Barbados' Best Kept Secrets...

Driving through rolling hills and horse farms in the middle of the island almost looks like you’re in the middle of Kentucky, not a tropical island. Amongst green spaces in St. George is Brighton Plantation, founded in the 1600s by the Pile family, who still own it today. It's a working plantation, growing produce and selling it around the island.

Every Saturday morning, Brighton Plantation opens up their gates to host a farmers market. Popular with both locals and the American, Canadian, and British ex-pats who live on the island, the market is bustling from the 6am start time. In addition to picking up your fresh produce for the week, visitors can enjoy a variety of items for breakfast; my favorites include thai spring rolls, beef filled samosas, and fresh croissants. Since Barbados is one of the last places on earth to escape the clutches of Starbucks, it’s a little hard to get a good cup of coffee on the island. Brighton’s solution to that is handmade espresso drinks – you’ll know where they’re sold by the line of Americans 30 people deep.

After grabbing a bite to eat, visit some of the local vendors which set up shop selling homemade goods. Among my favorite vendors are WinkBox Photography, which offers note cards and prints of gorgeous photos from around the island (I have some framed in my house - which is a testament to her talent, considering I have thousands of photos that I've taken of the island), a jewelry maker who makes all her necklaces, earrings and bracelets out of dyed seeds, and Stephen Bishop, a Barbados native who handcrafts small plaques and other wall hangings – I picked one up of some colorful chattel houses.

The farmer’s market gets busy early, so my best piece of advice is to set your alarm clock for 5:30am on Saturday morning & carpediem. You’ll be glad you did.

By Christina Saull
February 20122

Christina visited Barbados six times during the four years her father lived there as an ex-pat. She is the founder and main contributor to the popular travel blog My View from the Middle Seat. Her passions in life include photography, racking up frequent flier miles, feeling the sand between her toes, and drinking coffee by the gallon.