Barbados -- location and dining questions
 

My husband and I will be spending a week at "The House" in Barbados at the end of August. Breakfast is included in our rate, but I know there is only one restaurant on the property for lunch and dinner. For the rest of our meals --

- are there any restaurants within walking distance of the House? We're interested in both reasonably priced and the occasional splurge.
- does it make more sense (economically) to rent a car or take a tax for a daily outing (whether that is sightseeing, eating or both)? what would the taxi fare to the major centers be?
- is it a nightmare to rent a car? we've never driven on the left (Bermuda doesn't really count since that was a scooter) and I'd hate to waste money on a car if we end up not using it.
- has anyone been to the restaurant at the House?

any other advice for meals? We're very unsure what to expect in the Barbados (both in quality and cost -- plus I'm pregnant to complicate matters!), and are basically looking for good casual lunches and the occasional nice dinner.

Thanks!

If you'd like to write me directly I can send you my "tips sheet" on Barbados. I'm at: [email protected]

Daphne's is right there at Tamarind Cove - it's wonderful.

To highlight your trip a real splurge at The Cliff might be considered - it's the best on the island. Also pricey but worth it (imo) with spectacular views and wonderful food would be The Cliff.

We always rent a car as we like the freedom it gives us. My husband does all of the driving (on the left) and does quite well. Taxis are an option, but it will probably run you about $20 a trip or more - it can add up.

Please write me and my tips sheet will answer all of your questions and more. I'm just someone who loves the island and it will be our 17th trip coming up in October.

Lois

oh my goodness, you have chosen a slice of heaven!!!!! this resort is the finest in service you are sure to have a wonderful, relaxing time. It seems unusual, though, that you are going to a place like this, yet are looking to b e frugal in your dining experiences. As my husband and I discovered, the food in Barbados can be quite pricey, but delicious. The restaurant in the House is nice, you can order your lunch from there each day. The breakfast is delicious. As for renting a car, why bother? They pick you up in a Mercedes at the airport, and we cabbed it everywhere we went. Cab drivers must take you back and forth wherever you want to go, so you just tell them when to come back and pick you up from wherever. We had the same cab driver for our week long stay, and he was like part of the family by the time we left. Ask at the House, they will hook you up. As far as restaurants go , we went to the Cliff also, gorgeous! We let our "service ambassador at the House decide where we should go- giving her a few parameters, and we were never disappointed. Just be prepared, the House is quite expensive, and you never see a bill until you leave.

Thanks for the advice Lois! I will definitely e-mail you today for your "tip sheet." We leave on Friday.

Travlnut -- it's not that we want to scrimp on every meal, but we're splurging on the hotel and don't want every lunch and dinner to be a 5 star, 2 hour, $200 extravaganza. We've actually gotten a very reasonable rate on "the House" (all things being relative), but would like to know of a few good, casual restaurants to mix in with more special nights out. I appreciate your advice, especially since you've stayed at the House, and have just a couple of follow-up questions . . .
- what can we expect to pay for taxi rides to the major centers? (Bridgetown, Holetown, etc.)
- is there anything at all within walking distance? (I don't have my hopes up for this one based on other "tropical" islands we've been to)

Thanks to all!

we took a free bus service into bridgetown- we got the bus at the tamarind cove- it left at 9am and returned at about 3ish- there were a few cute pubish type places in town, and we had a nice lunch outdoors on a second floor restaurant. as far as the cab costs, your ambassador will tell you how much to pay the driver- as far as i can remember- we spent between 70-100 dollars on cab rides for 7 days, out to dinner each night, golfing, sightseeing, etc. we really thought it was pretty reasonable- and because we were so fond of the cab driver, we actually overpaid him. as for restaurants within walking distance, probably the only ones would be accessible by beach walking- the sidewalks really aren't too wide. we took a daily walk, and passed a few hotels, which i'm sure have restaurants, and we would stop at a little shack-like margarita bar which had food also, for a lite lunch. if you're playing golf at sandy lane, try to have lunch there- it really is a treat!

Travelnut: I have a few questions for you as well....I am going to The House in late September and am curious about the ambassador program. I haven't seen anything anywhere about tipping. Could you give me some insight to the protocol? I would apreciate this information and anything else you might have to share on your experience at The House.

Lois - if you don't mind, could I also email you for your Barbados tips sheet?

Hi ,everyone.We are currently trying to decide between "The House" and Sandy Lane for our wedding and/or honeymoon.Any input would be most helpful!!

You won't find anything to surpass Sandy Lane - it's the ultimate on the island.

lizzie518:we had a bit of a dilemma over the tipping, also, mainly because we didn't realize how the ambassador was in actuality our own private attendant for the duration of our trip. i mean, this person went to the store to get cheese and crackers for our nightly cocktail hour! we gave her something around $15-20 per day, to the best of my recollection. i hope you get one of the rooms on the first floor, so you can walk right out to the pool and the beach. i wonder how busy it will be in september, probably not too...we went at the end of june, and for 5 of our 7 days, we and 1 other couple from great britain were the only ones there! talk about perfect!!! i think that is why maybe i would choose the house over sandy lane- when we went there for lunch, we saw that it was, of course, larger, than the house, and therefore more crowded. and of course, no children under 16 at the house!

Travelnut: Thank you so much for your input. We are going there for our honeymoon, so the less people the better! I knew that our ambassador would be assigned only to us, which I've never experienced before, and thus had no idea what an appropriate tip would be.

To Blair9535: We also looked into the Sandy Lane in planning for this trip, and while it looks like the ultimate in luxury, we opted for The House. The Sandy Lane is much larger, offered a lot in services that we were not interested in, and was much more expensive. We were kind of hoping that The House would have a lot less traffic, and be a little more private. Other than that, based on my research, they both looked like top-notch places. It just depends on what you want the place to offer.