Barbados – The Switzerland of the Caribbean

The Dream Island Barbados – The Switzerland of the Caribbean. That's another title that popped into my head spontaneously and might seem totally bizarre to you. But of course, I don't want to keep from you why I chose this title.

Lesser Antilles

Barbados is truly a dream island and belongs to the Lesser Antilles in the Atlantic. It lies very close to the Caribbean islands, but is still over 100 km away from the nearest island. Sometimes it belongs to the Caribbean, sometimes to the UK, and in many respects the island is independent. That alone is very reminiscent of Switzerland 🙂

Barbados is 35 km long and 30 km wide, meaning you can get around pretty quickly by car here. But beware: the speed limit is 80 km/h. However, you can only really drive that fast on very few routes. The average speed is around 30-40 km/h. Therefore, some drives here can drag on a bit. The varied landscape of coast, jungle, and vast sugar plantations, interspersed with small but steep hills, ensures that no drive here will be boring. On the contrary: the driving style of the locals demands your utmost attention most of the time! ALWAYS!

In total, there are 80 beaches here on Barbados, all of which are public. My 40th Birthdayg I spent it at Crane Beach in the south. But there are fantastic beaches all around the island, totaling 110 km in length. With white sand and lined with palm and mahogany trees, you really get that vacation feeling here.

Currency in Switzerland of the Caribbean

The currency here in Barbados is the Barbados Dollar (BDS) and it's worth pretty much exactly half of a US Dollar. While many forums and groups talk about cash being king on the island, even the smallest farmer here gladly accepts credit cards =) Aside from the fact that you rarely get Barbados Dollars anywhere in Europe anyway, you really only need cash here very seldom. [Advertisement] Grab a Revolut Card and withdraw $200 for free in Barbados and all other countries, you'll be fine here for a long time.

The four sides of Barbados

First, there's the south. Things really heat up here =). The south is the most densely populated area of Barbados. With Bridgetown, the capital in the southwest, and "The Gap," St. Lawrence Gap, basically the "Ballermann" (a German term for a lively party district). The south is also home to the island's only airport. Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI). Here you'll also find most hotels and apartments, so you practically won't need a car. In the south of the Swiss Caribbean, everything is within walking distance.

The East, there's really nothing there. Well, you can surf here, but not swim. The currents are way too strong. Don't do it!

The north is wild and also deserted, but not as deserted as the east. There are very few beaches in the north and some great sights, for example the Animal Flower Cave, a cave formed by the sea.

In the west, that's where we ended up, and I can only recommend it if you're ever in Barbados. Here in the west, there are countless beaches, great restaurants, attractions, and for vacationers, there are also chic hotels and, not to forget, golf courses. With Holetown and Speightstown, there are two small but lovely towns here.

Holetown - Small town with great flair

The hip and chic town of Holetown is located on the west coast, pretty much right in the middle of Barbados. From here, you can get everywhere quickly by car. All sights, botanical gardens, shopping malls, etc. are about 5-15 minutes away. This is super convenient.

We live here 5 minutes' walk from the beach, and also 5 minutes from the center, which, however, basically consists only of the picturesque chattel village and the Limegrove Outlet. You can buy Swiss watches in the latter 😉 There are numerous good restaurants here, as well as a large supermarket. These are not so easy to find on the island. Basically, shopping here is different than in Germany or Switzerland. You go to the supermarket, see what's available today, and then decide which dish you can cook from it. If you look for a recipe first and then go shopping...Good luck!

By the way, there are no online shops here in Swiss Caribbean. A few stores do offer the option to order something online, but the items don't really arrive. I ordered something from Amazon 5 weeks ago, but all I received was a letter from customs about 3 weeks ago. Silence ever since. But it's not a big deal. After all, you're waiting for your packages here on the white sandy beach!

By the way, our next project is to buy a desk. So far, we've been unsuccessful because no furniture stores currently have desks. But some might come in in a few weeks. Maybe even before Christmas 😉 We're staying optimistic.

Culinary

There's delicious food here in Barbados, almost no matter where you go. The cuisine is, of course, quite heavy on fish, which I love. Meat is rarer here. Vegetables and fruits, especially when they come from the local area, taste really fresh. Especially mangoes, bananas, avocados, cucumbers, and of course plantains, which we know as „cooking bananas.“ They grow all around here on the trees. What's really cool here is that you can buy bananas green in the supermarket, and when you get home, they're nice and yellow. Absolutely convenient. Things ripen incredibly quickly here. If you don't want that, put the fruit and vegetables in the fridge. Done!

Wildlife of Switzerland in the Caribbean

I'll write a separate article about this, but I want to give you a few things in advance. The wildest animal here on the island is a small, adorable monkey. Named the Green Monkey, it'll at most snatch your sunglasses or some food. We learned from a local that you can actually trade your sunglasses back for food. I'm just waiting for the chance to try that out.

Then you'll see many, many turtles here. Sometimes there are even some in our garden. But they've usually gotten lost and actually want to go to the sea. Wildlife Reserve Then you can calmly take a closer look at all the animals that live on the island. Or you can rent a car. You'll always encounter monkeys and sheep here. They look like goats, but they aren't. Barbados Blackbelly Sheep It has short fur like a goat, a sheep's head, and also a sheep's tail. Looks funny 😉

Why is Barbados – the Switzerland of the Caribbean – again?

Oh yes, because just like in Switzerland, there's super-fast internet everywhere here. While people used to go online with a modem back in 2010, there's now a very well-developed WiFi network across the entire island and top-notch mobile reception. A lot of money has been invested in expansion in recent years. Therefore, there are also many nice cafes where you can work, Zoom, or simply network well.

Conclusion

Barbados - The Switzerland of the Caribbean. I chose this title not least because Barbados is just as beautiful as Switzerland, both in terms of landscape and quality of life. It's perhaps even a tad more relaxed, the people here are very friendly and helpful, and everything is extremely safe. The prices are also similar to those in Switzerland, which makes planning here significantly easier. On your next trip to the Caribbean, I highly recommend making a detour to Barbados. It's definitely worth it!

Here are a few snapshots from Switzerland, the Caribbean, for you, in case you're not currently at the beach or traveling the world =)

Have fun!