Knowing

We were amazed at how smooth everything seemed to go with the airlines on the trip down. We even managed to get one of the few customs forms when we landed and breezed through customs. A definite bump was reached, however, when they were unable to open the cargo doors and then we had an unexpected delay. Finally, we got our luggage, we left the airport and our excitement started to build. Would we like the Hilton and the rest of the island? We had eight days to find out. It was already past 10:30 at night so we didn’t get much of a chance to glimpse many of the surroundings. We checked in, requesting a duck feather cover for our mattress, went up to our splendid suite, waited for housekeeping, climbed into bed and slept as we had only gotten about two hours of sleep the night before. As the sun poured into our room the next morning we took a quick shower, got dressed, and we were ready to check things out. Our first stop – breakfast. The Hilton includes a continental breakfast of pastry, fruit, yogurt and cereal for those staying on their executive floors. My husband, however, is accustomed to eating eggs every morning. So, I asked at the front desk if we could manage to work something else out. They gave us discount vouchers for the buffet breakfast downstairs every morning and we were able to have omelets and bacon and sausage as well as the pastries and the rest of it. So much, in fact, that we never needed to eat lunch. We rarely saw any sun the first day. Actually the first two days. Because this is a British island, they have a unique culture where they serve tea at 3 every day to those on the executive floors along with diverse pastries that were delicious. We spent the afternoon going through all the booklets we grabbed and pondered if we wanted to stay with our original sightseeing choices we had made back home or wanted to add any. That night we joined the others from the executive floors at the nightly social hour complete with hors d’oeuvres (two hot items changed nightly and the usual veggies and dip and cheese and crackers) and a self-serve open bar, everything from Bailey’s Irish Cream to Mount Gay Rum, beer and wine along with the mixers, before we headed to Pisces for dinner. I settled on lobster served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. We split a banana galette for dessert– delicious.
The other things that we decided to do while we were there were to see the Gun Hill Signal Station, the Mount Gay Rum tour, we visited No Pointe, St. Nicholas Abbey, Bathsheba, shopped at the Chattel House Village in Holetown, and saw the Parliament buildings. We found Barbados to be very charming. The island is a busy one and they do have their own traffic hour. One could truly spend weeks exploring this wonderful place. We did our best, and still managed to work in some pool time.
I’m a bit of a foodie and I was amazed at the wonderful waterfront restaurants we ate at besides Pisces.
· SouthSeas. We were impressed with the view as well as the excellent service and terrific food. We had the opportunity to say hello to Alfred and he was kind enough to come out and say goodbye before we left.
· Angry Annie’s. Brightly painted. I had good ribs, but my husband had outstanding bajan chicken. It was a “fun” place to eat.
· The Cliff. Our best dining experience, although very expensive. We made early reservations and went earlier yet to sit in their “lounge”. I ordered a drink off their new menu. I can’t recall what it was, but it was the #2 and very refreshing. Thanks to Lois’s advice, we were able to get either table 48 or 51, we’re not sure which it was, but it was it was a GREAT table. I had a spicy beef Thai salad and beef, potatoes and a vegetable. No dessert. Our bill for two people for a two-course meal with one drink each came out to be $214 US dollars. But it was so worth it. The view was wonderful and the service was impeccable. We also saw two stingrays, which is supposed to mean good luck to any persons who see them!
· Aqua. A beautiful view, but it rained, so the cover was down the entire time and we only saw it from the parking lot. Very contemporary type of elegant. I enjoyed the short ribs and the Tiramisu for dessert was perfect. The management is really special.
· Champers. Another glamorous view. They whipped up a good chicken breast and the BEST mashed potatoes in all of Barbados. A hard to choose from dessert menu, but we chose the bread pudding with the rum sauce and ice cream. SO good!
· 39 steps. We actually cancelled reservations at the Fish Pot as we had already discovered how far St. Lucy’s was and decided to eat here after hearing other people on Fodor’s talk about this place. It’s not seaside, but it offers excellent chicken and pasta and is relaxed and cozy.
The choices are bewildering because there are so many first class restaurants, but we were pleased with all of our choices.

