Caribbean Cruise, the ultimate?

So I needed to top my gap year adventures with something special to celebrate my retirement – how about a cruise in the Caribbean and a week in Barbados? Predictably Annie and George, my adult children age 29 and 25, were keen to come along. To be fair, I did insist that they contribute to the cost, but nevertheless it seemed like a holiday which would be a once in a lifetime trip. Have you ever heard anyone saying anything bad about their holiday in the Caribbean?

We booked the trip for April 2025, following my official retirement at the end of March 2025. We would fly out of Birmingham, catch the cruise ship for a week, and then stay in Barbados for a chilled week afterwards. The cruise itinerary with Tui Marella Cruises was set out as follows

I had never been to the Caribbean and whilst I had heard of most of these places before, I had no idea where they were in comparison to each other, or indeed relative to anywhere else. I looked them up (I love maps!)

And found out some facts:

The detail – I decided to keep a blow by blow diary, for my own sake, but any reader may find what follows a little tedious – perhaps skip to the pictures?!

Day 1

9^th & 10^th April 2025, Wednesday/Thurday

Having had the requisite nails and hair prepared for the holiday, and booked Harry into his kennel stay, George and I drove to Exeter to leave the car at Annie’s flat. With Annie we then caught the local bus to Exeter train station, before travelling to Birmingham New Street. After some navigational errors we found the platform for the short hop to Birmingham International train station, and tracked down the Budget Ibis for our first night’s stay.

The highlight of this initial part of our journey was the monorail connection from the train station to the airport, with music to start the party vibe.

The room was indeed ‘budget’ with George opting to have the bunk bed angled above the double bed Annie and I were to share. We all had a poor night, with the room so hot and no air – not the best start to the promised holiday of a lifetime! The evening meal and breakfast in the restaurant was ok, but the best part was the little more than 100 yard walk back to the airport for check in.

As always we arrived very early and waited for the check in time. I hadn’t affixed the Tui Cruise luggage labels thinking we would do this after landing in Barbados, but apparently the hold luggage was to be taken from Birmingham airport direct to the cruise ship, without us having to wait to collect it after the flight – now the luxury was starting!

As we stepped off the plane the hoped for wall of heat promised the longed for sun. After a bit of confusion confirming that most of the passengers were in fact destined for the cruise ship we boarded buses to take us directly to the port without any hassle of going through immigration or passport control.

The 45 minute transfer passed swapping cruise stories with other passengers – whilst this was only our second cruise a lot of others were seasoned cruisers. Some were booked for solely the one week cruise before flying home, whereas others were making 3 weeks of it, travelling back with the boat (Voyager) to Europe. Apparently the extra 2 weeks was made up of a couple of extra days in the Caribbean, some days crossing the Atlantic and then a few days in Europe before flying home from Mallorca – sounds like an option for next year?!

After navigating the large warehouse area to collect our cruise cards etc we made our way on board. These cards are essential for access on and off the ship, to access our cabin, to order drinks etc. Apparently one poor young girl lost her card at one destination and had to wait for all other passengers to get on board before it was confirmed that nobody else had accessed the boat in her name, and she could go onboard and be issued a replacement.

Our experience of sailing on a Mediterranean cruise last year showed up – we were not immediately taking pictures of the boat in awe at the harbour side! Best of all, though, was the upgraded cabin we had booked after struggling with an inside cabin with no access to fresh air last time – now we had a balcony, and, to George’s delight, a hammock! The room was made for 2 really, and having to climb over George’s bed blocking the door access to the balcony was a bit of a pain, but considerably better than having him sleep in a pull down bunk bed above my head as was the case in the Med.

After a quick few beers exhaustion, the sway of the boat and the heat got to me. We had been awake since 6am back in Birmingham, and had gained some time with the 5 hour difference, so despite the long flight it was still only mid-afternoon. I left Annie and George to it and went and laid down on one of the sunbeds on the balcony. I couldn’t really sleep, however, and was disturbed by Efendi, the cabin steward assigned to our room. Efendi proved to be a delight, always smiling and cheerful, remembering all of our names. Over the next few days we got to know him a bit, finding out that he enjoyed fishing with his son in Indonesia. He had been on the boat for a month, and was contracted to stay for another 7.

After getting some dinner in the Deck 11 open ‘Kitchens’, which served a variety of food from different cuisines in a relaxed canteen style, Annie and I went to watch the Show in the Broadway theatre on Deck 7, the Best of British. It was a good show, celebrating a lot of great British music from several decades. I was disappointed there was no mention of David Bowie, however.

