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GETTING THERE
Scheduled flights are available
from airports in Indian cities to
Grantley Adams International
Airport. Currently, the stopover
points are in London and New Delhi.
HOTELS
Lone Star Boutique Hotel A small
yet polished boutique hotel on the
west coast. Enjoy breakfast on your
suite’s terrace. Doubles from
`1,30,167; thelonestar.com
Sea-U Guest House The best
place for a visit to the island’s east
coast, this property may not have
air-conditioning, but it makes up
for it with tropical gardens and
unspoiled beaches. Doubles from
`11,650; seaubarbados.com
RESTAURANTS & BARS
De Garage Grilled whole fish
and piña colada cheesecake
at this divey local haunt are made
even better by the loud soca
music and convivial atmosphere.
Bathsheba; +1-246/433-9521
Dina’s Bar & Café Sit outside
at this multicoloured café and
indulge in the island’s famous
rum punch. Main Rd, Bathsheba;
+1-246/433-9726
L’Azure Overlooking the pristine
Crane Beach, this restaurant at
the Crane Resort is arguably
the most picturesque on the island.
Entrées `1,497-3,775; thecrane.com
Lone Star Restaurant
The all-white décor and extensive
wine list make this space at the
Lone Star Hotel feel like
something from the south of
France. Don’t skip the banana
doughnuts at dessert. Entrées
`2,082-3,709; thelonestar.com
Sea Side Bar A classic rum shack
on Bathsheba’s main drag. Order
a fried-fish sandwich with potato
wedges and wash it down with
Mount Gay rum. +1-246/831-1961
ACTIVITIES
Hunte’s Gardens This hidden
tropical garden in St Joseph
is built into a sinkhole and will
make you feel as though you’re
encountering a real-life FernGully.
huntesgardensbarbados.com
Soup Bowl Witness surfers
of all ages and proficiencies
riding the waves at this iconic
surf spot, one of the best in
the Caribbean. Bathsheba.
Paddle Barbados Rent your
own paddleboarding gear or have
owners Jason and Sarah Cole
take you out for a private lesson.
Bridgetown; paddlebarbados.com
THE DETAILS
car. I was in Buick, which was done up in preppy,
crisp blue and white and had a terrace the size
of my living room in Brooklyn, about 20 feet from
the water.
“Now this is the ideal beach for drinking rosé,”
Paul said. The Lone Star’s small stretch of sand
runs just the length of the hotel. It is private for
guests and never crowded. There were plenty of
chaises and umbrellas, but I settled on my terrace,
with the bottle of rum punch that the hotel leaves
for everyone as a welcome gift. I started a
watercolour painting of a potted palm.
Within an hour, Paul resurfaced, dragging
a paddleboard down the beach. “This is big
enough to land a plane on,” he said, by way of
invitation. After a few days of watching everyone
else stand up on a board, I had decided to give it
a go. I attached the leash to my ankle, swam out
in the waveless water, and hurled myself onto the
board with all the grace of a sea lion. I managed to
balance for a few seconds and then fell. Paul stood
on the beach, rosé in hand, and shouted
instructions I couldn’t make out.
That night, we went to dinner at the Lone
Star’s restaurant, which is one of the most famous
on Barbados, for good reason. It’s open-air,
right on the beach, and decorated all in white.
The whole place is reminiscent of something one
might find in the south of France, and it attracts
a similarly fashionable crowd of men in linen and
women in Isabel Marant dresses.
There was plenty of local fish on the menu,
but also curries and shepherd’s pie for the British
lads. Paul ordered snapper, I had the seafood
linguine, and we split an exceptional bottle of
bone-dry Pouilly-Fuissé. But the high point of the
meal was the banana doughnuts with coconut ice
cream, rum caramel, and crushed pistachios.
The restaurant was so fun and the food so delicious
that we couldn’t wait to return the following night.
When I woke up the next day, I could see Bajan
grannies in shower caps bathing in the water,
gossiping as they kept afloat on pool noodles.
I swam out into the sea, perhaps a little too far.
I could see a lone figure on a paddleboard, a mile
or so up the coast. It was Paul, communing with
the ocean one last time.
As I swam back to shore, I heard a familiar
song playing at the Lone Star’s restaurant.
“We found love in a hopeless place,” sang a plaintive
voice coming over the speakers. It was a cover of
a Rihanna song, and I was happy to hear it.
WHILE IN BARBADOS,
BE SURE TO EMBRACE
THE ISLAND’S LOVE OF
SPORTS. VISIT
BETWEEN JANUARY
AND APRIL TO
ATTEND ONE OF
THE MANY POPULAR
POLO MATCHES.
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