Your Barbados CME conference.

Barbados after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Barbados time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk along the esplanade in Speightstown, a swim at a beach with lifeguards, or a meal in Oistins. Leave time for getting there, since the tourism board notes that Barbados weather can change several times in a day.

Travel, accommodation and attraction admission are arranged separately. Your conference follows your specialty and interests; the island is the setting you choose for it.

West coast calm or east coast surf?

Barbados has more than 80 white-sand beaches. The tourism board points to the west coast for snorkeling, with underwater visibility of up to 95 feet, and to Paynes Bay for swimming with sea turtles from a catamaran. Brown’s, Adventure, Accra, Miami and Brandon’s beaches are popular for swimming and snorkeling and have lifeguards, changing facilities and food nearby. Mullins Beach is a spot for jet skis, and Pebbles Beach and Long Beach suit beginner boogie boarders with slightly gentler waves.

The Atlantic side is different. Bathsheba in St. Joseph has large, foamy waves and the Soup Bowl surf break, and the tourism board suggests it for strong swimmers and surfers. You can picnic beneath shady trees at Bath or Bathsheba, and Cattlewash has a long stretch of shoreline for beachcombing. Martins Bay in St. John is a picnic and fresh-fish spot but is not ideal for swimming because of strong currents. Heywoods and Six Men’s Bay in St. Peter are nesting areas for sea turtles, so leave the turtles alone.

Speightstown and the north-west

Speightstown, in St. Peter near the island’s northern tip, is over 350 years old and was nicknamed Little Bristol for its trade with Bristol. Orange Fort once stood where the fish market now operates, and old cannons still line the coast. Arlington House, built around 1750, is now a museum with three floors: Speightstown Memories, Plantation Memories and Wharf Memories.

The Speightstown Esplanade has ocean views and shade for a boardwalk stroll. The town market sells fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. St. Peter’s Parish Church dates to 1837 and was reconstructed after a fire in 1983, and a trompe l’oeil mural on a supermarket wall faces the beach. Speightstown is relatively quiet compared with other areas of the island.

Bridgetown and the Garrison

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison joined the UNESCO World Heritage List on June 25, 2011, and the site has 115 listed buildings. On the main street, Broad Street, you will find shops, while Swan Street runs parallel and is pedestrian-only. Pelican Village is a small shopping village of artisan shops, and the Museum of Parliament holds the National Heroes Gallery.

The Nidhe Israel Synagogue has a museum on the Jewish community’s history. Offshore, Carlisle Bay Marine Park has six shallow wrecks that are home to tropical fish, sea horses and frogfish. Folkestone Marine Park has an artificial reef formed by sinking the Stavronikita, a ship destroyed by fire in 1976. Check each attraction’s hours against your 2:00 PM finish.

Oistins and Bajan food

Oistins, on the island’s southernmost tip, is a small town where fishing is still the main industry. The Berinda Cox Fish Market is open through the week, and small restaurants at the Bay Garden next door serve mahi-mahi, marlin, tuna, kingfish, snapper and flying fish. The area comes alive on weekends, and Friday nights bring dinner, live music and social dancing.

Cou-cou and flying fish is the national dish. Barbados is also regarded as the birthplace of rum, and the Charter of Barbados was signed at the Mermaid Tavern in Oistins in 1651. The Oistins Fish Festival runs for a week and ends on Easter weekend.

Caves underground and on the coast

Harrison’s Cave sits at the center of the island and is full of stalactites, stalagmites and small streams. Animal Flower Cave, on the north coast, is a cave and small saltwater pool under a cliff that opens onto the Atlantic. Check current opening days before you plan either one.

When to visit Barbados

The tourism board describes two seasons: a drier, cooler one in the northern winter and spring, and a wetter, warmer one in summer and autumn. Daily highs are around 86°F, ocean temperatures stay between 79°F and 84°F all year, and north-east trade winds blow almost every day. Average rainfall is under a quarter inch per day.

Getting to Barbados and your study setting

Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) is in Christ Church. Visitors should complete the online customs and immigration form before arrival. On the island, public buses and ZR vans run most routes, and car hire and taxis are also available.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.