George had decided to make the use of the hammock, and he remained there for the whole night. Despite the Air Conditioning we slept with the door to the balcony open and enjoyed the sound of the boat moving through the waves as we sailed away from Bridgetown in Barbados.

Day 2

11^th April 2025, Friday

Today was the Day at Sea, to re-position the ship to the northernmost island on the itinerary. Day 2, the day after joining the ship, is often at sea, giving some room for manoeuvre in case of delayed flights and also an opportunity for all passengers to acclimatise themselves. Most food and drinks are included within the cost of the holiday, but there are opportunities to spend more on premium branded drinks, posher restaurants and spa packages – I am sure having a day at sea with all passengers discovering everything that is available would do no harm to the ship’s takings.

Because our body clocks had not adjusted to the time difference we were awake early. George used the early start to use the gym for an hour, actually finding a way in with another guest before it officially opened. After breakfast we found some suitable sun beds on Deck 11. We had first looked around the pool area but this was already full. Some beds appeared to have been reserved, but there is a policy of ensuring the belongings are removed from beds if not actually used for a period of time – I didn’t actually see this in operation and I think the heat of the sun ensures passengers move to other areas when they have had enough. We certainly only lasted 2 hours, and even that was too much for Annie and George. Through a combination of not using enough suncream and/or using out of date products both ended up with sunburn on their lily white skin, which unfortunately had an impact on their comfort for the rest of the holiday.

Despite getting a notification to visit the Activity Desk to deal with the details needed for George and I’s first excursion (a guided bike ride) I forgot to attend by 1pm, so had to go back later with George. We spent the afternoon eating and resting out of the sun on the balcony before finding the Squid & Anchor as George fancied competing in the darts tournament. Annie signed up too and lasted longer than George in a knockout competition. Unfortunately the keenest potential participants were 2 lads under 16 with their own darts who were not allowed to take part for health and safety reasons!

We stayed on for the Quiz and Bingo, before having dinner in the general area on Deck 11 again. This evening was the Dress to Impress night so we got our glad rags on before going to see the Broadway Show. We then went back to the Squid & Anchor for a ‘Say What You See’ Catchphrase type quiz, with 2 passengers competing for the coveted Marella tote bag (?!)

George slept on the balcony in the hammock again tonight but for the last time – he was having some weird dreams which included a feeling that he may jump over the side! I woke up in the night and the moon was amazingly bright – there was a full moon a couple of days later, and against the black sky in the middle of the sea with no clouds it was impressive, if not photogenic on my basic phone camera.

Day 3

12^th April, Saturday

Today was our first pre-booked excursion. After getting a basic briefing on our electric bikes we set off, 16 in total including 2 guides, on our island for the day, the French Guadeloupe. Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic around the ports and along the 11 mile route, but the beach at Le Gosier was a perfect Caribbean beach with white sand, beautiful blue seas and skies. After watching the pelicans diving for fish and a little meander around we enjoyed an authentic pina colada and mojito in a street café, at 10 euros each. George braved the sea, along with some of the other passengers on the tour, before we returned to the ship.

Annie had opted for the Death In Paradise tour, as this is where the series is filmed. She saw the beach where the detective’s hut is erected for filming, as well as Katherine’s bar (too small and busy to get a drink) and the police station (with opportunities to sit in the cells and at a desk to hold a telephone). There were some very enthusiastic fans on the trip!

Back on board we had the usual evening of cocktails, resting on the balcony, bingo and Broadway Show

Day 4

13^th April, Sunday

St Lucia beckoned with warm sun and green shores. Because we always arrive in busy ports our first view of an island can present as industrial and commercial, but St Lucia felt more green and relaxed – probably because of the yachts bobbing in the nearby marina.

The island is famous for its two prominent mountains – Gros and Petit Piton. We had all opted for the longest excursion of our cruise for today, a hike up Gros Piton. When we had arrived in the cabin on our first day we had received a letter addressed to all those doing the trip, warning that the excursion was tough and not suitable for all. Both Annie and I still felt, after completing what we could, that the ‘hike’ should have been described as a ‘climb’. The heat was the real enemy, however.

En route we passed a man with a snake wound around his neck, just walking beside the road in what appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. George said he had a licence to have the snake, which he used to earn money charging for pictures with tourists.

Eventually we arrived at the base of the Gros Piton trail. There is a whole community living here, with guides to take all walkers up the mountain – you are not allowed to go up without a guide. After an initial briefing with a model of the trail, our water supplies were checked and we were encouraged to hire walking poles, which we all did. The ‘walk’ was described as ‘moderate’ until half way up, dry and arid, and then ‘hard’, although in more lush rainforest. There were stops every 30 minutes, and the whole experience was expected to take 4 hours. By this time we were a little nervous as to what we were letting ourselves in for.

