Family Fun Week in Barbados 12/24 to 12/30

Story and Photos by Tab Hauser

[The following is a complete trip report on our visit to Barbados. It is a detailed write up on things we did and places we ate. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I liked writing it. Please email any questions or comments to tabh@hascorelays.com]

Barbados was this year’s family destination.  I picked this island after our successful family trip to Tortola a year early.  After some research I found that the beaches here were mild to wild. This meant the kids would get a chance to surf and afterwards, we would all be able to float around in quieter waters.  The Barbados surf conditions run from beginner to expert.  This enabled kids to try their hand on the easier southern breaks and then go watch experts at the “Soup Bowl” on the on the eastern side by Bathsheba.

Our Air Jamaica flight left N.Y. on time at 7AM on December 24^th.   After a quick stop in St Lucia we arrived on time in Barbados at 2PM.  Our only complaints for the flight were that the bottom seat cushion was a bit worn out and there were no Custom declaration forms on board.  On arrive it took 20 minutes to clear Customs and get our bags. A porter then took us to the friendly rep from Stouts Rental Car.  After the rep and an assistant shoe horned our 6 bags and boogie board into a small Korean SUV we were off to the Bougainvillea Resort Hotel for our week of down time.  From our quick check in we were taken to a 2 bedroom suite with a small living room and kitchen overlooking the beach. From here it was off to a near by supermarket before they closed for the holiday.      The local supermarket was as complete as one would find for a small market in the States.  Here we loaded up on bottled water, fruit, fruit punch (for the good rum we got at the airport) and snacks.  We also bought some Barbados beef patties to heat up in our suite as a late afternoon snack before hitting the beach and watching the sunset.

For dinner we picked David’s in St Lawrence Gap. It was one of a few places open Christmas Eve and we remembered having a good meal there 4 years earlier.    
David’s is on the main road by the Gap.  There tables over look small fishing boats and a little bay in which you see Pisces in on other side.  Here three of us ordered the Pepper pot Stew and one ordered the Bajan Chicken. Side dishes included cou-cou (like a polenta) along with macaroni pie, sweet potato casserole, plantains and local squash.   The pepper pot was a combination of meat, lamb, chicken and pork in a spicy pepper pot sauce and served in 6 inch casserole dish.   To me the pepper pot dish had the meat a little too dry. There was lots of spicy pepper sauce flavor in it.  The Bajan chicken was two pieces of chicken breast fried and was OK.   We shared the coconut cream pie for desert.  This is a desert that is heavy and full of coconut flavor with a meringue topping.   After dinner we returned to the hotel to find a band playing Christmas songs on the steel drums to several people at the bar and one couple on a hammock.

The next day half our group did the buffet breakfast and the other half snacked on the cereal and bananas we got at the market. The buffet had eggs cooked to order along with pre-made pancakes, some sliced fruit, baked goods and other things one would expect. The cost was US$17.  After breakfast we learned that Santa Claus does not come down chimneys in Barbados. We saw first hand how he came via wave runner from the ocean to give toys to all the girls and boys on the beach.  Santa was met by a 3 piece band, stilt walker and 2 dancers.  This was a nice touch down by the hotels for kids and parents.

                     Santa Claus on a Wave Runner                                                       Maxwell Beach From Hotel Suite

After seeing the fat man in the red suit do the beach landing it was off to exploring the island with our first goal to find Bottom Bay at the southeast part of the island.  After missing a few roads and then zigging and zagging our way to the ocean we found a ruined mansion via a dirt road that lead us to the cliffs over the beach.  Bottom Bay is definitely off the main tourist route. In fact, after making our way down the stairs we found only one older British couple there.   Bottom Bay is scenic, remote and worth the trip to get away from the crowds for a couple of hours.  It is not a swimming beach, at least not when we were there. Depending on the wind and waves there can be dangerous currents and swells.  When we were there we saw waves crashing into a small ledge where the sand met the ocean. This created a crunching sound sending spray 15 feet high.   After exploring the boulders and fossilized coral formations we headed to the Soup Bowl in Bathsheba on the east side at our daughters request. 

