Trinity

We think of Gibbs Beach on the west coast as our hometown in Barbados. We've tried staying elsewhere—one year in Fitts Village, St James, and one year in Bathsheba. Nevertheless, nice as those places were, we always felt a little displaced and dissatisfied.

But we are budget travellers, and Gibbs is an expensive, exclusive neighbourhood. There are vacation rentals here that cost thousands of US dollars per night. Even the Gibbs Bay Inn, which is in just the right spot and looks fine (though just short of five-star), starts at about USD200 per night.

For a few years, we rented a little apartment up on Gibbs Hill. It was lovely, but to get down to the coast we would have to walk through a dark, steep-sided gully that wound around a couple of blind corners—not the kind of place you want to share with cars, especially not at night. The gully became a kind of psychological hurdle for us. Watching for a green flash at sunset on the beach was out of the question, because then we'd have to walk back up through the gully in darkness. We ate all our dinners in.

So it was with great relief that we found the lovely "Trinity", just a few minutes' north of Gibbs Beach, along the West Coast highway. It is a self-contained studio apartment on the ground floor of a house. As you can see, it opens out onto a spacious, breezy patio that faces away from the main road and onto a well-looked-after garden much frequented by green monkeys, Zenaida doves, bananaquits, grassquits, and hummingbirds. We really had a nice time here—I can't think of a single thing that could have been done to make our stay more comfortable.

The owner, Barbara Anne Rodriguez (who told me about the cow's nostril), is as sunny and warm as her native island. She tells me she has plans to add a two-bedroom apartment in time for next winter. You can read more about Trinity here and get in touch with Barbara Anne here.

St Lucy's Parish by the Connelltown Bus

Back in 2010, we had planned to explore the north coast of Barbados, as we had heard it was spectacular. Then the GH's face met with a rock on Gibbs Beach and our plans were derailed. In 2011, we finally got to visit St Lucy—and were blown away. It is now a staple excursion for us, just as Bathsheba is.

The Connelltown bus leaves Bridgetown on the hour every hour and travels up the West Coast road. I figured it would pass by Gibbs Beach at a little past the half-hour, and I was right. The bus came by at about 11.35. The ride took us north along the coast (calling in at the Speightstown bus terminal briefly on the way) and through an interesting-looking settlement called Six Men's Bay. There's a good-looking restaurant there called the Fish Pot which I would like to try some day when I win the lottery (Fodor's guide lists it as $$$$).

If you are going to the Animal Flower Cave (which an old gentleman at the Speightstown bus terminal once told us, sotto voce, was not worth visiting), the Connelltown bus will take you there, but you have to tell the driver that's where you want to get off, because there are no clues from the road that the Cave is even there. You get off at a bend in the road where the bus swings right, and walk down a dusty street past a couple of stalls selling postcards and seashells.

Alternatively, you can do like we do and walk to the Animal Flower Cave from the River Bay picnic ground, which looks like this ...

High Surf on February 13, 2010

These were the conditions at Gibbs Beach on the morning of February 13. The waves were, I think, between two and three metres in height. Because Gibbs is a relatively steep beach, these waves did not break until they were right on the shore.

Unbeknown to me, as I was taking this video the Good Hubby was happily undressing and getting ready to go in. As soon as he entered the water, however, he realized he should come out again. However, this meant turning his back on the surf.

I watched in mounting horror as he got slammed down repeatedly by waves that stood maybe three feet taller than him. The last wave dragged him along the bottom by his face. He must have hit a rock on the way, because when he came out of it his cheek was swollen to the size of a grapefruit and his chin was coursing with blood.

Hindsight is a great thing. I have now discovered that the meteorological section of the Ministry of Agriculture website had posted for that day: "Moderate to rough in open water with swells 2.5-3.5 m. A small craft warning is in effect for above normal northerly swells. A High Surf Advisory is in effect for large battering waves."

My italics. No kidding!

Gibbs Beach

Of all the beaches we've visited in Barbados, Gibbs Beach is our favourite. The beachfront is taken up with staid and elegant villas, all with lovely tropical gardens--as a result, the beach has a secluded, untouristed feel.