The guide Chad set off at the front of our group of 9. Immediately we were faced with volcanic rocks to scramble across rather than a path. In fact there was only a dirt path for a nominal part, the rest consisting of hard rocks at jagged angles which required confidence to scale, and sometimes hands to pull yourself up. Annie and I were at the back of the group struggling to get across the rocks, for fear of falling down gaps or slipping. Gradually I got a bit faster but I could tell Annie was struggling. There was a guide, Stanley, at the back who was right behind Annie the whole time, which was daunting and reassuring at the same time. We were soon struggling with the heat too. We managed to get to the first stop after what I assume was 30 minutes but felt like hours.

I waited for Annie to catch up as I was carrying water and she wasn’t – this was a mistake as we had ensured we had sufficient water between us, but not individually – we hadn’t realised that we would be separated so quickly. George had most of the water but had gone on ahead with the quicker group – as it turned out he needed it all, so we should have just carried more water for myself and Annie.

After a bit of a pep talk, both Annie and I pressed on. It quickly became obvious that Annie was hating it and could go no further. Stanley had said nothing until this point but when we said that Annie couldn’t continue he agreed that she wouldn’t make it. Annie took some of the water I had and returned to the first stop to wait our return, whilst I decided to continue.

Stanley and I made our way very slowly to the halfway point, making way for faster groups going past, and some coming down. I soon conceded that I wasn’t going to make it to the top, and was grateful when Stanley said the views from the halfway point were good enough, and not much better at the top. I got my breath, drank the water I had left, stood for the required photo, and turned back. I had worried that going down would be even worse, but actually it wasn’t as bad as I feared. Or perhaps I was so desperate to get off the mountain and into more shade I didn’t really care.

Eventually we got back to the first stopping point where Annie was waiting. Stanley had said he didn’t want to stop there as he didn’t like ‘that hotel’ – he wanted to carry on until we reached the refreshment stop further on. I took his comment to mean that he had some issues with the guy selling coconuts, water and beer at this stop, and they certainly didn’t speak when I insisted on sitting down in the little shade offered for a minute. Annie had been treated well, however, although she never got the guy’s name – he gave her a coconut and showed her how to drink the coconut water. He did talk about what sounded like his work running cannabis (and other drugs?) but Annie was grateful for his care (as she had no money to pay him).

We made it down to the little ‘café’ nearer the village and Annie got ice creams with the money I had and we drank what water we had left. I had to sit for some time in the shade before I felt better, and assume I had the beginnings of sunstroke, but was able to continue the last bit when George arrived with the 2 others who had made the journey in full to the top and back. So of the 9 in our group, 3 made it to the top, 3 to halfway including me, and 3 to somewhere between the first stop and halfway. It was tough!

We rounded off our day by using the ‘Latitude’ restaurant back at the ship for dinner, which had waiter service, although George was sent back to our cabin to put on a collared shirt first, to comply with the dress code. We just managed to make the Broadway Show at 8pm, which I didn’t want to miss as it was based on ‘Rock music’

Day 5

14^th April, Monday

This morning we arrived at St Vincent, which is surrounded by 30 islands (the Grenadines) sufficient for a visit every day for a month. With cruising you only get time for a glimpse of each location, a taster.

Today we were being taken to Buccament Bay to kayak and snorkel. Unfortunately the bus that was supposed to take us had broken down so the whole group were just about squeezed into one, using fold down bucket seats – very cosy.

There were double and single kayaks. Annie went with George in a double, but the 4 single kayaks were taken up by 2 couples who wanted to be in separate boats. I was the last to leave the beach as the guides had to go and find another single.

Once I had joined the group on the water by the headland, the guides assisted us to paddle through a bat cave, one by one. With the swell of the water and narrow opening, it was necessary to pull yourself through pushing off the sides, and then duck at the end under a stalactite. I didn’t see any bats, but I could hear and certainly smell them. Once we were all through we paddled around the corner to a bay – as a kayaking adventure goes it was quite a short distance, but I suppose it is difficult to cope with so many varied abilities.

In the bay, used as a set in Pirates of the Caribbean, we were able to pick up snorkels and have a go at snorkelling. I had never done this before, being quite scared of not being able to breathe, but after persevering I sort of got the hang of it, and saw some fish. We were warned away from the coral to the left of the bay, as it was full of sea urchins, and they obviously didn’t want any of us to get stung. George was nervous after seeing jellyfish, having been stung on a previous holiday.

