Description: Our hotel, the Bougainvillea Beach Resort, offered a free, twice-daily shuttle to the capital of Barbados, Bridgetown. The 20-minute ride is air-conditioning-free, and you’re dropped off for four hours to shop and eat to your heart’s content.
The biggest draw of Bridgetown is the duty-free shopping. Make sure to keep a lookout, either at your hotel activities desk or in the tourist brochures, for coupons that offer additional discounts. There is a catch, however. You have to fill out all the paperwork and drop it off in the airport before you leave.
As far as shopping goes, there are your standard souvenir shops, but there are also department stores, pharmacies, and most importantly, jewelry stores. Barbados is known for its emeralds, and while I didn’t compare prices in the US before I traveled, I thought that the costs were still prohibitive – for me, anyway.
If you go to Bridgetown for sightseeing only, you might be a bit disappointed. However, if you’re already there, you’ll definitely want to take a walk along the pier, or the Careenage, to see the brightly colored Caribbean buildings and the boats in the water. Freedom Square, in the center of the town, offers a nice place to sit and watch people go by. There is a water fountain there, and during the weekends, there are often events held in the "park."
If you’re wondering to yourself if you should rent a car and go on your own, consider that they drive on the left side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. (Something to consider if you’re from the U.S., but probably used to if you’re from the U.K.) The other big problem is the TRAFFIC. The rules are a little sketchy, there’s a lot of horn honking (which is used mostly to let bigger cars know you’re there so they don’t run over you) and during "rush-hour" is horrible into Bridgetown.
If you have a long stay in Barbados, a day in Bridgetown is a way to while away the time and get your shopping fix. That’s what all the cruise ship passengers do.
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