5th November 2024
We’re well and truly on the slippery slope to our homeward bound flight now and, as luck would have it, we have two engagements this week which drag us away from the grindstone and help us finish our initial few weeks here on a high. The first was today – a lovely family lunch in a beautiful apartment at the much-loved Fish Pot restaurant high up on the west coast, though of course not before we’d first called at the tiling shop, the internet store and the garden centre.
This vista from the apartment’s living room window says it all:
We jumped in the sea immediately!
Some travel companies call this part of Barbados the Platinum Coast – bit naff if you ask me, but there are some eye-popping beachside properties here with equally eye-popping prices. Plus many lovely restaurants and beautiful hotels, the best-known being the famous Sandy Lane. Oh, and of course Barbados’ favourite daughter Rihanna has her own slice of the pie. Collectively there must be many billion dollars’ worth of prime real estate here. And the ubiquitous Minuty rosé is known as ’west coast water’!
How times change. Until the mid-20th century coastal land here was considered very inferior to the rich agricultural land in the interior. Virtually all the island’s ‘great houses’ are well inland. Beachside realty was called ’crab hole land’! Well, the crabs have been laughing all the way to the bank for some time now.
The great thing is that you don’t have to be a billionaire, or even a crab, to enjoy every inch of this exquisite coast with its crystal clear aquamarine water and sparkling white sand. Beach access is free to everyone throughout the island. On many occasions we’ve swum from a boat to the beach at Sandy Lane and strolled along the shore among the hotel guests…though we couldn’t quite stretch to a cocktail, and nobody offered to clean our sunglasses.
Tomorrow’s another day to relish. To the high church of Kensington Oval for a dose of the true West Indian religion. Cricket, lovely cricket…can’t wait. 🏏 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFl9x3XzKSw
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