Barbados' south coast suburb of Bridgetown boasts a beautiful walking promenade along small sandy beaches and is one of the most popular tourist spots on the entire island.
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Named after former Prime Minister Richard Haynes, the pedestrianised wooden promenade runs for over 1.5 miles and is lined with a large number of upmarket restaurants, street-side eateries and there are plenty of fast-food joints and brick-and-mortar shops, including supermarkets, on the adjacent street.
Popular day and night
The Richard Hanyes Boardwalk It is a popular place for sports, strolling, but also for boisterous evenings in the local bars with live music.
Tourists from resorts and apartments stay here, but the place is also very popular among locals who like to picnic or celebrate various important events. There is something for everyone.
While the middle and eastern part of the walkway is livelier with lots of entertainment and people, the western end is considerably quieter.
Beaches and swimming
The hiking trail is bordered by relatively narrow sandy beaches that range from 2 to 10 metres wide, yet the relaxed atmosphere here makes it one of the most popular places to swim.
The widest beaches with the most space, sunbed and umbrella hire shops and mature trees can be found at either end. Richard Haynes Boardwalk.
The western end is considerably quieter, lined with villas, hotel resorts and small artificial coves. At the eastern end, stop at the famous Rockley Beach, which is about 200 metres long.
Although some of the beaches are adjacent to hotel resorts, they are always open to the public free of charge and without restriction, for whom pedestrian corridors are set aside from the main street at regular intervals, marked with a sign reading "Public Access to the Beach".
The entrance to the water here is gradual and sandy. The waters off the south coast tend to be rougher, but the waves are not dangerous. On the contrary, you can enjoy some great bodysurfing.
Beachfront accommodation
The area around Richard Haynes Boardwalk can be classified as the Hastings and Rockley neighborhoods, perhaps a bit disorganized at first glance, but actually one of the best areas for accommodation.
Near the beaches you will find complete facilities, many restaurants, fast-food outlets, supermarkets and services and the neighbourhoods further away from the sea are very quiet.
Prices for the cheaper apartments range between 3000 and 147 eur and we would recommend these:
- Pirate's Inn ** - clean studio apartments in a great location 100 metres from the beach
- Hotel PomMarine *** - a simple clean hotel with a good rating in a quiet area 300 metres from the beach
But you can also find better resorts right by the beach. Some of the best are Sugar Bay Barbados **** or Courtyard by Marriott Bridgetown ****.
Transport to the beaches
A street marked Highway 7 runs just past the coast with very heavy traffic and limited parking. While it is free to park anywhere on the street, there is very little space (for example, at the west end of Boardwalk or at Rockley Beach). However, the spaces tend to fill up very early in the morning.
However, there are a large number of shared vans on Highway 7 (mostly routes 11 and 3D), but generally all of these vans (ZRs) go to Bridgetown (Constituion River bus station), and on the other side to Oistins or the airport (3D only). These vans run on average once every 5-10 minutes.
There are also buses running down the street to Bridgetown (Fairchild Street station) about 2x per hour, as well as direct services to Speightstown (once every hour or two).
Detailed information about travelling around the island can be found in the chapter Transport in Barbados.
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