Barbados 2017 - Don't Forget Your Sandals

It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t book a last minute trip and wait until the night before to get ready! Who needs sleep anyway? After working 12 hour shifts, we prepped ourselves (aka waxed nearly everywhere), packed, and promptly passed out well after midnight.

Only a couple hours later, Krissy’s sister Jenn (a more reliable and affordable drop-off and pick-up option) dropped us off at the airport. The bag drop and security check points were a breeze as we made our way to our gate to hang out and wait for our flight. Starbucks was a must - I am loving the passion tango tea and Krissy appreciates Fiji Water as if it were a fine wine, but we both could have done without the airport prices.

Our 9:15AM WestJet flight was bumped to 9:30AM due to construction on a main runway. By 10:30 AM, we had clearance to take off! The flight attendant had a hilarious opening comment when she addressed the cabin, “In case it’s your first time flying with us, don’t be worried…” [then she whispers] “We’re not United.” Laughter everywhere… and the flight took off.

For this flight, we opted not to purchase Plus Seating (the seats at the front of the plane with great leg room, all inclusive snacks and beverages, and first bag free baggage check). We realized, it may not be worth spending about $120 extra per person for these perks, when we weren’t exploiting the Plus Seating to its full potential. Instead, we planned to purchase a couple in-flight rounds of drinks for about $25 while in cozy economy seating. Amazing plan right? Brilliant… money saving option… unless that is your wife is counting on that drink to calm her nerves. The drink cart approached… 3 rows… 2 rows… only 1 row away, then TURBULENCE. The flight attendant actually signalled with a throat cutting motion that service was temporarily over. Krissy was mildly panicked, not completely convinced the signal was actually for the end of service versus something more catastrophic. Krissy passed the time trying to take ownership of her fear… at least until the beverage cart returned 30 minutes later.

In less than 5 hours, we touched down safely at Grantley Adams International Airport, in Barbados, and exited onto the tarmac along with three other flights. We couldn’t help but laugh after realizing the 15 minutes spent cramming everyone on to buses, was actually for a ridiculously short 30 second ride to Customs. If only the wait the pass through Customs had been as short. We declared our school supply donations for Pack for a Purpose (www.packforapurpose.org) and made our way toward the Sandals Lounge. Wait! Oh no! There is no Sandals Lounge in Barbados. On the plus side, the transfer shuttle was waiting curb side, left immediately, and Sandals Barbados is a quick 15 minute drive away.

Greeted with the standard Sandals champagne and warmed hand towels, we registered and were personally escorted to our Caribbean Village Garden View room (3209) with balcony facing Cafe de Paris. The thought of having pastries and ice creams so close was dangerously delicious! Forget unpacking, straight to Cafe de Paris for coconut ice cream, then self-guided orientation of the very small resort. We quickly realized we were situated adjacent to the property line (and active construction of the upcoming Sandals Royal Barbados expansion), not the secluded tree surrounded the website advertising map portrayed. We had researched the resort in advance and knew there was construction, but were unsure which part of the resort it would affect. Lucky us [insert sarcasm here].

We also learned ALL beaches in Barbados are public and it is also mandatory for all beachfront properties to have public access to the beach. If the property lacks access, the government will intervene at the owner’s expense.

Saturday, April 29 (Day Two)

The alarm went off and in Krissy’s sleep deprived state, she had forgotten we were in Barbados and started asking why it was going off, was she scheduled to work? She opened her eyes, and realized the alarm was for the gym; an important daily requirement for all the indulging we had planned. The Sandals gym was well-equipped and bright with garden facing windows. Wanting to be outdoors and preferring a la carte (for allergy accommodation), we ate at Portofino’s, instead of Bombay (same menu, but indoors) or Bayside (buffet).

Next up, the Culinary Desk (open 9am-4pm) where we made reservations for Butch’s Chophouse (Only 2 of the 11 restaurants on the resort need reservations, the other was Kimonos, but we don’t particularly enjoy the salty food). Then, the Aqua Centre where we booked our snorkelling for Monday (only offered a few days a week) and raced to the front lobby hopeful to catch a spot on the Glass Bottom Boat Tour.

Luckily, Andrew’s assumption that a number of people would not show was right, and there was room for two. We travelled twenty minutes up the West Coast in the Sandals’ shuttle to arrive at the port in Bridgetown. The clarity of the ocean was recently obscured by a plankton bloom, but we did see a couple of sea turtles and enjoyed a cruise up the West “Triple Platinum” Coast. It’s here that 1 Sandy Lane (celebrity owned $20 million dollar per unit) condos are located. The pricey West Coast boasts incredible beaches, calm clear warm waters, and uber expensive restaurants, like The Cliff Restaurant (http://www.thecliffbarbados.com).

