Stepping on to Rockley Beach for my evening swim, I spot a young lifeguard finishing his shift. He walks out on to the platform of his yellow lookout tower, locks the door, then drops the key through the open window.
Five minutes later, his replacement arrives, sticks his hand through the window and - wham - he's in.
This little scene tells you everything you need to know about Barbados's laid-back south coast. Historically, this stretch of the island has been considered inferior to the West - or 'platinum' - coast, which is studded with mega-villas belonging to the likes of Cliff Richard and Wayne Rooney and ultra-fancy hotels such as Sandy Lane, where Simon Cowell enjoys cream teas served by gloved staff.
But the south coast is having a deserved moment, part of a palpable fresh energy that's sparked a surge in numbers from younger, less affluent visitors keen to leave their hotel compounds and explore. Which is super-easy on an island that's only 21 miles long and 14 miles wide.
The chic and affordable Rockley hotel
New hotels are springing up with a more youthful vibe than their grand, staid West-coast equivalents. I'm staying at The Rockley, a four-star hotel designed for 'travellers with an adventurous mindset', whose unpretentious and quirky feel is inspired by European boutique hotels.
The entrance is flanked by a huge yellow grandfather clock, with no hands, because - as Terina, who checks me in explains with a grin - 'time stops at the Rockley'. My suite (there are 49) has a glorious beach view, a kitchenette and is decorated with vibrant rugs and cushions adorned with Bajan slang words such as 'liming' - hanging out with friends and family - and 'lickrish' - loving good food.
Engaging in both these activities is easy.
The Boardwalk in Bridgetown
From the Rockley, it's a minute's walk to the newly-constructed boardwalk that hugs the coast all the way to Bridgetown. With hummingbirds flitting around my head, I pass fishermen perched on the seawall, families strolling and joggers sweating, before arriving at Tapas, one of the south coast's most popular restaurants, for a shrimp curry.
To make life ever simpler, Tapas (along with other popular local restaurants) is part of The Rockley's Dine & Sign programme. This means you don't even need to produce a credit card at the end of the meal - just sign a chit that's added to your final hotel bill.
Tapas restaurant perfectly situated along the Boardwalk
I'd happily spend a week pootling from The Rockley to the beach (the hotel provides vouchers for free sun loungers - though umbrellas cost an extra £3 a day) to Tapas and back again, but we hire a car for a day's touring. It's cheap, although the downside is that the satnav works only in Mandarin.
The upside is you can easily find your way by following the bus stop signs, which are marked either 'to city' - that's Bridgetown - or 'out of city'. A morning is long enough to work our way up the wind-battered east coast where waves are for world-class surfers but the bleached sands are unmissable.
As you head north, horses and cattle graze (with egrets on their spines) on rolling green fields that remind me of the West Country. At the island's tip we admire the bubbling and swelling Atlantic (whales are frequently spotted here, but we're unlucky) before turning south down the West coast to see if we're really missing anything. We stop for dolphin (don't worry, in Bajan this means Mahi Mahi not Flipper) and chips in Holetown, a cluster of cutesy clapboard houses that happens to boast a vast branch of Cartier.
Brightly coloured houses and shops in Holetown
It's hard to check out the beaches, even though they're all public, because they're blocked from view by the walls of mega-mansions. But we do manage to check out Sandy Lane's strip of sand (FYI the pathway is bang next to Rihanna's house). We don't see Simon Cowell but we spot a lot of lookalikes turning scarlet on padded loungers.
Back at Rockley Beach, families bask in the sea as the sun descends into the water. Tourists sip Banks beer on their loungers, while locals enjoy a lively card game under the branches of a Casuarina tree. Frankly, Simon, Cliff, Wayne et al can keep their West Coast. They're the ones missing out.
First published in the Daily Mail - November 2024
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