When in Barbados....
Have you ever fallen in love with just about everything a place has to offer? That is what happened to me when I traveled to Barbados last week. Barbados, otherwise known as Bim to the locals, is everything I ever hoped for in an island destination and more. I actually had been wanting to visit for the last 2 years, but was unable to visit last year due to an unexpected hurricane. Barbados is located outside the principal Atlantic Hurricane Belt and rarely gets hit, but unfortunately we were very unlucky last year. I cried when our flight was cancelled and we were unable to rebook it until 4 days later! Our saving grace was having trip cancellation/interruption service through my JetBlue Plus card and we were able to go to Las Vegas, NV and Los Angeles/Orange County, CA instead. My heart was set on visiting Barbados though.
Barbados is just full of natural beauty wherever you go. The warm crystal clear water, lush greenery, dramatic cliffs and soft pink and white sand beaches are truly breathtaking. There are even caves to explore and go swimming in. I got to explore Harrison's Cave located in Saint Thomas Parish and Animal Flower Cave in Saint Lucy Parish on the most northern point of the island. Harrison's cave was our great idea for spending a very rainy afternoon. A tram took us down about 120 feet down into the cave to see flowing streams, stalagmites, stalactites and even a waterfall. Animal Flower Cave was truly an experience. It gets its name from the sea anemones, called animal flowers locally, that are found in the cave. The caves look out onto the sea and even have pools deep enough to swim in. Waves come through the opening to the sea and this warms the water in the pool. Never have I ever swam in such clear and warm cave water. The almost hour drive from Bridgetown was definitely worth it, especially since we arrived around 9:20AM and had the entire cave to ourselves. It felt like we had our own private sea cave hideaway.
The water in Barbados is definitely the most clear and warm water I have ever gone swimming in. It is also filled with wildlife, like sea turtles, stingrays, colorful fish, puffer fish, and it even has shipwrecks. Two days in a row we spent snorkeling, but our favorite time was our day spent on the catamaran. The El Tigre Catamaran had unlimited drinks (I mainly drank rum punch, surprising, right?), a caribbean buffet lunch, great music, and brought us to two snorkeling spots to see shipwrecks and to swim with the sea turtles. Surrounded by fish and fire coral, you truly feel like one with the sea, or like the Little Mermaid. This was definitely a day for the books.
Barbados has so much to offer no matter what type of adventure you are seeking. I truly believe that your trip is what you make it. Whether you are a couple, family or a party person :) there is something exciting or relaxing waiting for you in Barbados. The Bajan people are so friendly and helpful, you are sure to have a great time if you make your way to the easternmost island in the Lesser Antilles. While I wish I had more time to explore Barbados on this trip, I know that for sure I will be back to explore the rest of this magnificent island nation. ASAP I hope!
