Joy and I are heading off to our first connecting airport, Charlotte, on American Airlines in the first class cabin.
Since we were on a red eye flight, we got a small refreshment on board in first class. I chose the fruit and cheese plate with some Woodford Reserve bourbon.
In Charlotte, we were able to take a short nap in the Minute Suites. My Priority Pass Select membership through my luxury credit card gives us access to this and other airport lounges throughout the world for free.
We rented a car for a few hours to go explore Charlotte after our nap in the Minute Suites. We visited the Billy Graham Library which is very close to the airport.
We flew from Charlotte to Miami where we boarded another American Airlines plane for Barbados.
Since we were traveling in the business class cabin to Barbados, we were able to reserve our dinner entree selection ahead of time.
The business class service began with warn mixed nuts and a cocktail.
I was very impressed with our business class steward. He actually provided us with the quality service on gets on foreign airlines. Our domestic carriers tend to suck even in the premium cabin.
The dinner service was decent, and we both loved the ice cream! Joy actually ate all of her ice cream which is rare since she eats pretty healthy.
I am enjoying more French wine as I watch Aquaman on the plane.
We woke up to a beautiful white sand beach at the Oceans 2 Resort & Residences on the Southern part of the island. It was a beautiful day in paradise.
After the breakfast buffet at the resort, we took a taxi to the Mount Gay Rum tasting experience outside of the capital city of Bridgetown.
Mount Gay is the oldest rum distillery in the world.
I enjoyed a rum cocktail in the bar at Mount Gay after the tasting of their popular rums including Black Barrel, XO, and the local exclusive Maubry.
We got some beach time to relax at the resort when we got back.
The beach at the resort was OK, but the surf was a little too rough on the southern part of the island which faces the Atlantic Ocean.
The beach area did have a lot of seaweed. Most of the island was being invaded by seaweed when we were there.
Joy and I walked over to Dover Beach from our resort, and we bought fresh coconuts on the way to drink.
I got some pool time at the resort too.
The resort had a cocktail party that night with a steel drum band.
They had some nice beverages also for us at the cocktail party.
The sunset from the resort was just beautiful!
I got a nice tropical drink at the Tiki Bar near Hastings before dinner. We had to take a taxi to this area as well.
Joy and I enjoyed dinner at one of the top restaurants on the islands, Champer's.
I got the warm water lobster tail.
Since my birthday was pretty recent, they brought me a treat.
Champer's had lights focused on the crashing waves below so it was a neat experience watching the waves crashing along the walls as we ate.
The resort looked so tropical and lush the next morning with the overcast skies. I loved the cook to order breakfast buffet too especially the eggs.
We went on the Jolly Roger pirate ship for a snorkel cruise.
We were greeted by the "pirate crew" as we boarded the ship.
The snorkeling was fun! We were in Carlysle Bay which is pretty calm. The sargeant major fishes are swimming all around me.
Carlysle Bay is home to sea turtles too. We swam with them.
Here is a sea turtle and a big puffer fish. The water was pretty warm.
We snorkeled over the sunken shipwrecks also.
For lunch, we chose the grilled tuna steak. It was served with macaroni pie and rice and peas. The food was delicious!
Joy is enjoying her time onboard the ship.
I ended up renting a wave runner when we got to the calmer waters of the west coast of the island. This was my first time on a wave runner.
The west coast of Barbados has expensive homes and the famous Sandy Lane Hotel where Tiger Woods got married.
I am enjoying a beer called Stag from Trinidad and Tobago. The cruise included an open bar.
It is time to party on the boat as we returned back towards Bridgetown.
After our snorkel cruise, we took a taxi to our next resort, the Hilton Barbados Resort near Bridgetown. We were upgraded to a premium ocean view room. This was the view from our balcony.
The beach area at the Hilton was really nice also.
Joy is enjoying the beach at the Hilton too.
The upper pool at the Hilton was an infinity pool. It was really cool!
We had a great view of Carlysle Bay from our floor at the Hilton.
This is the lower pool at the Hilton which featured waterfalls. We enjoyed our breakfast at the Hilton in the morning.
Joy and I are waiting in the Hilton lobby for our private tour guide. I am enjoying an iced double shot of espresso as we gaze out onto Carlysle Bay behind us.
Our first stop on our tour was the famous bridge that Bridgetown is named after. This is a draw bridge.
The parliament building in Bridgetown is gothic looking. Barbados is an independent country within the Commonwealth. They recognize the British soverign as their head of state and monarch.
This is a small waterway in Bridgetown.
The St. James Parish Church is the oldest church on Barbados. It was built in the 1600s.
