Ideal for a beach holiday, a wedding, or just a relaxing break, this boutique hotel offers delicious dishes in a restaurant set under the stars, spacious rooms, generous breakfasts, efficient room service and the use of a swimming pool.
Contents
The Rooms at Treasure Beach
At the Treasure Beach Hotel each room is provided with a balcony furnished with coffee table and chairs, overlooking the sea; a living room with couches, a coffee table, a fridge; a spacious bedroom with closets and bedside tables, and a large bathroom fitted with a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and two sinks.
These mini apartments are private and relaxing, situated amongst tropical plants, air conditioned and provided with fans both in the bedroom and in the living room.
A full set of towels is provided for each guest, as well as beach towels, bath robes, complementary soap, shower gel and shampoo, hairdryer, safe, and tea/coffee-making facilities.
The Food in the Al Fresco Restaurant
All tastes are catered for at the Treasure Beach Hotel. Beside typical Caribbean dishes such as grilled flying fish (when in season) and fried plantains, the breakfast menu includes sausages, eggs, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, beans and omelettes.
Moreover, the buffet includes cold meats, cheese, fruit, yoghurts, cereal, mini-croissants, banana bread and cup cakes.
Between 4 and 5pm, afternoon tea is served in the Al Fresco restaurant. A generous spread is offered: mini fruit scones, cookies or cup cakes, cream, jam, and several types of tea and infusions.
The lunch and dinner menus feature a special of the day, and, when it is in season, the delicious flying fish, as well as delicious chicken, lamb, and vegetarian dishes. The chocolate ice cream is a must.
On arrival, you are welcomed with a complimentary drink.
Friendly and considerate, the members of staff always provide visitors with help and information. Europeans and Americans might find them abrupt, yet this is only a cultural difference that is soon overcome in realising how helpful they are.
A member of staff sits on the beach and can be contacted at any time; sun beds and umbrellas are placed on the beach and may be used free of charge by the hotel’s guests.
The electrical service in Barbados is 110 volts/50 cycles. If you need an adaptor for your plugs, ask the receptionist, who will contact maintenance.
St. James, Barbados
The Treasure Beach Hotel is located in St James, right beside Treasure Beach. Once you step out of the room, all you have to do is walk through an opening on the low wall around the tropical garden to sink your feet on the golden sand of Treasure Beach. The water is always warm, and mostly calm.
On the beach, it is also possible to observe funny crabs that live in holes drilled into the sand. At night, the lucky tourist falls asleep to the music of the sea and the song of minuscule frogs.
Fruit, drinks, massages and hair-braiding are offered at reasonable prices by friendly locals who work on the beach – Bongaman and Mathilda being the most popular.
There are many restaurants and pubs in St James, especially in Second Street, which can be reached by bus or taxi. The blackened Mahi Mahi with black beans in Scarlet, Payne’s Bay, is unmissable. Shops can be found in Holetown, at walking distance from the hotel. Daphne’s restaurant, right beside Treasure Beach, serves food of outstanding quality in a romantic atmosphere, right on the beach.
Payne’s Bay Marine Life
Snorkelling in the sea off Treasure Beach is a unique experience. Blow fish, moray eels and colourful fish may be observed along the coral reefs. It is also a common experience to meet a sea turtle. The tourist is advised to respect these beautiful creatures, which are protected by law, and to refrain from chasing them.
Kayaks, canoes and water scooters are available to rent just beside Treasure Beach. The hotel lends snorkelling equipment to guests.
Catamaran tours are available.
The Island of Barbados
Created by the collision of the Atlantic crustal and Caribbean plates, along with a volcanic eruption, Barbados was first colonised around 1623 by Amerindians coming from Venezuela and, later, by Carib Indians, Portuguese, Spanish and English. Between 1644 and 1700, Dutch merchants forced Africans to work as slaves in the sugar-cane fields of Barbados.
The island’s name comes from the Portuguese expression ‘Os Barbados’, referring to the bearded fig tree that used to cover it.
Nowadays, Barbados is a relatively safe place, renowned for its rich and famous guests. The cost of life is high, and it is cheaper to eat out then to buy groceries and cook at home.
Advice for Those Visiting Barbados
In Barbados, it is forbidden to wear any type of camouflage clothing. Bring high-protection sun cream, shades, light clothes, antihistamines, mosquito repellent, a hat and, of course, a swimsuit.
Do not touch the coral reef – you might hurt yourself and, at the same time, destroy the polyps that keep it alive. Wait the required amount of time before entering the water after you have drunk alcohol or eaten a meal.
Caution must be exercised when swimming outside the areas delimited with buoys, as water sports are practised there. The fruit of the Manchineel tree, which grows along the beach, is poisonous, thus the small green apple-like berries must not be touched, and it is dangerous to stand under the tree if it rains.
Although the island is quite safe, caution must be exercised at all times. Do not keep money and/or credit cards in full sight; store your valuable objects in the safe.
Avoid sunlight from 11am to 3pm, drink plenty of water, and enjoy this tropical paradise!