After waking up on the last day and going down to breakfast, I came down with my second migraine in Barbados. Lucky for me, my husband was able to pack everything up as I lay in bed and managed to hustle us out at noon in time for check out and time to catch our flight home. I realized I had barely scratched the surface of this wonderful place and I hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye. So, we’ve decided that another visit to Barbados isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.

ejcrowe

Knowing, I'm so glad that you both enjoyed Barbados so much! I'd love to hear more details about what you did during the days you were there, both the places you toured and any beaches you went to.

Your report of the Cliff took me back to our special dinner there. Your food sounded much better than ours, but oh, that setting! We also had a table down on the level closest to the water and we saw stingrays and a seaturtle come into the cove while there. Definitely the most dramatic and romantic dinner setting I've experienced.

owa

Thanks Knowing for the report. It is hard to duplicate the view at the Cliffs.

We were last in Barbados when the Hilton was just in the beginning stages. I used to walk from Coral Sands each day to where the Hilton is now. I'll never forget meeting a woman that came to the beach every morning to swim and walk. She was extremely upset about the Hilton being built because it would spoil that beautiful spot for any resident that lived in Barbados. The memory of my walks and the beautfiul beach will never be forgotten. Thanks again, Owa

ejcrowe

I'm now curious which island is at the head of your list--Nevis or Barbados--and for what reasons. If I'm remembering correctly, both islands are way ahead of St. Lucia in your book, right?

caribtraveler

Thanks for the trip report. So overall, you were very happy with the Hilton? Whenever we'll go to Barbados, that is probably where we'll stay as it's offered on Hotwire at a very good rate. In all my research of the island, it does seem that there's a lot to do there. Glad you enjoyed the trip!

Knowing

EJ,
We saw the Gun Hill Signal Station which has a beautiful view, although the British army preferred it for it's location. There is a huge lion that one of the captains carved from one rock. The rum tour was actually disappointing. Mostly a time line mural, a 12 minute movie, a glimpse into the bottle house and a tasting at the end and there were too many people. Not worth the $7 pp. North Pointe is way up at the top of the island and the breaking waves are magnificent to see. This is where the animal flower caves are. St. Nicholas Abbey is the island's oldest greathouse. It has the beautiful gate and the dutch gables and beautiful grounds, original furniture and family photo's. The Parliment building is another beautiful victorian building with stained glass windows and we saw the National Heros Square across the street, which is a monument to Lord Nelson. As far as beaches go, we went to Bathsheba (the "soup bowl&quot to see the huge boulders and the surfers, we walked Carlisle Bay, we went for a short period of time to Brighton Beach and Mullins Beach. Sorry your food experience wasn't what ours was at the Cliff. Someone else at the Hilton has said they thought it was overrated. We went on a Sunday night and early, thinking it would work to our advantage - maybe it did? We still are more devoted to Nevis, as much as we loved Barbados. We loved that it was so undeveloped and how courteous everyone was and that it didn't seem like a "tourist" place. And, yes, St. Lucia still falls at the very bottom of our list!
Owa-We went expecting to hear people complaining even though the Hilton had merely re-built on their original location. We never heard it. What we did hear over and over again were the stories of the demolition- they had never seen one before - and people talking about the pictures they took.
Caribtraveler-Overall, yes, we were happy with the Hilton. I think they need to put a little more effort into their poolside restaurant, but the suites are something to be admired!

MIM04

Knowing - thanks for the report. I think the Cliff is my favorite restaurant anywhere (well if not favorite, then close ) South seas is wonderful too. I am glad you had such a nice trip. I love Barbados, fantastic place.

ejcrowe

knowing, thanks for following up with your activities, as they were fun to read about. Glad it was such a successful trip for y'all! Have you already started planning your next destination, and if so, where?

Our food at the Cliff wasn't bad, it just wasn't especially good. Nothing inedible, it was just far outclassed by the setting. Maybe we had an off night, but even so I would return there for a special meal because really, that setting can't be topped!

Knowing

EJ- My next trip is actually to Tahiti in April with a friend. As far as a next Caribbean trip, I'm not sure where we're going yet. My husband is feeling like he is wanting to go someplace easy to get to without an overnight or a long layover. Someplace we can indulge our bodies and souls. He just finished telling me this morning how much he misses his Barbados omelets. Me too!

travelenthusiast

Knowing - Thanks for the trip report. We are going to Barbados soon and will use some of you restaurant suggestions!