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If Barbados had a scent, I’m pretty sure it would smell like sunshine with a generous pour of rum ...
luxuriously warm, velvety smooth and underscored by a Bajan grace note that keeps visitors dancing late into the night.
I’d travelled to this country for the Barbados Food & Rum Festival so I knew my visit would be delicious. I didn’t expect to discover how deeply Barbados’ gastronomic and distilling culture is woven into everyday life.
My first taste of Barbadian hospitality came in a cooking class in the Christ Church parish of Barbados, where chef Creig Greenidge affably held court amid the chatter and laughter of a group of visitors.
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“Don't be scared ... Two more,” he told a woman in our group making a coleslaw dressing. He nodded approvingly as she added two healthy dollops of mayonnaise to the mixture.
On the other side of the table, another participant worked a homemade blend of seasonings into a tray of chicken thighs.
Between the heady aroma of shrimp cooking on the stovetop and a scrumptious macaroni pie bubbling in the oven, not to mention the rum punch that aided our efforts, my class felt a lot like what I imagined a Bajan family kitchen would be like.
I helped as best I could but to be honest, my main role was to eat. Luckily, I'm very good at this so it all worked out.
We finished with Bajan bakes, light fritters with a golden rum glaze, the perfect coda to a superb meal.
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Dancing from dawn to dark
Barbados is considered the birthplace of rum so it’s no wonder this spirit plays a prominent part in the everyday and the extraordinary.
Two highlights come to mind: Rise and Rum, the iconic sunrise beach party with a 4 a.m. start, and the Liquid Gold Feast, the glamorous, late-night finale of the Food & Rum Festival.
By the time I got to Rise and Rum the sun was high in the sky, and so were energy levels.
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Friends and families hugged and clinked pineapples filled with rum punch. Onstage, a DJ urged the crowd to “jump, jump, jump” as soca, that addictive blend of soul and calypso, thumped from the speakers.
Later at the Liquid Gold Feast, the revelry continued with joyous abandon.
Golden goblets brimmed with rum and the night's entertainers delivered powerhouse performances.
As for the food ... Mwah! A massive chef’s kiss to every culinary artist who served ceviche, curried oxtail and all the dishes showcasing Bajan ingredients at their best.
Sustainable tourism
After two parties powered by rum, I wanted to explore a quieter side of Barbados’ story. Enter Coco Hill Forest, a 53-acre agrotourism site that's home to some 70 varieties of fruit trees, herbs and spices.
In 2014, owner Mahmood Patel had a dream of cultivating mangoes, bananas and other crops — a “project,” as he saw it, that might help Barbados move toward greater food security. But the island’s ubiquitous monkeys had other plans.
“Monkeys literally ate the project,” Patel said, gesturing at a banana tree stripped bare.
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So he pivoted from the fruit trees that monkeys love to crops they don’t, such as cocoa, coconuts and a variety of spices.
As we hiked through the forest Patel handed me a fresh bay leaf, crumpling it between his fingers to release an herbal fragrance. The scent made me sad about every brittle supermarket leaf I’d ever cooked with at home.
Patel is certain the ginger rum liqueurs he’s now creating with a local distillery are the path forward.
Other flavours are being considered, and he believes it will all lead to a sustainable circular economy composed of agriculture, rum and tourism.
Iconic rum shops
My reset was exactly what I needed before embarking on a boisterous rum shop tour that had our group dialled up to 11.
The music pounded and the rum flowed as our open-sided bus made its way down back roads, past open fields and through tiny communities, island breezes in our hair.
My favourite stop was in St. Thomas parish, at Judy's Watering Hole where Darcy Holder, glasses pushed up on his head, offered a warm greeting. His wife, the “Judy” in Judy’s Watering Hole, inherited the shop from her mother, he told me.
“We sell fried chicken, macaroni pie, other meals … and groceries,” Holder said, gesturing at the eggs, oats, tins of corned beef and other goods behind him.
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In this traditional Bajan community hub locals can pick up everything, from a glass of rum and a hot meal to last-minute groceries — and maybe even a bit of gossip from the customer one seat over.
Every rum shop we visited had its own personality but at Judy’s, I felt like I’d tapped into a slice of authentic Barbados.
Rihanna’s childhood home
Food and rum are central to Bajan culture, but pride in homegrown talent is equally celebrated.
Rihanna, the country’s most famous daughter, is so beloved the Barbados tourism site even points tourists to the neighbourhood where she grew up.
Her street has officially been renamed Rihanna Drive and, when I was there, a steady pilgrimage of fans patiently waited their turn for a photo in front of the singer’s moss- and terracotta-hued childhood home.
The two-bedroom house is now privately owned by an individual who’s turned it into an Airbnb rental. When I checked recently, the first availability was in March 2026; a three-night stay will run you $728 CAD before fees.
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Sunsets and white sand beaches
I’d be remiss not to mention Barbados’ beaches, those long stretches of white sand that continually gave me the feeling of being in a postcard.
The Coconut Court Beach Hotel, where I stayed, had direct beach access and early on, our group began sharing sunset updates in our WhatsApp chat.
“Looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous sunset — 5:30 if anyone is interested.”
“The sunset is really beautiful right now.”
“The light is stunning!”
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On my final day I reclined on a beach lounger, mulling over my time on the island.
I’d arrived ready to feast, and feast I did.
Even though I’ve never been much of a drinker, it didn’t take long before I grew very fond of Barbadian rum.
Standout meals included a charred barracuda with a creamy breadfruit puree — two firsts for me — at Cocktail Kitchen in St. Lawrence Gap, the area known for its nightlife.
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I liked this fish so much that I ordered an oven-roasted parmesan barracuda at my next meal, at Champers’ astonishing open-air dining room perched at the edge of the Caribbean Sea.
But my visit wasn’t just a feast for the palate; it was a feast for the senses: The sunsets, painted in fiery hues. The decadent warmth of rum. The scent of freshly picked ginger leaves. The roar of the surf, and the powdery sand between my toes.
I’m already planning my return but until then, I’ll be raising a glass of duty-free rum to a remarkable country.
This article originally ran in the Victoria Times-Colonist
IF YOU GO:
Visit Barbados: Start your planning at visitbarbados.org
Barbados Food & Rum Festival: Takes place Nov. 5-8, 2026. foodandrum.com
Stay: Coconut Court Beach Hotel, a lovely family-owned, centrally located beachfront property. coconut-court.com
Chef Creig Greenidge: Cooking classes, catering, pop-up events. @instagram.com/chefcreig_246
Coco Hill Forest: Hiking, corporate events, weddings, camping and soon, glamping. cocohillforest.com
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| Coconut Court Beach Hotel |
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