It is in the Lesser Antilles, near the Grenadines and Saint Lucia. Although Columbus stepped on his first trip soon became a domain of the United Kingdom and although he gained his independence in the 60s is still linked to him through the Commonwealth.
Its capital is the city of Bridgetown. The island is only 34 kilometers long and 23 kilometers wide. It is a low island and its highest point barely exceeds 300 meters of altitude. It enjoys an excellent tropical climate although if you go between June and October you will run into a lot of rain. In fact, it is part of the area that is attacked by hurricanes and strong storms at that time of year, although fortunately not with the severity of other Caribbean islands.
Barbados is still a producer of sugar but for a while, the industry without chimneys of tourism has taken its economy: it offers its beaches, its crystalline waters, its caverns to explore, underwater fishing, snorkeling, golf courses and walks through its colonial past.
To get an idea this week, the average temperature in Barbados is 28 ºC. A pleasure. The west coast offers calmer waters and white sand beaches. On the east coast there are coral formations eroded by the waters of the Atlantic and its strong winds so here there are many waves for windsurfing and surfing. In fact, many say they are the best beaches in the world to practice these sports.
On the south coast, the waters are super calm because the coral reefs protect the beaches so here you swim and snorkel. And finally, on the southeast coast, there is also a lot of activity in water sports, beaches of pink sands and cliffs. Barbados has 60 beaches in total and an average of 3000 thousand hours of sunshine. Two of these beaches are always considered in the Top 10 of the Best Beaches in the World: that of St. Parish and Crane Beach.
On the west coast, the recommended beaches are Six Mens, Mullins, Gibbes and Reeds Bay. A white sand beach is that of Paynes Bay. Another very beautiful one is Heron Bay and on Brighton Beach, there are sun loungers and umbrellas and bars.
On the southeast coast and east as we said there is wind, so here we recommend the Crane Beach. If you have money, staying at the Crane Resort is worth it because the views are great and low and you go up to the beach in an elevator. Bottom Bay is the typical postcard of the Caribbean: palm trees, a cave, and cliffs, all with white sand and turquoise water.
On the south coast, on the other hand, is Carlisle Bay, in the shape of a crescent from Bridgetown to the Hilton Hotel. From dock to the pier there is little more than a kilometer.
If you want to spend a day outdoors Accra Beach is great because it has a supermarket nearby and lifeguards so you have a picnic and you stay as long as you want.
Other tourist activities in Barbados
Barbados has a great colonial past, so it is part of the tourist offer. When you get tired of its beaches, to walk its streets. The English arrived in 1624 so the culture here is a melting pot of British culture with the culture of North Africa.
The people of Barbados themselves are called Bajan. The people come down is extremely friendly and social. If you speak English, you can talk with them about all aspects of the island. Mostly black and there are very few whites and orientals. English is the official language but of course, the local version is quite different because it is influenced by the typical dialects of the Caribbean.
The historic quarter and the Bridgetown Military Garrison are considered World Heritage since 2011. Bridgetown has a commercial history of almost four centuries trafficking in sugar and slaves, so people from all over the world have passed through here and that is revealed in its more European architecture. He thinks that it was the first port to make an inter-Atlantic route and its location was excellent from the military point of view for the British Empire.
That is why the tours of its military constructions is a highly recommended tour, between the prison and the barracks. They are there, among modern shopping centers, colorful streets, markets, a beautiful internal marina, squares, and embankments. There are also many restaurants so you will have the opportunity to try the local rum. The pirate drink par excellence! And is that rum is very related to sugar so it is also the Caribbean drink.
Many suggest that Barbados is the birthplace of rum. From the cultivation of sugar, a by-product is released, the melase, which fermented in alcohol and distilled produces a super tasty rum. The rum is unique since it is distilled from the juice of sugar cane, syrup or melase so there is variety. Think that here the cane is cultivated since 1640 and that by the 19th century there were 10 huge plantations with slave hands producing.
Still today it is possible to visit some of these factories and their mills that produced the sugar that was then sent to Europe to be refined. It seems that the climate of Barbados makes the sugar here is of excellent quality so both sugar and rum are very particular. If you like this story, you can sign up for one of the rum tours: there are many open distilleries such as the Mount Gay Rum, the Foursquare Rum Factory & Heritage Park, the St. Nicholas Abbey Distillery or the West Indies Rum Distillery.
Finally, among the curious activities that you can do here is the visit to the Concorde de la British Airways, kept in a huge shed, swimming among turtles or the ride in the Atlantis submarines that can be done all year round and lets you see a shipwreck hidden in the depths of the Atlantic. The ride lasts 40 minutes and is simply wonderful.
