Bridgetown Vacations

Activities & Sports
With so many beaches on the island, water sports abound everywhere. If your lodging does not include the necessary equipment, many beaches have rental facilities. Also, owners of private boats will offer their service for a small fee. You can go waterskiing, parasailing, surfing, windsurfing, yachting and kayaking. Barbados has several diving and snorkelling sites, such as the shore at Mount Standfast where you may spot a few green turtles.

There are several golf courses on the island, including the 18-hole Barbados Golf Club, Sandy Lane (3 courses: Sandy Lane Old Nine, the 18-hole Country Club and the 18-hole Green Monkey), the Royal Westmoreland Golf & Country Club offering an 18-hole championship golf course, and Club Rockley and Almond Beach Village both featuring 9-hole courses.

Popular land sports include hiking and walking on the many nature and park trails, horseback riding and mountain biking. Many hotels offer wonderful tennis courts, some are lit for evening play.

Dining & Nightlife
Most resorts have themed nights where you can party to the sounds of steel bands. The cabaret dinner shows are also very popular in Barbados, like the The Bajan Roots & Rhythms Show or the Plantation Tropical Spectacular.

Nightclubs abound, each with its own specialty. Here are a few suggestions: for jazz, soca and calypso music try the Coach House, Waterfront Cafe or After Dark; for reggae, ringbang and soca music you should enjoy Harbour Lights; for a pub atmosphere go to Ship Inn or The Boatyard; fans of karaoke should head to Carib Beach Bar.

After the clubs, if you still have the strength to party try Baxters Road or The street that never sleeps, where the street is transformed nightly by the rhythms of calypso and street performers, as street vendors bring out coal pots and roast fish and chicken, sell spirited refreshments.

 

Casual and festive settings abound in informal beach eateries, pubs and bistros. Sophisticated dining establishments, requiring a reservation and more formal attire, offer delectable, award-winning fare. Bridgetown's restaurants are mostly found on Broad Street but you can find great places also on Baxter's Road and High Street.

Here are a few recommendations: The Coach House, The Atlantis,Captain's Carvery, The Fish Pot, Mango's by the Sea, Cliffside Restaurant and Bar, Bonito Beach Bar and Restaurant, The Balcony Restaurant, Lantern's by the Sea and Mullin's Beach Bar, to name but a few. 

Shopping

Bridgetown's Broad Street and Holetown's Chattel Shopping Village offer the best shopping opportunities. Duty free shops promise great saving on certain luxury items (passport and airline ticket required), whereas open-air markets and souvenir shanties are great places to purchase crafts and local products. Island craft fairs are also held several times a year.

Crafts include pottery, baskets, leather work, batiks, jewellery, shell craft, beachwear and mahogany pieces. Edible souvenirs are great to bring home, like rum, spicy Bajan hot sauce, condiments and chutney, Barbadian made sugar and rum cake. 

Currency: Barbados dollar