I’ve just returned from the most amazing week in The Caribbean swimming with Turtles and discovering the best things to do in Barbados!
The lure of the Caribbean has long captured the hearts of us Westerners with that dreamy turquoise ocean and year-round warm weather invitingly luring thousands of us over a yearly basis. It was my second trip to that side of the world, having only ever experienced the Caribbean’s charm once before, I was so excited to get back out there and discover more.
Where to Stay in Barbados
I travelled out with my friend Emma flying directly with Virgin Atlantic as part of a Virgin Holidays package and spent three days in Barbados and five days on Palm Island in The Grenadines. Emma and I were based at an adults only resort called The Club Barbados. A perfectly located hotel on the West Coast of Barbados, nowadays dubbed as the island’s Platinum coast.  The iconic beaches and calmer waters have, over the years attracted the most lucrative properties and now the shore line is a playground for the rich and affluent.
The Club Barbados is a medium sized property with direct access to the sea, two onsite restaurants, five bars, tennis courts and a premium spa. The decor is perfectly charming and in-keeping with the fresh caribbean ocean front vibes whilst focusing on modern bright colours. The hotel is a fully inclusive resort so food, beverages and activities were included throughout our stay and we took full advantage! It goes without saying, being two 20-somethings on holiday in the Caribbean, that we drank far too many pina coladas than I care to divulge but the best thing about staying in this all inclusive resort was the many water sports and day excursions that were available to us. We took to the crystal clear waters to swim with the local wildlife and explored almost every corner of the island with an experience guide.
Swimming With Turtles
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The highlight was by far, the turtle snorkelling tour. One of the hotel’s many speedboats took Emma and I out to meet the underwater cuties for an afternoon and within 20 minutes of leaving the resort we were able to jump in the water and hang out with the Bajan buddies 😉
The water visibility was amazing so our skipper was able to locate a turtle within moments of reaching their desirable swimming path. Â There were a few other scattered fish in the area to look at as well as the turtles and for a real mermaid bonus we also saw a sting ray!
Animal Flower Cave
As well as the fun frolick with turtles we ventured out for a full day trip of the island, travelling from north to south and east to west, with my favourite scene the lookout from The Animal Flower Cave. The view from this famous lookout is incredible, with the depth of the blue waters below glistening in contrast to the white foam of the crashing waves it’s a real spectacle of nature to witness. It’s a breezy cliff top but a beautiful one! It was a real eye opener to witness just how diverse the landscape in Barbados is, the lively cobalt blue ocean in the North of the island is so different to the West’s calming turquoise seas, it really is quite a sight to see!
Bathsheba
After seeing the crashing waves at the Animal Cave Lookout point we headed to Bathsheba, a surfers mecca that’s home to the most stunning coastline views in the East of the island. The location is a favourite for Barbadians to enjoy a picnic on the beach, a beer in one of the many beachfront friendly bars and of course, the surf!
Mullins Beach
One of our favourite beaches on the island was just a short bus ride from The Club Barbados, Mullins Beach. The public transport on the island is great, there are regular buses that you can pretty much hop on and off of anywhere, although standing by a designated bus stop is probably best 😉 The ride anywhere is 1 US dollar and the atmosphere really is quite something! The buses have open windows and loud Bajan music curtesy of the driver and his friends. I highly recommend using the buses to get about in Barbados!
This beach has a stretch of clean sandy coastline so it’s great for swimming, there are water sports available too for those of you that don’t have the luxury of an all inclusive resort when staying in Barbados.
If you are looking for paradise with a little water action and natural discovery then Barbados is perfect and I highly recommend The Club Barbados as a great base to explore from!
This looks like an absolute dream! I want to go!!
~~Megan~~
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Everything looks incredible, I stayed in Barbados before and never knew these locations were here! Will have to go back now (m;)
What an amazing thing to tick off the bucket list!!!