We definitely wanted to experience more of Barbados than just the beach in front of our hotel, but we weren’t prepared to tackle the traffic-heavy roads and iffy driving rules.
We had a sit-down at the activities desk and we had two options, a 4x4 tour of the island, or the more-tame 80-mile tour. The 4x4 tour went off-road, to places vans and buses could not go. However, it was a bumpy ride, and on the back of an open-air vehicle, which meant no air conditioning. The 80-mile tour was in an air-conditioned van and not-so-rough. (Now, before you go and judge how lazy and spoiled I am, Barbados is very warm, very humid, and the tours were an all-day thing. Plus, I had surgery earlier this year, so bumpy wasn’t the best idea.)
For about $80 U.S., we were picked up at our hotel at 8:30 and whisked around the island, stopping at a range of hotels to gather more tourists. We drove through Bridgetown and past all the fru-fru Caribbean-side hotels. We rode along for about an hour and a half before our first stop at a place called the Animal Flower Cave, which has nothing to do with animals or flowers. An "animal flower" is a sea anemone, so the cave has tide pools inside with sea anemones, along with some great views across the ocean. The cave sits at the northern tip of the island, and the cliffs at the cave entrance’s lookout point make for pretty stunning photography, with the waves pounding the rocks.
We stayed at the caves for about 45 minutes to an hour, and then drove to our next stop, which was a scenic view of the western coastline through a sugar cane field. It was also another prime opportunity for some Mount Gay rum-infused punch, and some banana bread. Then it was off to stop at a lookout point at Bathsheba Beach, where all the surfers (and no one else) are in the water.
We also stopped at St. John’s Parish Church, which was atop a steep hill – and it was noted that a lot of people walk there. I’d have to be really sinful to do that each Sunday! Then it was a few hours for lunch at the Sunbury Great House, which is an old sugar plantation/museum, unique in that every room is open to the public. The lunch was "traditional Bajan fare," as are all the tour lunches, and consisted again of chicken, flying fish, potatoes, etc. It was decent, not spectacular.
The best part of the tour was our guide, who gave us a lot of information about Barbados in a humorous-and-not-boring way. For example, he told a story of how McDonald’s only lasted 6 months on the island because they didn’t serve chicken with a bone in it. He also told us how much a new Honda costs on the island ($60,000 US). He was animated and jovial, and made the trip.
I don’t know if I’d put the tour as a MUST DO on my list or anything, but it was a nice way to get around the island a bit. I did think I would’ve preferred less driving and more stopping – especially at a Caribbean-side beach or something, but it was a nice day.
From journal Barbados: Living on Island Time