SURF TRAVEL | Take Me Away... to BARBADOS

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Take me away to

arbados a new WSSM retreat destination

By Sandra Olson With the allure of warm, crystal blue waters, Barbados, located near the southeastern tip of the Caribbean, is a dream vacation destination.

The very sound of it conjures up images of white sandy beaches, tropical drinks topped with tiny little umbrellas, and endless sunny days spent at the beach, relaxing to the melodic, rhythmic beat of a steel drum band.

Surfing isn’t likely to be the first thing that comes to mind, but for those looking for a new and unexplored surf destination, Barbados offers modern amenities, picturesque and mostly gentle warm water waves, and some of the friendliest people on the planet!

They’re happy you’re on their island, and are quick to lend a helping hand should you need one, or just smile and wave enthusiastically as you pass by.

When considering Barbados as a surf destination for a WSSM Retreat, we knew we would need local knowledge of the surf breaks, quality surfboard rentals, and surfer friendly accommodations that were close to the surf- therefore allowing everyone to surf on their own schedule. To secure this information firsthand, Dan and I arrived several days earlier than the rest of the group to check out the island, find the best cuisine, and get

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SCENIC PHOTOS: SANDRA OLSON | CONDO PHOTOS: LUXELIFE BARBADOS

Above & top right: The view from our balcony at the Sapphire Beach Condos, in Christ Church. As you can see, these condos are pretty amazing, amenity packed, with spectacular views that stretch away into the Caribbean

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acquainted with the area- which would include perfecting our skills of driving on the wrong (left) side of the road.

Prior to arrival, and to really get a feel for what Barbados offers, we contacted LuxeLife Barbados- a luxury lifestyle management and travel concierge service that not only met us at the airport to help us navigate customs, immigration and luggage retrieval, but prior to arrival, helped us find the perfect condo in the heart of the action of the bustling St. Lawrence Gap area, and gifted us a bevy of locally produced chocolates and cookies in our room!

They offered suggestions for and helped us organize our first few days on the island, and lined up one activity in particular that we loved-- the JAMMIN Catamaran Cruise.

A snorkeler’s lazy day delight, the Caribbean came to life on JAMMIN’s well equipped, spacious catamaran as we sailed the gorgeous Barbados coastline, listening to steel drum Caribbean music and enjoying the afternoon ocean breezes. What perfection! We watched as the crew fed the giant sea turtles that visited our catamaran like clockwork, and after snorkeling the reef looking for tropical fish and exploring a small sunken ship, we relaxed on the open deck, soaking in the fresh breeze. Sailing back to port, we were blessed with a spectacular sunset.

Thank you, LuxeLife Barbados!

Our first few nights were spent in the St. Lawrence Gap area in Christ Church, at the beautiful Sapphire Beach Condos.

BREATHTAKINGLY beautiful, the Sapphire Beach Condos give you everything you ever dreamed of in a Barbados vacation, and even more.

Ideally located on gorgeous Dover beach, it’s perfect for wading or swimming, and watching sunsets that streak across the sky in a brilliant display of vivid colors. Its amenities include a meandering oceanfront pool and loungers that front the beach, full kitchens in each of the units, stunning oceanview bedrooms that drench you in dreamy views that stretch for miles, and large spalike bathrooms that leave you feeling pampered.

With all this comfort, it was hard to check out and move on, but we were ready for the next step in our adventure, and for our guests to arrive.

The Sapphire Beach Condos were too far from the surf for our guests, who in true surfer form, wanted to spend every waking

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LEFT PAGE: 1) Bebe Davis returning from Surfer’s Point | 2) Surf stoked, Michelle Olson & Ariel Macrae high-five after an evening session at Surfer’s Point 3) Bebe Davis awards the “WSSM Surf Dog” to Michelle Olson | 4) WSSM retreat ladies: Cindy, Michelle, Tara, Bebe, Ariel, Gail. Beth- enjoying St. Lawrence Gap | 5) Tara Walker & Bebe Davis share a mother/daughter wave at Surfer’s Point - #familygoals | 6) Gail Walter living her dream, surfing Parlours RIGHT PAGE: 1) The boats really do look like this in Barbados! #lifeisapostcard | 2) Cindy Stokes & Beth Buchanan headed back out to the lineup for more | 3) Vans loaded, heading down the steep hills into Bathsheba | 4) Gail Walter: CLAIM’N! | 5) Tara Walker, Michelle Olson, Cindy Stokes at Parlours