On the way back in the kayaks we could clearly see the Sandals resort which had cool rooms on stilts into the bay. The sand is white as opposed to the usual black, volcanic sand, as apparently Sandals bring in the white sand to put on top, to ensure the resort is suitably photogenic.

After discarding the boats we received a voucher for a very strong rum punch, which we drank whilst admiring the beautiful bay.

After returning to the ship we spent some time playing cards with the couple who had managed the full climb with George of the Gros Piton in St Lucia, before eating and watching the Show. We were all feeling a little queasy on the boat – sea sickness seemed to be affected by location, and presumably how rough the seas were, where we were sailing, what sun we had had during the day etc. On occasion we had felt a similar sickness when on land. It didn’t impact us much but was definitely something that came and went.

Day 6

15^th April, Tuesday

When we had looked to book the excursions before we left on the cruise, both Annie and I had been keen to savour every available moment, but the costs had built up. By going on 5 excursions we had spent the best part of £300 each. George had booked for Days 3, 4 and 5, but had then decided to wait and see. He now thought he would do his own thing and wander around each port as we arrived. Quite a few passengers seemed to want to disembark, find a beach and pay for sunbeds (at up to $20/day). Some were happy to stay onboard.

Annie and I had booked to visit Argyle Falls on Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago are two separate islands but treated as one country. Our guide, Sydney, told us that Tobago is the more laid back of the two, with Trinidad being more commercialised and industrial.

We again were transported by minibus, along twisting, winding roads which seem to be the norm on these volcanic islands. Sydney wasn’t the best guide, and admitted at the destination that she didn’t like the way our driver drove, and was feeling quite sick. Again the heat didn’t help – she said she preferred the rainy season which comes from May to November. April is like their Spring with some beautiful flowers signifying the end of the dry season. The approach of the Easter holiday seemed to mark the end of the tourist season altogether and at times we felt like the locals were looking forward to the break

During the trip Sydney pointed out the weed covering the white sand along all the beaches we passed. We had seen great moving ‘slicks’ of this weed, both from the aeroplane on arrival and again from the ship, but it was particularly noticeable on the beaches in Tobago. Both Sydney and others we spoke to later in Barbados confirmed that this is a new phenomenon, only arriving in the last decade or so. Nobody seemed to know where it came from – caused by global warning? Or some other cause? Sydney seemed sad that the beaches weren’t as she remembered from her childhood. It seemed likely that the weed was raked off of the more popular tourist beaches, to keep the white sands the Caribbean is known for

After a wait for other groups to pass along we were led along a nature trail through the rainforest towards the falls. A lot of the plants are used for medicinal purposes – Sydney remarked about one in particular which was used to help with Covid by the islanders, rather than more artificial remedies. We got to taste a pod from a cocoa plant, which when sucked tasted a bit like chocolate.

After scrabbling over some very slippery stones we reached the falls. It was obvious that some members of the tour hadn’t realised how difficult the walk would be, and even Annie and I in hiking boots were prone to slip on the wet stones, Eventually I managed to scrabble myself across to the pool at the bottom of the falls, determined to go in as I hadn’t swam at the beach in Guadeloupe. After a quick dip in the refreshing cool water I quickly put my boots back on and made my way back to Annie who hadn’t bothered

Whilst we were approaching the falls a group of young adults caught us up, with one girl in particular quite vocal about how she was going to slip over and break a leg, she hoped, so that she could be sent home and wouldn’t have to fulfil her contract. She was wearing white crocs, but wasn’t being particularly cautious and seemed a bit pushy not waiting for slower people in front. I tried to let the group through, but they stayed behind until we reached the pool, and then quickly managed the stones there and went in swimming. I realised the group were the dancers from the cruise ship – not quite the same as the smiley, helpful professionals they presented as after each Show!

On our return to the ship in the minibus it started to rain hard, and there was very quickly standing water everywhere. We had been particularly lucky with the weather so far – the BBC weather app had looked very disappointing but in most cases the rain was heavy but short lived when it came, and we quickly dried off afterwards. We had had better weather than the passengers on the ship the previous week had had, and our luck continued for the rest of the holiday apart from a few isolated occasions.

George had spent some time looking around the port of Tobago, and wasn’t in the cabin when Annie and I returned. We decided to head back out and have a look around too, but were caught in a very heavy shower – we stood in a round bandstand type structure which appear everywhere (presumably for this very purpose) and waited for it to pass. Efendi, the cabin steward we had on the ship, was stood behind us, also sheltering, still smiling.

