Barbados:Unlimited rum punch…say no more!

Sadiya Jiru
Oct 8, 2017
3 min read

Location: Barbados (Eastern Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation).

Capital: Bridgetown

Population: Roughly 300,000

Recognized regional language: Bajan

Currency: Barbadian dollar ($1 = 2 Barbadian dollar)

Barbados! Yes! The first international destination I went solo. What brought me to Barbados was my love and admiration for beaches/oceans. I have a Bajan friend who lives out in Barbados so I wasn’t completely alone in Barbados. He had been encouraging me to visit for years. After I graduated collage I was having a really hard time falling under pressure to find a job and transition into life after collage. Traveling always helped clear my mind and restore my energy. I deserved a trip.

Let’s talk about $$$$. I live in MN which makes finding cheap flights difficult so I usually fly out of the cheapest city. I flew from Miami to Barbados. I always check first if I have enough sky miles I can use up on my cards. This time I used my American Airlines sky miles (I do not recommend their program; Delta’s sky miles hold more value and offer better flights).

I stayed in Barbados for 3 nights at an Airbnb in the Christ Church Perish. The area is close to many of the south coast hotels, bars, shopping centers, and has several very attractive beaches. I paid about $120 for the Airbnb it wasn’t anything luxurious but it was a very nice house and the host was wonderful. I felt safe because she always looked out for me while I was there. I was recommended not to stay in Bridgetown because it was not close to beaches, higher lodging prices, and some parts were pretty run down.

Things I didn’t expect:

The size of the island, was very small. There is one highway going up and down
$$$ things are not as cheap as one may expect. A typical simple sea food meal with a drink is about $17, they accept USD everywhere
Not a lot of Infrastructure, but it gives you that intimate feel of the island. It isn’t totally taken over by foreigners
Not many tourist in May, which was when I went but I also enjoyed that.
Ladies, I would say to be careful, Bajan men are very persistent, I never felt disrespected but when you say ‘No” you must say it a couple more times because they’ll keep trying.

Favorite things I did in Barbados:

Catamaran cruise! Is always a must when you go on a beach vacation. The company I went with was EL TIGRE CATAMARAN (CLICK) . It was all day trip which included food, and unlimited drinks!!! That was the best! Unlimited rum punch…say no more. You can always negotiate the price for activities & excursions.

Lunch on the Catamaran: Flying fish, Mac & cheese pie, salad

Beach hopping, I stayed two blocks from Dover beach on the south side of the island which was nice because of convenience. Dover beach has a strip of amazing food shacks.

Every morning I’d walk over to the beach, grab some food and just lounge. The beaches are very clean and clear. It is easy and super cheap to take the bus around Dover beach. It’s about .50 - $1.00.

Me and Charlie, a local Man who helped me get on the right bus to get to Oistins. I bought a bunch of mango's from him.

Oistins; one of the most popular spots in Barbados, it operates as a fishing village.
People were genuinely very nice and helpful, I always felt safe getting around by myself, I even got lost once taking the bus but people pointed me in the right direction.
Rum, if you go try to bring some back!

Barbados is one of those places where you’ll have an amazing time weather you go solo or a group.