The graveyard at the St. Jame's Parish Church reminded me of a scene from the old Bond movie, Live And Let Die.
The inside of the church was really cool. There was a volunteer who gave us a tour and a history lesson about the Anglican Church.
The organ on the 2nd story looked really cool. The church was built out of limestone.
The original church bell was made by the same company in England which made the Liberty Bell in the US.
We loved the small west coast town of Speightstown. The beaches were so beautiful.
When walking around Speightstown, we smelled some delicious bread so we went into a local bakery and bought some treats.
The Morgan Lewis Windmill was built in the 1800s to extract sugar cane juice.
Our private guide took us to a local restaurant on the east side of the island for lunch.
They had a cricket game on the tv in the restaurant. Cricket is very popular in Barbados, and they send players to the "West Indies" team.
I choose grilled mahi mahi, macaroni pie (Bajan local dish), and potato salad for lunch.
We went to Bathsheba next. This side of the island has very rough surf. It was featured in movies before also.
The east coast of the island was beautiful also even though it is hard to swim there. Surfers love it.
Breadfruit is grown on the island as well. This man is selling the breadfruit he grows.
We went to St. John's Parish Church also. It looked like an old castle.
A famous Greek person who was a part of the Holy Roman Emperor's family is bured at St. John's Church. He was exiled to the island after the defeat of the Emperor.
We visited the George Washington House next.
President Washington stayed in this room when he visited the island with his brother Lawrence before the Revolutionary War.
This was the kitchen at the George Washington House.
The limestone pots were used to filter water back in the 1700s.
Joy got the emerald earrings she wanted at Colombian Emeralds International back after our hotel. It was an early birthday gift.
The Hilton was built on a historic site that housed a fort. They still have some of the old cannons out by the sea wall.
There was a bad rain storm in the evening so I ended up getting a massage at the hotel.
We had the hotel make reservations for us at Apsara Samudra in St. Lawrence Gap. This Indian-Thai fusion restaurant is Zagat rated and a popular fine dining establishment on the island.
We had an amazing view of the ocean in front of us from our table at the restaurant.
The grilled Tandoori octopus was amazing! This was even better than Nobu's grilled octopus in Las Vegas. Sorry Chef Nobu! Your octopus is also very good however :)
I loved the meal and ambiance so much, I had to toast "to the Queen" since Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Barbados as well.
We went across the street after dinner for some karaoke. I got a local beer called Banks, and I sang a Joe Nichol's song. Joy said I sounded like a wounded animal. LOL.
The hotel pools looked really cool when we returned to the hotel after dinner.
The Airlines Executive Lounge at Grantley Adam's International Airport was empty in the morning. We were one of the few guests there as we waited for our flight back home.
They had a decent selection of alcohol including rum in the executive lounge.
In May of 2019, Joy
and I headed out to the beautiful tropical island of Barbados in the
West Indies. Getting to the Caribbean from California is a lot of
work however. Even though, we were in first class on our
overnight flight to the East Coast, we were a little tired from the
journey which was almost 24 hours including the layovers.
American Airlines domestic first class is typical of the crappy service
one receives from our domestic airlines. There was no
predeparture beverage. Moreover, we only received a "refreshment"
instead of a full meal since we took off late. We did check in
through the priority check in counter in Sacramento, and we had our
luggage tagged with the usual priority tags. I was able to use my
new TSA Pre-Check for the first time. Since I could leave my
shoes on and not have to take anythng out of my carry on, it was faster
than using the priority security lanes that I was used to before.
After arriving in Charlotte, we were able to get some additional rest in the Minute Suites. Southerners are so nice in general. My Priority Pass Select membership gave us a free hour of the use of a day room at the Minute Suites, but the lady who worked there gave us an additional two hours roughly. After taking a shower and changing clothes, we headed out to see the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte since we had about a six hour wait before our next flight. I rented a car from Budget, and since I was a Fast Break member, they had my car waiting for me in the VIP lanes. We toured the Billy Graham Library and learned about his life and ministry before heading back to the airport.
Our next flight took us to Miami. I used my Priority Pass Select membership at the Corona Beach Bar for a light snack since American Airlines does not give Business Class passengers access to their Admirals Club or Flagship First lounges if traveling to the Caribbean. American Airlines sucks. It is amazing why we as Americans put up with such crappy service from our domestic carriers. Foreign airlines treat their passengers so well! Corona Beach Bar gave us a $60 credit for food and beverages through my Priority Pass benefits. After a mojito and some snacks, we headed to our gate.
