Published: Jul 22, 2026
Our first impressions of Barbados yesterday really whet our appetite for more. From the moment we embarked on our scenic ride to the cruise port, we were hit with an influx of natural colours our eyes weren’t accustomed to in wintry London. Red and pink oleander flowers lined the roads, alongside what felt like hundreds of shades of green. Though we wanted to explore more, our tiredness levels got the better of us, and all we managed was a short evening walk around Bridgetown – with highlights including the National Heroes Square, the Nidhe Israel Synagogue, and the incredibly warm climate!!
As for the cruise, first impressions were also fantastic. Having never done anything like this before, my partner and I didn’t quite know what to expect, but so far we feel like we’re part of a big, friendly community. We’ve met some experienced cruise travellers: one lady told us she’d been on 48 cruises, while another couple celebrated their 806th day cruising. They’re keen to impart their knowledge, even the frustrated gentleman, locked out of his bedroom by his significant other after what I imagine was a domestic dispute, who very graciously advised us (wearing only underpants) never to get married. I’ve always said travel is the best teacher, and I’m not taking that back now.
Today, we started with a 5am trip to Pebbles Beach, where we watched racehorses from the Garrison Savannah racing venue being bathed in the turquoise waters as the run rose behind them. I’d heard this was a beautiful experience to witness – and it certainly was – but I didn’t expect to catch an actual race later on! We passed the race track by accident, and it felt like a lovely coincidence to watch the very same horses in action that we’d said hello to that morning. The beach experience made such a peaceful and refreshing impression on us that we decided to return that evening for a final sunset dip; a full circle moment to end the day – albeit without the horses.
Between sunrise and sunset, we got a bus to Bathsheba – a fishing village known for being a great surf spot. We walked along its beaches, admiring the soft sand and large rock formations. Breakfast was at the Round House – we sat next to an open window and ate plantain crisps and vegan chickpea buljol (a dish from Trinidad and Tobago typically made with saltfish, fresh vegetables, and lime). We sat at eye level with the coconuts atop the palm trees, a million colours in our view.
Next up: Barbados Wildlife Reserve – where we saw play-fighting monkeys doing somersaults and tortoises roaming free, picking up the leftover food the monkeys left behind.
We also did a quick stop at St Nicholas Abbey – a sugar plantation (formerly owned by the Cumberbatch family). We’d decided against paying to actually go in, as we’d been a bit shocked by what we’d seen on their website. Essentially, the website emphasises the architecture, rum distillery, art, archaeology, and suitability for weddings (!) of the site, yet it’s acknowledgment of the lives of the enslaved people who were forced to work there is minimal at best. I’ve learned that this is called ‘plantation nostalgia’ whereby plantation history is romanticised and sanitised, centring owners while marginalising the enslaved.
Below is a copy-and-paste of a paragraph on the website, so you can see what I mean. ‘Colourful tales of murder’?! Are we being serious!?
“St. Nicholas Abbey’s 350-year history is filled with colourful tales of murder, love and intrigue; its owners have played pivotal roles in both Barbadian and American history.”
The brochure we were given at the entrance to the Abbey confirmed these initial sentiments. Though the history of slavery on the plantation was acknowledged a bit more than on the website, I felt it certainly wasn’t enough. They’ve written the following:
“Our future plans are to professionally upgrade the House Museum to correct this disparity [that of enslaved people’s history and legacy remaining untold] and focus on the plantation’s rich archaeological discoveries to convey their life and contributions to the “Pride and Industry” of our island.” I’m not sure. It sounds very off to me, still. Where’s the acknowledgement of trauma? ‘Life and contributions’ doesn’t quite cut it. It still feels like the focus is on archaeology, rather than the brutal reality of slavery. I found myself getting very angry at this, and I’m angry now again as I write this blog…
The Barbados Museum and Historical Society, which we visited next, did a better job of focusing on the history of enslaved people. I was relieved to be doing some learning; I would have felt strange exploring the beaches and the wildlife of Barbados all day without actually delving into its difficult history.
The end of the day saw us (late) lunching by Carlisle Bay, before having a final swim at the beach, and making our way back to the port.
I realise I’m writing as though today was a smooth, one-activity-after-the-next itinerary. It really wasn’t!! Transport didn’t work in our favour as taxis often couldn’t be found, and buses to the locations we were going to were infrequent. We got caught in the heat for a bit too long during the afternoon, and we hadn’t eaten in a long time by that point – I thought I was about to faint. Our final bus of the day dropped us off pretty far from the cruise, which wasn’t supposed to happen, so we had to panic-run to the port before it closed. My patience wore thin with the practicalities of trying to navigate transport without depleting our cash reserves. And, within all of the chaos and frustration, I also witnessed an immense amount of kindness from locals. One person gave us two free rides, tracking us down after the first ride to get us even closer to our destination. (He told us we stick out like sore thumbs; it wasn’t hard for him to find us). Another person scrambled to give us a souvenir so he could make the ‘young lovers in Barbados’ smile. I was blown away by how nice these two individuals were to us, and ultimately, it put all the stresses of the day into perspective…
