Top Barbados hotels
We opted not to rent a car for this vacation and instead took taxis to most of our destinations. We were very pleased with the service and had nothing but very professional/kind drivers. There are plenty of cabs in the cities and flagging one down is no problem at all. The rates were all very similar and we never felt ripped off.
The Transport Board have plenty of buses, predominately blue, but do NOT expect to find a timetable, except at the Terminal in Bridgetown. Signs on the road show to town, or out of town, which is a rough guide. There is only 1 tarrif and you must have the correct change.(2006 it is $1.50) You can get a straight through bus from Oistens for example on the south coast, right up to The West (Speightstown) coast for the one payment of $1.50, but they only run half hourly. If you have to change buses to other parts of the island, then you pay the tarrif again - a good journey, where you meet the locals, see the interior scenery and enjoy a day out.The ZR vans are private vans, where they crowd you in, same tarrif as the bus, but they do give change, as the "conductor" handles the cash. Expect loud music on the van, and they do go at a pace - and sometimes stop in the middle of the road to let...
There are two types of buses in barbados, the blue ones and the yellow ones.The blue buses are owned by the said council and are very reliable clean and always on time.No fun for youngsters!!!!The yellow are private and are owned by the locals and they pretty much do as they like, speed,horns blasting at every pedestrian and Good fun.
Taxis are also available. They are unmetered and fares are fixed by the government on the basis of distance. Our plane was delayed, and the dispatcher at the airport put us into taxis on the basis of first come gets the next cab. The taxi driver did not want to take us all the way out to Bathsheba at that hour of night, but the dispatcher prevailed. Some sample fares between the Airport andAny point North of Speightstown $55.00Speightstown $48.00Belleplaine $42.00Bathsheba/Cattlewash $48.00Gibbs $42.00Holetown/Porters $38.00Prospect/Cave Hill $34.00St. John's Parish Church $30.00Harrison's Cave $34.00St. George's Parish Church $25.00East Point $26.00Bridgetown Harbour $30.00Trafalgar Square $28.00Garrison $24.00Crane $20.00Sam Lord's Castle/Pollards $22.00 Between Bridgetown Harbor/City Center and:Any point North of Speightstown $40.00East Point $40.00Bathsheba/Cattlewash $38.00Crane...
While in Barbados for a week, we met a taxi driver early on named Andy. He was probably not the cheapest guy around, but he was friendly and seemed to willing to go out of his way to accomodate our travel plans.His car was a late model Toyota with air conditioning and was in very good shape. It was clean and comfortable.We used him to give us an island tour as well. We worked out an itinerary in the morning and he gave us a price for about 4 hours. The tour finally took about 5 1/2 hrs and ended in Oistins for the fish fry (see restaurant reviews for my take on Oistins). He even picked us up after supper to return us to the hotel. I'm fair so I ended up paying him 130% of the agreed upon price. He really went out of his way to make a good tour for us. It was much better than those cheesy bus tours. We had more stops along the way, he was always ready to pull over for a photo opportunity....
All the roundabouts in Barbados have a name. Most are named after people and some others take the name of a company or school. This is very handy if you are trying to find your way around. If you are following coastal road for example, you can remember at which roundabout you should head inland to get where you are going.The roundabout in this picture is named after Bussa, a national hero of Barbados who led the slave revolt in 1816.
The bus costs BB$1.50 from the airport to any other point on the island. This is much cheaper than the taxi, which can cost up to BB$60.There are two bus stops on the road about 100m in front of the terminal. If you are heading to Bridgetown or the south coast, take the bus from the same side of the road as the terminal (pictured here).
We made friends with Godfrey during our stay, and he would take us out in his speedboat. He took us out to the Jolly Roger, a pleasure cruiser which would moor just off the beach outside our hotel. Once on board the Jolly Roger, passengers enjoyed free drinks and food. So did we. Most days Godrey would take us out to the ship and we would climb on board and help ourselves!
You want to discover an islands beauty, hire a local driver. Not only will they cost less than a "tour" but you can customize your itinerary. Nobody knows an island better than a local. Just ask for Patrick who drives the green Mercedes, only one on the island.
If you decide to rent a car in Barbados, it is important to remember that they drive on the left side of road, like we do in England! Not much more to say on this subject really, just keep to the left.
Little Arches Hotel Bridgetown
372 Opinions
Blue Horizon Christ Church
90 Opinions
Atlantis Hotel Bathsheba
99 Opinions
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Q: Has anyone used Drive Barbados for car hire? They have quite reasonable rates but can't find any reviews anywhere and aren't...
A: We had a car in Barbados but it was from Top Hat. Keep in mind that you have to get a Bajan license and that will be extra. Depending on the season you go, I wouldn't...
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