i have a confession: i'm addicted to solo vacations.
after my amazing trip to mexico in march, i realized that solo vacays are the pinnacle of relaxation. my general day goes like this: wake up (when i want); get moving (when i want); go to the gym (when i want, for as long as i want); go to the pool/beach (when i want, for as long as i want - i'm a sun goddess, so that's usually a long time); eat (if i want); go back to the gym (if i want); do some work (with no one complaining about it); take a long bath or shower; and sleep (when i want). you'll notice a trend: it's all about ME.
don't get me wrong; i love to vacay with my S.O. more importantly, i appreciate that he works very hard and that his schedule isn't as flexible as mine, so i try be more catering to him and his needs on our vacations. but does catering to someone else's needs really sound like a vacay? exactly.
since that mexico mini-break, i've been plotting out my next solo vacay, and in april i decided BARBADOS. the flight was direct and inexpensive. the weather was still supposed to be perfect (even though it was the beginning of the off-season). and i've never been to barbados, so why not?
i researched hotels from the day i purchased my flight until last week, when i booked a hotel very last-minute... in this down-market, hotel prices are dropping insanely, and in a matter of 2-3 weeks, the price of one that i was eyeing fell by $60/night. that was convincing enough for me to book.
i chose the crane because it was recommended as a luxury hotel by travel & leisure, conde nast traveler and a bunch of other websites and travel agents. it also won a 10 best beaches accolade from lifestyles of the rich & famous.
my trip was wednesday through sunday (i scheduled an extra day for this trip compared to MX) and as promised, perfect weather. sunny, balmy, 88 degrees. every day.
here's my trip in a nutshell:
-getting off the flight, there was no jetway; it was one of those outdoor gates where you climb down the stairs. not easy with a roller bag, backpack and a big purse. note: next time, check luggage, unless you have a porter (or if i come with my S.O.).
-my blackberry didn't work. probably a good thing. i could receive SMS and calls, just not emails.
-the crane hotel is super close to the airport so take a cab, it'll cost about US$15. if you plan to do things, rent a car. people drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side. just so you know.
-the beach is rough because this beach is on the ocean. i don't do rough beaches.
-this hotel is supposed to be luxury, and it does look nice. but don't be fooled - the service is nothing like the fairmont mayakoba. if it weren't a recession, i'd be at the fairmont royal pavilion in barbados (i'm not so loaded that i'd be at sandy lane).
-there's no lunch service at the main pool. the other pool complex has lunch service, but only from the carriage house bar & grill, which has a very limited menu. the restaurant l'azure should deliver food to the pool; they're not that busy.
-the room service menu sucks.
-there's a great gourmet shop, cutter's (think dean & deluca, but smaller-scale), about 10 minutes (walking) outside the crane hotel. take a right out of the entrance. it's on the left. great sandwiches. much less expensive than the crane's less than stellar sandwiches.
-there's also a fruit stand if you walk left out the entrance of the hotel. it's a small stand, but there's fruit. and the general shop at the crane has tons of junk food, but no fruit.
-the fitness centre sucks. fortunately there was an arc trainer, since i can't do the treadmill due to my ankle injury (yes, it's still injured). but there are no free weights. no mats. no stability balls. there isn't even room for any of those things. there isn't even a MIRROR. that's a problem.
-the hotel rooms are actually kinda nice (four-poster bed, dark wooden furniture, big stone-tiled bathroom with jacuzzi tub and separate shower), but there's no adjustable air-conditioning. it goes on, but you have no choice on temperature, and it's not really cold. and the TV... it doesn't swivel out, so you can only watch from bed. the clock never worked, even after i tried to fix it (i didn't complain - i'm on vacay, how badly do i need to know the time?). the mini-frig isnt cold enough. the toilet smells as though it's not flushing properly.
fortunately, i don't require much on solo vacay. i gymmed every morning after waking up and doing a little work. i showered, sunblocked and went to the pool for most of the day. i walked to cutter's and grabbed a sandwich after i rinsed post-pool. i ate in my room as i did more work. i tried to do pilates, but since i couldn't see the screen from any spot in the room that wasn't the bed, it was pretty impossible to keep up. and i took long luxurious baths.
the service was far from impeccable, but everyone here and that i've encountered in barbados is super friendly. take the owner of cutter's, who happened to be working on my 2nd visit - he and his wife (Roger & Kim Goddard) started the place, and have been around since the 80s. they only serve yummy things. their hot sauce (with the flying fish cutter) is delicious. the ham looks super tasty. and the rum punch... yums. i have a crush on cutter's.
i would like to return here with my S.O. - he'd like to do a rum tour, drive around, we'd stay on the west coast for calmer beaches, and i could try some barbadian food - grilled or fried flying fish with rice and peas. and i want to do the friday night oisten's fish fry. i could've done it this weekend, but it's my solo vacay... i didn't feel like talking to anyone.