We embraced the return bus ride to the resort as another opportunity for sight seeing. We were disappointed as we realized the limited lunch options on resort. If you weren’t interested in the buffet (Bayside), then only the Mariner’s (grill), Dino’s (pizza), or occasionally the Hot Dog Cart were open. Gluten free Fiorentino pizza it would be and thankfully delicious!

The beach was calling us… and not wanting to be anywhere else, we strolled down the beach along the ocean’s edge. I kept insisting the sand was pink… Andrew kept insisting it was the tint on my sunglasses. I was only on my first Pina Colada, so I teased Andrew his half glass of straight Mount Gay Rum was blinding his vision. I held the sand close and finally he saw it - PINK SAND! The afternoon drifted by as we hung out on the beach soaking up the sun and staying cool from the gusty breezes.

Sadly our balcony would not be so enjoyable. Andrew came running back inside after being immediately swarmed by relentless mosquitos. Instead of lounging on the balcony, we shifted our thoughts to dinner.

The Schooners Seafood Grill provides dining closest to the beach and ocean. The crashing waves made for the perfect ambiance as we savoured lobster tails and banana creme brûlée. The fish we had ordered was drowning in sauce and very lacklustre. Nothing a few maki rolls from Soy couldn’t correct right? Wrong.

We waited over 20 minutes for the waitress to take our order. Our signature Saki Cruise cocktails sat waiting on the bar as we watched patiently as the ice melted, diluting the delicious flavours we craved. Thankfully Mia, another server, came to the rescue. Mia insisted on new beverages and placed our order knowing I planned to take some back to the room’s fridge for lunch the following day. After Andrew was done eating his sushi, we left the restaurant and were practically tackled by the lazy, condescending waitress we had first encountered in the restaurant. She was yelling at us to stop (stupidly we did) with promises to wrap the sushi. We handed over 20 pieces of maki rolls (all gluten free and vegetarian). Trickery, the sushi was taken and never returned. Instead, a dishevelled manager surfaced and kept repeating that no sushi can leave the restaurant or he “would be sent home”. Apparently someone at some point in time, became ill after eating sushi that had been taken out of the restaurant. My sushi was stolen and yet I was made to feel like a criminal at an all inclusive resort. We met the on duty manager, Nicholas, and he assured us that the service would improve when the restaurant reopened on Monday.

We took to the gym to work off some of the frustration of the morning before Portofino’s for breakfast. After that we lounged on the beach finding ourselves amused as locals approached to sell coral bracelets, aloe vera, and marijuana. Andrew’s unkempt beard and hair seemed to beckon the Bajans selling drugs, as he was repeatedly asked “white (cocaine) or green (marijuana)”. Andrew instead savoured his Alec Bradley Black Market cigar. Thank you Cigar Bodega! (www.cigarbodega.com). I headed for drinks from the pool bar, but found myself drawn to something more interesting. A tiny Barbados Green Monkey- aka Loverboy Bruce (Instagram: @loverboy_luckybruce246) posing for pictures. Bruce is a mysterious playful monkey who I brought over to Andrew for pictures. Bruce was so cute, maybe 5 pounds and climbed onto my lap to eat a tiny sweet banana before trying to steal Andrew’s cigar. The wind picked up, slowly burying us in sand, so we moved to the ocean and played in the waves (the water on this side of the island is not calm) before lunch.

Everything about lunch today was disappointing. From the more than a hour wait for salads and pizza to be served at Dino’s to the inability to order a gluten free crepe at Cafe de Paris. The manager of Dino’s apologized and promised exceptional service if we returned the next day. Since the options for lunch are limited, it was easy to agree to return. The manager of Cafe de Paris was inflexible and sent us to the Concierge desk, only to have the Concierge desk send us to the Culinary desk where we were finally able to arrange for gluten free crepes (that would be made tomorrow, not today). At least we have learned, upon check-in, go straight to the Culinary desk to a) make reservations at restaurants and b) make any special dietary requests in advance. You can pick anything from any restaurant and have it tailored to your needs!

