01 Island in the Sun
On November 30 2021 Barbados became a republic, severing 396 years of connection to Britain. It was claimed for the English crown on 14 May 1625 by Captain John Powell, commander of the first English ship to reach the island. From 1627, the English settled on the island, with land allocated to people they thought suitable. They turned it into a slave society that endured for almost 200 years. Prince Charles, who attended the transition ceremony, referred to: “…the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery…”
A huge photo of an imperious Sir Garfield Sobers in full swing of the bat welcomes visitors to Barbados International Airport. The first cricketer to hit six sixes in an over, he was a sporting titan of the 20th century, a hero of the game. And he came from this little island.
Today Barbados is a favourite winter resort, served by direct flights from the UK, with many miles of fine sandy beaches open to all, and many hotels and waterside restaurants.
The main town, Bridgetown, was built between the 17th – 19th centuries.
Much of the original town survives. Wooden, Colonial-style houses are painted all manner of bright colours. “ER” postboxes survive from the time before the island’s independence from Britain in 1966. (It will remain a member of the Commonwealth.)
02 An island in transition
Barbados becomes a republic
I don’t know how transparent the tourist industry wants to be about Barbados’s past, but I could find no public mention of it on my visit in 2017. Then came Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd murder and the intense focus on slavery and nations’, and individuals’, part in it. Now I think most visitors will welcome the truths set out around the transition ceremony on November 30th, 2021.
Prof Hilary Beckles, a Barbadian historian, vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies summed it up. “Barbados was the birthplace of British slave society and the most ruthlessly colonised by Britain’s ruling elites. They made their fortunes from sugar produced by an enslaved, ‘disposable’ workforce, and this great wealth secured Britain’s place as an imperial superpower and caused untold suffering.”
Prince Charles, who attended the transition ceremony, said: “The creation of this republic offers a new beginning. From the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.”
Island in the sun
On the way to my hotel room, I hear the rich tones of Harry Belafonte issuing from a speaker in the bushes. His song “Oh, Island in the Sun” is exquisitely appropriate. It is 60 years since the film of the same name launched the Caribbean dream.
They chose Barbados, with its abundant white sand and palm trees, as one of the locations to stand in for the fictional Santa Marta, and ever since this island has been high on the travel wish list of generations of British.
Cricket paradise
I already think I know this place through the glorious feats of Sir Gary, and others. (Incidentally, how does an island with the population of Sunderland, just 21 miles by 14, produce such a galaxy of cricketing greats, men like Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes?)
There is a statue of Sir Gary Sobers at the famous Kensington Oval ground, where England have often come unstuck in contests with the West Indian team.
Bridgetown
Bridgetown, established by English settlers in 1628, has a deep historical pedigree. UNESCO praises it as an outstanding example of British colonial architecture, consisting of a well-preserved old town built from the 17th – 19th centuries, an important base in Britain’s extensive Atlantic empire. The military garrison contains numerous historic buildings.
Much of the original town survives. Wooden, Colonial-style houses are painted all manner of bright colours. And there more recent, and familiar, features. “ER” postboxes from before the island’s independence from Britain in 1966, and still in use, are ubiquitous. There’s a statue of Lord Nelson. I spot a Bolton Lane.
Some Bridgetown details are endearing old fashioned. Drivers pull up and park in the yellow line-free streets, even in the city centre, just as they did in the British towns and cities in the 1950s. A man solemnly plays hymns on a saxophone.
Then I find a reminder that we are firmly in the tropics. A sign in a city centre park warns: “Beware of falling breadfruit. Do not stand under trees.” I pass little cafés serving the island’s distinctive cuisine, such as macaroni pie and ham cutter. Another proclaims “Hot Legendary Fishcakes.”
Tourism - force for good
I meet the ebullient Rohan. He is the busy entertainment manager at the Sandals resort, but has time to entertain me. He has something to say about the great benefit of tourism, just talking to people, whenever you meet them.
Without drawing breath, he tells me how wonderful Barbados is, and how close it is to us, with the Queen as Head of State. And how it offends, and puzzles, perfect strangers if you aren’t immediately friendly to them. [When I spoke to him in 2017, he referred to the Queen as Head of State. This is no longer the case. Dame Sandra Mason has been installed as the first president of Barbados.]
He produced a map and, with a dancing finger, guides me round the parishes, from St Lucy at the top, down through St James, St Michael, St Peter and St Thomas, pointing out the best beaches. He is just one perfect unofficial ambassador for this island in the sun, with time to spare for a stranger.
03 Where to stay
All-inclusive retreat in the winter sun
One of Sandals’ latest resorts opened on Barbados in 2015. This company has a claim, more than any other, to deliver the Caribbean idyll, with all-inclusive luxury resorts scattered across the tropical islands. It comes with a Signature swim-up pool bar, rooms with a soaking tub on the balcony, a beachfront whirlpool and free wi-fi everywhere.
All Sandals resorts are romantic, couples-only destinations, though not in a schmaltzy, billing and cooing way. They offer a dedicated wedding planner, and they even let you re-tie the knot if you happen to be already married.
Out of the blue on our arrival at the airport, two perfect strangers in the queue for the taxi to the new resort invite us to their wedding.
We politely decline, on the grounds that they don’t actually know us. And, besides, they will probably make more than enough new friends over the next few days.
Something else did appeal to me. Sandals have abolished money, well almost. They have liberated their guests from all those pesky bar bills and restaurants tabs and minibar accounts.
There’s nothing to sign, and no service to settle. The motto is “luxury included” – you only pay for spa sessions and excursions.
So if I want to indulge in patisserie-excess at Cafe de Paris – another humming bird cake, or two tone chocolate roulade, or vanilla eclair? – it’s all in the price and nobody’s counting. Except, if you happen to have one, your tailor, who might want to add a waistline inch or two next time you see him.
My room, a Crystal Lagoon Suite, comes with a butler, Demar. He is a stoical Jeeves to my rather unreliable Wooster. Ah, he said on the second day, with a broad grin, “I see you remembered your phone today.” Guests are issued with one with a hotline to the butlers, so they can fulfil their side of the call-anywhere, “You ring, we bring” deal.
“I did tell you that little red mobile was the most important thing in the room.” It seems I’m not giving him enough to do.
Unlike Jeeves, Demar’s responsibility for my welfare did not extend to constructive criticism of my dress sense. However, he did provide excellent service in unerringly guiding me to that particular night’s dining venue, out of the choice of 11 gourmet restaurants.
The signs were clear enough, but take a wrong turning and you easily end up at Portofino (smart Italian), or Schooner’s (seafood) when you mean to be at Soy (sushi) or Butch’s Chophouse (New York style steakhouse).
04 Nearby
Many more distinctive Caribbean islands
The Caribbean idyll has been tarnished recently, and especially in 2017, by the brute force of nature, in the form of hurricanes whose intensity may have been increased by man-made climate change. Another island I know, Anguilla, was seriously affected with physical damage and the loss of human life. These islands rely so much on tourism that the last thing they need is for visitors to turn away. It’s fortunate that most people visit from October and November onwards (the northern hemisphere winter) after the normal end of the hurricane season. Do think of these islands, and anticipate the warm welcome you receive if you support them at this perilous time for their economies.