the crane resort
st. philip, barbados
246/423.6220
cutter's of barbados
st. philip, barbados
246/423.0611
after my amazing trip to mexico in march, i realized that solo vacays are the pinnacle of relaxation. my general day goes like this: wake up (when i want); get moving (when i want); go to the gym (when i want, for as long as i want); go to the pool/beach (when i want, for as long as i want - i'm a sun goddess, so that's usually a long time); eat (if i want); go back to the gym (if i want); do some work (with no one complaining about it); take a long bath or shower; and sleep (when i want). you'll notice a trend: it's all about ME.
don't get me wrong; i love to vacay with my S.O. more importantly, i appreciate that he works very hard and that his schedule isn't as flexible as mine, so i try be more catering to him and his needs on our vacations. but does catering to someone else's needs really sound like a vacay? exactly.
since that mexico mini-break, i've been plotting out my next solo vacay, and in april i decided BARBADOS. the flight was direct and inexpensive. the weather was still supposed to be perfect (even though it was the beginning of the off-season). and i've never been to barbados, so why not?
i researched hotels from the day i purchased my flight until last week, when i booked a hotel very last-minute... in this down-market, hotel prices are dropping insanely, and in a matter of 2-3 weeks, the price of one that i was eyeing fell by $60/night. that was convincing enough for me to book.
i chose the crane because it was recommended as a luxury hotel by travel & leisure, conde nast traveler and a bunch of other websites and travel agents. it also won a 10 best beaches accolade from lifestyles of the rich & famous.
my trip was wednesday through sunday (i scheduled an extra day for this trip compared to MX) and as promised, perfect weather. sunny, balmy, 88 degrees. every day.
here's my trip in a nutshell:
-getting off the flight, there was no jetway; it was one of those outdoor gates where you climb down the stairs. not easy with a roller bag, backpack and a big purse. note: next time, check luggage, unless you have a porter (or if i come with my S.O.).
-my blackberry didn't work. probably a good thing. i could receive SMS and calls, just not emails.
-the crane hotel is super close to the airport so take a cab, it'll cost about US$15. if you plan to do things, rent a car. people drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side. just so you know.
-the beach is rough because this beach is on the ocean. i don't do rough beaches.
-this hotel is supposed to be luxury, and it does look nice. but don't be fooled - the service is nothing like the fairmont mayakoba. if it weren't a recession, i'd be at the fairmont royal pavilion in barbados (i'm not so loaded that i'd be at sandy lane).
-there's no lunch service at the main pool. the other pool complex has lunch service, but only from the carriage house bar & grill, which has a very limited menu. the restaurant l'azure should deliver food to the pool; they're not that busy.
-the room service menu sucks.
-there's a great gourmet shop, cutter's (think dean & deluca, but smaller-scale), about 10 minutes (walking) outside the crane hotel. take a right out of the entrance. it's on the left. great sandwiches. much less expensive than the crane's less than stellar sandwiches.
-there's also a fruit stand if you walk left out the entrance of the hotel. it's a small stand, but there's fruit. and the general shop at the crane has tons of junk food, but no fruit.
-the fitness centre sucks. fortunately there was an arc trainer, since i can't do the treadmill due to my ankle injury (yes, it's still injured). but there are no free weights. no mats. no stability balls. there isn't even room for any of those things. there isn't even a MIRROR. that's a problem.
-the hotel rooms are actually kinda nice (four-poster bed, dark wooden furniture, big stone-tiled bathroom with jacuzzi tub and separate shower), but there's no adjustable air-conditioning. it goes on, but you have no choice on temperature, and it's not really cold. and the TV... it doesn't swivel out, so you can only watch from bed. the clock never worked, even after i tried to fix it (i didn't complain - i'm on vacay, how badly do i need to know the time?). the mini-frig isnt cold enough. the toilet smells as though it's not flushing properly.
fortunately, i don't require much on solo vacay. i gymmed every morning after waking up and doing a little work. i showered, sunblocked and went to the pool for most of the day. i walked to cutter's and grabbed a sandwich after i rinsed post-pool. i ate in my room as i did more work. i tried to do pilates, but since i couldn't see the screen from any spot in the room that wasn't the bed, it was pretty impossible to keep up. and i took long luxurious baths.
the service was far from impeccable, but everyone here and that i've encountered in barbados is super friendly. take the owner of cutter's, who happened to be working on my 2nd visit - he and his wife (Roger & Kim Goddard) started the place, and have been around since the 80s. they only serve yummy things. their hot sauce (with the flying fish cutter) is delicious. the ham looks super tasty. and the rum punch... yums. i have a crush on cutter's.
i would like to return here with my S.O. - he'd like to do a rum tour, drive around, we'd stay on the west coast for calmer beaches, and i could try some barbadian food - grilled or fried flying fish with rice and peas. and i want to do the friday night oisten's fish fry. i could've done it this weekend, but it's my solo vacay... i didn't feel like talking to anyone.
the crane resort
st. philip, barbados
246/423.6220
cutter's of barbados
st. philip, barbados
246/423.0611