                                                          Bottom Bay looking down from cliff and look up from beach

Different Scenes at Bottom Bay

In crossing the island we went from flat and dry to lush and hilly.  At Bathsheba we saw very large waves crashing down but not with the consistency a surfer would want to see.  When we got to the beach in front of Soup Bowl a man claiming to be life guard came by telling us it was too dangerous to swim.   He told us the water was more treacherous today than usual which is why he put out the red flags.   In having a friendly chat with this young man he did say that if any if any crazies would want to go out  he could not stop them.  The guards here at his Caribbean Mecca for surfers seemed to need help.  First, they had no uniforms or even shirts to say who they were.  The other thing they complained about was the need for a lifeguard station to be built. What he said was that he an his partner sit on a public bench overlooking the water or sit in their Suzuki when it rains. He asked people to write to the local government for the lack of services here.  

                      Fly Fish Salad For Lunch                                                                Trinkets at the Beach

With no places opened for lunch due to it being Christmas Day we crossed the island and made it back to the Bougainville Resort in 40 minutes. There we had lunch and spent a pleasant afternoon at the beach and later in the pool during the 3:30 to 4:30 happy hour.

For Dinner we passed on the Christmas Day buffet offered at the hotel and went to Sweet Potatoes at the St Lawrence Gap. Sweet Potatoes is a nice Bajan family owned restaurant.  Here we shared the wings ordered “blistering hot” and was indeed lathered up in their home made bbq style spicy sauce.  For a main course two of us ordered  the mixed seafood in a light Creole sauce which we found fresh and tasty.  The fried chicken was basic and skimpy on the portion. A cheeseburger ordered was only fair.  I would recommend only ordering the Bajan specialties here.

Today we headed to Burkie’s Surf School.  We got Alan Burke’s name from an ad in one of the local glossy magazines that came in our room.  Originally we called Surf Barbados as well as Zed’s to rent boards. Both companies in the holiday confusion or for lack of emailing back promptly could not help us.  Burkie’s did come through for us.   Alan runs his business out of his home giving lessons at $35 per hour.  He said he normally did not do rentals but would help the teens out.  Ten minutes after our phone call we were at his house picking up 2 boards at $30 each per day. He also gave us directions to Freight’s Bay where the beginner and novices try first.   The conditions at Freight’s that day were pretty flat and after the teens watched the waves for 15 minutes opted to drop the boards off at the hotel and head north to the pretty west coast beaches.   Thirty minutes later we arrived at Mullet’s Bay on the advice of different guide books and some tourists we met.   Mullet’s is a pretty beach with an inflatable iceberg and trampoline floating on the water to play on. There was a steel drum band and different people renting umbrellas, chairs as well as selling you snorkeling trips to the turtles.  The place was also crowded.  With all the people at Mullet’s, my family decided to stay for lunch  and then head to a less touristy beach 1 mile north behind the Schooner Hotel in Speightstown called Schooner Beach.    The beach behind the Schooner Hotel was recommended by a local we met the day before. To get there you bear left into Speightstown at the main road and make the first left in the village following the street until it ends at a parking lot. From there you can walk as far down the beach as you like. This pretty crescent beach offers with no services or facilities except for possibly lunch at a small hotel on the far end.   On the beach this Boxer Day we saw only several tourists using their hotel chairs. There were also several Bajan men enjoying their day off with a make shift bar chatting the day away.  Our family stopped in the middle of the beach, placed our stuff in a pile and marched into the calm sea for the next 2 hours with out getting out.  I did grab my mask and snorkeled around some small coral formations seeing several types of small tropical fish.  I suspect I may have seen more fish a little further out but was just too lazy to get my fins and swim out.     After the better part of this pleasant afternoon at Schooner Beach we headed back to the Bougainville Resort in time to pull out a lounge and watch a glowing orange sunset saying good bye to another nice day. 

       Calm Surfing Conditions at Freight's Bay                                     No Crowds at Schooner Bay, Speightstown Xmas Day!

Barbados Maxwell Beach Sunset

  
Dinner tonight was the only disappointment in our day. Maureen decided to try Cabo del Sol in the Gap. They do not take reservations for less than 6 and our 30 minute wait turned into 60 minutes after tipping someone who said they would “take care” of us.  While waiting we sat at the bar and watched 4 busy bartenders mix “less than potent” drinks to the back half of the place which only had bar stools.  When we sat down we were served their super nachos coming out cold and over priced for the portion size.  The burritos and tostados were also bland. 