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LEFT PAGE: top) Pat Williams “Tio Pa’tio”, Tara Walker, and Ariel Macrae paddle out to Surfer’s Point, located a short walk from Ocean Spray Apartments | 1) WSSM photographer, Gabeto Fernandez, capturing the retreat magic #eternallygrateful | 2) Gail Walter & Beth Buchanan walk to Surfer’s Point- Ocean Spray Apartments is in the background | 3) Will never get tired of this view RIGHT PAGE: 1) Ocean Spray Apartments, ideally located at Surfer’s Point, a perfect wave for beginner-intermediate surfers - www.oceansprayapartments.com | 2) Ariel Macrae dancing on Caribbean H2O

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minute possible out surfing, so we knew the Ocean Spray Beach Apartments in the nearby town of Inch Marlow, would be perfect for our group. Located in front of Surfer’s Point, a left-hand point break that was beginner friendly and consistent, we had exactly what we needed... Comfortable, oceanfront, Barbados bungalow style accommodations, with direct access to uncrowded, mellow waves.

Boasting picturesque ocean views, OCEAN SPRAY BEACH APARTMENTS offers 25 ecofriendly rooms that sleep single travelers all the way up to large groups, making it an excellent choice for our group of twelve.

Tucked away from the noise of the city, the stars overhead will keep you gazing in wonder as you bask in the tranquility of the environment. Waves crashing on the nearby rocky shoreline lull you to sleep, and you awake to sunshine dancing on the water outside your door, just beckoning you to come and play in it.

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Melanie Pitcher, a local who knows the Barbadian surf scene inside and out, runs several vacation rentals as well as her Barbados Surf Trips company in the northern coastal town of Bathsheba, and who had been featured previously in WSSM years ago, was our go-to for everything surf-related. She had a plethora of quality surfboard rentals for our guests to choose from (and she delivered) and she also knew a lot of the local girls, so she was essential in organizing our WSSM “Girl’s Surf Day” in Bathsheba. Giving back to the community is key whenever we take a group somewhere, so getting together with and supporting the local surfer girl community was important to all of us. Throughout the afternoon, our group grew and grew until there were 25 of us, lounging on the rolling hills fronting the beach, and enjoying the small surf at Parlours.

Although Melanie said it was probably the smallest surf she’d seen that year, we laughed, surfed, ate, surfed some more, and enjoyed the day together, while Gabeto Fernandez, our WSSM photographer, captured it all through his lens. Thank you to all the ladies that came out for the day and shared your waves with us- we loved meeting you all

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PHOTOS: GABETO FERNANDEZ

LEFT PAGE: 1) Group shot at the “Girl’s Surf Day with WSSM” at Parlours in Bathsheba. A fun afternoon spent with these local surfer girls of Barbados. Thank you for sharing your beautiful waves with all of us! | 2) Jodie Burke | 3) Jodie Mather | 4) Tara Walker | 5) Cindy Stokes | 6) Beth Buchanan | 7) Kelsey Pitcher | 8) Local, Antonio Holder & Dan Olson | 9) Jamie Adley photographs girlfriend, Tara Walker | 10) Darian Pitcher | 11) Yasmine Pagésy (surfing), Jodie Mather RIGHT PAGE: 1) Dayna Gibbs | 2) Dan Olson | 3) Melanie Pitcher | 4) Michelle Olson | 5) John & Dan Olson | 6) Sleeping on the way home to Ocean Spray Apartments | 7) Jessica Gibbs | 8) Kalani Talma 9) Bebe Davis | 10) Arriving into Bathsheba to surf | 11) Pat Williams “Tio Pa’tio” | 12) Relaxing on the beach in between sessions

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and surfing with you! And thank you, Melanie!

As it does when you’re having fun, time flew by too quickly as we woke up each morning knowing our day included surfing the Point until our arms wore out, enjoying a full and leisurely breakfast at the spacious open air palapa at Ocean Spray Beach Apartments, and then piling into the vans for more surf and island exploration.

