Point View Apartments

In Depth

Point View Apartments are set in a residential district in the extended village of Inch Marlow on the relaxed southern coast of Barbados. The property is small, with just eight apartments, and is set in a compound just 200 yards above the sea. Once a home, it was converted into apartments in the 70s. Now Point View is surrounded by Barbadian houses, but there is still an open feel because many of the plots have not been built on.

The concrete buildings of the apartments, which form an L-shape around the pool, are painted in a shade of salmon pink and green. The central area is small, but each apartment has a private patio and people gather around the pool and barbecue. Not all of the rooms have air-conditioning, but it is barely needed (this is the breezy part of the island) and in case it is still, the rooms have fan ventilation. Point View Apartments are extremely well kept, clean and secure. Although you can shut yourself away or use it as a base to explore, the property has a good friendly atmosphere and you will be looked after.

Although Point View sees quite a few long term winter visitors, who come down for a month or two in the winter (they become friends of the owner and of each other), it is also ideal for independent travellers who like the idea of Barbados, but who are not interested in by the glitzy side of the island. Lastly the apartments are very close to airport, so if there is space they make an ideal stopover for a night or two if you are flying on elsewhere.

The whole atmosphere is guided by Maureen Reid, the owner, who lives on property. She will make sure that you have everything that you need and explain anything everything you need to know about the area. The apartments are self-catering but the access to supermarkets is pretty good, both by bus and car.

Maureen is also happy to have an email correspondence before you arrive to make sure that you know what to expect and that you are right for what Point View offers. In the past, where she feels that potential visitors are not right for Point View she has gone as far as recommending that they try other places.

Beach & Swimming

There is a pool set between the apartments, but there are also plenty of beaches within a reasonable distance. The closest strip of sand is a small cove just two minutes walk away from Point View, which makes for nice protected swimming, but the nearest major beach is Silver Sands, which is fifteen minutes on foot or a couple of minutes by car.

Silver Sands is a fantastic stretch of sand and has lively, if windy sea (this is what makes it the spot on the island for windsurfing of course) and it has quite an active beach life, with nut-brown beauties and sportsmen and women strutting their stuff. There are places where you can hire the equipment for windsurfing and kitesurfing (see below). If this all sounds a little active, then there is a beach bar from which you can watch all the activity and posing.

Sports & Recreation

The obvious sports in the area are the wind sports at Silver Sands. Windsurfing world championships have been held at Silver Sands in the past, so the surfing there is advanced (less experienced surfers will find novice and intermediate instruction in the Maxwell area just beyond Oistins). The winds come across-shore between the coastline and the big waves on the reef a mile or so offshore (this is where the windsurfers do their tricks).

Kitesurfing has been in Barbados since early in the millenium and is available through the same outlets on Silver Sands Beach as the windsurfers.

There is also some good surfing right on the doorstep and this increasingly popular spot is aptly named Surfers Point, with a number of surfing schools close by. You can also go boogie boarding in the bays in the area and beyond the airport, at Crane Beach and Bottom Bay.

The Barbados Golf Club, a 6805 yard championship course, is just a couple of miles north of Oistins at Durants (most of the golf courses in Barbados are over on the west coast).

Staff

Point View Apartments are owned and overseen by Maureen Reid, whose house is just across the way. She is very friendly and is delighted to take the time to give advice or help her guests out. There is maid service twice a week, though if you would prefer daily help it is available at extra cost.

Accommodation

There are six one-bedroom apartments and two with two bedrooms (one with two bathrooms). They each have a separate bedroom and sitting room and a patio behind a wall. They are furnished simply but they are comfortable. There is no air-conditioning (except the new two bedroom, two bathroom), but ventilation tends not a problem in this area of the island because of the winds that come off the ocean nearby. There are mosquito screens and security grilles so windows can be left open to catch the breeze. If it does get too hot then each room has a fan which can whip up the air.

All the living rooms have a sofa and a dining table and chairs, so you can eat inside or out on your patio. There are TVs with the local channel. If you want cable then that is available at US$5 per day extra, but not many visitors take it up. Most come to Point View are here to avoid television. The bedrooms have queen sized beds and small but good bathrooms.

Of course as self-catering apartments, the kitchens at Point View have all you need in the way of pots and pans, crockery and cutlery, to cater for yourself. There is a large fridge and an electric stove in each kitchen and outside there is a barbecue on the deck next to the pool.

During the summer of 2006 one of the one bedroom apartments was converted into a new two bedroom, two bathroom (one bathroom with tub/shower and one with shower only) apartment with air-conditioning as well as ceiling fans in the bedrooms. It has a well arranged kitchen with granite worktops, a dishwasher as well as the usual fridge, stove, coffee maker and toaster, plus it also has a microwave. The open plan kitchen/living/dining area has a ceiling fan and French doors leading out to the patio and the main pool. It also has a small laundry room with a combination washer dryer and laundry sink.

A small provisioning pack can be put in your fridge (orange juice, tea, coffee etc) for an extra charge. If you would like breakfast to be provided, Gerry Sorrels, owner of the nearby Gemini Guest House, will provide home-baked breads and croissants, t 428 7221.

Useful Hints

Point View apartments are very quiet and not in the thick of the action for which Barbados is generally known.

The pool is not fenced, but some of the apartments look out onto it, so you can watch your children from your terrace.

Children

Extra beds are available for children. Some apartments have an extra single bed anyway, but they can be provided if needed. There are no special facilities for children on property and there is not an official playground nearby, but the whole area has a lot of space down to the beach, so they can run free.

Locality

Inch Marlow, which is situated at the southern tip of Barbados, is gradually being swallowed up by the ever-encroaching suburban development that is heading south and east from Bridgetown. There are hotels scattered along the beaches in the area, but they are fairly sparse by comparison to farther west. It is a short ride to Oistins, Barbadoss third town, which has supermarkets and banks (and an amusing Fish Fry most evenings) and from there the road continues to all the beaches and the action of the south coast around St Lawrence Gap, and then eventually to Bridgetown.

In the other direction you will fairly quickly come to the airport. The residential districts continue beyond here but eventually you come to the wild east coast, which is fun to explore

The closest place to buy food is Buffys Minimart (and bar), which is within walking distance of the Apartments. It is also a bar and gathering point for the area and you will be made welcome by the Bajans if you stop off for a drink. Buffys has the basics, but for a more serious shop you will probably want to head to Oistins (a short journey by car or an easy ride on the bus, which you can catch outside Buffys), where you will find the Super Centre, a supermarket that will have all that you need. If you would like to go out to eat in the area, the Round Rock restaurant is popular. To dine out further afield, see the Restaurant section in our Barbados Island Guide.

Airport Meet & Greet

Point View does not usually offer to collect its guests from the airport. Taxis are easily available however and the ride is 10 minutes, cost $12 (or $17 for a van).

If you would like your fridge to be stocked for your arrival (at extra charge) then this can be arranged. Just email or fax your order in advance.

Getting Around

Point View Apartments are within easy reach of the bus routes that run along the south coast (buses stop outside Buffys Bar), so you easily can reach Oistins (for the evening fish fry), all the beaches along the south coast, for example Dover, Worthing and Accra Beaches, all the entertainment in St Lawrence Gap, and of course Bridgetown.

Point View is relatively remote on the South Coast, so if you would like to explore you might also want to hire a car for a couple of days. We recommend Stoutes Car Rentals.