The next day we got up early to check out the surf spots.  First we went to Freight’s Bay

where the teens monitored the waves and talked to other surfers.  With conditions flat, we moved on to the point off the light house a few streets away.  Here the waves were too choppy to get on.  Another problem for them was that there was no beach here. The waves end up in the rocks and uplifted coral heads.  This made my son uncomfortable so we decided to move on. (Personally I thought it was a good decision.)   From here we went another 10 minutes to Surfer’s Point.    The waves at Surfer’s Point were not promising but in an effort to give it a try the kids grabbed their boards and paddled around with a few others in the water looking for anything they can stand on.  After about an hour of exhausting paddling to stay in the area they gave up. While no one was able to get up on a wave for this session, the kids left the water not disappointed because of their effort to at least try.

               Thrashing Around Surfers Point                                           Cricket On Maxwell Beach at Dusk

  From here we headed to the shopping center opposite the Accra Beach hotel for lunch and to get board shorts at the Lazy Day Beach Shop. This is a convenient little center with several shops and an internet café.  The rest of the day was spent at the hotel beach.   The Bougainville Resort is on Maxwell Beach.  The beach here has very fine sand and pretty much caters to only people that are in the hotel due to its location. One benefit is that there are very few beach peddlers trying to sell you trinkets here.   The waves at Maxwell Beach make it fun for boogie boarding or just bobbing up and down as they roll in.  The four of us got in the water at around 1:30 and stayed in for 90 minutes before the kids went to the pool to throw a ball around.    The rest was spent lounging, reading and heading up to the swim up bar for happy hour.  We finished the day watching the sun go down behind the clouds over the horizon.

Dinner tonight was at Harlequins. We enjoyed eating outdoors here 4 years ago so we decided to try it again.    We were pleased to have found the service on this crowded evening good and our meals excellent.  My daughter and I ordered the seafood with a light cheese sauce and the pan seared rare tuna. We found it very nice when the waiter offered to split the meals in the kitchen. My son had the tuna while Maureen ordered  a Greek Salad.  For desert we had their homemade pina colada cheesecake and the of key lime pie. The cheesecake came with a pineapple and shredded coconut sauce and was very tasty.  The key lime pie was bland and made with food coloring. We found the wine prices reasonable here and ordered a nice Valpolicella.

Thursday morning we woke up and drove 2 minutes over to the Bean and Bagel Cafe at the end of the St Lawrence Gap.  (From our hotel you can walk to it via the beach by going through the Turtle Hotel and then making a right at their entrance.)  The Bean and Bagel Café is a nice place for breakfast.  Three smoked salmon sandwiches, one bagel and butter, fresh squeezed OJ and a frozen cappuccino came out to $50. We found the quality of the food good here and said we would come back.   From here we headed back to Freight’s Bay.  The teens were going to give it another surf try this morning and after spending a few minutes watching the waves they headed down the stairs to the ocean.   Our kids tried to catch the weak occasional good wave that came in but could not get the timing right to stand on it.   After watching them in the hot sun for an hour Maureen & I went down the steps and to join them in the ocean.  Today at Freight’s the  waves were coming in sets every several minutes so were able to bobbed up and down peacefully rather than get thrashed around as some other beach conditions had it.   After about 2 ½ hours the kids called it quits.   After surfing the kids decided to leave the surfboards with Alan who was there giving lessons at Freight’s Bay. From here we went back to Bathsheba to visit the surfers at the  Soup Bowl.

     Bikini Babe at Freight's Bay (oops)                                         Mom & Son Catching a Good Wave at Freight's Bay

When we got to the Soup Bowl we stopped the car on a bluff overlooking the scenic beach on both side.  From here we saw the waves crashing into the large rock formations jutting out of the sea on both sides. There was one person trying to surf close to the beach but the sloppy and harsh conditions made it difficult for him to stand.    While on the bluff a Bajan with a green monkey gave us a visit trying to sell postcards.  The monkey named Coco was like a puppy. All he wanted to do was play.  He jumped on Daniel’s lap to wrestle and frolic putting a big smile on his my son’s face.  After enjoying the view, taking plenty of pictures and giving a tip to Coco’s owner, we headed up the coast for lunch at Sun Dancer.  Sun Dancer is a nice Bajan place. The menu on the wall listed grilled fish, BBQ chicken, sandwiches and the usual side dishes.  We found it very tasty and would recommend a stop here when in the area.  From lunch we continued north up to the Animal Flowers Cave. 

