As the winter chill settles in, thoughts of escaping to a sun-soaked paradise become irresistible. I started to picture myself lounging on powdery white sand, sipping a pina colada while listening to the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. But with so many islands beckoning which destination did we choose?
We arrived in Barbados for sunset. Standing on the aeroplane steps on arrival is one sunset I will never forget. I was absolutely mesmerised by the clouds and colours. Apologies to the other passengers behind me but we just had to take a photo. Triple wow!!!!
We were staying at the relatively small all-inclusive Waves Hotel, set on a small but peaceful bay on Barbados's Platinum Coast and styled like an upmarket beach house, with bright-white walls and pops of turquoise, wicker chairs and lampshades and beach inspired wall art.
With just 70 rooms, there's no huge, mass-market feel to this Marriott-owned hotel. When it comes to decor, simple is the word: wooden floorboards and headboards and a super comfy bed. Our ocean-view room (210) on the second floor was beautiful with a balcony overlooking the ocean.
Where to start with this hotel? Firstly the staff make this place feel so very special, going above and beyond to make sure we were happy and comfortable. The food was delicious, I really enjoyed the catch of the day every day and a big shout out to Ether at breakfast, we miss her smile. She also taught me how to make perfect poached eggs!!
Grackles (Barbados Blackbird) also enjoyed breakfast here. A glossy black bird with a yellow eye known for its loud, varied, and often human-like sounds, including calls that can sound like "say what". They are very vocal and mimic sounds, very bold too despite the staffs best efforts to chase them away.
There are two restaurants Seascape, where you also have breakfast, and Dosa for Indian dishes. The wicker chairs on Seascape's wooden deck let the view do the talking: towering palms, sand and gently rolling waves and in the evening flaming torches.
We would wander to the deck for a sundowner every day arriving about 30 minutes before sunset and staying 30 minutes after because you never really knew what the sky was going to do, and this photo is an example of exactly that. When we first arrived there looked like way too much cloud coverage, especially at the horizon. It was so thick that it entirely blocked the view of the sun going down. But we hung around drinking our cocktails and suddenly the sky decided to gave us this magical sunset. The various cloud formations with just a bit of grey near the horizon made for a dynamic and colourful display.
The beach is relatively small with drinks service to our loungers and water sports on hand. There is a slight step in the sand (possibly still from a recent storm at Christmas when Father Christmas was unable to land and had to arrive by taxi) entering the sea but it was mostly calm crystal clear water and there is a roped off safe area. Phil enjoyed water skiing and hobie cat sailing.
Chickens would often wander from the nearby roads and peck at dropped crumbs or even drink from unattended glasses of alcohol then stagger home late afternoon. An endearing quirk we will remember as part of our holiday.
We even caught a glimpse of some monkeys playing one afternoon which was fun.
We were fortunate enough to watch a turtle hatchling being released to the sea. One of the staff had found him wandering in a nearby car park. It was so uplifting to watch this little creature fight it's way down the beach. The struggles it will face are tremendous. The odds truly are against them. In fact only about one in a thousand will reach adulthood. That makes the effort to save this hatchling even more important. I'm thrilled it made it safely to the sea and said a quiet prayer that it will survive to continue the Hawksbill species.
We took advantage of the free water taxi to Waves sister hotel, Treasure Beach. A totally different feel to Waves and made for a different day out with a change of scenery and delicious lunch.
We also did a paid for turtle trip which was a special experience - Phil saw a turtle, a ray, several tarpon, a shipwreck and lots of fish.
Three excellent spa treatments were included. The spa is reached across the busy road behind the hotel and feels like a hideaway with its fantastic hot stone massages, facials and Waves Salt Scrub and adults only pool set in the garden.
What a wonderful week. Felt like we were visiting a friend's beautiful home. Terrific staff - so friendly and helpful. Not crowded and very relaxing.
