BARBADOS - more travel snippets
Turtles, tropical gardens, VIP status, getting married in Barbados, and where to go for the best Sunday Bajan lunch
FISHER POND GREAT HOUSE - the best Sunday lunch in Barbados
Lovingly restored by former hotelier John Chandler you'll find Fisher Pond Great House, a 350-year-old plantation house in the centre of the island (St Thomas). The house is elegantly furnished and the Sunday Planter’s Buffet Lunch (popular with celebrities and politicians alike) that John and his wife Rain put on is superlative, catering up to 80 people at exquisitely dressed tables located in the house and garden. Even Michael Winner raved about it (read Michael Winner's Fisher Pond Great House restaurant review at Times Online).
- and also a romantic Barbados wedding venue
Full of old world charm Fisher Pond Great House makes a romantic venue for a wedding ceremony which can be held either in the beautiful tropical gardens or in the antique setting of their plantation home. The wedding floral displays, petal-strewn garden aisle, and exquisite table settings that John and Rain organise for wedding couples on their special day is extraordinary. For more information contact Rain at Chandelier Weddings.
BLOOMIN’ MARVELLOUS
Take time out to discover the hidden gardens of Barbados and a tropical paradise tucked away in the lush parish of St Joseph called Hunte’s Garden; it’s a beautifully landscaped exotic haven located in a natural sink hole where strident sounds of classical piano music are often heard reverberating over the towering palms.
In the same parish, but overlooking the scenic east coast of Barbados, are the Andromeda Botanic Gardens: six acres containing an exotic collection of flowers and trees together with a stream, waterfalls and delightful pools.
Take a self-guided walk through the Flower Forest in St Thomas parish; it’s a nature trail botanical garden blend where the sound of tropical birds and chattering green monkeys are thrown in free. A path winds through a tranquil forest crammed with plants and trees: Heliconias, begonias, Cape honeysuckle, orchids, hog plum trees, bearded fig tree, Christmas palms......
Thousands of spectacular orchids are on show at Orchid World (St John’s parish). The vivid orchids are most fragrant early or late on in the day, and at their best from late February to April although there are blooms to see throughout the year.
TURTLE TATTLE
Off the coast of Barbados you'll find a population of hawksbill turtles, closely monitored by the island’s conservation laws and marine specialists.
Named Hawksbill because of their narrow, beak-like mouth, adult turtles can weigh as much as 100kg and grow to a length of around one metre. These popular creatures feed along the inshore reefs on the west coast of Barbados, are accustomed to humans so are relatively tame, and swimming with them is an experience of a wildlife-time.
May to October is their egg-laying period (peaking in July) and lucky guests at Sandy Lane, where Hawksbill turtles lay their eggs on part of the hotel’s beach, are often treated to the sight of hatchings making their first intrepid night-time journey across the sand to the sea.
Sandy Lane works closely with the Barbados Sea Turtle Conservation Project and, between them, operate a turtle “alert” so that hotel guests get the news of emerging turtles and hatchlings hot off the sand!
VIP STATUS
Did you know that UK and European visitors to Barbados can sign up for a Barbados VIP card? It offers card holders savings on some activities, watersports, entertainment, golf and tours, and gives one free place for each adult place paid for on a range of Barbados attractions as well as free additional car rental days.
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To enquire about purchasing a high resolution copy of any of these images, or to view a wider selection of Barbados images, please contact Linda Jackson at enquiry@linda-jackson.co.uk. All images Copyright Linda Jackson |
