We were not alone as I drew the curtains and looked out across the water at the somewhat larger Carnival Fascination berthed opposite us in the small Bridgetown port. You get used to being on a small ship going to smaller ports inaccessible by the bigger ships but now were we definitely in the Caribbean. Plus there was the sizeable Celebrity Summit beside us and a three masted Brazilian navy training yacht - small port but a popular destination.

We headed off shore side through a busy but sizeable cruise terminal with another shipmate to meet our rental car representative and then once we had collected car, headed to a hotel nearby to meet another lady who was debarking and staying overnight before she headed back to the US. The beach at her hotel (main pic above) was straight out of a typical brochure you would expect to see advertising a lovely holiday destination with white sand and the lovely blues created when the sun hits the sea. We all jumped in the car and headed south around the bottom of the island and up the Atlantic side. The very bumpy roads definitely kept one alert and wanting for new or better shock absorbers in the rear at least so the passengers told me.  We headed inland passing cotton plantations and across some very old sealed roads with many many repairs. We passed through areas that are not so fortunate as we have seen on the other islands. There is much wealth concentrated as always around the tourist spots, but the rest of these small islands appear to do it quite hard. I thought of those living in these small communities/islands/countries without the support net of our western welfare state and how tough it must be for them.

After stopping at a small private botanic garden for coffee, we drove into the centre of the island and then across to the Caribbean side again to a lovely restaurant called Tides. One of our travelling companions had been here before and it was a fantastic choice. When you are all next in Barbados, I can highly recommend the food and especially the lovely setting the restaurant enjoys with spectacular sea views. We sat right by the window looking out to yachts and boats in the lovely blue sea and enjoyed a lovely bottle of Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc from good old NZ. It certainly was a picturesque place to be and I have to say I thought I was a professional photographer and got carried away with the Nikon. Great food, great company, lovey wine and a fantastic experience all round.

 Tides Restaurant Review