The afternoon improved once the concierge provided a beautiful ocean view Club Sandals room 1217 with balcony on the 2nd floor of the Beachfront Village. Feeling uplifted, we indulged in coconut ice cream and a book (“The subtle art of not giving a f*ck” by Mark Manson) by the pool. It would seem Krissy wants to learn to care a whole lot less and not always expect that Sandals will be perfect every time. We are not demanding guests, but there are a few things that need to be executed properly when you go to a luxury resort: food execution and timeliness, room cleanliness, and customer service.

Bombay Club was the perfect place to end the day with exceptional service and delicious lamb chops. We weren’t exactly sure on lamb chop etiquette, but the flavours were so incredible, we decided it should be appropriate to pick up the chop and eat all the meat off the bone. At least nothing went to waste! We made our rounds to pick up a banana creme brûlée from Schooners for Krissy and a cupcake from Cafe de Paris for me. Dessert was enjoyed in the solitude of our ocean view room.

At 9:30AM we boarded our Sandals Shuttle for our trip into Bridgetown to catch the boat for snorkelling. Snorkelling (and transfers) is all included with Sandals. In Barbados, the snorkelling experience takes you to 5 shipwrecks a short distance off the coast in Carlisle Bay. There is the Berwyn (French ship from World War I), Ce-Trek (a concrete structure sunk in 1986), Eillon (a drug boat sunk in 1996), Bajan Queen (a converted party boat that was sunk in 2002), and the Cornwallis (a Canadian freighter sunk by a torpedo during World War II and relocated in 2003). The visibility was still not crystal clear as we swam around with our group looking at shipwrecks. The guide took us closer to shore where other groups were congregating and we caught our first glimpse of a sea turtle as it swam by. The Sandals guides do not feed the turtles, but encouraged us to swim close to the groups that do. Today though, the sea turtles did not come back.

We were a little disappointed and I definitely caught a glimpse of Krissy’s bottom lip pout. It was hard not to smile at the excitement of the Labour Day parade marching through the city with music, children, and floats. It delayed and detoured the shuttle back to Sandals, but we didn’t mind.

As promised the day before, lunch at Dino’s was perfectly executed. We settled into lounge chairs on the beach for our daily dose of sun and Barbados wind. Krissy had fallen in love with a lonely palm tree at the end of the beach… and was adamant we walk down to take pictures on this leaning palm tree.

I reluctantly went along with the idea. In the end it was seriously entertaining watching Krissy giggle as she tried to lean into the palm tree and direct me into similar less than attractive poses.

After the photoshoot, we took a dip in the ocean holding on to each other (wink wink) as the waves crashed over us. A word to the wise, when you decide to enter the massive ocean from a long beach, don’t just get up in people’s personal space by walking right beside them, they may be having a “moment” that doesn't include you.

Pre-dinner drinks included a pineapple and rum inspired martini. Dinner drinks also included pineapple rum inspired martinis. At Butch’s steakhouse, the waitress actually left the restaurant to pick up the martinis in chilled glasses from the bartender we had met pre-dinner. The wagyu beef sounded delicious so we both ordered it and then Krissy ordered everything on the menu… kidding… almost everything! She ordered gluten free side dishes (meant to be shared) to compliment the beef and we wasted no time enjoying the courses as the meal came out, including the lobster mac and cheese (made gluten free by pre-arrangement with the culinary desk). Krissy abruptly stopped eating and it was apparent that she was not feeling well at all. We made a quick exit back to our room. She was sick, then spent the evening lying in bed with tummy pain. There were 2 suspects for the sudden onset illness - the mushy tomatoes Krissy ate that I avoided (because they looked mushy) or gluten accidentally included in the meal.

Tuesday, May 2 (Day 5)

There would be no workout today because we would be enjoying our 30 minute complimentary foot massage at 9:30AM and the Red Lane Spa. Since we joined the Sandals Select program after our first stay in Bahamas (2013), we starting collecting points and stayed nights that turn into perks for each return visit. Massages at the Red Lane Spa are one of those sweet perks for returning guests.

Our predictability would have us back to Portofino’s for breakfast because you don’t mess with a good thing. The foot massage turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought it would have been. Krissy later giggled as she recounted the strange technique her massage therapist used for her foot massage.

A final walk along the beach before check out; it was tough to believe it had already been 5 days. We ordered gluten free pizzas for our trip to the airport to pick up our rental car for our final day and a half. The shuttle back to the airport was only 15 minutes; a huge change from other islands we have been to that involved upwards of 2 hours of shuttle time.

