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The night air is hazy with BBQ smoke and I can feel the bass of the dancehall music in my rib cage. It’s Friday night in Barbados and there’s only one place to be: Oistins Fish Fry, on the southern tip of the island.
I’m away with my family: my husband and two boys, who are 19 and 24. We’ve been to the island in the past, but not since my sons were small. While my husband was born in London, both his parents are from the island and this time around we’re all curious to discover more about these roots.
Celebrating 60 years of independence this year, Barbados has long appealed to visitors wanting the ultimate Caribbean holiday. Many tourists typically head straight to the west coast, with its line-up of exclusive hotels that hug frothy, azure seas. And while we fully intend to make the most of lazy days on sugar-white sands, this trip is about something more personal: helping my sons understand the island where their grandparents were born. So we’ve headed, instead, to the more affordable southern region, which, as well as its fair share of palm-shaded beaches, is the most populous stretch of Barbados, putting visitors in direct contact with local life.
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What’s more, this often overlooked area has experienced a renaissance of late with the Richard Haynes Boardwalk that links local beaches and restaurants; the Worthing Food Square, which brings together street food vendors; and a clutch of new beach clubs, such as Savvy On The Bay, with its 24-hour bar and food truck park. It’s ticking all the boxes for the boys.
Back in Oistins, the night is beginning to warm up. In the days before my mother-in-law first arrived in a grey England back in 1967, when she was just 16, it was still a tiny fishing village, where men would sell barracuda, red snapper and lobster off the backs of faded boats. Now, the town is unrecognisable, having transformed into one of the island’s biggest attractions.
As well as live music and DJs, there are now dozens of family-run food stalls, illuminated with strung-up festoon lights, each serving their own version of fried fish with sides of squidgy plantain, macaroni pie and cold Banks beers.
Soca and reggae music spills out of giant speakers, as we share a table with tourists and Bajans alike. It’s impossible not to move with the beat and it’s clear that anything goes. The refrain “dance like no one is watching” could have been invented here. An octogenarian in a scarlet red suit wines across the dance floor by himself; local girls wuk up their waistlines and tourists bob along to the beat, sipping Mount Gay rum and cokes.
With its Friday night shuttle to Oistins, the O2 Beach Club & Spa puts us in easy reach of everything. It’s also close to St Lawrence Gap, the main nightlife hub – ideal for the boys, who like to linger over a few rum punches after we call it a night. The property has a youthful vibe, with adult-only areas and contemporary interiors – from fuchsia pink loungers to nautical-striped textiles and local art.
Its thoughtful, all-inclusive concept is the antithesis of the usual on-a-budget, buffet fare. Instead, there’s a line-up of imaginative restaurants, meaning we never get bored. We enjoy tapas-style sharing plates at the rooftop Brisa, and fine-dining at Oro, where we order Crab Fritti and Aburi Flying Fish – both twists on local dishes. Best of all, though, is the list of activities beyond its walls: from rum and chocolate tastings to stargazing and eco walks.
We spend a few days sinking into island life. Days start with breakfast in Elements: eggs spiked with hot pepper sauce, fried plantain and Bajan cherry juice. We visit nearby Carlisle Bay for blissful “sea baths”, and have a few visits to the O2’s rum lounge – “It’s all part of discovering our roots, mum.” Then it’s time to get out and about with a walking tour of the capital, Bridgetown, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Taking us around the warren of streets, Claudette Levi-Farnum, a historian with Discover Heritage Tours, reveals more about the complex history of the island. She tells us about the Indigenous Kalinago people and the history of the first settlers from England, who arrived in 1627. These included wealthy planters as well as indentured labourers, made up of convicts and political dissidents, known as “undesirables”.
We pass by candy-pink colonial-style buildings and the Nidhe Israel Synagogue, the oldest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. To cool down, we stop at wooden street stalls selling just-picked “fat pork”, a small spongy tropical fruit, and iced soursop juice.
We end the day at the Builders of Barbados Wall, found in the Golden Square Freedom Park. Built from clay bricks, and inscribed with thousands of surnames of ordinary people who helped build the nation across 600 years, the curved structure features African and colonial surnames side by side. The boys look for their surname – Clarke – and eventually find it written as “Clark(e)”.
“Without the ‘e’ would have been a slave name,” Claudette explains. “The ‘e’ would have been added after emancipation as a way of adding a form of identity away from slavery.” It’s a powerful visual reminder of the resilience shown over generations, as well as a tangible link to the boys’ ancestral roots. Watching my sons search for their surname among thousands of others turns the trip into something much deeper.
Nearby, National Heroes Square also honours the strength of the Bajan nation with a monument of open shackles to represent the historic struggle against slavery. It overlooks the country’s parliament building, built in 1870. Its Gothic Revival architecture gives a nod to London’s centre of power. It’s a somewhat sobering reminder of the links between the two countries.
Back at O2 Beach Club, Wednesday nights mean it is beach BBQ time. We eat jerk chicken, blackened mahi mahi, and pickled breadfruit salad with our toes in the sand.
Suddenly a hush comes over the nearby tables, and we turn to see a waiter motioning us over. Underneath a palm tree, a Hawksbill sea turtle is covering herself with sand in order to lay her eggs. Stood at a safe distance so as not to disturb her, we watch as she eventually waddles back into the dark water. It’s a rare encounter with one of the island’s most vulnerable species.
We hire a car and criss-cross around the island, which is just 21 miles in length. It bursts with colour – from chattel houses painted in banana yellow and sapphire blue to the bougainvillaea that tumbles over walls in shades of shocking pink and deep violet. At the northern tip of the island, we go underground to see the sea caves at Animal Flower Cave, and afterwards turn south again to St Nicholas Abbey, a former 17th-century plantation house and rum distillery.
Read more: The best adults-only hotels in Barbados, from all-inclusive resorts to swim-up suites
We also stop off at the TikTok-recommended Rihanna Drive in Brandon’s Beach, to see where the island’s own “diamond” grew up. The boys are amused to discover that the pop star’s old childhood house, Sonia Ville, can now be rented as a holiday home.
A visit to the east coast brings a different perspective. This Atlantic side of the island is rugged and wild, with winding coastal roads that take us past undulating cane fields and back again to the craggy shoreline. Close to Bathsheba, a surfers’ spot with huge rock formations on its beach, we stop at Zemi Café, a popular, weekend “lime” spot. We sample the specialities, which include mango rum sours, lobster tacos and breadfruit wedges as we look out across the crashing waves.
With 99 per cent of the east coast preserved as a National Park, the boutique East resort, found on the remaining per cent, is a collection of 10 villas with dramatic sea views. A stay here gives us an opportunity to decamp away from the tourist trail for a while.
Our family-friendly villa comes with its own pool, sleek interiors and an open-plan living space. As well as a daily delivered breakfast, guests can tap into facilities at sister property, the Crane Resort, a 10-minute drive away.
It’s the quietest corner of the island and allows us a moment to digest all that we’ve learnt. We’ve had sunshine and good times, yes, but we also leave with something more lasting: a deeper understanding of the island that helped shape our family’s story.
Angelina was a guest of Visit Barbados and O2 Beach Club & Spa
Read more: This laidback Caribbean island is perfect for a screen-free family break
How to get there
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer direct flights from the UK to Barbados from London and Manchester, arriving at Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI). Flight time is around nine hours.
Where to stay
Rooms at O2 Beach Club & Spa cost from £527 per night, based on double occupancy on an all-inclusive basis.
East costs from £168 per night,. Rates are based on a five-night minimum stay and include expedited airport arrival service, round-trip airport transfers and breakfast.