We boarded our Boeing 737-800 through the priority lane, and we were seated in the business class cabin which was the premium cabin on this flight. I will say that our business class steward was very good. He really cared about providing good service to us VIP customers. The seats on this flight were better than the first class seats on the Airbus A321 that we took from Sacramento to Charlotte. We had an actual video monitor on this flight.
After take off, the steward served us warm mixed nuts and cocktails. I started to watch Aquaman. For dinner, we were able to reserve our entree ahead of time. Dinner had a small plate of cold asparagus and cheese and salad along with my entree choice which was grilled chicken with risotto. We also had an amazing ice cream for dessert. Joy even loved it! She does not usually eat much ice cream, but she finished her glass of ice cream. I choose a nice French white wine to go with my chicken. OK. I know what one is thinking. In foreign countries, first class or business class passengers would never be served something as cheap as chicken. LOL. American Airlines is cheap! It is plain and simple. The ice cream did make up for the chicken. LOL. Our steward kept coming around and refilling our drinks.
We got our luggage really fast as we had priority tags when we landed at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados. The hotel arranged transportation for us to get to the Oceans 2 Resort on the Southern part of the island. Upon arrival, they brought us cold eucalyptus sented towels and bottles of water. The Oceans 2 Resort and Residences were a luxury hotel on the water. The rooms were pretty nice, and more importantly, the sheets were really soft. I am used to sleeping on expensive high treadcount sheets at home so I am spoiled and need soft sheets to be able to sleep comfortably. LOL.
In the morning, we woke to a beautiful beach front setting. The hotel included a buffet breakfast with a cooked to order egg station. The dining was outdoors. I liked the climate in Barbados. It was not too humid. After breakfast, we had the concierge arrange for us to go to the Mount Gay Rum Tasting Experience north of the capital city of Bridgetown. We took a taxi over there, and the taxis were very expensive here just like in Turks & Caicos. We paid $50 US to go a short distance. The rum tasting was cool. We saw a short film about the history of Mount Gay. They are the oldest rum distillery in the world. Our guide then introduced us to some of their rums. We tried the Eclipse, Black Barrell, Maubry, and XO rums. The Maubry was a limited edition rum created only for the domestic market. The Black Barrell was my favorite was it was aged longer in whiskey and bourbon barrells. Our guide also told us how to tell a good rum apart from a cheap one. One must swirl the glass, and then observe the runs of the liquid. The more aged and better the rum, the longer it takes for the liquid to run down the glass. After the tasting was over, I got a rum cocktail in their bar.
After returning to the hotel, we ventured out and found a nice Jamaican restaurant to have lunch at. Afterwards, we chilled at the resort's beach and pool area. We also took a walk down to the Dover Beach too. There was a guy selling coconuts on the way so we bought some coconuts to drink. Dover Beach had a rough surf also so we did not go in the water there. That evening, the resort had a cocktail party for guests. We had a nice choice of beverages and appetizers as we took in the beautiful sunset.
For dinner, we had reservations at one of the top restaurants on the island. Champer's Restaurant is in Hastings, and it is built onto the cliff over the ocean. We had the taxi driver take us to the Tiki Bar next door first for a drink. Afterwards, we walked over to Champer's. Our outdoor seats were by the balcony that overlooked the ocean. The rough surf was crashing against the rocks below, and they had lights focused on that so we were taking in the spectacular scenery. For dinner, I got lobster, and Joy got scallops. The wait staff brought us a birthday dessert also since my birthday had just passed. It was a nice experience.
We had a snorkel cruise the next day. After breakfast at the resort, we were picked up at the resort. They drove us to the port in Bridgetown where we boarded an old pirate ship to head out to sea. The ship was had three levels. Moreover, the bar was open. I started off with a rum punch. Our first snorkel spot was in Carlysle Bay. They had to take us there by tender. Once in the bay, we spotted lots of sea turtles. We got to swim with them too! Afterwards, we snorkled over some sunken ships which have become like a coral reef teaming with fish. After finishing the snorkel experience, we sailed out to the west coast of the island. They served us a delicious lunch that included a choice of steak, grilled tuna, or chicken. Moreover, they had macaroni pie, rice and peas, and cole slaw. The macaroni pie is like a baked macaroni lasanga. It was delicious! The fish was amazing. Once we got to the west coast, local tour guides on wave runners asked if we wanted to go out on them wave runners. I never operated a wave runner before so I decided to try it with one of the operaters. It was pretty fun. On the way back to Bridgetown, it was a big party. The guests were all dancing, and we were just drinking.
