Hello, a very well-rested and slightly freckled Claire here!
As you might remember (if you read this post or were following #bridalblogathon on Twitter), a few weeks back, I was invited to go test out honeymoon destinations in the Caribbean.
Yes, I do have the best job on the planet!
And today, I’m sharing the first leg of my adventure in beautiful, blue-skied Barbados.
When the amazing teams at Kuoni and Elite Island Resorts invited me to go island hopping, of course, my initial answer was, ‘Hell yes, I’m already packed.’
They could have been getting me there by raft and putting me up in a treehouse, and I would have been there in a heartbeat (they didn’t, BTW – but more on that later.)
But I do have to be honest.
A honeymoon in the Caribbean is never something I ever would have considered for myself.
My kind of holidays tend to involve more recreation than relaxation. Visiting churches and temples, testing out local cuisine, exploring the countryside, getting up close (but not too close!) with the wildlife, and, of course, hitting up bars and sampling the native tipples too.
So for me, while the idea of a week spent flaking out on the beach sounded like a welcome break (especially if I got to call it ‘work’), endless days by the pool, eating in the same restaurant each night, and not getting to explore, certainly didn’t seem like my bag for a honeymoon.
But that was before I realized what a honeymoon in Barbados is actually all about…
If you want, you can, of course, spend your time in Barbados glued to your sun lounger with a rum cocktail in one hand and a good book in the other – and I know that after the stress of wedding planning, that sounds like the perfect getaway for a lot of couples.
Little did I know that staying at an all-inclusive resort in Barbados meant I could do all that but also a whole lot more.
Drink the local beer in a Bajan rum shop, try fresh mahi mahi seasoned in a home kitchen, swim with sea turtles in crystal waters, sample fresh coconuts (with a splash of rum, of course) on the side of the road, see the rugged coastline on the same day as white sandy beaches, and take in the history of one of the most interesting (and friendly!) places I’ve ever visited.
Travel is all about leaving your preconceptions behind and keeping an open mind. And my few days spent at The Club Barbados blew my expectations away completely.
The Island
So, most of what I knew about Barbados before I got there revolved around Rihanna, rum cocktails, and pictures of paradise.
But this place is so much more than the cliches.
From the brightly painted houses to the delicious tasting food, it’s fun, friendly, fascinating, and so worth leaving your (albeit glorious!) resort to explore.
One thing that became apparent after a day or two in Barbados is how it really captures visitors’ imagination and enthusiasm. I lost count of how many people at the resort told me it was their third, fifth, or even tenth time to visit the island.
While the West Coast has still waters and pristine beaches, the rugged Northern tip looks more like the West of Ireland than a paradise island. On the East Coast, the iconic Bathsheba beach is a surfer’s dream and a site to behold, and the southern parts of the island are a little more lively and built-up.
Then, in the center, old Barbados, with its chattel houses, sugar mills, churches, and rum shops, offers an insight into a charming island with a colorful history.
Barbados might be small, but it has vastly contrasting backdrops across its tiny (and pretty flat!) landscape.
The Resort
I was so lucky to stay at The Club, Barbados, while I was on the island.
A lot more boutique than most of the other big, glossy resorts on the stunning West Coast, The Club is one of the few adult-only resorts on the island, making it just perfect for a romantic honeymoon.
I was traveling solo, but I can imagine how taking in sunsets, long walks on the beach, and romantic candlelit suppers at The Club would be a pretty sublime way to spend the first few weeks of married life.
Nestled among some pretty swanky pads (Rihanna and Simon Cowell are neighbors), The Club has all the luxury you’d expect from a honeymoon resort, but the feel is so much more relaxed and laid back.
The staff is perhaps some of the friendliest I’ve ever encountered (by the third day, they all knew me by name!) and will stop what they’re doing to have a chat, make recommendations, and tell you off for getting sunburnt.
It was so lovely (and pretty rare and refreshing!) to stay somewhere that was at such a high standard but still didn’t feel stuffy or elitist.
From the staff and the management to the other guests, everyone was relaxed, chatty, and fully immersed in that quintessential Caribbean attitude – it did take me a day or two to wrap my ears around those awesome accents, though!