We spotted George next to a bar, chatting to a local. We joined him and then decided to cut our losses and return to the ship when the rain persisted. Annie used a £30 voucher we were given to have a £59 treatment at the spa and we met in ‘Flutes’ afterwards whilst waiting for a table at the Vista restaurant. A glass of champagne went down very well, although not included in the all-inclusive drinks package – the extra £6 or so was worth it. We had to wait a while and had a succession of passengers sharing our table whilst also waiting for the buzzer to let them know their table was available in the Latitude restaurant – it felt a bit like speed dating!

Vista was an Italian themed restaurant and I went for the Carbonara dish which again came with a small extra charge – not for the food I don’t think, but the theatrical flourish of the steward who mixed the pasta into a large wheel of cheese at the table.

Day 7

16^th April, Wednesday

Our final day before disembarking the ship and again Annie and I had booked a trip to another waterfall, this time on Granada. We were a bit concerned about whether we wanted to do the tour, because of the disappointment of the tour the previous day in Tobago. As it turned out this tour was much better, agreed on by all participants, a lot of whom had also visited the Argyle Falls the day before.

The guide, Danny, was more engaging. He was Grenadian born, but had lived in Guildford, Surrey, as well as Salisbury, working as a sous chef, in the past. He was, however, passionate about his homeland, talking about the various spices this island is famous for. Along the trail we saw nutmeg, coriander and cinnamon plants as well as another opportunity to taste the cocoa. Danny explained all the medical benefits of many of the plants, and told us he was writing a book which would be available next year when we return!

Danny told us it was his birthday and asked us to guess his age – always difficult to do without causing offence. As it turned out he was 56 and he did look well, although with perhaps the usual rather rotund body of a sous chef. He put his health down to the natural ingredients available on the island, and spoke of his grandparents who had lived well into the 90’s.

We followed the lush trail through the rainforest, which was apparently a private track on a farmer’s land who allowed these tours to take place on. At one point we had to cross a river, and we had been warned to wear suitable footwear. Some were wearing boat shoes but Annie and I had worn our hiking boots again, aware that they would get submerged. To assist, a rope was strung across the river and we used this to help, avoiding the slippery rocks in favour of walking on the river bed instead, albeit up to our knees in water.

There was another stream a bit further along the trail which was easier to navigate, before we reached the waterfall. We stripped down to our swimming costumes, and walked/swam into the pool, still wearing our boots. Annie was the first of the group (of about 12 of us) to go through the waterfall and to look back at us from behind. I did the same afterwards, and enjoyed the cool, very heavy shower the waterfall gave you on the way through!

We retraced our steps back to the minibus and gratefully drank a very refreshing juice drink that we were given, before being driven to a nearby lake to hopefully see some monkeys. We had hoped to see monkeys on the trail but none had appeared, so we were all keen to see if there were any around the lake. When we arrived there was a huddle of cars and minibuses, with many people all grouped around a monkey sitting on someone’s outstretched arms.

We returned to the ship, found George and returned to the town. Danny had told us about a place where they told us about how chocolate was made, and supplied FOC chocolate to try so obviously we had to go and find it. When we went in a guy was extolling the virtues to some already there – all connected with the trip we had done that day, obviously having listened to Danny too! We sat down and tried the dark chocolate and were told about the virtues of cocoa butter etc. We tried a hot and cold hot chocolate drink but were not keen (no milk added, so not perhaps to our taste, but George enjoyed the iced drink). We also bought some cocoa butter to help with sunburn, which Annie ended up using because a) her sunburn was worse and b) George and I really didn’t like the smell!

By the marina we found a chap selling beer in unmarked bottles, which was very cheap – it tasted ok and was refreshing, but no idea what it was. When George looked to be putting the empty bottles in the trash the guy very loudly called out to get the bottles returned to him – presumably to be re-filled and resold

We ambled around the local markets and George bought some knock off crocs, before we returned to the ship. At every port there is always a cluster of shops selling touristy stuff, usually very colourful, but not cheap. Often there is some sort of music playing loudly – there is always music in the Caribbean! To get back on the ship we would need to show our cabin cards, and pass belongings through a scanner, sometimes in the port and on the ship. We would then usually go back to the cabins to shower and change before eating, drinking more beer or cocktails, sometimes bingo or a quiz, often a Show – there is always somewhere to go

This was our last night on the boat and we were asked to pack and put our cases ready for collection outside of our cabins by 2am Thursday morning. They would then be taken down to the departure point to be claimed again, before our onward travel to our hotel in Barbados. As it turned out we merely had to put a sticker on our cases which had already been separated into the different hotels we were going to, and then wait for the coach to the hotel. Our luggage was transported separately.