The great thing about traveling, is that everywhere you go you’re experiencing something new, even if that’s just getting lost on the winding roads that are never clearly marked in Barbados- AGAIN. And the surf, even if it’s small, is different than what you have at home, making it an adventure in itself. Although we would start our day at Surfer’s Point, group consensus was that the surf at Parlours was bigger, so we would usually end up there for our second session of the day, then head into the heart of St. Lawrence Gap for dinner, where the “WSSM Surf Dog” award was given away. This was always a highlight of the night, as the recipient would get to autograph the (stuffed animal) dog, and then give it away the following night to a fellow guest of their choice, for the reason of their choice. Best wipe-out was usually the winning criteria, as was most-stoked surfer of the day or longest ride.

SANDRA OLSON

As our trip drew to a close, we knew we had made new surf buddies for life on this Barbados adventure, and we were sad to say goodbye. There is a special chemistry on our retreat trips. The mix of personalities, relaxed vibes, as well as all skill levels and geographical origins present that provide an environment that’s rich for storytelling, and learning from each other’s travel adventures. Gabeto, our Columbian photographer, keeps things light and the girls love not only his accent, but also his Central American sense of humor, and taking home the precious memories he’s captured from their experience is priceless. By becoming a part of our traveling family, they also get a peek into our lives, as creators of WSSM, hanging out and surfing-- and it all often ends up in the pages of WSSM! Barbados was an amazing surf destination-- although it doesn’t offer the huge barrels of Pipeline, or the death defying drops of Jaws or Mavericks, it instead gave us all a much simpler, incredibly beautiful environment where we could just relax, play in the surf, enjoy the moment together and be present. Laughter was abundant, sunshine was just-hot enough, we ALL got waves, and we came back better rested and bronzed from the experience. What more could you ask for? F

CHELSEA ROETT THE LOCAL SURFER GIRLS & SANDRA

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO: OCEAN SPRAY BEACH APARTMENTS oceansprayapartments.com Offering 25 eco-conscious apartments, oceanfront in Woman’s Bay in Inch Marlow, directly overlooking the world famous Surfer’s Point which is ranked as one of the best places to learn to surf in Barbados.

BARBADOS SURF TRIPS barbadossurftrips.com Dedicated to helping you get the most out of your surfing vacation, by offering accommodations for all budgets, car rentals, surf tours, surf lessons, stand-up paddle boarding, surfboard rentals, airport meetand-greet and transfers, island tours and activities, wave reports, and more.

LUXELIFE BARBADOS luxelifebarbados.com A luxury lifestyle management and travel concierge, whom you can trust to recommend to you the very best, handpicked luxury properties and more, in Barbados.

SAPPHIRE BEACH CONDOS barbadossapphirebeach.com One of the finest luxury condominiums in Barbados, located on the fabulous Dover Beach in Christ Church. This vacation villa rental boasts spectacular ocean views and modern finishes that show top quality craftsmanship, while offering a level of comfort, elegance and amenities found primarily in luxury west coast villas.

HARBOUR LIGHTS BARBADOS harbourlightsbarbados.com Be mesmerized at Harbour Lights. Whether you come for the crystal clear Carlisle Bay waters, the entertaining Caribbean dinner show or to party the night away on a sand covered dance floor, one thing is for sure, Harbour Lights is always a time to remember!

JAMMIN CATAMARAN CRUISES jammincats.com One of the newest recreational catamarans cruising the coastal waters of Barbados, this eye-catching 63-ft. craft has all the ingredients necessary for a fun day in the sun! The Jammin’ crew, with their dynamic personalities and friendly dispositions, ensure a truly extraordinary day on the water, and all cruises offer buffet meals onboard and a complimentary well stocked bar. In the water, activities include swimming with the turtles and snorkeling.

SARAH COLE

BARRELLICIOUS www.barrellicious.com A BIG thanks to Lara Brown, founder of Barrellicious, for sponsoring all of our retreat guests with a fabulous, comfy Barrellicious rashguard! Under the Caribbean sun, you kept us all cool and COLORFUL!

YASMINE PAGESY PHOTOS: GABETO FERNANDEZ

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