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The road north of Bridgetown on Highway 1 is wall-to-wall low-rise, intimate hotels and villas, punctuated by some excellent places to eat. Highway 2A runs parallel inland and goes through the sugar cane heartland, giving access to tourist sights on this side of the island.
Sights
Paradise Beach
About half a mile north of the roundabout where Highway 1 begins, take a sharp left. Drive down to Batts Rock Beach, then walk south to get to Paradise Beach.
Work on a new Sandals Resort at Paradise Beach has thankfully been shelved and the site is for sale. Meanwhile, with no hotel, the beach is beautifully deserted and there are even some old sunbeds left behind. Swimming and snorkelling is good at both Batts Rock and Paradise Beach. You can keep going south along the shoreline as far as Deepwater Harbour. It’s a nice walk and mostly on beach. Batts Rock has a car park, trees for shade, a children’s playground, picnic tables, shower and changing facilities.
Paynes Bay
There is access to the beach at several points but parking is limited. Try the roadside just south of Sandy Lane where the trees give shade and a path leads down to the beach; otherwise park a bit further south and walk through Bomba’s Beach Bar.
For the west coast, this is quite a wide sweep of pale golden sand with trees at one end and crystal clear water for swimming. Bomba’s Beach Bar is a magnet for sunworshippers and rastas and a general hangout place until after dark, offering all the conveniences you could need on the beach and a good base for the day. It’s all very casual and relaxed. Surfboards and other watersports can be arranged, and snorkelling is good here as the reef is quite close to the shore.
Sandy Lane Hotel
Parish of St James, T 4442000, F 4442222, http://www.sandylane.com
First opened in 1961, Sandy Lane is an institution in Barbados. It has always been known for attracting a wealthy clientele and its name is synonymous with luxury. You can’t miss it as you drive up Highway 1, through the gracious avenue of ancient trees, passing its grand entrance on the seaside of the road and the golf course on the inland side. Countless film stars, politicians and dignitaries have stayed here in the past and it had built up a huge list of repeat guests fleeing winter in the Northern Hemisphere for a spot of pampering in the tropical sunshine. The old aficionados have decamped to other hotels such as the Coral Reef Club or Vila Nova, while a number of travel journalists were banned for what they said about the place, but occupancy is now high nonetheless. Golf has always been a big thing at Sandy Lane, and it runs three golf courses with its own desalination plant for watering the greens and fairways and keeping the five man-made lakes full. The old nine-hole course dates from 1961 and the two new 18-hole courses have been designed by Tom Fazio – Country Club and Green Monkey – built on former sugar cane land and an old quarry. Look out for the real green monkeys which live in the trees and gullies. If you can’t afford to stay here, it is worth going to the L’Acajou French restaurant or Bajan Blue for the Sunday brunch buffet just to see the place but you have to book ahead to get past the gate.
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