Make your own adventures at Tamarind by Elegant Hotels from only £1,991pp
They moved their limbs like they had no idea what they were, without method or coordination. They were graceless but charming, a trait that seems to be intrinsic to all newborns, slowly discovering their own shapes and how they fit into the world around them. They were an unexpected, unprecedented highlight of an island that just seemed to keep on giving.
In the wake of our island safari, our second full day in Barbados saw us walking the sands of Paynes Bay, with the objective of letting our hair down and getting into the island spirit. After a good night’s sleep and a delicious breakfast at Tamarind we gathered on the beachfront and walked took a guided walk, taking in some of the most iconic landmarks on the coastline. Aside from the gorgeous ocean and sky, the most prominent landmark was Sandy Lane, a towering, monolithic structure famed for being the retreat of choice for the famous, renowned for their scrumptious afternoon tea.
And it was while we were slack-jawed looking at the local architecture that we found the baby turtles.
The stars had aligned in our favour, and an unseasonably late turtle hatching meant that a swathe of infant turtles were tumbling towards the ocean, guided by passionate locals called to duty by their plight. And we were afforded the privilege of being a part of their journey.
One by one we gently picked up a newborn turtle, cupped in our hands trembling with excitement, and carefully placed into the water. They moved wildly and erratically as we held them, desperate to serve their in-built impulse to reach the ocean despite their fragile youth, their leathery limbs paddling an imaginary ocean on our palms. But in the water it was like a dormant memory awakened, their purpose found, and they vanished into the vast teal mysteries of the Caribbean Sea with a grace and elegance rarely equalled.
The idea that being there, right in that moment, to help continue this ancient ritual was thrilling, and each of us had played a small part in ensuring that future travellers can cherish the wild turtles that typify the marine diversity of Barbados.
It was also on this day that I discovered that bears and banana boats do not make good bedfellows. We had the fabulous opportunity to sample the full range of water sports on offer at Tamarind, which includes Hobie Cats, snokelling, and swimming. I was persuaded (how still baffles me) to hop onto a banana boat, Bayley in-pocket, and be towed at exhilarating speeds a short distance from the shoreline. A banana boat is essentially a floating balloon tethered to the back of a boat, and inevitably hilarity ensued as we dipped, rocked, and bobbed over the waves. Equally as inevitable was our sudden ejection into the ocean, a worthy price for the fun of the ride.
After the initial shock of hitting the water (the rush of broken waves and a nose full of salt) and after fishing poor Bayley back to safety, I found a whole new perspective on my situation. I don’t mean that in some pretentious philosophical sense, but quite literally the perspective of sitting in the ocean looking back at the beach.
I couldn’t help but think of our little turtles, searching their whole lives to rediscover the shorelines that birthed them. I, like them, was adrift, thrust into the ocean, and as not the strongest of swimmers it was now my arms and legs that forgot their purpose and jabbed chaotically for a purchase in the water. But when I broke the surface, and looked back towards the island, the impact was unexpected.
Our eyes were not filled with sky and ocean, but elegant sandy stretches that curved as they were pulled into the horizon, longer than any beach you can see from the land, and the mosaic of all the beachfront properties that populate the waterfront, each monumental in its own way, evidenced the passionate belief in Barbados as a holiday destination of great beauty.
It is said the nighttime lights of the urban beachfront disorientate turtles, dazzled and astonished by their brightness. And as I floated there, dazzled by the coastline, I could see their awe justified.
It is only from this perspective that you can take in the sheer extent of how people have embraced Barbados, living, breathing, and in part creating its beauty, all with a harmoniousness that eludes many of the great places on the Earth. If there is one defining reason to visit Barbados, then this is it.
We had a wonderful time at Tamarind, but there were many incredible places still left to discover on the island, and a change of scenery, and a new place to call home, were just around the corner…
Make your own adventures at Tamarind by Elegant Hotels from only £1,991pp
By Tom Malbon
