collector (she does not drink). Are there any good stores that carry the tiny bottles?

 

Is the Allamanda hotel OK? Any suggestions?

 

Richard

[alb38]

My wife and I will be in Barbados (Allamanda hotel) for 7 nites in September. Cruising comes later.

 

We are 66 and 60 yrs old but feel much younger. I am an advanced scuba diver. Your suggestions for island tours and guides, boat tours, things to see and do, beaches, shopping, restaurants, etc. would be most appreciated.

 

My wife is a miniature liquor bottle collector (she does not drink). Are there any good stores that carry the tiny bottles?

 

Is the Allamanda hotel OK? Any suggestions?

 

Richard

 

Richard,

My mom and I were in Barbados for one day of our cruise in December and we booked with Silvermoon to snorkel with the turtles and over a dive sight. This is just snorkeling and since you are an advanced diver this might not interest you. WE had a wonderful time. They take twelve people out on a catamaran and they take care of you all day. I loved snorkeling with the turtles and just relaxing in general. They do have a website www.oceanadventures.bb. Check it out and see if it is for you. As for the bottles, sorry I cannot help you with that. The only thing that I found of interest was Earthworks Pottery they also have a website - not sure what it is - your wife might like that. Enjoy your time in Barbados....

[cruisefeen2304]

okay alot of stores in barbados carry the miny bottles especilly the the stores in town. I know cave shepard for a fact has them but you can find them cheaper in some of the other stores.

The allamda hotel is nice and i stayed just up the road from there in april at the southern surf beach aprtments a little down the road from accra.

 

Go to a dinner show they are a little expensive but quite entertaining.

Go on the atlantis glass botom submarine and see some of the ship wrecks

i hear alot of thalk about tis silver moon catertmeran

and to me barbados is really just for those to relax and for the young ones to party..don't forget to have dinner at any of the nice and moderate priced restauants in thest.lawrence gap

[RAFink1]

Hello all,

 

Thanks for the good suggestions. They bring up more questions. Hopefully there are some who have answers.

 

I will definitely want to go on the catamaran cruise and snorkel with the turtles. Which is better, Silvermoon or Silvermoon II? Also, there is competition from Tall Ships. Anyone taken that cruise?

 

What is a good dinner show to see? Are there any good restaurants near Hastings Plaza or downtown Bridgetown?

 

What are fun things to do at the Boatyard? I see where they have a Sundown Sunday event with live bands.

 

Where is the best place to go for watersports, especially jet skis?

 

Thanks for your help.

Richard

[woodofpine]

6 days...

 

Turtle swim of course. Go diving - there's the national marine park at Folkstone. GET A COMPASS (zero road signs, but the roads generally go either N-S or E-W) and rent a car. Go to Bathsheba and the bath pools there on the Atlantic (east) side of the island. How about the grotto place with the "living garden" of sea anemones; not too many make it there (at the northern tip of the island) and then there Harrison's Cave in the center of the island.

[Sheffie]

We also sailed on the Silvermoon1 and LOVED it! In fact, we loved it so much that we have booked it again for our cruise next year! There are fewer people on the Silvermoon1, and I think the boat is bigger. We really liked the personal care we were given. We felt so pampered! For the extra few dollars apiece, we chose it again!

 

I am sure you will have a great excursion, no matter which Silvermoon you choose!

[dhana4]

Last year I honeymooned in Barbados, it is one of the prettiest islands I have visited!

 

Digicel has excellent visitor guides that you can pick up in the airport, or email miller@caribsurf.com. These are some places that we visited on our trip that I enjoyed: Harrison Caves, Barbados Wildlife Reserve, Earthworks, and the Flower Forest. The Mount Gay Rum Factory Tour is also very good, and you can find minature bottles there for about $2.50.

 

Sandy Lane is expensive, but well known for its dining. Around the west coast is a good shopping place called Hole Town. (The malls there also offer internet access at a reasonable rate.) The west coast by far has the best beaches. We stayed off of Gibbs beach and the snorkeling there was unbelievable! But beware of speed boats dipping in and out by the shore, I almost got ran over snorkeling 20 feet from shore on a semi private beach. Also for jet skis, people came up to us on the beach and offered rentals, the rates were reasonable. There is also a great beach by Mannie's that caters to tourist.

 

Some restaurants that I can remember are Cocomos (very casual, on the beach), Mannies Suga Suga, and Pizzaz, there was also a good restaurant that was casual with a fine dining feel on the beach on the west coast that I absolutely loved, but I can't recall the name...it seemed to have a Texan name.

 

We went into Bridgetown a few times, but I really didn't care for it. The Atlantis hotel is often mentioned for it's food, but I give it a thumbs down.

 

Also check out Barbadosholidayguide.com they also have free maps in the airport. You can find plenty of things to explore in Barbados, just a word of caution, the streets aren't always marked and it's very easy to get lost! Once you make your way to any coast it's easy to renavigate, so be sure to bring some patience. :)

[RAFink1]

What great responses!! Thanks so much. My trip will be much more enjoyable because of you. I hope others will benefit from this.

 

New question: The best beaches and most elegant hotels seem to be north of Bridgetown. This should be worth a visit. In my experience, if you are in a hotel public area, you are assumed to be a guest. Where would be the best hotel to visit and perhaps have lunch, enjoy the beach, watersports, etc.

 

Richard