STARSHINE8

Hello All! I am going to be in Barbados July2 - July9. Besides Oistens and Daphnes for eating, what other great islandly spots can you recommend? Going to be staying on the South Coast but plan on spending a few days and evenings on the West. Thank you! Starshine8 -- PS I love on the water spots/candle/music and beachy feel....

posha

We just got back from our first trip to Barbados yesterday and had fantastic meals at Pisces in the Gap and The Tides in Holetown.

STARSHINE8

Hey Posha! How cool! Thanks! Where did you stay( South or West Coas) What else do you recommend for a MUST DO? This will be our first trip to Barbados as well. We are planning on a Cool Runnings snorkel/turtle trip, visit over to Bathseba and Oistens Fish Fry. And a day horseback riding somewhere! Since we are staying on the South Coast, we are also planning on spending the day on the West Coast near Paynes Bay and take the water taxi, snorkle, etc. Anything else you found rather fun and exciting??

Knowing

David's Place offers a complimentary glass of wine when two people dine there if you reserve by e-mail and use the promo code found on their web site. Dinners are around $30-50.

posha

We stayed at The Crane on the east coast so we were some distance away from the action in the Gap and about 45 minutes to an hour from the west coast. We had a rental car though so the remoteness of The Crane was not an issue and the resort itself was amazing so we had no regrets about where we stayed.

We did the catamaran sail with Calabaza and had a fantastic time. They only take twelve people and we ended up with only ten during our trip, most of whom we were traveling with so it was almost as though we had a private charter. The food, service, and snorkeling on the trip were outstanding and I would highly recommend Calabaza to anyone interested in a cat trip. Cool Runnings was out at the same time we were. They made a couple of the same stops but the boat was very crowded as compared to ours and I was glad we chose Calabaza.

We also made the trip to Bathsheba. What an adventure that was. It is not an easy place to find - at least not for us. We took many wrong turns and ended up driving by the same places a couple of times before we found our way, but we did eventually get there and had a wonderful lunch at the Round House Inn. It was worth the trip but if you're driving yourselves make sure you get really good detailed directions before you head out.

The beach at the Crane was so beautiful that we ended up spending most of our time there. I highly recommend taking a trip to the east coast for a day at Crane beach. While there, definitely have lunch at Cutters, which is just a short walk from Crane beach. They have great sandwiches and salads and you can take lunch with you to the beach.

We went to Bridgetown one afternoon and did some shopping but were not impressed. There was a cruise ship in town the same time we were there so it was very crowded. Others had recommended the Waterfront Cafe for lunch so we went there but were disappointed. The food was average and the service was terrible (we waited over an hour for our food because the waitress put our order in her pocket and forgot all about it and us).

We also had great stone-fired pizza and daiquiris at Bert's in Christ Church so check it out if you're looking for a laid-back casual meal.

Have a great trip!

STARSHINE8

Thank you so much for the useful information. I read about Crane Beach, that the sand is pink! I am a beach lover! Many of my days are spent in the sand or in the water while on vacation.... I also have not heard about Calabazza; it sounds like just our style, smaller crowd! I will check out your recommendations. So glad we have this forum to inquire about places and things to do. I will let you know how our trip is. Starshine...

alanb

You should consult with Lois Swanson, the resident Barbados expert,, or look at her website, whihc is full of suggestions for hotels, restaurant, tour guides, etc. -- I think it's www.barbadostips.com -- we were on South coast in Feb 2009, stayed at Bougainvillea (really nice condo-style hotel) -- there are now many great dining spots, many more than in the past, some are expensive, but usually worth it -- Zagats online has Barbados restaurant reviews you should look at too -- try the Restaurant at Southsea, Pisces, Champers, and Cafe Luna (all on South coast) as well as The Tides and The Cliff (both on West coast) -- many more good places in different price ranges -- we also enjoyed a great place called Aqua on South coast that apparently had to close because the high-end places are being badly hurt by the fall-off in tourism caused by the bad economy in the US and the UK.

alanb

David's is overpriced and not very good -- we went years ago and it has continued to decline. For activities, you should consider taking an island driving tour with a guide or a taxi driver (not in a big bus!) and maybe go to Harrison's Caves, which we really enjoyed when we wanted to get out of the sun for a morning. Oistens fish fry is fun, with good cheap food, but noisy and crowded.

Knowing

Restaurants can always change. We have been to Barbados a couple of times. The first time we ate at David's, the food was a sophisticated type of cuisine and was in a prime location - on the water on St Lawrence Bay. We have eaten at Pisces and will not return unless they pay US to eat there. Other good restaurants that we have found to be noteworthy are The Cliff, The Tides, Champers, and The Restaurant at Southsea.
Since you are planning on spending a few evenings on the west coast, The Lone Star is one of the most trendy restaurants on Barbados.

bajangirl

I would agree that David's is vastly overpriced and the food mediocre at best. You cannot go wrong with Champers - splendid location, very good and reliable food, friendly service - definitely my fav. Surfers Cafe just outside of Oistins is also a great little place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, right on the sea and live entertainment some nights, reasonable prices. Oh, and they have the coldest Heinekens on the island. Restaurant at South Sea is very good but pricey. I would not go back to The Tides or Pisces or Aqua - bad food, horrendous prices for little scraps of lettuce drowning in dressing! Cafe Luna is also a great spot and good food though a little more pricey.
Don't worry, Barbados is awash with restaurants - you won't go hungry.

alanb

For a special occasion or a one-time splurge, Wispers is a trendy, high-end place for dinner on the South coast, about US $100 per person (prix fixe) for 3 courses, plus drinks and tips/taxes, sophisticated dining and you have your table all evening (they do not "turn over" any tables so you can have a leisurely dinner). Too pricey for my tastes but many people love it (including Bajangirl, I recall).

kmw1211

If you plan to do a snorkeling cruise the very best one to go on is Cool Runnings. These guys were great! A lot of fun great food and open bar. I have tried one other company and it was not much to speak of in fact I can't even remember the name, but the concierge had a discount or 2 for 1 deal, and it still was not worth the price. So stick with Cool Runnings and have a ball.
The Plantation Show was great and the beach party (name??) was fun too. They have a zip line adventure now that sounded like great fun as well.
If you haven't rented a car you may want to, this is a big Island but unless you want to explore by bus (which goes everywhere, frequently and cheap) get a car.

Some of my favorite restaurants include Aqua, Opa, The restaurant at south sea (all on the ocean ask for a surf side table) and Champers (sports bar) all in Christ Church, The Cliff (on the ocean ask for a surf side table) in St. James and if you like Japanese Zen (ocean also) in St. Philip at the Crane Hotel.
Also the Friday night fish fry is great fun and the flying fish is very tasty.