Destinations / Barbados

Traditional British hospitality is alive and well on Barbados. From afternoon tea to lively cricket matches and the local Bajan accent, it's easy to find a bit of the mother country here.

The island's Platinum Coast draws wealthy travelers to its swanky resorts, but less-moneyed visitors can find nice, affordable accommodations and an equally warm reception, too.

LOCATION :

100 miles east of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Atlantic.

LANGUAGE :

English

CURRENCY :

Barbados Dollar (U.S. currency widely accepted)

TIPPING :

Most hotels and restaurants add at least a 10-percent service charge to the bill, so check before tipping.

ELECTRICITY :

110V/50 cycles. This is adequate for most U. S. appliances.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Feasting on flying-fish
• Taking a heritage tour of stately plantation manors
• Viewing otherworldly beauty at Harrison's Cave
• Taking photos of the floral splendor at Andromeda Gardens

OVERVIEW
Traditional British hospitality is alive and well on Barbados. From afternoon tea to lively cricket matches and the local Bajan accent, it's easy to find a bit of the mother country here. The island's Platinum Coast draws wealthy travelers to its swanky resorts, but less-moneyed visitors can find nice, affordable accommodations and an equally warm reception, too.

The pace of Barbados is generally slow. Sit for a while and watch a cricket game. Stroll through the Barbados Wildlife Preserve for close-ups with tortoises, deer and the famous Barbados green monkey. Picnic on flying fish or marvel at the 40-foot waterfall careening down inside Harrison's Cave.

Locally produced rum is a Bajan mainstay and it's estimated that for every square mile there are six rum shops.

Traditional crafts such as pottery help keep Bajans close to their past. High up in Chalky Mount village, potters spin clay into monkey pots (water jugs designed to keep their contents cool).

For a peek at a day in the life of an aristocratic plantation owner, follow Cherry Tree Hill to St. Nicholas Abbey. The house is the oldest on the island (circa 1650), and one of just three intact Jacobean-style mansions in the Americas.

One of the best times to visit Barbados is during one of the four major festivals. February brings the Holetown Festival. The Oistins Fish Festival is a weekend (Easter) of good-natured competition. Crop Over, in summer, commemorates the sugar cane harvest with raucous street parties, dancing and the social commentary of calypso. Culture is commended during the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts. Awards are given for the best dance, drama, writing and painting. But ask any one of the 255,000 friendly Bajans, and they'll tell you that whoever is dancing, acting, writing or painting at the time is the best.

GEOGRAPHY

Topography: Features pink- and white-sand beaches on its western coast; cliffs dominate the eastern shoreline; the interior is blanketed by sugarcane fields and scrubby pastureland; the tallest peak is Mount Hillaby at 1,116 feet.

Climate: Warm year-round with temperatures hovering around 85ºF during day and in the low 70s at night. Occasional tropical systems arrive from Africa in summer and early fall.

HISTORY
Almost all who stopped by Barbados on the way to somewhere else decided to stay. The Arawaks and the Caribs inhabited this isle. The Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos gave the island its name after the multitude of banyan trees with their bearlike aerial roots. The English arrived in 1625 and drew up parishes and then plantations for African Slaves to toil. Emancipation arrived in 1834 and with it a chance to leave the island. Most did not. In 1966, Britain bestowed independence up on Barbados.

WEBSITE :

www.barbados.org

CAPITAL :

Bridgetown

TOURIST INFORMATION :

800-221-9831

POLITICAL STATUS :

Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.

AREA SIZE :

166 square miles

TAXES :

Departure tax is US $12.50 for anyone over age 12. Hotel and villa accommodation incurs a 7.5% government room tax and a service charge in Barbados, which is normally added to your bill (unless you are staying in an all-inclusive hotel). A 15% VAT applies to most services including car hire, tourist attractions, restaurants, retail (apart from Duty Free items), excursions etc, but this is usually included in the published price, except for car hire rates, which are usually quoted excluding VAT so you'll need to add it.

AREA CODE :

246

TIME :

Atlantic Standard Time -- the same as Eastern Daylight Time, but one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

DOCUMENTS :

A passport is required.

POPULATION :

280,000

AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE :

80 degrees F

AVERAGE VISIBILITY :

40-70 feet

TYPES OF DIVING :

wreck, boat, live-aboard, some shore

BEST TIME TO DIVE :

The early spring and late winter months are cooler and drier.

WHAT TO WEAR :

The water is generally warm with little variation. A skin or a 1.6 mm three-quarter or shortie should suffice for most situations although deeper dives, like may of the wrecks in Barbados are, you may want a thicker suit.

DIVES NOT TO MISS :

Friars Craig, a 100 ft Dutch freighter sank in 1984 in 55 ft of water. This wreck is also near a reef so you can enjoy both in one experience. Carlisle Bay has 4 wrecks- Berwyn, Eilon, C-trek and Fox as well as tons of tropical fish, eels, frogfish and seahorses.The SS. Stavronikita is a 365 ft Grek Freighter deliberatly sank to form a reef in 120 ft of water. Shark Bank is a coral reef reaching depths of 135-145 ft with many sea turtles and parrotfish. Maycocks Bay has several large corals and stretches of white sand with populations of rays and barracudas.