Catch a Tan at Southern Palms Beach Club in Barbados
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There are unexpected pleasures and surprises when you travel, that's why it is so much fun. When I stepped onto the Southern Palms Beach Club property in Barbados' Platinum Coast, I went back to a genteel, Victorian era — an architectural timeless period piece.
Have you ever looked at antique tintypes of buildings frozen in time? The Southern Palms Beach Club is a traditional Barbadian plantation resort, an interlude between the past and present, with guests and staff burned forever into the daguerreotype plates.
I first noticed this special appeal at the Monday evening Manager's Rum Punch social at the Circle Terrace where I met the tall, British hotel manager, Britta, dressed in a sort of Victorian era and white lacey evening gown. Later, I found out she races her own thoroughbred, Granite, at the Garrison Savannah racetrack, the historic British military site (www.barbadosturfclub.com, or call 426-3980). I sipped a special Southern Palms Piña Colada and listened to a sewing company magnate from Canada tell me that he has been staying at the Southern Palms each year for decades, staying for months to outwit the brutal Canadian winter.
Get Bronzed At The Southern PalmsThe pink property sits on one of the largest beaches in Barbados, with over 1,000 feet of its own velvety, coral sand to stick the toes in. Young palms are growing in the sand in front of the resort. The resort is not quite on the Caribbean, and it is not quite on the rougher Atlantic side, either.
Located in the south end of the island in an area known as St. Lawrence Gap, the resort is close to bistros, nightclubs, and chattel house shopping, but it also has nightly entertainment, barbecues, calypso bands, sporting tournaments, and its own duty-free shop. The entire complex makes it so convenient not to leave, except maybe to watch the running of Granite.
Click for Bridgetown City GuideThe Southern Palms is really a great place to stay for weeks or months at a time, as testified by the Canadian. Many Canadians and Europeans have discovered the property. What I liked about my ground-level suite was the balcony/patio offering fully-glassed Caribbean-style verandah doors for seclusion, opening into a living area, kitchen off to the side, and bedroom that had a feel of a homey apartment. You have windows on both sides of the unit so I immediately turned off the air-conditioning, popped open the bedroom windows and swept the patio doors open to catch the breezes. The bedroom closet was enormous, made for long-term living. Each unit at the resort has telephone, radio, TV with lots of stations, and cool ceramic floor tiles.
The Southern Palms is actually more than one complex, and each three-story building (The condo unit is 4 stories.) has its own uBook The Southern Palmsnique moniker: The Palm Court, Jasmine Court, Capri, Lady Smith, Banyan Court, and the Carlisle Rooms, which I suspect are the most upscale on the property. Southern Palms offers 92 units, in three categories: rooms, suites, and condos.
I found my way back to my suite each evening by counting the number of 6-foot high wrought iron lamp poles along the garden walkway. The resort has a secure but secluded feeling about it at all times.
Guests can dine nightly at the Club's Rondelle Restaurant, but you have so many other options, so here is a brief run down of the dining and entertainment you can expect:
A snack menu is available in the bar area from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and room service is available from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for breakfast, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for lunch, dinner, and snacks. Fresh breads and pastries are made in-house daily, or you can dine in your room — each family-style suite comes with a complete set of utensils and cookware and full refrigerator and stove. I have to admit, I have never seen so many kitchen utensils in any resort that I have ever stayed at. The Thomson family, which once owned the largest travel agency network in Canada, really loves their resort.
I really enjoyed the value of the buffet breakfasts on the beach at the Garden Terrace Restaurant (7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.), but you can also choose à la carte or continental. They serve fresh juices, wonderful coffee, cereals, breakfast-to-order, and you can catch the early morninng ocean breezes on the wide deck.
Happy hour is nightly, except Monday, from 6-7 p.m. in the Khus Khus Bar, also on the beach. The British tradition seeps into the pores of the hotel again with daily complimentary High Tea each afternoon at the Crescent Pool from 4—4:30 p.m.
There is a guest laundromat on the premises. Meeting rooms hold up to 100 people. I did not see guest Internet access at the hotel, but there is a well-run Internet cafe just a few blocks away. There are Swedish massages available at the "The Palms" unisex beauty salon on the west end of the property, as well as the talents from the Robert Fielding School of Hairdressing, and also Vidal Sassoon (428-8712). The Best of Barbados Souvenir Shop is also on the west end, and the Koko Palms Gift Shop is in the Lobby. There is a book swap cabinet and games available in the lounge, just ask for the key from the front desk. You are only about 12 minutes from the airport, away from the capital at Bridgetown, and the hotel offers free guest parking.
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Kriss Hammond , Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com
About the Author
Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave Your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.