Day 8

17^th April, Thursday

We had to vacate our cabin by 8am, so that it could be cleaned ready for the next occupants. We said goodbye to Efendi and made our way up to Deck 11 for breakfast. We lied on a sunbed for a while, near the pool, before claiming a table in a covered area so that we could play cards in the shade. There also a quiz held on deck which we scored 5/20 on – not the best quizzers!

Eventually, around lunchtime, we were able to leave the ship, claim our luggage and get on the bus to the hotel we were staying at – Divi Southwinds, St Lawrence Gap. It is only about a ½ hour drive away from the capital, Bridgetown, where the ship docked, but the traffic was dreadful and we had to drop other passengers at different hotels. George fell asleep, and I was very uncomfortable with very little leg room, getting hot – I was glad to arrive

We sat in the open reception area enjoying a complimentary rum punch whilst George took responsibility for check in. We made our way to Room 111 and I was immediately disappointed as there was only one double bed, with no way of splitting into twins, and the sofa bed which George was to have looked very rickety indeed. The whole place seemed a little run down. Whilst trying to manage my disappointment I went back to reception to see if there were any other rooms available, but apparently there were none, and no rooms had twin beds.

Unfortunately in trying to keep my disappointment under wraps, Annie, the forever most sensitive of us all, felt that I was upset with her in some way, and we had a half hour of misunderstandings and some cross words. George came back from a stroll around and managed to calm the situation down, and encouraged us to visit the beach. By the time I got there Annie and George had claimed some sunbeds and I was worried about the cost if we had to pay for sunbeds every day, with no opportunity to sit on our own balcony (which was about 2 foot wide, with only just enough room for 3 chairs, requiring a small step down on the grass to pass anyone sitting there).

I had so enjoyed the private balcony space we had on the ship, and had had visions of chilling on some sort of tropical paradise and now had to manage my expectations again. After considering getting another room for the latter part of the week (what was the point if George didn’t want to share a double bed with Annie, as he would still be confined to the sofa bed, and anyway it would have cost another £1k to have a room that looked towards the pool area), I decided we had to make the best of it. I had added a week in Barbados to the cost of the cruise, without much thought or attention, and had been surprised how little extra it had cost. Now I realised the hotel was 3 star, and I probably should have taken more note of the sleeping arrangements.

As it turned out the beds were really the only thing I would have changed. Whilst I don’t like sharing a double bed, this one was actually very big and we didn’t disturb each other greatly. The sofa bed was the most disappointing aspect and George didn’t really sleep well, with pillows slipping down all night, but as he pointed out, he had frequently slept in worse places.

The rest of the hotel worked well. The beach was beautiful, the sun loungers were FOC, we could eat our breakfast in Pure Ocean, a restaurant and bar right on the beach, looking at the waves, in what was undeniably a beautiful setting. The location worked well, we never had any trouble finding sun loungers whether in the sun or the shade, and the grounds were well kept. There was a well set out crazy golf course, with water and plants all mixed in. Annie and George used the pickleball court and I even attempted to join them for tennis once, although the heat again got the better of me. At 29 to 30 degrees every day, it was always hot, whether raining or not. We were grateful for the air conditioning in the room which we upped from the 16 degrees initially set to, to 24 degrees, which always felt much cooler than outside the room.

That first day we saw monkeys in the grounds, including one carrying a baby. These were obviously wild and disappeared afterwards – I only saw one larger one a few days later, running right across the grounds before disappearing again. There were signs up asking us not to feed the monkeys, so they are presumably as much of a pest as seagulls are at home. Much cuter to look at though.

We thought we had better get some food in as we were now only B&B rather than all inclusive. We had got used to having water, beer, cocktails and food on tap FOC on the cruise – it felt odd to be thinking about buying stocks in. We walked down to a local supermarket and picked up some lunch food, and lots of drink – beer, rum punch, water and coke. It was a good thing the hotel wasn’t too far away, although we had paid a premium for the accessibility – we had spent over £75 in 10minutes! Few of the goods displayed prices, and anyway we were just getting used to the exchange rates

The rum punch was recommended in the shop, and was certainly strong – George and I drank most of it one warm afternoon, and it basically knocked us out!

