The 3 Faces of Barbados, Part 1 – The Upscale & Posh West Coast
The three faces of Barbados, the beautiful eastern-most island in the Caribbean, offer more diversity than holiday locations far larger than 14 by 21 miles. The place to go for “posh” is the west coast; the value-minded head to the south coast; and dare devils are drawn like celebrities are to overpriced handbags to the east coast. Here’s why. In fact, let’s start with those celebrities and the poshest face of Barbados, in Part 1 of this 3-part series.
The West Coast: Posh & Celebrity-Central
Expedia UK has named Barbados the most popular place for celebrities and stars to visit. So if you’re an ogler of the rich and famous or if you’re rich and famous yourself, you belong on Barbados’ west coast, also known as “The Platinum Coast” for its gorgeous white beaches.
Celebs often hang out on Sandy Lane Beach because they’re staying at the resort of the same name. Since all beaches in Barbados are public, you can set up camp on a nearby lounger and enjoy libations and dips in the sea just like the Beckhams, Oprah (who bought a home on the island), Mick Jagger, Hugh Grant, and Sting. Tiger Woods married at Sandy Lane Resort.
Barbados has been a playground for celebs for decades: Frank Sinatra, Jackie O, Pavarotti, and many others all loved the tropical paradise. The island’s been a favorite getaway for royalty, too; Harry and William and their friends enjoy cricket matches on the island. The singer Nina Simone had a long-term affair with Barbados prime minister Errol Barrows who also found time to guide Barbados to independence from Britain in the 1960s.
The reasons Barbados is popular with the jet set are numerous. First, locals in Barbados are generally low key — quite British, you might say; visitors can be royalty or movie stars or a family from Ottawa … they’re are all the same to Bajans. It’s more likely that other tourists, not locals, will become excited by the island’s famous guests. Second, even though the beaches are public, hotels and resorts are very exclusive and offer tremendous privacy to guests. Third, perhaps the paparazzi cannot afford the air fare to Barbados; it’s a long distance to travel for a photo or two of Sting sampling Barbados’ famous rotis.
In addition to Sandy Lane Resort, for west-coast posh, stay at Fairmont Royal Pavilion, The Colony Club, Tamarind Club, and The House Barbados. Coming soon is the Four Seasons, currently under under construction.
You don’t need to be famous, of course, to stay at any of these beautiful places but it might help if you’re rich.