Travel: Barbados

Published on Wednesday 25 August 2010 18:45

The rusty door slides shut and the throaty roar of the bus's engine kicks in again, drowning out the constant chorus from the noisy tree frogs.

But it's a far louder, more immediate noise that grabs my attention - as a shuddering bassline booms from giant speakers at the back of the battered old vehicle. This is no Megabus - this is the reggae bus, and no-one's in any hurry to be getting off.

"Reggae reggae reggae," wails the singer, suitably enough, as the bus chugs past a long line of mahogany and palm trees.

"Reggae reggae…". To my left, the turquoise Caribbean sea flashes into view between lush green foliage, pastel coloured houses and the luxury condominiums that line much of the island's west coast.

The bus continues on to my stop outside the Treasure Beach hotel, the heads of two young girls sitting in front bobbing in time to the irresistible beat.

The bartender waves as I pass through the hotel's relaxed, open air restaurant, towards my spacious apartment where, after a day enjoying the hot tropical sunshine, I fix myself a rum punch and then retire to the balcony to fully recharge before dinner with Hamish Watson, the Treasure Beach's personable general manager.

This is Barbados, where not doing very much, in no particular haste, I have learned, comes perfectly naturally.

For the most relaxing, and luxurious, Bejan (short for Barbadian) holiday, the west coast is the place to come. White sandy beaches and calm azure waters stretch virtually a full 15 miles north from the capital, Bridgetown.

Most of the hotels are of the small, understated type - perfect for honeymooning couples or families looking for plenty of peace and quiet during their break.

But head further north, towards the old port of Speightstown, and you will encounter far grander properties, with secure gates and landscaped gardens which set the scene for modern day mansions.

These are the playgrounds of the rich and famous. Wayne Rooney is rumoured to be building a clutch of villas. Former England cricket captain, Michael Vaughan, also has a pad here. And Tiger Woods splashed out $1million on his lavish - and top secret - wedding at the suitably exclusive Sandy Lane resort. Indeed it was here that the troubled golfer was rumoured to have sought refuge following his inglorious, sex and car crash-fuelled fall from grace.

It is true that Barbados attracts a fair number of millionaires. At Holetown, a touristy hang-out also on the west coast, I decamped to a beach bar for an afternoon to watch Scotland's football team crash to another defeat.Floating around the bar were several leathery-skinned old soaks, glass of rum in one hand and cigar in the other - ex-pats who had clearly been enjoying the good life for some time.

One far more unassuming chap to my right turned out to have made a pile buying the licences to some of the world's most popular computer games.

But none was that bothered by the football - life appeared too good to be concerned with such mundane reminders of home.

However you don't have to be mega-rich to come to Barbados. The southern coast is tailored to package holidaymakers, and is where the best night life can be found, but it remains a far cry from Magaluf or Benidorm.

About 250,000 Brits visit Barbados each year, and recent surveys suggest more are shunning European destinations such as Hungary and Poland for long-haul trips to the Caribbean.

The weather is one obvious reason why this might be.

The most easterly of the Caribbean islands, Barbados is lucky to escape the seasonal ravaging inflicted when the hurricanes begin their onslaught.

And although tropical rains are not infrequent during the wet season, visitors are pretty much guaranteed hot sunshine at any time of the year - perfect for those who insist on returning to work wearing their holiday on their skin.

But the island's beaches are not just favoured by sun-starved tourists and orangey ex-pats. Leatherback turtles head for the white sands to lay their eggs up and down the coast. These are often collected by volunteers and incubated to protect them from human predators.

One evening, as the sun set, 50 baby turtles - each only eight hours old - were released on the beach next to our hotel. I watched agog as they instinctively crawled towards the sea, and were swept up by the white surf, to face an unknown future in a world full of unimaginable danger.

That so few were likely to survive to adulthood made the experience of swimming with these beautiful creatures all the more amazing. Only 50 yards from the swimming area in front of my hotel's beach, catamarans moored every day to allow eager visitors to witness the turtles in their natural habitat. It may not have been the most graceful way to see these amazing creatures, splashing around among 30 other spotters in their snorkelling gear, but the moment a huge adult turtle, its shell measuring about a metre across, swam only inches below me, before pushing itself to the surface to take in some air, is one I will never forget.

The rains arrived the following day so it made sense to drag myself away from the beach and take a tour of the island. We headed up to the hilly and lush northern part, where a number of old colonial properties - which once drove the island's economy thanks to vast sugar plantations that for centuries provided such valuable commodities as rum and molasses - have been restored to their former glory.

St Nicholas Abbey is said to be the last remaining house of the 17th century that exists anywhere in the New World. It was built around 1658, only 30 years after Captain Henry Powell brought the first British settlers and slaves to the island, and became an important base for the production of sugar cane and rum.

The stunning property, surrounded by lush gardens, is regarded as one of the wonders of Barbados. But perhaps the most wonderful thing this island has to offer is the warm reception you are almost guaranteed from the locals.

Visitors to Barbados are genuinely welcome across the island, even in quieter backwaters such as the rugged eastern coast, with its ramshackle cafes frequented by adventurous surfers.

Nowhere is this native friendliness more evident than in the seaside town of Oistens on a Friday night, when the place is given over to dancing and carousing, accompanied by the best barbecued fish and endless bottles of cheap beer. "Fish Friday" sees locals young and old come out to play in their droves, and is unmissable for any visitor seeking an authentic Bajan experience.

And so it was that I headed to the airport the following morning, music ringing in my ears and rings hanging below my tired eyes.

My trusty guide had already helped stave off a seemingly inevitable hangover by taking me to an inauspicious local caf in the suburbs of Bridgetown where I demolished a hearty bowl of English pudding - a classic Bajan dish made with souse from pork and a sausage containing spicy sweet potato.

Afterwards, as the chatter of drunken regulars flew around my ears, I sat quietly in the corner, grinning inanely as the Caribbean rhythms from the reggae bus filtered once again into my consciousness.

THE FACTS Seven nights in Barbados with Virgin Holidays, including scheduled flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick direct to Barbados, accommodation at the Treasure Beach (www.treasurebeachhotel.com) with breakfast and transfers included starts from 1219. Prices are per person based on two adults travelling and sharing a standard room (www.virginholidays.co.uk or tel: [phone]).

50 baby turtles - each only eight hours old - were released on the beach next to our hotel

Visit www.holidays.scotsman.com for more UK holidays

Visit www.holidays.scotsman.com for more great holidays

This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, 4 September, 2010