General notes for travel
Gatwick Airport - South Terminal, Zone A
The Virgin Atlantic check-in area is at the very far end of Gatwick’s South terminal in Zone A - you must head left once in the Departures area. Note, all Virgin transatlantic flights departing from Gatwick South will be leaving at similar time to your departure and Zone A is likely to be very, very busy!
Once you arrive in Zone A, you must use the electronic check-in machines located at various points around the zone. The machine will ask you to insert the photo section of your passport, it will then confirm your seat number and passenger name and finally print your three boarding cards. You must then proceed to the normal check-in area named ‘baggage drop’. At the ‘baggage drop‘ desk, the process is the same as any other airport; you will drop off you bags and continue with your boarding card to the security check point.
Please bear in mind that the above can be a lengthy process and we would recommend that you arrive an absolute minimum of three hours prior to our time of departure.
Once through security, please check the flight information board and make a note of the gate you will be departing from. It could take you anything up to 20 minutes to walk to your gate, so please leave in plenty of time.
Virgin Atlantic Flight
We noted that the headphones provided are not the best; we would recommend you taking your own headphones and maybe a blow-up pillow for those of you that may fancy a sleep.
It may also be worth keeping a pen handy as you will be asked to complete an immigration form on board asking for details of your stay, including passport number etc. Immigration forms are consistent with all Caribbean airlines.
Barbados
Barbados has a population of 280,000 people and is densely populated in comparison to some of the other islands.
On landing, you will be directed to the airport terminal to go through immigration. This is a relatively quick process in comparison to some of other airports in the region.
Barbados offers a variety of day trips and excursions. We will brief all guests as they arrive in Barbados with a list of possible activities to do on days when there is no cricket.
Car hire is popular in Barbados and offers a great way to see the island. Fat Jack's is a well-priced option, negotiable for cash, but you should expect to pay $250/300 BBD for 3 days hire - around £33/day. (Correct at time of publishing).
The local currency is Barbados Dollars or BBD, USD are also accepted in all outlets and restaurants. The exchange rate is £1GBP = 3BBD.
When we arrive in May the weather is likely to be very warm around 28’c, so make sure you have plenty of light clothes.
The area dialling code for Barbados is 00 246.
Butterfly Beach Hotel - Barbados
Located on the South Coast of Barbados, the hotel is conveniently located between St Lawrence Gap and Oistins. The journey to the hotel from the airport to the Butterfly Beach is about 15-20 minutes.
The hotel is on the beach and offers guests a swimming pool, restaurant, small shop and internet facilities. All rooms feature air conditioning, cable TV, and telephones.
There is a bus stop straight over the road from the hotel that runs into Oistins, where we can recommend seeing the Fish Market on a either a Friday or Saturday evening. To the right of the hotel, there is a bus stop that runs into Bridgetown and St Lawrence Gap etc. All buses are $1.50BBD anywhere on the island.
A walk from St Lawrence gap back to the hotel along the beach takes around 25 minutes.
We have used the restaurant facilities whilst staying at the Butterfly Beach and can recommend the food - a starter and steak main was around $50BBD, about £15.00. A lunchtime club sandwich was around $12BBD, around £4.00.
St Lucia
Just a 30-minute flight from Barbados , the beautiful island of St Lucia awaits guests joining us on the ODI tour. St Lucia really is the hidden gem of the West Indies and guests will not be disappointed. St Lucia is a relatively small island with 166,000 habitants and is by far and away the most picturesque of all the islands we visited. It is clean, safe and offers something for everyone.
In our welcome packs, we will include a full list of possible excursions in St Lucia . Our ground agents on the island will be able to discuss these with you in more detail once you arrive.
The local currency is EC which stands for Eastern Caribbean Dollars, although US Dollars are accepted. Exchange rates are approximately $4.00ECD = £1.00GBP.
St Lucia will be very hot in May, so please remember to bring plenty of light clothes, a sun hat and plenty of sun cream.
Bay Gardens Hotel - St Lucia
Once you arrive at Vigie Airport in St Lucia from Barbados , the journey to the Bay Gardens Hotel is little over ten minutes. However, when we depart St Lucia from Hewanorra Airport, you should expect and 1 hour 30 minute journey, as this airport located at the opposite side of the island.
The hotel is located just on the outskirts of Rodney Bay, next to the shopping centre. Guests will be able to enjoy the busy nightlife, bars and restaurants but also the peace and quiet of the hotel.
The journey from the Bay Gardens Hotel to the Beausejour Cricket Ground will take around 10 minutes by coach.
The hotel offers guests two swimming pools, restaurant, bar, evening entertainment and internet facilities. We found the hotel to be friendly, clean and a great base for a stay in St Lucia.
By turning right out of the hotel, guests will find the largest shopping centre on the island, just after which, come to the main strip of Rodney Bay that offers many restaurants, bars, nightclub and banks. The long, lush beach and blue sea of Rodney Bay are just beyond this, approximately 5-10 minutes by foot. All beaches in St Lucia are public so enjoy them at your leisure!
By turning left out of the hotel, you will come to a supermarket then a marina. From here, you will find a variety of day trips, from sailing on the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ sailing ship, to fishing and scuba diving.
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