Barbados Sightseeing
 

We will only be on Barbados for one day during a cruise. I have been there a couple of times before but both times on ship excursions. This time we would like to see something that is called "Sam Lord's Castle" or something like that. We also would like to go to a beach in that area. Has anyone ever heard of that? It looks really interesting on barbados.org, but I can't really find any reviews of it. Would it be relatively easy to hire a driver to take us there? Then easy to get to a beach, then get a cab back to the ship? I am so hesitant a venturing far from the ship and finding that we are stranded somewhere. Any help would be appreciated.

Sam Lord's Castle was a hotel that closed many years ago. I'm not sure if the building is still there or not. You certainly can't visit it, though perhaps you can see something from the outside. It's on the island's southeast side. I don't know much about Bottom Beach, which is closest to that area, but Crane Beach is nearby, and it's really beautiful. There's a hotel there called The Crane, and if you pay a fee or buy drinks at the hotel, I'm sure you can use the beach. It will be easy to get a taxi there and back (the hotel can call one for you or you can arrange to have your original driver come back to pick you up), but I'm not sure of the cost. It's not like Barbados is 50 miles across. Even if traffic is at its worst, you can be back to your ship in about half an hour.

Yes, Sam Lords Castle has been closed to the public for many years though there is talk of renovations. The Crane would indeed be a good place to go as the hotel is one of the oldest on the island, so you get the history factor, plus a great beach. It will be no problem getting a taxi to and from and you can get drinks/food at the hotel restaurant.
If you're not sold on that, you might find some other options at www.destinationcaribbean.net

If you want to go to a calm water beach, the southeast coast around the (closed) Sam Lord's Castle is fairly rough water. If you are into castles, maybe you'd like some of the restored/maintained sugar plantations of the past. Two of the best are Francia Plantation and Sunbury House. If you take a private taxi tour, you'll avoid the masses. There is also Harrison's Cave and the spectacular Flower Forest, a tropical garden/forest so gorgeous that it prompted one visitor to write in their guest book, "If I owned Flower Forest and Paradise, I'd rent out Paradise and live in Flower Forest." A nice beach stop would be at the lovely Coral Reef Club hotel for lunch and use their beach. See www.barbados.org

Thanks so much for the help. One of our fellow travelers had indicated that she found it on barbados.org, but apparently she did not read the part about it being closed. She made it sound like it was a "house" you could tour.
I will do some more research based on your suggestions. We have been to Harrison's Cave. I guess I am just nervous about being "left behind." Our last stop in Barbados was in 2004 and we took a ship excursion which was one of the poorest we have ever experienced unfortunately, so we figured we would just do our own research and do it ourselves (there are six of us). I am confortable doing this on some islands, but just not that familiar with Barbados. Thanks for the help.

You may enjoy St. Nicholas Abbey.
It is likely the last remaining authentic house of the 17th Century that exists anywhere in the "New World". When this residence was built around 1658 of brick and limestone, many of the structures in the North America were made of timber, and have long since perished.

The residence was built only 30 years after Barbados' settlement by the British in 1627, so it is of significant historical value to the island and as such its preservation and continuing access to the public and, display as a heritage tourism site is fundamental to the overall marketing and business plan.

Its potential as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Opening Hours: Sunday - Friday 10:00am to 3:30pm (including most holidays - please call them for details).

I think you may really enoy this.

Lois
General Admission: BDS$25 (Adults)

Thanks Lois. Do you know of a nice beach nearby that we could combine with the tour?

yes i've seen it too.it is a beautiful georgian mansion built in 1820.but it is in the south coast of Barbados.

We were in Barbados in July of 2007 at a Villa on Paynes Bay Beach (west side). We stayed for week and drove and swam and dined all over the island. Our two favorite daytime experiences were snorkeling off of our beach, and going to The Crane Resort/Beach. If you like snorkeling with huge sea turtles and lots of other undersea life, you would like snorkeling in aynes Bay. The high end catamaran trips travel there. We were lucky enough to walk in from our villa.

A long, potholed, poorly marked road trip to the southeast shore would land us at Crane's, to which, despite the drive, we traveled on two of our days. When you arrive at the resort, tell them you are paying a resort fee or dining at the restaurant, and they will let you park. We would then dine at the restaurant, then descend the many steps to the beautiful pink sand, blue water beach. In summer, there aren't as many waves as in the winter, so it depends on when you are going. However, in July, we had a blast with our 10 and 13 year olds boogie boarding and skim boarding (they call it sand skating in Barbados) on Crane Beach. It was a little rough, but not too bad. There is a guy selling drinks on the beach and renting chairs.The beach is not affiliated with /serviced by the hotel. There were locals jumping off of a high rocky outcropping into the high waves. It would be a great day trip on a cruise stop, but you are right to worry about the trip back. I would leave at least 45 minutes for travel time and get a driver who is from the island. If you rent a car, it is very easy to get lost in Barbados.

The other option would be to enjoy the many fine dining choices on the island.

Have fun!