Scenic Views From Soup Bowl

Sloppy Waves & Dangerous  Current at Soup Bowl off Bathseba on the East Coast

Photo By Melissa Hauser

Animal Flowers Cave is one of the most unusual caverns you can visit and a must see when in Barbados.  The caverns are on an eroded section of the cliff in which the waves over the years opened up holes to large rooms.  Visiting here can only be done when there are no strong winds or storms coming from the north. This is because when the caverns get hit with the waves, they fill up and flow out.  After paying $7.50 a guide takes you down the stairs.  If you are in between tours you can enjoy some of the best scenery from this northern point.   When the guide is ready he takes you down about 15 steps.   On the bottom step you will see natural openings to the ocean about the size of a van and step vans created by nature.  In the large caverns are shallow pools that are formed from the surf jumping through the holes and making its way on the inside. The guide points out the sea anemones that live in these pools.  Many years ago before it was a private park people would take home these living creatures that look like plants. If they did not take them, they would walk through the pools stomping them out.   Today, there are certain pools you can walk or wade in while there are others you can not because they are trying to raise the anemones.  The place got its name because these marine creatures look like flowers when the open to collect food.   Four years ago when we visited this cave we were only able to see only the front cavern and there was no mention of the anemones.  When you walk through the first large room you go through a man made opening get to another cavern and  pool. This one is deeper. You can walk and then swim a few strokes to the end of this pool where you can climb up and see a natural 8 to10 foot round by 5 foot deep plunge type pool formed naturally at the end of the cliff on  a ledge. If the waves are cooperating you can plunge in and feel the spray from the waves crashing below you.  This place is probably be the most unusual and most scenic ocean front pool you can soak in.  After about 30 minutes of wandering around the 10 people in our group made our way out from the back cavern to the front cavern for a last view and then up the stairs to the parking lot of souvenir vendors.   If you visit Animal Flower Cave I recommend you where water proof shoes and a bathing suit if you want to swim.  Do take a camera. If you plan on swimming, bring a waterproof bag to put it in.  This place is not good for people that can not climb stairs or have issues balancing on uneven surfaces.

Animal Flower Cave 1st Cavern    

                                                               Opening to Sea letting natural lighting in at Animal Flower Cave

  Daniel Hauser Silhouetted

 Looking into the Natural Pool Outside 2nd Cavern                         The Flower in Animal Flower Cave, Barbados

From Animal Flower Cave we headed a few minutes slightly south to an abandoned hotel on the cliffs called North Point Surf Resort.  This hotel  catered to the surfing crowd and was a  weekend hang-out  for people from the former U.S. Naval Base that was nearby.   This defunct hotel on the cliff is in the most remote corner of Barbados. It should be noted that ocean here can only be used by the strongest surfers.  North Point Surf Resort was a place complete with the largest pool and diving boards on the island.  To get close we drove up the dirt road to the back of the hotel where the promenade was. The view here is spectacular with waves crashing into cliffs and large rock formations 100 to 200 yards out being battered by the waves. Here we did see 2 surfers in the water being thrashed about on the large surges but did not see them catch any waves. Behind them were two huge rock formations in which the waves crashing upon them sent spray over 100 feet in the air. After looking at the ruins and view we drove around to the middle of the complex and walked to the Olympic size pool. The pool had two 10 foot diving platforms on a side area that was labeled with 12 feet deep painted signs. This was connected to the rest of the pool where the lap lanes were.  What was unusual was that the larger area of the pool was dry but the dive platform side must have had about 4 to 5 feet of water in it as this was lower in depth than the rest of it.  The diving area had weeds growing up in it with fish about 3 inches long swimming around.  Behind the pool a 2 story motel was slowly falling apart.  The windows were gone and the bricks from ceiling coming loose hitting the ground.  One large empty open sided room was clean swept with empty bottles in a corner.  The thing we found really strange was an old thin man using a weed whacker to clear some weeds near a tree on the dirt road.  We have no clue why he would pick that spot  to clear a few weeds, nor did it look overgrown.  It was as if the place had been abandoned and no one told him to stop working

