Have you heard about the Barbados difference?

I have not had the opportunity to visit Barbados as yet...but it is definitely on my bucket list - and even more so now that I know that Sandals will re-open in Barbados very soon!  More on that further down here - but first, I wanted to tell you that I recently attended a fascinating webinar from Barbados Tourism, and now I am more interested than ever in visiting this fabulous Caribbean paradise....

 So what is the Barbados difference? Well for one thing it is east of the other Caribbean islands, and has "the best of both worlds" in that it has beaches on both the Atlantic ocean and the Caribbean sea, and so much natural beauty with rolling hillsides and lush gardens. Barbados was originally a British colony, so English is widely spoken, and it is a fusion of African and British influences with a high standard of living and highly educated and friendly people. Who wouldn't want to visit when they boast an average year round temperature of 82 degrees? How about swimming with the turtles?

Barbados is a becoming a very popular cruise destination - and will be even more so in the future, as we learned that Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines are one of the companies investing in a new cruise port coming soon that will be called "Sugar Point", with planned shops & restaurants that will keep to the authentic local style of architecture.

Prefer to fly?  No problem - there are flights to Barbados from a number of gateway cities, including 2 daily flights from Miami, as well as a daily Jet Blue flight from New York, and to those of us living here in the Triad - US Air flies there from Charlotte, NC. There is lots of accommodation available - from budget to luxury hotels.

As mentioned earlier, it has been announced that after a brief closure to undertake a wide-ranging enhancement program, a new Sandal's all-inclusive resort is planed to be open by early 2015! Sandals Barbados will offer 280 luxury accommodations that range from opulent beachfront butler suites to new swim-up river suites situated in the resort's tropical gardens.

So what's is there to do in Barbados?  There are LOTS of sporting activities..did you know that Barbados is the golf capital of the Caribbean?

There are lots of water activities of course including fabulous diving, surfing, and windsurfing...in fact Barbados is the home of international surfing events. Interesting too...with the British influence, Barbados is well known for English sports such as horse-racing, rugby, cricket & polo!

There are wonderful festivals held in Barbados - such as the famous "Crop Over" festival, with local artists, themed events, great music, and a parade...and this year they will be celebrating their 40th anniversary. Check it out at barbadoscropoverfestival  There are lots of other colorful festivals throughout the year - such as the well known "Food, Wine, & Rum" festival. Did you know that Barbados is the "birthplace of rum"?

Lots of history and heritage in Barbados too - for example it is home to one of the oldest Jewish synagogues in the Western Hemisphere. A visit to historic Bridgetown is a must see for gorgeous 18th century architecture.

If Barbados is on your bucket list too, please check out the tourism website visitbarbados.org  - and if you would like more information, contact us today...we would love to help you plan your dream vacation to beautiful Barbados!