Sunbury Plantation House (Barbados)

Advantages: People, weather, sea, sand etc
Disadvantages: Expensive

...but proved quite informative and friendly. The tour also included our entrance fees to the Animal Flower Cave and The Sunbury Plantation, as well as free drinks. Sunbury is a fascinating house turned museum, full of various décor, photo’s, maps and art spanning Barbados’ 400 year history. The guide here was very informative and interesting so I would recommend a visit. We spent an afternoon in Bridgetown, but the famous duty free shopping isn’t overly cheap, apart from the booze. I was after a Citizen Pro-master dive watch, but they were 50 quid dearer than I’d seen them in Livigno, Italy’s duty free haven. We stupidly went to Bridgetown without a map, so if there was anything of outstanding interest we missed it. I’m still glad we went though. I managed to pack in eight dives while here. They ranged from mundane reefs to excellent... Read review

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Advantages: Friendly people, good food, lovely temperature, the beaches
Disadvantages: A long way. Some may not like the summer humidity

...and Worthing, one of which even sports an Osterley Hotel, which made me smile as the original is about 1½ miles from my house! My first two stays were in the Welcome Inn and in its second rebirth, The Barbados Beach Club. The hotel was a mixture of self-catering and full board, the rooms being equipped with fridges (not mini-bars), cooker hobs and kitchen sinks. However, we got wind that the inevitable was going to happen – it was going to go ‘all inclusive’. I can see why the hotel management might think that this is a good idea, after all, you’ll probably stay on the premises all week, booking sundry extras, but from my point of view, I do actually WANT to eat out every night, and to a newcomer, the very existence of ‘all inclusive resort hotels’ gives the impression that it’s not safe to go out. In the case of Barbados, nothing is further... Read review

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Advantages: Tries to be authentic, local
Disadvantages: Expensive

...Arriving at Plantation House for dinner one evening, I was taken aback at the 1920's colonial building that added some element of authenticity. As the name implies, this was meant to be a dinner held at the house of a plantation owner of colonial days. The restaurant was located in Woodbrook, St. James, which is one of the livelier areas in the city, as its called 'the city that never sleeps'! The restaurant itself is small but cozy, with a lovely modern interior and small tables spaced far enough to allow your conversation to be held in private. The staff were well versed in the menu and were more than willing to accomodate our specific requests for the preparation of our food. We started with an appetizer of a home made bread with a local dish called 'baigan choka' (roasted melongene peeled and mashed with onions). Dinner... Read review

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