Looking into Deep Side of Pool, North Point Surf Hotel            Note Tiny Surfer in Middle Just Under 1st Massive Rock

View From Inside Pool To Deep End & Dive Boards                   All You Need Here is Water, Towels & People at North Point Surf Hotel

                                                                    2 photos above by Melissa Hauser

After leaving the hotel Melissa decided we should find a place called Maycock’s Bay that she found on a surfing web sight. The beach here  place is very pretty and hard to find.  It is visited by only the locals that live in the area with very few tourists seeing it.  The surfing at Maycock’s Bay is only good several times a year when the waves and wind are from the northwest.  To get here we took a hand full small country roads and then asked 4 different people once we got into the area.  It was a local boy that lived two streets away that finally pointed us to the correct road that got us to the dirt road that lead us to the path to hike down the hill.   Had we had the proper clearance and tires on our mini SUV we could have driven down to the beach via a badly rutted abandoned one lane road.  This beach is very pretty because it located in a lush forest area with birds chirping everywhere.  The only down side is that you hear a cement factory humming in the distance.  When got to the sand we saw one Rasta man on the end swimming.  Later we were joined by a British expat walking her dog.  Due to the sun setting we passed on  swimming here  but hiked back up the hill to our car for the ride back down to the bottom of the island.

On A Country Road in the North Barbados

 left  photo by Melissa Hauser                                                                               Maycock Bay

Dinner tonight was a picnic at the beach by Bougainville Resort.  At 8PM we headed to the gap and bought BBQ chicken covered in sauce, fried marlin, macaroni pie, and coleslaw from two vendors.  While waiting for the chicken to finish cooking my son and wife shared a hot dog. What we learned from the locals is that they take a new meaning to getting a dog with everything on it.  Everything includes ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, mayonnaise and grated parmesan cheese!  Back at the hotel we made a make shift table out of a lounge chair and feasted besides the crashing surf for around $60.

           St Lawrence Gap Food Vendors: A Good Break From Sit Down Restaurants For Dinner On The Beach

Friday was our day on the water day.  We booked with the El Tigre catamaran. I picked it because of its 60 foot size  and would take no more than 36 people. I also liked the way sails were set up on their double mast offering what I knew would be a good ride.  When we got on board we were offered coffee, tea, water, beer and various spirits with the idea that it is happy hour somewhere in the world.  Our first stop was just 10 minutes away from the harbor to view a wreck. Guests were handed a mask, snorkel and a snorkel vest and invited to follow one of the crew to see the sunken boat.  The sunken freighter was easily viewed from the surface with the bow in only 6 feet under water at high tide with the rest in about 40 feet.  There were various fish to be seen and even more when when food was thrown about the area.  If you want to avoid the rest of the swimmers from the boat, bring fins as El Tigre does not supply them.

    An Afternoon At Sea on El Tigre, A 60 Foot 2 Mast Cat

            Leaving the Harbor in Bridgetown                                                        El Tigre Catamaran

 From the wreck, sails were set for the 45 minute ride up to Pain Beach to see the turtles.  It was smooth sailing all the way with the crew passing out homemade banana and coconut bread as well as them constantly asking what beverage they can get us   At Pain Beach we were given a small briefing on the turtles here.  It seems the locals started to feed the green sea turtles in an effort to boost the tourism.  The rules in the area were no fins (so you do not chase the turtles) and no one can grab them. What they did say is that you can rub your hand over it if they pass by.  Next a crew member jumped carrying slivers of fish.  The turtles recognize this and make there way to the group swimming.  Here the crew member swims down to entice the turtle to take the fish.  He would usually wave it in front and bring the turtle up to the surface.  If you have never seen a sea turtle before this may be a good place to visit.  After the turtle swim people who were on the 3 hour cruise portion of our cruise were let off,  the rest on the 5 hour cruise stayed on.  At that point a nice lunch was spread across the mid section of the boat. It included rice and peas, mac pie, corn, garlic bread, roasted chicken and fried flying fish.  After getting a plate full of food my family headed to the bow and ate while we sailed to our last stop called Paradise Beach. At the beach we were told this was to be a “splash and dash” giving us a ½ hour to swim around the boat or go on the beach. Maureen and I snorkeled to some dark spots among the sandy bottom to look for fish.  We spotted only an unusual blow fish as well as very pretty juvenile French angel. We also found 2 sand dollars that I picked up, looked at put back.   After the swim we made ourselves comfortable sitting with our feet on the mesh net open to the sea.    Daniel was sitting on the netting until we swung into the waves.  We had a great ride back with a big waves crashing into the bow and through the netting now and then. It was like a joy ride in amusement park with smiles all around.  This was a great afternoon on a good boat with a very service oriented crew.

