I am planning on getting married in Barbados this July, and am trying to decide between two locations -- the Tides Restaurant or Calabaza Restaurant. Any recommendations based on the food, service and decor? Also, any recommendations for nearby hotels for guests?

For a wedding celebration I would recommend the Tides. It is more formal, with classic decor. It is a nice location, it has good views, and the staff was very pleasant and solicitous.

While we absolutely loved Calabaza, the decor is a little funkier (bright colors, less formal). The quality of the food at Calabaza is excellent, the service was also beyond compare. It also has good water views. Maybe Calabaza could qualify as a rehearsal dinner location?!

You can't go wrong in either place as far as the service, food, and views go. It'll have to boil down to decor and what you are looking for. Oh, and the Tides is a bit more expensive, but not appreciably so if my recollection is correct.

Try going to the following websites for additional information and pictures:

www.calabazabarbados.com
www.tidesbarbados.com

The meals were memorable enough that I even remembered what I ordered after perusing the menus.

Good luck.

Thanks Lizzie. Any recommendations on what to order?

These are 2 of my favorite restaurants that I always recommend to people. The chef, Guy Beasley, at the Tides is well-known on the island and does some wonderful dishes. It's all on one level and under trees.

Calabaza has more of a flair to it with the light torches (shades of The Cliff) where Huggie Harris who manages it used to manage at The Cliff. The service we got was excellent there.

Have you ever thought of looking at Carambola. It also has a spectacular setting - more so than either of the other places. All seating is along the cliff with the sea light up below. Excellent food also. Robin Walcott would be the person to contact there (the owner). You could call any of the restaurants and find out what they could offer you.

If you want to contact me for phone numbers, write me at:
[email protected]

A fantastic hotel on the West Coast would be Coral Reef Club -- they have some spectacular new villas and suites.

Tamarind Cove is also nearby.

Lois

I actually had the mahi-mahi at both restaurants. It sounds boring, but I really wanted to compare. It was excellent at both places; perhaps a little more memorable at Calabaza. We also had the Ginger pudding with caramel ice cream at Calabaza, which was divine. My husband had the beef at the Tides and he thought it was very good. I can't remember what he had at Calabaza, but I know he raved about it.

Carambola is very dramatic, I just didn't really didn't care for my meal there. It probably had more to do with my selection than the quality of food, as my husband enjoyed his meal. I guess my biggest complaint was I asked the waitress to describe the special. Had she given a more accurate description (even after asking the kitchen), I might not have selected it and would have chosen something more to my liking. The staff at the other restaurants were a bit more knowledgable.