To get to Gibbs Beach, get off the bus at the junction of Highway 1 (the West Coast Road) and the road that leads to Rock Dundo. Walk north along the west side of the road until you come to a house called "Southwinds". There is a narrow passage on the left that takes you down to the beach.

When the sun is out, the waters of Gibbs Beach have that astonishing blue colour that always looks faked in photographs. You can see why travel copywriters are so fond of the word "azure" when you come here!

Most of the time, the sea at Gibbs Beach is as calm as a swimming pool. I've spent many happy moments floating on my back here, looking up at the casuarina trees and climbing bougainvilleas that line the shore.

If you tilt your head slightly back in the water, the sky and the sea become your whole universe. You can hear the clicking of grains of sand as they're moved back and forth by the waves--and if you let your feet float downwards, you can comb the sand with your toes.

It's so idyllic that, whenever I am feeling stressed, I try to visualize floating in the sea at Gibbs Beach to calm myself down.

On this visit, however, we found out that sometimes the sea at Gibbs takes on a different complexion.

An Eventful Fourth Visit

We are now back from our fourth visit to Barbados--and a very eventful visit it was!

This time we stayed with some friends near the lovely Gibbs Beach in St Peter's Parish on the West Coast. We were about 15 minutes' walk up the hill from the beach, just off the road that leads to the hamlet of Rock Dundo in St James.

We made our usual trips to Bathsheba and the Oistins Fish Fry, and also visited the spectacular Cave Bay and Bottom Bay at the southeast end of Barbados.

The most memorable part of this visit, however, involved the Good Hubby, his face, a wave, and a rock ...

St Peter's Parish Church in Speightstown

This is St Peter's Parish Church in Speightstown. When our friend The Curmudgeon was little, he served as an altar boy here.

St Peter's Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in Barbados, having been built in the 1630s. It was destroyed in a hurricane in the 1830s, then burned in a fire in 1980, but was lovingly rebuilt and restored after each of these events.

Our friend The Curmudgeon has yet to revisit this old haunt of his boyhood, but I always think of him when we are in Speightstown and hope we can visit together one day.

And while you're chomping down ...

This is the view from the dining area of the Fisherman's Pub in Speightstown.

The Fisherman's Pub, Speightstown

The Fisherman's Pub in Speightstown is a great place to have an affordable, authentically Bajan meal.

It's hard to miss if you head towards the beach from the bus terminal and then turn left to walk south along the shore.

Here's the drill: You join the line in the front of the restaurant. If it's a long line, you can while away the time by watching a cricket match on the wall-mounted TV.

When you get to the glass-covered counter, behind which are trays and trays of traditional Bajan dishes, you point to what you want and a server will dish it onto a plate.

It can be hard making yourself heard through the glass but in general the folks at Fisherman's Pub are more than happy to explain what each dish is.

Definitely point to the flying fish.

When your plate is ready, you bring it to the bar and someone will decide what you should pay for it.

The Speightstown Bus Terminal

The Speightstown Bus Terminal is one of three terminals operated by the Barbados Transport Board (the other two are in Bridgetown).

If you're anywhere north of Holetown on the West Coast, this will be your starting point for tours of the island.

Our favourite excursion from here is to Bathsheba, but the many tourist attractions of the northern parishes (the Animal Flower Cave, Farley Hill, and the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, to name a few) are accessible by bus from Speightstown.

Routes and schedules from Speightstown may be found at the Transport Board website.

Speightstown

Speightstown (pronounced "Spikestown") is a very charming town in St Peter's Parish, at the north end of the West Coast.

It is the "second city" of Barbados after Bridgetown. Named after its founder, William Speight, Speightstown was a thriving port until the 20th century.

Nowadays, however, Speightstown has a pleasantly sleepy air to it, and the words "roaring trade" do not exactly apply.

The former wealth of Speightstown is still apparent in some of the grand stone buildings that stand along Queen Street. One of these, Arlington House, has been turned into a museum that's well worth visiting for insights into Barbadian life, both past and present.

Virtually all buses running north along the main West Coast road will end up in Speightstown. From the Speightstown bus terminal (about which more elsewhere), you can also catch buses to other parts of the island, notably Bathsheba on the wild, Atlantic East Coast.

There are nice places to eat here (watch for a future post about the Fisherman's Pub), a well-stocked supermarket (Jordans), and several banks, including a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada.