(sea shushing)
(upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Amy Atkinson. I work for OK! Magazine in London.
I'm in Barbados to see what kind
of protocols are in place post COVID-19,
and the precautions the country is taking
to welcome visitors back to the island.
So the experience was actually not as bad
as I'd thought it was going to be.
We had a first COVID test three days
before the flight in London
and we got the results back in 24 hours, all clear.
Then when we got to Heathrow airport,
there was a lot of social distancing.
There was hand sanitizer everywhere,
everyone was wearing masks, check-in was quite speedy.
And we got on the British Airways inaugural flight
to Barbados, resuming service after 15 years.
Arriving at Grantley Airport was quite an experience.
We had a very, very warm Bajan welcome.
There was a steel band, men on stilts,
lots of pictures being taken.
It was very, very nice, a very warm welcome.
Barbados met all my expectations,
it was way better than I actually thought it would be.
I've been to other places similar
and I think this is one of my favorite destinations.
We had a very packed schedule.
Although for the first two days
we had to quarantine in our hotel.
We had lovely rooms with terraces, so it was no hardship.
There were certain areas in our hotel, Cobblers Cove,
that were specifically for those who had just flown in
and were waiting on their second test results.
So it wasn't a hardship at all, in fact, you barely noticed
that you were any different from any other guests.
We had a very packed itinerary.
We had a walking tour of Bridgetown
with a very knowledgeable guide which was great fun.
I'd thoroughly recommend it.
You get a lot of history and detail on the island.
Another day, we did a sunset boat cruise
on a beautiful catamaran called Cool Runnings IV.
We got to swim in the sea, which was very, very warm,
like a bath even at night,
with a fantastic crew, lots of great food
and they kept the drinks flowing.
And another day we had a second boat trip
which was fantastic.
We swam with green turtles, four,
who had come in to see if we had any goodies for them.
We also did lots of water sports, a SEABOB, I believe,
and we tried surfing,
sort of being pulled from behind a boat
which was quite difficult
but I managed to stay up most of the time.
On day three, we went to Mount Gay rum distillery
in the middle of the island, which was fascinating.
We saw the sugar cane being grown outside.
We saw the big distilling tanks.
We learned how it was made.
We saw the vats of molasses and, at the end, we wrapped up
with a nice glass of Mount Gay rum.
The whole experience of our trip
to Barbados was easy, comfortable.
I wasn't personally frightened about traveling,
but I know a lot of friends and family are,
but they made it very, very easy.
There's just quite a simple swab test in London
and then a couple of days later,
you repeat the process in Barbados
and you get the results that same day or within 24 hours.
To be honest, I actually forgot we're in the middle
of a pandemic for most of the time we were here,
and you knew you were safe
and you knew everyone around you was safe.
And there was plenty of hand sanitizers, mask wearing,
social distancing, but you also knew
that everyone in your group
had gone through the same rigorous controls as you.
So the experience was all round very pleasant.
Dude, we got to stay in a very special hotel,
I would describe it as a boutique hotel
called Cobblers Cove on the west coast.
It has about 42 rooms so it's quite, quite small and homely.
Family run and you can tell.
The family are always around,
the staff are treated like family members.
They can't do enough for you.
You're like a personal guest of the family's,
not just a client.
There are beautiful lush gardens.
It didn't feel, it didn't feel overcrowded.
It felt very relaxing, very homely,
stunning decor, beautiful setting, lovely people.
Sam gave us a tour of the beautiful gardens
and they actually have quite,
I think it's about set in 10 acres, I'm not sure.
And on the other side of the road,
they have the same size again.
There's a beautiful palm house where they grow
and cultivate the palms from seeds.
Headed up by Sam herself, who's very hands-on,
and head garden Donovan.
We also saw some monkeys
which I believe is called the Bajan green monkey,
and some of the beautiful varieties of tropical plants,
lilies, grasses, and coconut trees.
You can also do a historical walking tour of the grounds.
The main house was built, I believe, in the late '30s
and the rest added in the '60s.
There's a huge pool and your right on the ocean.
There's also lots of water sports you can do.
I think jet skiing, wind surfing, snorkeling on the reef.
The food is excellent.
They've a very good chef, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Dinner and lunch particularly good.
In fact, I had the exact same meal two nights in a row,
it was so good.
It's all fresh, it's all beautifully presented
and it's just delicious.
If a friend asked me whether or not to go to Barbados,
I'd say definitely, 100%.
It's safe, it's easy to do. It's absolutely beautiful.
You feel comfortable, safe
and it's just a stunning island and a fabulous time.
- If you wanna a nice stay in Barbados,
come to Cobblers Cove Hotel,
It's wonderful here.
The weather's good, the people is fantastic
and the food is off the chart.
Cobblers Cove Hotel, Barbados West coast.
Love you all from Barbados to England.
We sending big love. Yeah man! (laughing)