Bathsheba Beach, Barbados / Steve Mencik
One of the Caribbean port stops that I have enjoyed the most is the island country of Barbados. This former British colony gained independence in 1966, and is still a favorite vacation spot for the British. Barbados is the easternmost island in the Caribbean. As such, hurricanes are rarely a problem, as most storms do not reach hurricane strength until after passing by Barbados.
Cruises to Barbados generally depart from San Juan or further south, or are longer than a 7-night cruise. This is because of the distance from the major cruise ports in South Florida. It simply takes too long to sail to Barbados from Florida. Jean and I have been to Barbados twice. First in 2004 on the Carnival Destiny and in 2007 on the Cunard Queen Mary 2.
On both cruises, we use Glory Tours for our sightseeing excursions. I recommend them very highly. Some of the place that we went include the Mount Gay Rum factory, Orchid World, Harrison's Cave, and the Wildlife Reserve. We also drove around a good part of the island. each of these places and some others are discussed below.
Rum was first distilled in Barbados in the 1600's and Mount Gay lists their beginnings as 1703. They are the oldest rum manufacturer in the world. The rum factory offers tours that show you the whole process of making rum from the sugar cane to the bottle. Of course, if you are of legal drinking age, you will have the opportunity to sample the rum too. There is a gift shop that will allow you to buy some rums that they do not import into the United States. This gives you a chance to try some unique rums or give some great gifts.
If you like flowers, particularly orchids, you will love Orchid World. This plantation features over 20,000 orchids scattered along a nice walking path. There is a wedding gazebo in case you are looking for a unique place to tie the knot.
Harrison's Cave is a crystallized limestone cavern, named for Thomas Harrison, who owned much of the land in the area in the 1700's. While it was explored in the 18th and 19th centuries, it wasn't until the 1970's that the government of Barbados developed it as a show cave. It opened in 1981. Currently, it is closed as development of a new visitor's center started in July 2009. It was schedule to be closed for only 6 months, so it should be open again very soon. It is well worth the visit.
The Wildlife Reserve is where you can go to see the famous Barbados Green Monkeys. However, they are not the only attraction. There are many different types of wildlife here, including turtles, caiman (kind of like and alligator), birds, and more. Most are roaming free, uncaged, so you can get up close and personal.
In addition to these places, there are great beaches all around the island. The Eastern shore has some good surfing areas, as it is open to the Atlantic Ocean. The Western shore, which faces the Caribbean Sea is much calmer. For history lovers, there are some old sugar cane mills, gun and signal stations and old church's that worth seeing. Golfer's will find several places to plane, including the famed Green Monkey course at Sandy Lane (where Tiger Woods was married).
Hopefully you'll get a chance to visit Barbados soon. I'm sure it will become a favorite of yours too.
Comments
Great article Stephen! My family used Glory Tours during our cruise to Barbados last fall and our experience was excellent. Some of the places we stopped at included Bathsheba, North Point and Reeds Bay.
We would have toured the Mount Gay Rum Factory and Harrison's Cave but we were unfortunate enough for our visit to land on a Sunday, when both were closed.
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