|
Barbados is 160, km east of the arc formed by the Little Antilles archipelago, more or less at the same latitude as St. Vincent. This island with 33 km long x 22 km wide, is formed by limestone. The Barbados territory is divided in 11 parishes, where there lives a population of 260,000 people, enjoying one of the highest life standards of the Caribbean.
(map)
Official Holidays
January 1st New Year
January 21st Errol Barrow’s Day
March/April Good Friday
Holly Week Easter Monday
May 1st Labor Day / Holy Pentecost Monday
August (1st Monday) Kadooment’s Day
October (1st Monday) United Nations Day
November 30th Independence Day
December 25th Christmas Day
December 26th Christmas Box Day
Events Calendar
January: Windsurf championships; Jazz Festival; Cricket regional tournament final
February: Hometown Festival
Holy Week: Holder’s Opera Season
April: Oistins Fish festival
May: Gospelfest; Celtic Festival
June: The Mount Gay International Regatta
July: Crop Over Festival
November: Sir Garfield Sobers Seniors Cricket Festival; Independent Classic Surfing Championship; National Independence Festival of Creative Arts.
December: Run Barbados, the island’s marathon; United Insurance Barbados Golf Open
Celebrations
The most important cultural event in Barbados comes with the first Saturday in July, when the Crop Over Festival starts, celebrating for five weekends, the end of the harvest. The calypso and soca music bands compete in the Pic-o-de-Crop tournament, and streets are full with dances and parades, ending at the first Monday in August, the day of the Kadooment, when everybody uses carnival costumes, and celebrations reach their climax before ending.
PLANNING THE TRIP
Banks and Exchange
Official currency is the Barbados dollar (BDS$),equivalent to an American half dollar. American dollars are accepted, generally, and in fact, many articles have prices in this currency, so is important to check which dollar is the one you’re watching.
You may change money in banks and almost all hotels. Most establishments accept most known traveler checks and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and American Express).
Almost all banks have ATMs. Banks open from 8:00 to 14:00 from Monday to Thursday; and from 8:00 to 13:00, and 15:00 to 17:00 hours on Fridays.
To most of the articles and services a 15% is added, IVA, so check if prices are including it or not. Tax is of 7.5% in case of hotels.
Generally restaurants and hotels add 10% service to their bills, though is usual adding another 5% of tips.
Departure Tax: Visitors staying in the island for more than 24 hours, must pay at the airport, 25 BDS$.
Some travel agencies include this tax in their total vacations package.
Tourist Information Abroad
Barbados Tourism Authority
263 Tottenham Court Road
London W1P 9AA
Phone no. 0171 636 9448
Fax no. 0171 637 1496 in the United Kingdom
Barbados Tourism Authority
800, 2nd. Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone no. 212 986 6516/ 800 221 9831 (free number)
Fax no. 212 573 9850
Websites
www.fleethouse.com/barbados/
www.prideofbarbados.com/
Wedding in Barbados
If you want to marry in Barbados, apply for a marriage license at the Ministry of Home Affairs, located at the same building as the Central Post office, Cheapside, Bridgetown (phone 431 7600). You’ll have to present passport or birth certificate, and a document showing you’re divorced, single or widowed. It’s not necessary to present a residential permit, nor having to pass through blood checks. License costs 100 BDS$, plus 25 BDS$ for stamps. Many of the bigger hotels can handle these procedures, and organize the ceremony.
PRACTICAL TIPS
News
The Advocate and the Nation are the two local newspapers. Two interesting publications for visitors are the Visitor (weekly), and the Sun Seeker (each two months). Ins & Outs of Barbados and Barbados in a Nutshell are two free publications you’ll find at most of the hotels.
CBC-TV is the national TV channel; almost all hotels have satellite TV. There are seven local radios.
Post Services
The main office is in Cheapside, Bridgetown (open from 8:00 to 17:00 hours, from Monday to Friday).
Phone
Area code is 246. The cheapest way of making international calls is using a card at a public phone.
You can buy them at hotels and shops.
Tourist Information Local Offices
The main office is at Harbor Road, Bridgetown (phone no. 427 2623; fax no. 426 4080). There are some others, at the airport (phone no. 428 0937), and the cruiser’s station (phone 426 1718). There’s also a stand at the Shepherd Cave mall.
Medical Assistance
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Martinsdale Road, Bridgetown (phone 436 6450), is an excellent hospital with emergency service 24 hours a day. There’s a decompression chamber at the Barbados Defence Force Headquarters. Your hotel can help you finding a doctor or dentist.
Emergency Numbers
Police 112 Firemen 113 Ambulances 115
Voltage: 110 volts AC 50 cycles
Shopping
All around the island are lots of duty free shops. To buy this kind of articles you must present your immigration card (that will be provided, after your arrival, at the airport), or your passport and plane bill.
At Bridgetown, the main commercial zone is in Broad Street, where are the two most important malls of the city: Da Costas Mall and Cave Shepherd. At Medford Mahogany Village, Barbarees Hill you can see skillful carpenters elaborating mahogany furniture.
At Hastings and Worthing, Chattel House Village, St. Lawrence Gap, have many shops, as well as Quayside Center, Hastings Plaza and Sandy Bank.
Holetown has and interesting section of shops at the Sunset Crest mall. Another place is Chattel Village. Portobello Exhibition, Batts Rock Road (phone 424 1687) sells colorful art works.
|
