Admit it: You wore your swim suit under your clothes on the plane so you wouldn’t waste a single minute before diving into the warm, clear aqua Caribbean Sea when you arrived in Barbados. You’re not the first.  Who could blame you?

As soon as you towel off, you might want to get oriented to your holiday accommodation and the area you chose to stay in Barbados.

If that area is the lively St. Lawrence Gap, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips without need for a rental car: from serene beaches to a lively night life and little shops to romantic seaside dinners. “The Gap” offers many different types of accommodations, too, ranging from “budget” to moderately priced casually elegant seaside apartments complete with kitchens. 

As a rental agent in Barbados, I’m consistently asked the following questions by guests about the 1.3km-long Gap. I answer as a rental agent who’s very familiar with the area, but also as a Barbadophile who is passionate about my island home and its many charms.

1. What does “Gap” mean?

Very simply, “street.”

2. Where’s the nearest grocery store?

The Gap Convenience Store, in the heart of the Gap. It has the basics: cereal, milk, cheese, sugar, ice cream, and rum. The large Big B supermarket is a 15-minute walk or short taxi drive from the Gap. Big B will take you and your groceries back to your holiday rental in its free shuttle.

3. Where can I get a good breakfast in “the Gap”?

Southern Palms on Dover Beach offers beachside casual, open-air dining. Or try the Full Monty English Breakfast at The Flying Fish restaurant. It’s in Yellow Bird hotel, at the entrance to St. Lawrence Gap on Little Bay. If you’re early enough (7:30 or so), you’ll see the local fishermen head out for the day.

4. Where can I buy flip-flops, a beach cover-up, and souvenirs?

Go to Chattel House Village, a collection of shops, along the Gap across from Dover Beach. Also, the store called Best of Barbados at Southern Palms hotel is a must for all sorts of clever souvenirs, many made by local artisans. They also sell the artwork of famed Barbadian artist Jill Walker, whose beautiful village scenes and florals have been silk-screened onto oven mitts, place mats, tea towels, and other practical items you can use at home. And don’t miss the street vendors who will delight you with everything from Bob Marley totes to conch shells to locally crafted jewelry; the street vendors make shopping lots of fun.

5. Are there good restaurants for dinner along St. Lawrence Gap?

“Hmmm, is water wet?” The Gap is lined with restaurants of every stripe — casual, formal, romantic, seaside, roadside – that serve all types of food – Bajan specialties, vegetarian, Mexican, Asian, and, of course, seafood galore. Around 8pm, food vendors set up large barbecue operations along the street and cook up flying fish, chicken, and all the fixin’s all night long. Terrific food is as plentiful as our beautiful white-sand beaches. Enjoy!

6. Which “liming” spots do you recommend in “the Gap”?

If you’re throwing around a word like “liming,” then perhaps you know more about Barbados than you’re letting on! “To lime” is to go to a bar — and there are plenty of choices lining the Gap. McBride’s is a popular and pretty spot to listen to live music and have a rum punch. The Ship Inn, next to McBride’s, is another. Many others dot the length of the Gap; it’s fun to hop from one to another.

Or not. Many guests prefer to rent a place right on the sea so that the only music they hear is the gentle rhythm of the waves of the Caribbean Sea. In St. Lawrence Gap, there’s something for every taste.  



Source by Jane Shattuck

By Kate