I went to Barbados last year, and it seems like it was only a couple of months ago.

I loved it, it was easily the most laid back, colourful holiday location I’ve ever visited.

I’ve only ever flown Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic long haul, both are superb, but this trip we flew with Virgin and I had no complaints whatsoever. The only hitch was the delay on the way back as the air conditioning unit had broken (not ideal in 30 odd degrees of heat sat on a Bridgetown runway!). Still, Virgin staff always seem to be polite, they’re not orange and they’re more than helpful. Plus, they give you a Fab and Love Hearts on the flight. What’s not to like? It brought out my inner child!

We stayed at the Amaryllis Beach Resort. A quick Google search has told me it’s now permanently closed which is a shame, it was a beautiful hotel, and had the best little cocktail bars. One on the beach and one by the pool. We had the Jamaican national football team in the rooms next to us which was a little chaotic, but no complaints about noise or anything. Hotel was well set out, had its own beach and was very Bajan. I can share a photo, but clearly you can no longer stay there! We stayed in a room which had a mini kitchen inside, so we could make our own breakfasts etc…

On the first day, we decided to walk into Bridgetown… This was a slightly longer walk than we anticipated, so we were glad to have left at about 0800. Barbados is 5 hours behind the UK, so with the time difference it was a reasonable enough time to be awake! We walked along the road and then on to the beach for the rest of the way, partly as my new shoes (bad idea, Kate)  began to rub. The Prime Minister’s office was right on the beach. Upgrade from No. 10. I know where I’d rather be!

One highlight of the trip was a visit to the Mount Gay Rum Distillery. My brother is a sailor, he’d been previously on one of his Caribbean jaunts, the same bartender was there. My brother tried selling me to him (thanks, Rich…)

We didn’t plan this too well, forgetting that although it was 1400 in the UK, it was in fact only 0900. We got there for the tour and were greeted with a rum punch (very civilised, why doesn’t this happen in the UK?!). The tour was really interesting and I learnt a lot about the rum making (and drinking) process, with samples, a short film and a lot of museum type pieces. We then went and sat in the cocktail bar, overlooking a beach (of course, it’s the Caribbean) and proceeded to trial almost everything on the menu between the three of us. There’s also a gift shop, where we bought a ridiculous amount of stash, and a few cheeky 2l bottles of rum, of course… It would have been rude not to.

Mount Gay has a big following in the sailing world, sponsoring a lot of famous yacht races and giving participants the famous ‘red cap’ – Richard has a number of these but wanted a jacket to match, obviously…

The Mount Gay website states:
‘Sailing vessels carried exotic trade from the colonies and introduced Caribbean flavours to Europe and the Americas. This period of shipping was an important part of Mount Gay’s Heritage. For centuries ships were the only way by which Barbadian sugar and Mount Gay Rum could meet global demand. Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados is one of the oldest seaports in the Caribbean and the port from which Mount Gay Rum sailed into the glasses and gullets of the world.’

There were so many excursions offered around the Island, you could visit one or two places and it cost ridiculous amounts. We hired a taxi to take us to the places we wanted to visit. It was cheaper, we could stop where we wanted and it was worth it for Francine, our taxi driver. Literally the most hilarious person I have ever met.

No words needed to be honest.

‘Legend has it that Bathsheba, wife of King David, bathed in milk to keep her skin beautiful and soft. Legend also says that the surf covered white waters of Bathsheba, Barbados rich in minerals and life is said to resemble Bathsheba’s bath in both appearance health giving value.’Bathsheba was on the Eastern side of the Island and it was absolutely gorgeous. Some of the large national and international surfing competitions are held on this part of the island. Swimming at Bathsheba is dangerous due to riptides and undertows. It’s advised that if you do swim, you ensure that you go with someone who knows the area well. Ideally, do not swim here at all, there are large coral pools you can cool off in if required.

Not only is Bathsheba rugged, but it is home to some very unique rock formations. At first glance they look like boulders, washed up on the shore. They are actually formations broken away from ancient coral reefs.

A quick note, if you are in the Bridgetown area, make sure you stop off via these guys – Paddle Barbados. You’ll find them on the beach behind Cuz! Both my mum and myself hired paddleboards and went out for a little bit, you can see turtles, crazy amounts of fish and also an entirely different view of the island. They were reasonably priced, really friendly and also offered snorkel and kayak hire.

However, I will leave it here with a few more photos. Barbados is easily my favourite holiday destination, and I can only advise and recommend visiting. It was friendly, clean, safe, friendly, colourful, rum soaked and sunny! I do recommend you also take ear plugs if you’re a light sleeper though. Tree frogs can be a nightmare. Look on Youtube if you don’t believe me. I personally found the noise quite therapeutic, but my brother… not so much.