Barbados_Katheryn

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BEAUTIFUL BARBADOS

Text and Photos by Kathy Freeberg

Barbados rises like an intricately carved opal in a sea of turquoise satin. Wherever you may journey through its 166 square miles, from its expanse of totally public beaches to the exclusive greens of The Green Monkey Golf Course at Sandy Lane Resort, it is apparent that the greatest natural resource of Barbados is its people. They are a people who reflect an innate understanding of rest, joy and hospitality.

Born of both British and African culture, the people of Barbados have overcome four hundred years of adversity: slavery, indenture, threat of invasion, and piracy. The grinding of such turbulent history has well polished the jewel of Barbados with a rare sheen: a constant celebration of beauty and grace. There is no better place to carpe diem: boating, snorkeling, diving, horseracing, golfing, touring, exploring, cricketing, dining or drinking rum.

A lovely place to call home while in Barbados is the revitalized Hilton Barbados in Bridgetown, built on the historic Needham’s Peninsula that was once part of Charles Fort and near the George Washington House where America’s first President spent his only recorded time outside the borders of the nation he so loved. The hotel is gallant, breeze-swept elegance, while gloriously relaxing. Executive Chef Bernard Fantoli directs the hotel’s kitchens. Breakfast is delightful on the open-air palazzo where you may catch the sweet morning breezes, watch the tide come in, and find any breakfast delight imaginable at the buffet.

Fort Charles

Zagat Survey introduced its first Barbados edition in 2007. Its First Place Top Food Award went to the Restaurant at Southsea, www.therestaurantatsouthsea.com. Executive Chef and Director Barry Taylor proffers a wide selection of cuisine, including exotic dishes of ostrich, alligator, and barracuda along with more traditional favorites. Dining at the Restaurant at Southsea is elegant, friendly and awe inspiring as guests view the crystal Caribbean and ocean breezes waft from the gentle shore. Service is superior.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon at Restaurant at Southsea

Zagat Survey’s top list includes The Tides, www.tidesbarbados.com, in Holetown. Owner, Executive Chef and Director Guy Beasley serves a delightful variety of seafood along with lamb, duck, chicken and beef. Presentation is stunning and the wine list includes a lovely selection of Cakebread wines. The wooden dining deck and ceiling of The Tides incorporates the trunks of ancient trees in its architecture. Ambiance is supreme in this eighty year-old home that Mr. Beasley reconstructed into The Tides. The musical surf keeps a relaxing beat while guests are serenaded by the melodic voices of the whistling frogs of Barbados.

Sandy Lane Resort, www.sandylane.com, was the host of the 2006 World Golf Championships—World Cup, the first held in the Caribbean. Sandy Lane’s Country Club has

Maitre d' Henry Sealy & owner Guy Beasley of The Tides Restaurant

three courses, including the renowned Green Monkey Course. It is listed in Condé Nast Traveler as one of the top 100 golf resorts in North America, Caribbean, Ireland and Scotland. If you are not golfing, it also offers tennis courts, spa, water sports, luxury suites, and fine dining at the Country Club Restaurant. Tea Time at Sandy Lane, presented by Executive Pastry Chef Charles Bernard, is a culinary adventure unto itself.

Delicate and satisfying, Tea Time at Sandy Lane includes a selection of Finger Sandwiches and Bridge Rolls: Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream, Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Chicken, Herb and Mayonnaise Egg Mimosa, Tuna with Onions, and Chive and Cucumber Sandwich. The mini pastries, Fruit Tartlet, Lemon Tart, Chocolate Brownie, Almond Cookies, plain and fruit scones are wonderful, especially when adorned with delightful clotted cream. They serve a choice of twenty-two teas and coffees. Service is excellent and the premises are pristine.

Tea time at Sandy Lane Country Club

Executive Pastry Chef Charles Bernard of Sandy Lane Resort

Chef Bernard shares a favorite teatime recipe:

Sandy Lane Chocolate and Coconut Muffin

Ingredients:

2 1/8 C Butter

2 C Sugar

3/4 C Pastry Cream

6 Eggs

2 1/2 C Shredded coconut

3/4 C Milk

1 3/4 C Flour

3 T Cacao powder

1 3/4 T Baking powder

Topping:

3/4 C Sugar

3/4 C Butter

1 C Shredded coconut

Method:

Cream butter and sugar
Add in pastry cream.
Add eggs one by one
Add shredded coconut and milk
Sieve flour, baking powder and cacao
Add to liquid mixture
Pipe in a round flexi pan up to ¾ from top
Cover with small amount of topping
Bake at 350°F until topping starts to color

Aboard Tiami Tall Ships Luxury Catamaran Cruise

Dining from the deck of one of Tall Ships LuxuryCatamarans Cruises, http://tallshipscruises.com, captures the beauty of Barbados in a timeless perspective. Feasting, friendship and fun is the best menu item of the day, without overlooking the rum punch and a generous choice of beverages. Snorkel at a graveyard of sunken ships, swim with the sea turtles, and sing along to the music of Bob Marley and The Tiami’s sailors, whose vocal talent could compete with any stage performance. You will want to return.