The Hertz rental was an amazing sports car… that is if you consider a Hyundai i10 a car at all amazing or sporty (Google it). We named the car “Tiny Ten” and drove to the Hilton Barbados Resort and managed to check in early. We dumped our bags, ate our pizza, and drove North for a scenic drive up the West Coast. Did you know that there are a lot of roundabouts in Barbados? How about that every time an accident happens at a 4 way stop - the country replaces that intersection with a roundabout. Did we mention there are a lot of roundabouts? Buckle up!

The Animal Flower Cave cost was 20 BBS per person. We were not sold on the value of the tour and took some pictures and video from the top of the cliff as the waves crashed onto the rock and coral cliffs. We jumped back into “Tiny Ten” and started our drive back to the Hilton resort. Andrew may have made a wrong turn twice and we drove by the same sugar cane workers 3 times! Back on track we raced down the coast to make our 6PM “Returning Guest” dinner back at the Sandals Resort. It’s a dinner held every Tuesday night at Sandals and Sandals kindly extended the invitation even though they did not have room accommodations for our final night in Barbados.

We reached the Hilton Hotel at 5:45PM. A quick shower and outfit change and we were on the way to the Sandals Resort for the Loyalty Dinner. As instructed at the gate, we parked in the staff lot and were met by a young security guard literally running to catch up to us as Andrew parked. We accepted the offer of a security escort across the street to the European pool for the cocktail party (actually security insisted and we didn’t want to offend anyone). A cocktail was offered and graciously accepted as we listened to other guests receiving their silver and gold Sandals pendants. We were anticipating our silver sandals pendants (more than 35 paid nights), but Krissy was partly relieved when our names weren’t called as I teased she would have had to go up and accept them by herself. Some guests were recognized for staying a total of 99 nights! We plan on staying at least enough nights to receive the best perk - 7 nights complimentary stay at any Sandals or Beaches resort!

For dinner, we realized we had seated ourselves with the General Manager Patrick, an intern from the Netherlands, and a Canadian couple from Port Elgin. Keith and Adriana were a pleasure to chat with and they highly recommended a visit to Turks and Caicos, emphasizing the clear waters, endless beaches, and breathtaking snorkelling. While there is not a Sandals (couples) Resort in Turks and Caicos, there is a Beaches (family) Resort (and as fate would have it, we had booked Turks and Caicos for December, 2017 as our reservation with Sandals Antigua had to be changed). We shared experiences of the Sandals Barbados (and other Sandals) resorts. After dinner we dropped into the Loyalty Desk with our new Canadian friends and all received our sandals pendants. We also realized that Keith had felt unwell after Butch’s Chophouse the night before and believed it was the sun dried (mushy) tomatoes in the salad, which Krissy had also eaten.

The drive back to the Hilton was quick and we hit the sack for our final sleep in Barbados.

Wednesday, May 3 (Day 6)

The Hilton Barbados Resort has an excellent gym that we took advantage of on our final morning in Barbados. Before the gym, we took advantage of our Hilton Honours perk of access to the executive lounge and its complimentary breakfast. We assembled a breakfast to go, grabbing boiled eggs, fruit, and toast.

Another plus to the Hilton is that is it situated on the calmer West Coast with beautiful beaches and snorkelling access only minutes away. Knowing the sea turtles were found along the beaches of Carlisle Bay, we suited up and walked North on the beach to the marine reserve where the Sandals snorkel excursion (and most every excursion) took us previously. We waited for the tours to arrive, then swam out from the beach (about 300-500m) with hopes of spotting sea turtles! Today the water was clear! And out of the blue the sea turtles arrived. The first one arrived, then a second, third, and a fourth! They were looking for a handout, which should be avoided as the turtles might literally take a finger with the food. It was the best free excursion and experience!

The drive to the airport was bittersweet as we refuelled and returned our rental car to Hertz. The WestJet check in was relatively quick and we made our way into the departure lounge. For the gluten free readers and travellers - there are very limited (almost no) gluten free options in the airport. Make sure you pack snacks or a meal prior to arriving at the airport. The only thing we saw in walking distance from the airport was a bar (shack) and a gas station - neither of which seemed appealing.

The flight back was interesting to say the least and Krissy’s anxiety was definitely getting the better of her. If you want to hear the story, you will have to ask her in person…it made for some entertaining comments, conspiracy theories, and “bathroom investigations” as the flight progressed. We suffered through a little turbulence, enjoyed a few adult beverages and arrived in Toronto in one piece feeling Barbados was an island worth traveling to and exploring at least once!

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