We established that the BBD (Barbadian dollar) was 2:1 with the US $ – i.e. 100 BBD = 50 US$. We then converted from US$ to £, using roughly 75%. Unfortunately the Post Office pre-loaded debit card I use when abroad did not have the ability to buy BBD, so all transactions on the card were taken first in £, then euros, before US$. It got confusing, and we suffered some currency exchange charges along the way. In other Caribbean countries we had used different currencies again  – the East Caribbean dollar in St Lucia, Grenada and St Vincent; Trinidad & Tobago have their own dollars; Guadeloupe uses the Euro.

We ate that evening at a local café called Fat Andy’s, which sold BBQ Caribbean style chicken as well as burgers and the like. The food was good, the service welcoming and the music great (my era, recognisable UK and US tracks). The tables were surrounded by volcanic looking rocks, painted yellow for some unexplained reason, but it all worked well at the end of a long hot day

Day 9

18^th April, Good Friday

We were late getting up today, before catching breakfast, which was self-service, with some unexpected dishes, including corned beef, fish dishes, pineapple fritters etc, as well as the more usual (very) crispy bacon, pancakes, eggs etc. We also had fruit and yoghurts most days

We couldn’t keep away from the beach, going in for a swim in the strong waves straight after breakfast, drying off on the sunbeds. We found out that happy hour at the bar was from 12 to 1pm, and 4 to 5pm every day, with all (most) drinks half price, so it was great to sit with an ice cold cocktail on the beach at midday.

Feeling like we should do something other than lie down all day we went for a walk along the beach. George was keen to investigate hiring a surfboard as the waves looked sufficient for surfing – we did find one but the cost was prohibitive. George returned to the hotel as the sand and pavement were too hot for his bare feet, but Annie and I decided to continue.

A lot of the hotels have effectively claimed some of the beaches as their own. The one at our hotel had a barrier of rocks on the right hand side, with the next hotel up the beach built into the sea, so it was impossible to walk that way along the beach. This was good for us, in that few other people walked along ‘our’ beach, and the signs stating that the sunbeds etc were for the use of our hotel residents only prevented them getting crowded.

Similar obstructions meant that Annie and I couldn’t just wander along the beach but had to go around some hotels. We found a cut through back to the beach after some, and carried on walking, past a derelict site which had been fenced off. Before we knew it we had stumbled into the Sandals resort. It looked like we could cut back to the street, but we were met by a security guard who turned us back, and wouldn’t let us through. When he was escorting us off the premises another guard approached but the first one said ‘I’m dealing with it’ – presumably we were a bit of a nuisance. A trader approached us to try and sell some of his goods, but was warned off by the guard, because we were not Sandals guests – we felt very unwelcome!

However apart from this episode on Sandals beach, I loved the beautiful white sandy beaches, blue skies and turquoise seas – this was what the Caribbean was supposed to be!

We were very hot by then, and looking quite pink. We had made the usual English mistake of going for a walk in the midday sun. We walked back along the street towards the hotel, looking for an ATM so we could pay for things in cash, and missed it twice. We gave up and headed back.

As usual in tourist spots there were traders on the beach and in the streets offering all sorts of trinkets and goods, although less than I have come across in other locations. There are signs everywhere in every Caribbean island, with all sorts of advice about eating fresh products, keeping healthy etc etc. There are also plenty preventing soliciting and loitering and these appear to be adhered to in the main, with only scant police presence. In fact all were very polite, and often just happy to pass the time of day.

On this particular occasion we were approached by a trader offering Aloe Vera to help with sunburn. Normally I would have smiled and  moved on, but because Annie was struggling so much with her sunburn I decided to listen to what he had to say. He took us over to a table holding Aloe Vera plants and stripped off one ‘leaf’. He showed us an empty rum bottle which he was going to use – the alcohol will have sterilised it he said – it certainly smelt of rum. Using the lid of the bottle only he stripped off the stringy sides of the plant and oozed the inside gungy stuff into the bottle. He wanted 15 USD for the bottle, so he directed me back to the ATM I had missed, and I got out enough cash to pay him the 30 BBD. He told us to keep it in the fridge with the lid off. We used the liquid on our sunburn, and Annie continued to use it until the end of the holiday – it did seem to soothe and heal the skin, although it went from a translucent colour to red over the following days, which was a little odd

That evening we ate at a place recommended to George called Daddie’s – it was ok, cash only and primitive, but nice to sit and feel the atmosphere around us, whilst drinking some beers.

On returning to our room we played cards – my dad’s ‘Uncle Jack’s Rummy’ was the favourite go to for the rest of the holiday

Day 10

19^th April, Saturday

When we first work up it was pouring with rain, but cleared up later. We decided to make use of the hotel pool today, relaxing and reading. Annie and George had a game of pickleball, and we made use of the table tennis and table football.

