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St. Michael & Bridgetown holidays
Barbados’ UNESCO-protected capital, Bridgetown, is the hub of island life and tourism: big, beautiful beaches brim with activities, historic sites tell tales of yore and there are more shops, restaurants and bars than you can shake a coconut at.
- Flight time
- 9h
- From London
- Currency
- BD$
- Barbadian dollar
- Time zone
- GMT -4h
Getting to St. Michael
Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) is the only airport in Barbados, and you’ll find it in the neighbouring parish of Christ Church around 15 – 25km away. The drive to most destinations in Saint Michael takes 20 – 30 minutes, and direct flights from London Gatwick and Manchester airports take 8.5 – 9 hours.
Taxi fares should be agreed upon before you set off, as well as whether the cost is in Bahamian or US dollars. Private or shared airport transfers can be arranged prior to travel and are sometimes thrown in as part of an all-inclusive package.
Average weather in St Michael
- Temperature (°C)*
- Rainfall (Inches)*
Holidays in St. Michael & Bridgetown
The Jolly Roger dinner cruise show’s one of the most popular evening activities in Bridgetown – a pirate ship (complete with ‘walk the plank’) where Caribbean food, cocktails and circus performers add up to jolly good evening whatever your age. Another family friendly spot is the Boatyard beach bar, which provides punch and beer for parents and beach games for little ‘uns. If you’d prefer a quieter, more couple-focussed option, try the Copacabana Bar or get a pass to the Bluberry Club on Brighton Beach. Later on, Harbour Lights is an open-air nightclub backs onto Brownes Beach – much loved for its live bands, performers and DJ’s.
There’s a delicious mix of restaurants around the capital, from no-frills local nosh to romantic seaside spots. Head to Broad Street for proper Bajan cuisine, where Ryannes does the best macaroni pie on the island, or go all-you-can-eat at the Brown Sugar buffet at the Aquatic Gap. Cuz’s Fish Shack at Needham’s Point does a mean Barbados Cutter (salt bread filled with fresh fish).
For a feast on the beach, order Arabic food online from the Sahara takeaway, then tuck into it on nearby Brownes Beach. In the evenings, the Waterfront Café serves everything from international favourites like samosas to freshly caught, Bajan spiced snapper – book your table in time to catch the sunset over the wharf for something really special. To really push the boat out, there are some incredible restaurants up in Saint James – The Cliff and The Tides have the best fine-dining on the island, if not the whole Caribbean, not to mention stunning seaside locations that’ll blow your socks off.
Saint Michael and Bridgetown are probably your best bases for shopping in Barbados, with everything from market stalls to modern malls. We love Cheapside Street Market, where you can pick up fresh fruit and veg and locally made knick knacks. On Broad Street, Bridgetown, the Colonnade Mall has a gaggle of stores selling clothes, jewellery, cosmetics and electricals. There’s also the Cave shepherd department store, which has more duty-free products than anywhere else on the island. On the edge of Bridgetown, the Pelican Craft Centre is an authentic looking shopping village, popular with cruise ship passengers. Here you can pick up straw bags and hats, wooden carvings, pottery, paintings and clothing in a total of 25 shops.
Activities in St. Michael
If you've had enough time on your sunbed, most hotels will have a selection of activities to enjoy. Water sports like kayaking, snorkelling and boogie boarding are often available in larger hotels, and you'll also find tennis courts, gyms and more to get stuck into.
As Barbados' capital, Bridgetown has plenty of exciting things to do and see, including historical buildings. Mount Gay Rum Distillery, local markets, Kensington Oval cricket ground, underground caves, and a massive choice of bars and restaurants. Just outside of Bridgetown you will encounter Garrison Savannah Horse Racetrack. If that's not enough, explore the tropical waters in a submarine tour or catamaran cruise.
Watersports
Diving in St. Michael
This is probably the best place to base yourself in Barbados if you’re keen to scuba, with easy access to the sites off the west and south coasts. Dive shops – like Eco Dive and Roger’s Scuba Shack – around Bridgetown provide BASI, ACUC and BSAC courses, as well as tours of the island’s greatest underwater attractions. One of which is just off Brownes Beach, the spectacular Carlisle Bay Marine Park where divers can visit a whopping SIX shipwrecks: the Berwyn was a WWI French tug boat sunk in 1919 (apparently after its crew didn’t want to leave the island), later joined by the Cornwallis freighter which was sunk by a torpedo in WWII. There’s also the Ce-Trek cement boat sunk in 80’s, a naval landing barge and the Elion freighter (a former Columbian ship used to smuggle marijuana). The newest addition is the Bajan Queen, a 120ft party boat that joined the others underwater in 2002. All are inhabited by an amazing mix of sponges, corals and fish – from sea horses to turtles and eels - and linked by a trail of old cannons, anchors and bottles. If that doesn’t leave you wrecked-out, the famous SS Stavronikita is sunk a little further up the coast and one of the most famous wrecks in Barbados. For reef diving, the Old Fort off Needhams Point on the southwestern tip of the island is a shallow reef teeming with tiny fish and dotted with cannonballs and ancient bottles for drift dives. Batts Rock, Brandons, Brownes beach and Freshwater Bay are just a few of the brilliant snorkelling spots around here.