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            Bridgetown Jewish Synagogue                                   Graves Stones Readable From Over 300 Years Ago

            The Government Building, Bridgetown                                    Grilling the Freshest Fish in Oiston's

At 3 PM we were back in Bridgetown where were changed out of our wet close and hit Broad Street for some light tourist shopping.  Bridgetown is not like some other Caribbean island cities that cater mostly to tourists.  This place is the capital of the country as well as center for commerce for Barbados.   Bridgetown is always awash with mostly Bajans going about their business of shopping, working  or making their way home.  After visiting two stores we continued up a few small streets lined with stores to the “Bridgetown Jewish Synagogue” as it is listed on the map.  Four years ago we visited this temple but the doors were closed. Today this small pink synagogue was wide open with no one around.  The best I can say is that it is quaint.  The Bridgetown Jewish Synagogue  is supposedly the oldest synagogue in the western world but not the oldest continuously used on.  When the Jewish population dwindled it was used as offices. It was also rebuild after a hurricane in the 1800’s.  (The oldest continuous Temple in the New World is in Curacao with the oldest in the USA in Newport.  All three are of the same style and religious sect.  The one in Barbados I estimate  is about a1/3 the size of the one I saw in Curacao 9 months earlier.   The Bridgetown Synagogue is surrounded on almost 3 sides  by many tombstones. Some of the tombstones are worn out while on some you can read the Hebrew and English going back 300 plus years.  After leaving the building we crossed the foot bridge, got in our car and learned never to leave Bridgetown during their rush hour as it took 45 minutes to drive what was a 20 minute ride in the morning. 

Dinner tonight was at the Oisten outdoor fish fry as it is sometimes called.  Here there are about a dozen shacks that serve all kinds of grilled and fried fish.  We searched through the different vendors until we found a place that would had beefsteaks for 2 in our group. I had the freshest and tastiest grilled kingfish that night.  If you go on Friday there is music and a party atmosphere. Do not miss going here.

Tab Hauser & Korean Surfer Wagon? The beach boys would not approve                            Daniel's Lizard Caught

The next to the last day the kids wanted to sleep in a little. I met Alan and paid him for the extra two days we had the surf boards and checked out the conditions at Freight’s Bay.  From 8 to 8:15 AM I watched two surfers do their best to catch two weak waves.  I was glad the kids decided to pass on surfing today because not only were the conditions not good, but the parents also needed a break from the running around trying to find the best waves.

                                                        Rasta Guys At Sunset at Maxwell Beach

The rest of the day was spent at the Bougainville Resort.  After a late breakfast we basically spent the day bobbing up and down in the waves in front of the hotel, took a wave runner out, read, swam by the pool and indulged in a couple of cocktails.  That evening we were going upscale for dinner and made reservations at Joseph’s at St Lawrence Gap.  Joseph’s got a good rating in the Zagat guide so we passed on our original plan of going to Pieces in favor of this place.  Upon entering  Joseph’s you are greeted by the nicest people who take you to a table overlooking the ocean. You also sit under the sky via a clear roof.  We ordered appetizers of a stuffed crab dish on a shell served with a mango sauce, shredded duck wrapped in a Chinese style pancakes, twice baked goat cheese soufflé  and a smoked shredded chicken packed in a puff pastry shell over a mushroom sauce.  The goat cheese was the hit of the group and while the crab dish sounded good and was presented nicely, it turned out to be nothing by a slightly seafood tasting bread stuffing.  The duck dish and chicken were both also good.  For the main course we ordered a grilled steak with mushroom sauce, the grilled lobster with tempura shrimp as well as the herb crusted lamb chops. The beef and lamb were very good. The grilled lobster was “average” and not as juicy as the ones I had in Anegada 6 months earlier.   The two shrimps that came with it lacked flavor. For desert we ordered the cheesecake topped with cherries, the warm rum cake with ice cream and a cheese platter.  The rum cake was moist, warm with no bitter after taste of rum and having the ice cream melt over it made it a homerun. The cheesecake was like a good New York style. The cheese platter was a miss. It was supposed to come with gorgonzola cheese among others but the chef replaced some of the cheeses for jalapeño cheddar.  While we like jalapeño cheddar melted on a cheeseburger or with cheese and crackers and a cold beer, it is not what you want your taste buds to finish off after a nice meal.  We asked about the gorgonzola cheese but the best the waiter can tell us on his return was that they were out and took this dish off our bill.  While the food was good,  the service and atmosphere were first rate. One thing we did not know until our meal was  nearly finished is that you can order from a separate sushi menu. This would have been a great idea for our appetizers or perhaps a main course. Joseph’s has a separate Japanese restaurant upstairs and if you ask for the menu they will give it you.

