Barbados: Bougainvillea Beach Resort (March 2002)

My spouse and I stayed at the Bougainvillea Beach Resort for 7 nights in early March 2002. The resort is located on the south coast of Barbados, just 5 minutes from Oistins (and their famous Friday night fish fry), 5 minutes from St. Lawrence Gap (which hosts a variety of restaurants, including include Josef's, Pisces, Bellini's Trattoria, and David's Place), 15 minutes from the airport (a taxi costs $20 one-way), and 20 minutes from Bridgetown (the capital, which is a typical port city with cars, traffic, and noise). The resort offers 138 units decorated in cool Caribbean colors, fabrics, and textures. Each suite features a furnished balcony or terrace, kitchen or kitchenette (with microwave, refrigerator, and stove, cutlery, crockery, glassware, and cookware), dining table and chairs, TVs and telephones, air-conditioning, and ceiling fans. Some studios and suites offer an ocean view, and others feature a combination view of pools and/or gardens. The Honeymoon Suites, One Bedroom Penthouses, Two Bedroom Deluxe Suites, and Two Bedroom Beachfront Suites have guaranteed ocean views. Most rooms have king- or queen-size beds, with the exception of a few deluxe one-bedroom suites that have two double beds. Pull-out sofa beds (doubles) and roll-away beds (twins/singles) are also available. (Children under 15 years of age stay free in their parents room.) Guests can exchange currency at the reception desk. Although Barbados Dollars is the national currency, US dollar bills (not US coins) are also accepted island wide at a rate of nearly 1:1. The resort features two restaurants (Water’s Edge and Lanterns by the Sea), a spa and salon, kids club, two beach areas (both on Maxwell Beach), and three swimming pools.