In the evening I offered to pay for our evening meal in the Pure Ocean restaurant on the beach. Sunsets were early throughout our holiday, 6pm ish, so we walked across the hotel grounds in the dark, with the walkways lit up with flaming beacons.

George was the most adventurous with his menu choices, eating swordfish, but we all enjoyed what we had. 3 course meal for 3 with wine came out at 440BBD, so $220 USD or £165.

Day 11

20^th April, Easter Sunday

After our lazy day the day before, we decided to walk up the coast to Carlisle Bay, utilising the Richard Hayne’s Boardwalk for part of the way. George had found a potential surfboard hire place next to a popular surfing spot, which was in the same area, so we all walked together.

Initially the walk was along the main road, which was peppered with various shops, although most were closed as it was the Easter weekend. We saw many families dressed up for what is largely a family day, and we heard singing when we passed a church.

We walked past places such as Worthing and Hastings, giving a nod to the history of the island. Eventually we reached Rockley Beach where the boardwalk started, built in 2012, which gave a better walk next to the sea. There were a lot of crabs running around the rocks beside the walkway – in fact we saw a lot of wildlife on this day, having seen a huge caterpillar in the hotel grounds in the morning. Later on, when we were back at the hotel, we saw huge snails, frogs and bats. The smallest frog we saw jumped a huge way relative to the size of his body.

The weather was changeable and we had to shelter in a ‘bandstand’ at one point. Later on I slipped badly on the wet road and a car stopped to make sure I was ok. We made our way along the beach as far as we could go before finding ourselves within ‘Sugar Bay Hotel’ grounds – given our experience at the Sandals resort Annie and I backtracked quickly, but George had the confidence to walk right through the hotel itself, with staff holding doors open for him! We met up again on the road above the hotel.

We were very hot and sweaty by the time we made it to the beach, and had to stop for a rest and a beer. We wandered along the very white sands and saw the banana boats and jet skis, before getting some lunch at different food outlets all together within a sandy enclosure

The walk back to the hotel was quite a long way again and Annie had a little nap at the beach bar we stopped at for a cocktail. That evening we stayed in the room playing cards as the rain came down

Day 12

21^st April, Easter Monday

After a lazy morning we walked the in the opposite direction to the Oistins Fish Festival. This proved to be a very local affair, held annually at Easter, and gave a more authentic vibe than the touristy beach we went to the day before. Again is was very humid but we were were able to get ice cold beers whilst watching a ‘dolphin skinning competition’ (thankfully not large bottlenose dolphins, but much smaller fish).

We had lunch at one of the food outlets, sharing a table with a local couple who were certainly having fun! I loved the whole afternoon, surrounded by happy relaxed Caribbeans with plenty of music and dance.

I walked out the pier and saw a large stingray, although was too late to catch a picture. The sunset on the way back to the hotel was beautiful, and we enjoyed cocktails down at the beach when we got back

Day 13

22^nd April, Tuesday

Today was another lazy day around the pool, soaking up the sun, reading, swimming in the pool

And in the evening a wander up the street to a different bar and then another restaurant

Day 14

23^rd April, Wednesday

Today was the highlight of our stay in Barbados. We had booked a tour with a local ex pro surfer, Che, to take us swimming with the turtles. Che arranged to pick us up very early in his jeep and we were still eating our breakfast as we set off

We met up with some others also joining the tour back at Carlisle Bay (a family of 4 and a couple) and were taken out into the bat on a boat from the shore. Che explained that he knew all the turtles in the bay, and they were used to him – he had shark bait which he used to entice them to him, and he always got to see turtles when her took visitors out. Che explained that by the middle of the day when the cruise ships took out masses of people to see the turtles they wouldn’t always show themselves

George had his Go Pro and he took some awesome videos – we couldn’t believe how close we got to the turtles and how big they were. There were some shipwrecks in the bay which you can also see in the videos

Che took loads of photos whilst we were all snorkeling and we were able to download them for free the next day

It was the most amazing experience ever! I cant even remember what we did for the rest of the day (although I do remember drinking another rum punch on the boat before we go back to shore, and it was still only mid-morning!)

Day 15

24^th April, Thursday

Our last day – we managed to enjoy some more local beer in the airport before we boarded the flight back to Birmingham, to use up remaining Barbadian dollars.

We eventually reached home on the Friday after an unforgettable trip – the best celebration of my retirement that I could imagine!