A taste of Barbados' local charm, in style!
Review Submitted: August 19, 2009
Date of Stay: August 2009
The pictures and descriptions of the villa are spot on, if not a little reserved. The villa is very nice, laid out great, and very well appointed. This is a wonderful place to stay if you like to set your own pace on your vacation. The five of us, all in our mid to upper twenties, are somewhat of an adventurous group, so we rented a car and explored the more remote parts of the island, walked to the nearby rum shops to visit with the friendly locals, and partook in the weekly celebration at Oistins Fish Fry. However, we spent our fair share just relaxing at the villa, reading on the deck chairs, barbecuing on the patio, and drinking pina coladas by the pool beneath the stars.
The road the villa is on is a newer development with just a few homes, and gets very little traffic other than the occasional visitor to the lighthouse just a couple hundred yards away. If being surrounded by other tourists is what you love about visiting a different country, by all means, stay at St. Lawrence Gap or the very developed “platinum” west coast. However, if you would prefer to stay miles from any hotel, all inclusive meal plan, or pushy time-share salesperson, then stay at Spring Bay villa. You are surrounded by the “true Barbados,” where the locals do not treat you like a tourist, but like a neighbor.
When you are asked where you are staying, and you say “out by Ragged Point,” you will likely get a smile from the locals. They immediately know that you are not just another tourist, but have come to appreciate the true spirit that the island has to offer. You can create a very genuine experience if you show the local people that you are interested in their culture, you have come, not to disturb, but to appreciate their way of life, and you treat the island as their home (which it is!!!), and not just your playground. You are bound to make friends who call Barbados their home.
Finally, you will have a most gracious host. Melba greeted us at the villa (after the driver she arranged delivered us from the airport), gave us a grand tour, and invited us to contact her for any questions we had regarding the villa, the island, or any arrangements we wished to make. For this we are grateful and we all intend to see her again.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
No