After getting back to the resort, we headed out to the Hilton Barbados Resort. I resered the Hilton for the last part of the trip. It was a large resort near Bridgetown. They upgraded us to a nice premium ocean view room per my Diamond status with HHonors. The room had a sliding roller door between the tub and the bedroom too. LOL. It was neat. We checked out the beach area after we unpacked. The pools were nice. I went for a swim in the upper infinity pool as well as the lower pool which had water falls. Afterwards, I took a nice dip in the hot tub. For dinner, we found a nice Chinese restaurant near the resort.
The next day, we had breakfast at the Hilton before our private tour guide arrived. He took us all over the island, we explored Bridgetown, the oldest church on the island, the west coast towns, the Eastern village of Bathsheba, another cool Anglican church, and the George Washington House. The eastern side of the island had very rough surf since it was on the Atlantic side. We even stopped at a local Bajan restaurant for lunch. I could not resist getting more macaroni pie. The second church we went to looked like an old castle from the Middle Ages. When we got back to Bridgetown, we went to the Garrison. The Garrison is where the old British troops were based when Barbados was under the British. We even saw the house where George Washington lived for a short time with his brother, Lawrence, who was brought to the island in hopes of curing his T.B. President Washington got smallpox however in Barbados.
We had a terrible rain storm that afternoon so I just got a nice massage at the spa. Then, we headed out to a nice dinner in St. Lawrence Gap. The restaurant, Apsara Samudra, was an Indian-Thai Fusion Zagat rated restaurant on the water. The food and views were amazing. I loved the grilled Tandoori octopus. St. Lawrence Gap is the nightlife area of Barbados. We went to a bar across the street for some karaoke after dinner. I did a bad rendition of Joe Nichol's "Brokenheartsville." LOL.
The next day, we departed from paradise. We had access to the Airlines Executive Lounge at Grantley Adams International Airport. The flights had us routed through Miami, Gainesville, and Charlotte. It was a long day of flying, but we were not too tired.
After arriving in Charlotte, we were able to get some additional rest in the Minute Suites. Southerners are so nice in general. My Priority Pass Select membership gave us a free hour of the use of a day room at the Minute Suites, but the lady who worked there gave us an additional two hours roughly. After taking a shower and changing clothes, we headed out to see the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte since we had about a six hour wait before our next flight. I rented a car from Budget, and since I was a Fast Break member, they had my car waiting for me in the VIP lanes. We toured the Billy Graham Library and learned about his life and ministry before heading back to the airport.
Our next flight took us to Miami. I used my Priority Pass Select membership at the Corona Beach Bar for a light snack since American Airlines does not give Business Class passengers access to their Admirals Club or Flagship First lounges if traveling to the Caribbean. American Airlines sucks. It is amazing why we as Americans put up with such crappy service from our domestic carriers. Foreign airlines treat their passengers so well! Corona Beach Bar gave us a $60 credit for food and beverages through my Priority Pass benefits. After a mojito and some snacks, we headed to our gate.
We boarded our Boeing 737-800 through the priority lane, and we were seated in the business class cabin which was the premium cabin on this flight. I will say that our business class steward was very good. He really cared about providing good service to us VIP customers. The seats on this flight were better than the first class seats on the Airbus A321 that we took from Sacramento to Charlotte. We had an actual video monitor on this flight.
After take off, the steward served us warm mixed nuts and cocktails. I started to watch Aquaman. For dinner, we were able to reserve our entree ahead of time. Dinner had a small plate of cold asparagus and cheese and salad along with my entree choice which was grilled chicken with risotto. We also had an amazing ice cream for dessert. Joy even loved it! She does not usually eat much ice cream, but she finished her glass of ice cream. I choose a nice French white wine to go with my chicken. OK. I know what one is thinking. In foreign countries, first class or business class passengers would never be served something as cheap as chicken. LOL. American Airlines is cheap! It is plain and simple. The ice cream did make up for the chicken. LOL. Our steward kept coming around and refilling our drinks.
We got our luggage really fast as we had priority tags when we landed at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados. The hotel arranged transportation for us to get to the Oceans 2 Resort on the Southern part of the island. Upon arrival, they brought us cold eucalyptus sented towels and bottles of water. The Oceans 2 Resort and Residences were a luxury hotel on the water. The rooms were pretty nice, and more importantly, the sheets were really soft. I am used to sleeping on expensive high treadcount sheets at home so I am spoiled and need soft sheets to be able to sleep comfortably. LOL.
