Teach Middle East Magazine Jan-Feb 2019 Issue 3 Volume 6 | Page 52

Travel Featured BEAUTIFUL BARBADOS BY CHRISTINA MORRIS W hat places do you have on your bucket list? Recently I crossed one of my must-see places off my bucket list, it was beautiful Barbados. From the moment I stepped off the plane and inhaled the warm, sweet Caribbean air, I was in Love. Barbados is an island nation located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean. It has been the playground of the rich and famous for many decades. While I was at university one of my roommates was from the island nation. Her stories of growing up in Barbados made me want to visit and experience all the wonderful things that she described. Time and money did not allow me to visit this beautiful island until now. As I drove from the airport to my resort, I began to understand why celebrities like; members of the UK royal family, footballer Wayne Rooney, Simon Cowell, Oprah Winfrey, Sir Cliff Richards among many others, continuously choose Barbados as their holiday destination of choice, some even own lavish holiday homes on the island. The Fairmont Royal Pavilion, located in St James Barbados was my home for the week and it certainly did not disappoint. Accommodation Food I had saved for this trip for quite some time so I spared no expenses. I wanted luxury and that is what I got. But don’t be put off if you are not prepared to spend quite as much on accommodation for your Barbados holiday because the country boasts a wide array of accommodation to suit all budgets and with the ever growing popularity of Airbnb on the island, you will be sure to find something to suit your needs. If like me you want that once in a lifetime experience then I can highly recommend the Fairmont Pavilion. The hotel is located on the sought-after Platinum Coast, on a ½ mile long beach and 11 acres of lush tropical garden. All 72 rooms and suites offer magnificent, unobstructed views of the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The hotel’s accolades include the AAA-4 Diamond Award, the #1 hotel in Porters and a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor (2015,) and the 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards for Condé Nast Traveller as a top resort in the Caribbean, and the only one in Barbados listed as a winner just to name a few. Thanks to my former roommate I had already developed a taste for Barbadian food. I already had a long list of what I wanted to eat and although I had booked the all-inclusive package at the hotel, I knew that if I wanted authentic Barbadian food, then I would have to venture outside and that is exactly what I did. My first stop was Campers, this restaurant has been a favourite of Rhianna the Barbadian born singer, who is like the poster girl for the island, so it must be good. Campers is located by the sea, it boasts great ambiance and even better food. I had the lobster truffle risotto, it was decadent. To top it off I had them pack me a take away of flying fish and Cou- cou, Cou-cou is made with cornmeal and okra. which is the national dish in Barbados. The week was spent eating my way through the island. If you are not as adventurous with your food, there are plenty of restaurants offering a more international menu. Simple take a look at TripAdvisor and search for restaurants in Barbados, There is something to suit every taste bud.