Barbados Holiday Apartments, Vacation Apartments, Property To Rent, West Coast, Art Studio, St. James, Barbados
Barbados is one of the smaller, and most easterly of the Caribbean islands, and is quite a flat coral island surrounded by reefs and spectacular long white sand beaches. This pretty island of gently rolling emerald hills and approximately 60 miles of sun-drenched beaches enjoys an average of 3000 sunshine hours per year and a typical temperature of between 75F and 85F.
There is much to see and do here, with more attractions per square mile than in any other island in the Caribbean.
The West coast is the best coast for snorkelling as reefs are close to shore and the Caribbean Sea provides calm water. With really nice beaches and tranquil waters, swimming is heaven along the whole of the West coast.
The Southeast coast of Barbados has a more dramatic setting with large cliffs and is good for body boarding and walking.
For surfers from all over the world the East coast is a must with the bonus of breathtaking scenery.
You will find a wide range of water sports, including sailing, diving, windsurfing, kayaking and paragliding. There is horse riding, walking and hiking, cycling and golf or you could watch a game of cricket or polo.
For nightlife live music such as reggae, jazz and steel bands are popular.
Bridgetown and St Lawrence Gap have the liveliest centres with bars and nightclubs or take an evening cruise or a catamaran made for two!
The local excursions in Barbados are numerous and include rum and sugar factory tours, Harrison's Cave featuring stalactites and stalagmites, colonial plantation mansions like the 17 th century St Nicholas Abbey and Drax Hall, Barbados Museum, eco or heritage tours, wildlife reserve and monkey sanctuary, scenic boat and deep sea fishing trips, submarine and lunchtime pirate ship cruises.
The stylish west coast with its wonderful variety of high quality restaurants and hotels or the south coast, and in particular St Lawrences Gap, a lively fun packed area teeming with restaurants, bars and nightclubs, is bound to have you dancing until the early hours.
Art Studio is less than a five minutes walk from 1st and 2nd Street, Holetown, where you will find an amazing array of restaurants, bars and clubs.
If we start with 2nd Street here you will find Lexy's Piano Bar, where there is a party going on most nights of the week, but their liveliest nights are on the weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They always have live entertainment with someone on the piano, and on a Sunday evening they have karaoke. Here you can spot some very famous personalities, who are staying on the west coast and like to frequent this bar. You can eat here as well.
Right on the corner, as you turn into 2nd Street you will find Olive's Bar & Restaurant, which serves Mediterranean and Cantonese food.
If you fancy eating Indian food then head to Sitar. For pizza and Italian food lovers, then you should head to Spago.
For those who like French cuisine and fresh seafood, then The Mews
is the place for you. This is a delightful restaurant with a large bar area and they often have live entertainment as well.
Just a few doors down from The Mews, you will find The Elbow Room, which occasionally has live entertainment and a good menu and is usually a comfortable place to hang out and have a few drinks.
Turning in to 1st Street Holetown you will find even more bars and restaurants.
Here you will find Blue Rare bar and restaurant and the infamous Ragamuffins, which is known for its drag act on a Sunday night.
There is also the Oasis Bar and Angry Annie's restaurant, which serves great food at a very reasonable price,
Finally on the corner of 1st Street, you will find Patisserie Flindt, which is open during the day selling wonderful fresh pastries and freshly baked bread; you can enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch here, so do drop in when you are passing for some sheer decadence!
For that very special treat visit Fisher Pond Great House for Sunday lunch. Booking is essential.
This is what Michael Winner had to say about his visit: "After 26 years of going every Christmas-New Year to Barbados I’ve at last found a great restaurant there. One that ranks with the finest in the world. John’s home and/or restaurant is a beautiful plantation house originally built in 1635 in the middle of cane fields. You drive down a rutted track. It’s Barbados as it used to be. The place is furnished with exquisite antiques, the table settings, napkins, everything is perfection.
We lounged in the garden, following in the sitsteps of Prince Harry, the Tony Blairs, Drew Barrymore, Helen Mirren et al. The whole thing is an experience of total delight."
Click on the "Things to Do" heading on the introduction page for lots of photos of other popular restaurants around the Island.
Bridgetown is the capital and major commercial centre. For upmarket duty free shopping., both Bridgetown and Holetown on the fashionable West Coast offers bargains on international brand-name jewellery, cosmetics, clothing, crystal, tobacco, leather, perfumes and alcohol. Rum is Barbados local product and you can't go home without tasting or buying some Barbadian rum!
Here, cricket is not just a sport, it is a passion.
The best known of all West Indian cricket grounds, Kensington Oval, is just a 20 minutes drive from Art Studio.
Barbados has gained the reputation of being the finest in the Caribbean for golf, with championship standard courses at Sandy Lane, Royal Westmoreland, Apes Hill and Royal Barbados Golf Clubs. For more information, please go to the "Golf" page
Take a submarine trip down to the depths of 150 metres and explore the exotic sea life. Discover the spectacular coral reef off the coast of Barbados, with its strange and beautiful sponges and colourful tropical fish. You may also catch sight of a shipwreck or two, along with graceful turtles and larger deep sea fish.
Don't miss the stunning Harrison Cave too, with its beautifully lit rock pools, caverns, stalactites and stalagmites.
Cricket at Kensington Oval, horse racing at Garrison Savannah, Polo at Holders Hill and National Trust buildings all give a very British feel to the island.
In 1627 the first British Settlers landed, near to where Art Studio now stands.
The nearby beautiful St. James Parish Church was first built in 1628.
Nelson's Column by the Parliament Buildings in Bridgetown, pre-dates that in Trafalgar Square, London.
Plantation Houses and blue plaque heritage sites of historical interest, many of which are open to the public, can be found throughout the Island.
Although small, Barbados is an Island of great contrasts.The landscape changes from Parish to Parish, and each coastline is very different from the next.
Whilst it is very tempting to relax on the beach, time spent exploring the Island will be well rewarded.
You will find a large bound folder in the apartment, giving comprehensive information on all leisure, sporting, and recreational activities.
The Island is very well served by a reliable and inexpensive bus transport system to most parts of the island. The blue buses are government owned and a more comfortable and sedate way to travel. The yellow "reggae" buses are not for the faint hearted.
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