Surfing in St. Michael
Western Barbados isn’t the most consistent coast in the surf department, but when there’s a good north swell, locals flock to the shores of Batt’s Rock for beautiful left-hand barrels. Brandens break can be amazing at low tide when the SE swells are up, and Drill Hall beach hosts the World Surf League’s Men and Women’s Barbados Surf Pro events. For lessons, the south coast is a short drive away (40 minutes tops), where surf schools operate on Drill Hall, Dover Beach, Freights Bay, Silver Sands and Surfer’s Point. Bathsheba is about half an hour’s drive from Bridgetown, for one of the greatest waves on the planet – Soup Bowl.
What this area does have consistently is gin clear, gently lapping waters, which makes it nigh on perfect for paddleboarders. Lessons are available from companies like WhatSUP and Paddle Barbados, who also run tours from Pebble Beach to Dover on the south coast, trips to snorkel with turtles and tropical fish and SUP yoga sessions at Carlisle Bay.
Windsurfing & kitesurfing in St. Michael
Drive half an hour to the south coast and you’ll find Silver Sands and Silver Rock beaches, which without a doubt have some of the best windsurfing and kiting conditions in the world. Trade winds blow at between 15-35kn throughout the year here, with peak months being between November and July. Brian Talma’s your man for lessons, rentals and anything windsurf related, a local pro who knows the south coast inside out.
Sailing in St. Michael
St. Michael’s Carlisle Bay is sailing central in Barbados. The Barbados Yacht Club host inshore and offshore sailboat races here on weekends, while the Barbados Cruising Club on Pebbles Beach provide lessons and dinghy rentals in partnership with LRN 2 Sail.
Regattas run throughout the year, including the annual Round Barbados Race which has been running since 1936. It takes sailors up the cruisey west coast, around the northern tip then down to tackle the waves and currents of the Atlantic coast. After a downwind sail along the south coast and turn around Needham’s point, it ends where it started, having circled the whole island in 70 miles or so. Other events to look out for are the Barbados Old Brigand Rum Regatta and Harris Paint’s Regatta.
Fishing in St. Michael
Fisherman’s Row in Bridgetown is a buzzing hub of fishing companies run by locals and expats that provide deep sea charters off the west coast. You only need to sail about a mile out to reach decent depths here which maximises fishing time, and the calm waters are perfect for wobbly sea travellers if you’re taking a family or group. Common catches include wahoo, mahi mahi, barracuda and marlin, with the best time of year being between December and April. BlueFIn Fishing, Reel Crazy, Legacy charters, Billfisher III and IOU are some of the local businesses based around here – most offer a range of full and half day charter, with the option to add swimming with turtles, snorkelling around shipwrecks or a BBQ lunch to your trip. Our favourite tours are the ones that help you cook your catch as soon as you get back on solid ground – fresh as it gets and fabulously rewarding. For something different, Predator Sportfishing have a private pond where you can fish for Peacock Bass.
Canoeing & kayaking in St. Michael
The west coast’s famously calm waters are a dream to slice through as you paddle, often clear enough to see coral, turtles and fish beneath you. You’ll find activity companies based around Carlisle Bay, offering tours into the Careenage and Consitution River past historic docks, statues, the Chamberlain Bridge and Independence arch. You can kayak out to shipwrecks in the Carlisle Bay Marine Park too, or simply hire a vessel and pootle around as you wish. Often the bigger resorts and hotels have their own fleet of ocean kayaks for guests to use from the nearest beach.
Land activities
Golf in St. Michael
Saint Michael has the benefit of being between the Christ Church and Saint James parishes – the two Barbados centres of the Royal and Ancient Game. Head south and the Rockley Golf & Country Club’s 9-hole course features strategically placed trees, with alternative tees if you want to play 18 holes. Further along, the Barbados Golf Club is a Kirby-designed championship course, providing a decent challenge (the Barbados Open is often hosted here). To the north, there are three courses on the Sandy Lane Estate – The Old Nine, The Country Club and exclusive Green Monkey – as well as the Royal Westmoreland course, a Trent Jones Jr design and the Apes Hill Club, spread over a former sugar cane plantation with incredible views over the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic.
Cycling & mountain biking in St. Michael
We love exploring Barbados on two wheels, and the best way to do it’s with the help of a local guide who knows roads and paths of the island inside out. Last time we checked, the nearest cycling company to Saint Michael was Bike Caribbean based in St Lawrence Gap. Local champ Ells is the main man here, and runs tours along the south coast, up the east coast, to the rugged north or wherever else you fancy exploring. For mountain bikers, favourite trips take you up Mt. Hillaby, or through the rolling cow fields of the Scottish District.
Walking & hiking in St. Michael
It might be better known as the diving centre of Barbados, but there are also some pretty incredible footpaths in and around St. Michael. The Barbados National Trust have their HQ here, with the national Hiking Association leading guided walks from Brandon’s Beach, Bridgetown and Gun Hill over in neighbouring Saint George. The Great Train Hike is one of the most popular routes, setting off from the Fairchild Street bus station and leading through old sugarcane factories and parks in Saint George, Christ Church and Saint Philip before moving up the east coast. For private hikes, Stephen Mendes runs Hike Barbados from Christ Church, and knows some incredible routes in the north and east ends of the island through thick jungle, open meadows and rugged coastline. When it comes to beach walks, Brownes has a lovely long stretch of soft sand.
