by Jamie Theakston
Last updated at 3:13 PM on 22nd August 2011
To tell the truth, I?ve always resisted the idea of a holiday in Barbados because I?m slightly nervous of the possibility of bumping into Michael Winner or Simon Cowell. I like the Caribbean: I?ve been to Antigua and my wife Sophie and I spent our honeymoon in Parrot Cay on Turks & Caicos. But recently I had started to believe that I?m more of an Indian Ocean man ? I love the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius.it was Sophie who was keen to go to Barbados and, although I wasn?t sure about it, I was happy to give it a go ? after all, there must be more to the island than just the celebrity-packed beach at Sandy Lane.
Low quay: The house in Barbados, complete with motor boat, where Jamie and his wife Sophie stayed
We planned a two-week break, half spent with our extended family in a self-catering property and the other in a hotel. My first key observation on arrival was accompanied by a sigh of relief: no sign of Winner or Cowell! and I soon made a second and equally pleasing observation, which was that Barbados has many unexpected delights, including great restaurants providing excellent food. The week with our extended family was spent at a fabulous rented house called Crystal Springs to the north of Sandy Lane on the island?s lively west coast. it is close to Sir Cliff Richard?s villa, famously lent in the past to Tony Blair and his family as a holiday home.We had a motor boat as part of the deal and the driver was very keen to point out celebrity homes in the area: ?Over there is Sir Cliff?s house, this is where Cilla Black lives ?? it was interesting for us, but I?m not sure the owners would thank him for being so indiscreet.Crystal Springs, one of the largest rental villas in Barbados, is situated in two acres of gardens with its own private cove and is just a five-minute drive from the shops and restaurants at Holetown.
Paradise found: Jamie and his wife Sophie explore the beautiful beach near their holiday home
It is a fantastic property and proved a great choice for a holiday with our two young children, my parents and the whole extended family ? there were 14 of us altogether. We hadn?t intended being such a big group but we started inviting relatives along when we saw the size of some of the properties available.
To be honest, we enjoyed our time in thehouse much more than the week in a hotel. and with a large group, it worked out significantly cheaper.
We all got on very well. We decided we would alternate between dining at home and at restaurants, and there were so many wonderful places to eat along our stretch of beach that we were never short of choices.
They included Daphne?s ? which was one of the best ? and The Cliff (nothing to do with Sir Cliff), which was stunning but very expensive. Still, the lobster there was fabulous. another great restaurant was The Fish Pot, further along the coast in Little Good Harbour.
We also went to the stylish Lone Star many times. That became our lunchtime destination of choice, and thankfully I didn?t even realise how popular it was with Michael Winner until I saw all of his reviews displayed along the corridor on the way to the bathroom.
But I?m glad to say we didn?t see any celebrities there ? not Louis Walsh, Sir Philip Green or John Cleese.
Our indiscreet boatman told us that Take That had stayed in the house next to ours when the band were in Barbados to play at a big New Year party. But again we saw no celebrities there during our stay, which was perfect.We hired Mini Mokes for the entire fortnight and one day decided to go on an island tour. We drove to the south coast, which is markedly different from the rest of the island ? it?s more like Torremolinos. and I was surprised how different again we discovered the east coast to be. instead of the smart west coast?s lovely restaurants and posh hotels, the Atlantic coast has very little apart from a hotel and restaurant called the Atlantis, owned by the same people who own The Fish Pot.On another outing, we took the children to a nature reserve, where they thoroughly enjoyed seeing monkeys and snakes.perhaps because I?m used to paying London prices, Barbados didn?t come as too much of a shock financially. If you are eating at Lone Star, Daphne?s or The Cliff, you?re going to spend ?80 to ?100 per head with drinks. It?s not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but you do get really good food. and while we ate at many posh venues, we also tried to sample more of the rum shack-style places.
Take a dip: The family-friendly pool at The Tamarind hotel
one day I played golf at the Sandy Lane course, which is the most expensive I?ve played on by far. Green fees are ?145 and golf balls cost ?6 each. I?m not a good player, so I lost quite a few during the round. I also visited the Royal Westmoreland Golf Course, which is so beautiful that I hear Wayne Rooney has bought a house there.as a cricket fan, I have to say I was sad to see so little of the sport being played on the island. given that Barbados has such a rich cricketing pedigree, I expected to see youngsters batting balls around on every beach.
In contrast to our time at Crystal Springs, our week at The Tamarind was a bit of a disappointment. We had been limited in our choice of places to stay because in February, few Barbados hotels take children. Sandy Lane does, but we couldn?t go there because of the Michael Winner factor.During our stay at The Tamarind we heard lots of people complaining at the front desk and, having scanned the latest Trip-Advisor reviews of the hotel, they largely chime with our own observations.On the website, there are plenty of glowing tributes because The Tamarind has much potential to delight: an excellent location and lots of attractive facilities. But there are a number of reviews that reveal a thread of discontent with the level of service that points towards problems with what they call ?product delivery?.
Relaxed: a beach on Barbados?s west coast
Service in Caribbean hotels ? even in very good Caribbean hotels ? can disappoint, to put it mildly, and The Tamarind?s plus points were often undermined by an annoyingly insouciant attitude to guests.one person posting on Trip-Advisor points out the watersports staff are ?really miserable? The staff need to learn better customer-service standards for the prices being charged?.another guest reports on the ?surly? attitude of the bar staff, adding that restaurant service is ?unforgivably slow?.Despite all this, I remain upbeat about the charms of the Caribbean. overall, it was a great holiday because Barbados had pretty much everything: beautiful beaches and the temperature was wonderful ? there was a little rain every day but nothing significant. We had spent a previous family holiday in the Seychelles and found that it was too hot for the children. and, of course, now there?s the terrible issue with sharks as well.So does all that mean I have shifted my allegiance from the Indian Ocean? a choice between the Maldives and Barbados is tricky. While the Maldives is perfect for a romantic break for couples, I would opt for Barbados when travelling with kids or a group of friends. It?s more social, with more fun bars and things to do.
CV Travel (020 7401 1050, cvtravel.co.uk) offers seven nights at Crystal Springs for ?14,363 for up to 16 guests during 2011, including the services of two butlers, a cook, four maids, a boatman, two nightwatchmen and two gardeners. The price excludes flights, which can be arranged. ITC Classics (01244 355 527, itcclassics.co.uk) has seven nights at The Tamarind from ?1,629pp based on two adults sharing a Pool/Garden View Room and including breakfast, return flights with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick and transfers.?
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