On our last day we once again brought some breakfast for half from the Bean and Bagel Café.  We also finished the cereal and bananas we got at the market. The rest of the day was spent in the ocean and pool until it was time to leave.  Today we had an extra hour on the beach today due to the Air Jamaica flight being late. We were not happy about this because our late flight meant missing our friends New Year’s Party.   We were pleased say Bougainville Resort  has a nice guest change room with shower that we took advantage of.  Also, if you are staying late they let you keep your room for $75 to $100 for the day if no one else is booked that night.   With the cheerful bellman shoe horning our bags back into mini SUV and the kids sharing one of the rear seats we were off to airport for the 15 minute ride.  At the airport we were met by the Stout’s rep who took the car with a smile and a handshake.  Check in took 5 minutes as we found no one on line.  The advantage of not buying a pre-paid transportation voucher as well as having your own car is you get to go the airport when you want to and not the 3 hours earlier the van requires you to be there.  Most people on our flight were there already 3 hours when we arrived and could not change the van pick up due to the late flight.   We finally departed at 7:30PM or 90 minutes late.  The New Year rang in to our family as we were on final approach to JFK or about 1000 feet over Queens. My teens made confetti and after I counted down to midnight tossed it up in the air. 

If You Go….

Before I get into details I want to say the people here (Bajan's) are of some of the friendly we have met on any of the many islands we have been to.  They are as polite on the road as off the road. When you drive you and make a turn into crossing traffic the will frequently flash their lights to let you go. The peddlers you may encounter on the beach are equally friendly and leave you alone with a polite no thank you. Barbados is also a clean and a relatively safe island. We did not fear things stolen from our car but also used common sense and did not leave things in site. When traveling use common sense like in most places around the world  when it comes to where you are going to be at night.

Bougainvillea Resort on Maxwell Beach can be found at www.bougainvillearesort.com/

They have standard, studio and 2 BR suites. It is a very good family destination. We did not eat dinner there but found the service and food at lunch convenient and good.

Stouts Rental Car can be found at www.stoutescar.com/  My secret for driving on the "wrong" side of the road is to take a post it note and place it in your line of site with the words "Think Left". It is a good way to be reminded which side of the road you are suppose to be in case your mind wanders off.

Animal Flower Cave:   439-8797

El Tigre Cruise:  www.eltigrecruises.com 417 7245 You can find a 15% direct booking coupon in the tourist guide book at your hotel.  If not you can not find it, just call them and ask for it as they may honor it

Food

David’s on the main road can be called at  435-9755.  email: dinedavids@caribsurf.com

Harlequin:  420-7677 harlequin@sunbeach.net

Josef’s: 420-7638,   www.josefsinbarbados.com

Bean & Bagel Café  420-4604 for breakfast and lunch

Oisten’s Fish Fry:   This place comes to life after 7:30 and settles down late. Just pick a stall you feel comfortable with and enjoy the food and atmosphere.

Surfing:

Burkie's Surf  (246) 230-2456  burke's@caribsurf.com

We found Alan very helpful and friendly.

Email questions or comments for Tab Hauser at: tabh@hascorelays.com 

.Hakey Sack at the Sunset                                                                      Until Next Trip....