NORTH PALM BEACH LIFE
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barbados

Caribbean Playground for the Rich and Famous

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By GERRY and PAMELA BARKER/North Palm Beach Life/December, 2019

For the next two days, Crystal Serenity is docked in Bridgetown, Barbados, where we'll celebrate New Year's Eve. Barbados is a beautiful island with many wonderful beaches. Thankfully, it's been largely spared the hurricanes that have ravaged sister islands in the region, with the last major storm in 1955.  As a playground for the rich and famous, you can pay as  much as $30,000 a night to stay in its posh resorts.

This time we are taking the "Highlights of Barbados" tour. Let's go!

First Stop -- Orchid World...

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Photos by North Palm Beach Life
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Glad we had a ticket!
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​This is Orchid World and Tropical Garden, featuring over 1,000 orchids and six acres of Caribbean plants and flowers. As we walked the paths through the garden, we also got some panoramic views of the island, thanks to its 800-feet above sea level elevation.

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One of the garden's scenic views
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An orchid in one of their greenhouses

Next Stop, St. John's Church...

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​Not only is this a beautiful old church, but also its setting affords some of the most scenic views of Barbados. Dating from at least the 1600s, the church has been rebuilt multiple times after fires and storms. Spend extra time in its gardens and enjoy the solitude.


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A panoramic view from the church gardens
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The cemetery and adjoining gardens
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Inside the cathedral
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Last stop, St. Nicholas Abbey...

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We left the church and traveled along the coast before climbing toward St. Nicholas Abbey in Saint Peter
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​St Nicholas Abbey, built in 1658, is said to be "one of only three genuine Jacobean mansions in
​the Western Hemisphere." A plantation and restaurant, it also features a rum distillery.
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​Inside the mansion you'll find collections of antiques
and art, with rooms
preserved in time.
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Lush gardens surround the plantation
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One of the garden walkways
Good idea to not touch the Sandbox Tree, left. Its bark is covered in small spines.
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The restaurant
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The plantation is famous for its rum production, which started in 1631. While there, we enjoyed a delicious rum punch on the patio.
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Meanwhile, Back on Serenity ...

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Best part of the tour -- the cold towels waiting for us back at the ship.
Serenity, you're spoiling us!
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Everything is in place to ring in the new decade!
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The always-smiling Sachina,
our stateroom steward.
Passengers and crew crowd into the atrium area for the big countdown.
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10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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NEXT PORT OF CALL: TORTOLA AND VIRGIN GORDA

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Contact us: [email protected]

© COPYRIGHT  2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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  • Home
    • Weather >
      • Hurricane Readiness
  • Cruise/Travel
    • Cruise Reviews and Stories
    • Victory I Great Lakes Cruise
  • Gigi in the 561
    • Gigi's Wine Shelf
    • Gigi in the 561 Interviews
    • Cora
    • My Father's Tales >
      • My Father's Tales - Photo Album
    • Travel Bistro
  • Blogs
    • Gerry Pronounced Gary
    • Rock and Roll Rewind
    • Susan Goldfein -- Blog >
      • Susan Goldfein
  • Video
  • Explore
    • October Odyssey >
      • Cartagena, Columbia
      • Panama Canal
      • Antigua, Guatemala
      • Cabo San Lucas
      • Birds and Bees Speakeasy in Los Angeles
      • We Love LA
      • Coast Starlight
      • Napa Wine Tour
      • California Zephyr
      • California Zephyr Part Two
      • Chicago
      • Amtrak Capitol Limited
      • Washington DC
    • Pam - Traveling in Style
    • Road Trip! >
      • Road Trip! -- Tucumcari, New Mexico
      • Road Trip! -- The Painted Desert
      • Road Trip! - Sedona, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - Sedona Wineries
      • Road Trip! Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
      • Road Trip! - Mogollon Rim
      • Road Trip! - Verde Canyon Railroad
      • Road Trip! - Jerome, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - California
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Celebrity Tour
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
      • Road Trip! - Festival in Palm Springs
      • Road Trip! - Willcox, Arizona and Apple Annie's Orchard
      • Road Trip! Willcox Wineries
      • Road Trip! Chiricahua National Monument
      • Road Trip! Tombstone, Arizona
      • Tombstone, Part Two
      • Road Trip! - Epilogue
    • Traveling With Joe >
      • Beartooth Highway
      • North Cascades National Park
      • A Visit to the Philippines
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Glacier National Park
      • Yellowstone National Park
      • Hiking in Bear Country
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
      • The Kerrville Folk Festival
      • Building Hope in the Rio Grande Valley
      • Yellowstone Camping Tales
    • Unknown Yellowstone >
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Heart Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Summit Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Shoshone Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Grizzly Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Riddle Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Pelican Cone
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Mt. Washburn
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Specimen Ridge
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Avalanche Peak
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Divide Creek
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • Pamela Barker - Author
    • The Story of StarText
  • Search