Arnie Skelton

How cool is this?  I’m writing this from the Business Centre of the hotel we’re currently staying in - Tamarind Cove, on the West Coast of Barbados.  It’s 2.30 pm local time, and I’m doing this because it’s a tropical rainstorm outside!!

So this is my first blog entry from abroad….

Great place, great people, great beaches, and (usually) great weather.  A fab break.  highlights so far:

• fabulous dining at a range of beach-side restaurants each night.  So far - Daphne’s, Tides, and Lone Star.  The other restaurant was a deliberate exception - a local restaurant in town, called Angry Annies
• brilliant snorkelling straight off the beach - like swimming in a very large aquarium
• travelling on the ‘boogie bus’. There are two bus companies on the island.  One, government owned, is blue and yellow (the island’s colours).  The other - the boogie bus - is independently owned, and is yellow and blue…  The other big, big difference is that the latter buses always have loud reggae music playing - brilliant!!
• little things that make a difference to a hotel.  This is a top hotel in that respect - ie free internet service, someone coming round the pool in the morning heat with fresh slices of pineapple, then later in the afternoon a choice of free ice lollies, and (really important) a free change room on the day of departure, so we can chill by the pool til the last minute.
• oh yes - and one classic Mr Bean moment: funnier to watch (apparently) than describe, but I was trying to come back along the beach by working my way around a rock slab that jutted into the water, and was half way around when…bam!..an exceptionally large wave decided to make its impact….  Everyone along the beach just fell about laughing….