In the morning, we woke to a beautiful beach front setting. The hotel included a buffet breakfast with a cooked to order egg station. The dining was outdoors. I liked the climate in Barbados. It was not too humid. After breakfast, we had the concierge arrange for us to go to the Mount Gay Rum Tasting Experience north of the capital city of Bridgetown. We took a taxi over there, and the taxis were very expensive here just like in Turks & Caicos. We paid $50 US to go a short distance. The rum tasting was cool. We saw a short film about the history of Mount Gay. They are the oldest rum distillery in the world. Our guide then introduced us to some of their rums. We tried the Eclipse, Black Barrell, Maubry, and XO rums. The Maubry was a limited edition rum created only for the domestic market. The Black Barrell was my favorite was it was aged longer in whiskey and bourbon barrells. Our guide also told us how to tell a good rum apart from a cheap one. One must swirl the glass, and then observe the runs of the liquid. The more aged and better the rum, the longer it takes for the liquid to run down the glass. After the tasting was over, I got a rum cocktail in their bar.
After returning to the hotel, we ventured out and found a nice Jamaican restaurant to have lunch at. Afterwards, we chilled at the resort's beach and pool area. We also took a walk down to the Dover Beach too. There was a guy selling coconuts on the way so we bought some coconuts to drink. Dover Beach had a rough surf also so we did not go in the water there. That evening, the resort had a cocktail party for guests. We had a nice choice of beverages and appetizers as we took in the beautiful sunset.
For dinner, we had reservations at one of the top restaurants on the island. Champer's Restaurant is in Hastings, and it is built onto the cliff over the ocean. We had the taxi driver take us to the Tiki Bar next door first for a drink. Afterwards, we walked over to Champer's. Our outdoor seats were by the balcony that overlooked the ocean. The rough surf was crashing against the rocks below, and they had lights focused on that so we were taking in the spectacular scenery. For dinner, I got lobster, and Joy got scallops. The wait staff brought us a birthday dessert also since my birthday had just passed. It was a nice experience.
We had a snorkel cruise the next day. After breakfast at the resort, we were picked up at the resort. They drove us to the port in Bridgetown where we boarded an old pirate ship to head out to sea. The ship was had three levels. Moreover, the bar was open. I started off with a rum punch. Our first snorkel spot was in Carlysle Bay. They had to take us there by tender. Once in the bay, we spotted lots of sea turtles. We got to swim with them too! Afterwards, we snorkled over some sunken ships which have become like a coral reef teaming with fish. After finishing the snorkel experience, we sailed out to the west coast of the island. They served us a delicious lunch that included a choice of steak, grilled tuna, or chicken. Moreover, they had macaroni pie, rice and peas, and cole slaw. The macaroni pie is like a baked macaroni lasanga. It was delicious! The fish was amazing. Once we got to the west coast, local tour guides on wave runners asked if we wanted to go out on them wave runners. I never operated a wave runner before so I decided to try it with one of the operaters. It was pretty fun. On the way back to Bridgetown, it was a big party. The guests were all dancing, and we were just drinking.
After getting back to the resort, we headed out to the Hilton Barbados Resort. I resered the Hilton for the last part of the trip. It was a large resort near Bridgetown. They upgraded us to a nice premium ocean view room per my Diamond status with HHonors. The room had a sliding roller door between the tub and the bedroom too. LOL. It was neat. We checked out the beach area after we unpacked. The pools were nice. I went for a swim in the upper infinity pool as well as the lower pool which had water falls. Afterwards, I took a nice dip in the hot tub. For dinner, we found a nice Chinese restaurant near the resort.
The next day, we had breakfast at the Hilton before our private tour guide arrived. He took us all over the island, we explored Bridgetown, the oldest church on the island, the west coast towns, the Eastern village of Bathsheba, another cool Anglican church, and the George Washington House. The eastern side of the island had very rough surf since it was on the Atlantic side. We even stopped at a local Bajan restaurant for lunch. I could not resist getting more macaroni pie. The second church we went to looked like an old castle from the Middle Ages. When we got back to Bridgetown, we went to the Garrison. The Garrison is where the old British troops were based when Barbados was under the British. We even saw the house where George Washington lived for a short time with his brother, Lawrence, who was brought to the island in hopes of curing his T.B. President Washington got smallpox however in Barbados.
We had a terrible rain storm that afternoon so I just got a nice massage at the spa. Then, we headed out to a nice dinner in St. Lawrence Gap. The restaurant, Apsara Samudra, was an Indian-Thai Fusion Zagat rated restaurant on the water. The food and views were amazing. I loved the grilled Tandoori octopus. St. Lawrence Gap is the nightlife area of Barbados. We went to a bar across the street for some karaoke after dinner. I did a bad rendition of Joe Nichol's "Brokenheartsville." LOL.
The next day, we departed from paradise. We had access to the Airlines Executive Lounge at Grantley Adams International Airport. The flights had us routed through Miami, Gainesville, and Charlotte. It was a long day of flying, but we were not too tired.