A few weeks ago, we made our way to Gatwick Airport for our long awaited trip to the idyllic destination of Barbados.
Our third time to the island meant we knew exactly what to expect on arrival to this beautiful Country.
First though, we had an 8 hour flight to conquer and as we had very luckily managed to upgrade to Upper Class with the Virgin points we have accumulated over the years, this was to be the best flight we had ever had to endure.
As I took in my surroundings and relaxed into the reclining seat, I did notice a few minor flaws. The monitor didn’t stow properly so my bed was a little harder to convert than it should have been, but boy was this a step up in luxury to my usual seat in economy! I was feeling, extremely spoiled and very lucky indeed.
Virgin Atlantic has brilliant inflight entertainment and this added to the silver service and delicious food and drink served throughout the flight, made a little power nap before my second movie and onboard afternoon tea, even more spectacular! Oh this is indeed the best way to travel long haul and it set the scene for the most wonderful holiday that we were about to begin.
We arrived to glorious sunshine and the intense heat hit us as soon as we stepped off the plane. A great welcome to Barbados indeed. Following a hasty transfer from the delightful Leyroy, we arrived at our new home for a fortnight at Maxwell Beach Apartments.
We were staying in a seafront two bed apartment which was furnished in a beautiful colonial style. It was pleasantly surprising to see an abundance of storage space & hangers in the various wardrobes and I even had a bathroom all to myself. 🙂
The bedrooms were Air Conditioned, thank the lord, as we were both so hot I thought we might burst into flames! The sitting room with was unfortunately off-limits for most of the day due to the lack of Air Conditioning but the view was pretty spectacular. It led to a spacious terrace overlooking the stunning beach. We were lucky to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world so not using this room wasn’t too much of a hardship.
A trip to the shops in Oistins to buy a few essentials was the first thing we needed to do. The supermarket was a pleasant 10 minute walk away. As we strolled along, we saw a most curious sight! There was a horse bathing in the sea with two local Men, this warranted the first photo opportunity of our vacation.
We walked back into Oistins that evening for a delicious, rather large dinner of red snapper. By the time we’d walked home, the balls of my hubby’s feet felt like they were red raw. Flip flops really aren’t his thing!
Over the next few days we worked extremely hard to keep cool in the baking sun and we both managed to get a pretty good start on our suntan’s! Hubby managed to get a bit of surfing done and I managed to sweat a lot 🙂 Lots of (unusual for me) dips in the sea were required to cool down and I seemed to get myself into a rather naughty (but nice) habit of drinking Smirnoff for breakfast on the beach! After 3 days of glorious Sunshine we were hit with the most amazing storm. The lightening was fierce but fascinatingly beautiful.
Saturday arrived and with it, the arrival of a lovely new couple to our apartments. The following day was time for introductions and a wonderful friendship was born. We hit it off immediately, spent most days and nights in each others company, including the most incredible day sailing on a catamaran and swimming with Turtles. The boys had a hoot and we came away with more new friends, a ton of photos and a very funny video of my Hubby and a very large american gentleman throwing each other into the ocean. Hubby did get a little cut on his head from the collision but it was utterly hilarious and the day ended up being the highlight of the holiday.
One of the best things about Barbados is the people. They smile… a lot. One Man walked up and down the beach each day trying to sell his handmade coconut jewellery. He smiled all the time and his hair was super cool. His dreadlocks were down to his knees!
Another thing that Barbados does really well is Cocktails! I acquired a taste for strawberry daiquiri and even discovered a new liking for Mojitos thanks to my new buddy!
Our last few days on the Island were quite cloudy, but if I’m honest, it was still too warm and definitely ok for the beach. I was sad to leave our new friends as they still had a few days left, but all good things come to an end and we’d had a fantastic holiday.
It was time to say Goodbye for now to Barbados and head back to the airport for our luxurious flight home. One things for sure… We will definitely be back 🙂
Emma's Diary 