St James: Sea, History and Holetown

Folkestone Marine Reserve, Holetown’s local history, and the location of restaurants and bars between two streets offer different perspectives on St James. You can make marine life and snorkelling, a waterside walk, or the town’s historical sights and events the focus of your stay. When choosing a hotel location, it also helps to first consider which experiences matter most to your trip.

Folkestone: Marine Conservation and Snorkelling

Folkestone Marine Reserve is in St James. Established in 1981, it is Barbados’ first and, to date, only legally designated marine protected area. Folkestone Marine Park offers equipment rentals, an information centre about marine life, and a museum, as well as a protected snorkelling area in the calm waters of the west coast. Visitor facilities may change; check which are currently available before your trip.

Holetown’s History and Festival

In Holetown, St. James Parish Church commemorates the first English settlers to arrive in Barbados. The sanctuary and north porch were added in the 20th century. The church’s history therefore brings together the memory of the first settlers and distinctly later architectural additions. If you are interested in local history, keep these two periods in mind.

The Holetown Festival takes place every year in Holetown for a week in mid-February and commemorates the arrival of the first settlers on 17 February 1627. The recurring festival week and its historical connection are useful reference points for planning your trip. Check the dates for the relevant year if you would like to experience the festival.

Getting Your Bearings and Taking Walks

In Holetown, 1st and 2nd Streets run parallel to each other, with restaurants and bars between them. This gives you a point of reference as you explore the town and plan stops for food and drink. Individual businesses may change, so it is worth checking the current options.

Visitors are recommended to take a walk on the West Coast Boardwalk near Holetown. It stretches for about 2.5 km along the coast, but is not continuous, and is suitable for an evening stroll or run. Its length and route can help you fit this coastal walk into your daily plans.

Barbados: More Historical and Botanical Sights

Beyond St James, Barbados offers further historical perspectives. Historic Bridgetown is a well-preserved old town dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and an outstanding example of British colonial architecture. Bridgetown and its Garrison are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The galleries of the Barbados Museum are housed within this World Heritage Site, in former military prison buildings dating from the 19th century.

On Barbados, Andromeda Botanic Gardens lies between the parishes of St. Joseph and St. John, about 300 yards from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast. Its six-acre grounds are home to more than 500 different plant species. The garden was established both as an ornamental garden and as a botanical garden for research. Hunte’s Gardens is located on the site of a former sugar plantation.

Rum distilleries are another experience available on Barbados: visitors can learn about rum production and taste rum there. Offerings vary from one distillery to another.

Discover more destinations: Westmoreland, Lascelles, Durants, Porters, Folkestone, Oxnards, Weston, Lancaster, Holetown.

For the broader travel overview: Barbados.