The purpose of our trip to the island of
Barbados June 12-18 was relatively straightforward. Let’s call it
Information Gathering 101. As members of the Wimco staff we regularly travel
to the properties we represent in order to become familiar with them so that
we can make good recommendations and offer our clients qualified advice. Our
charge on this junket was to get to know the island, its people, the food,
and an assortment of noteworthy villas. It’s tough work, I know, but
somebody has to do it.
The trip turned out to be so much more. Fantastic really sums up our Wimco
Barbados adventure. The quality of the villas themselves, the happy
disposition of the Bajan people and in particular the Bajan staffs who
manage those villas, the lush if varied beauty of the island—all of it
conspired to set this destination well apart in my mind. It is truly a
special place.
Thanks to an early morning flight from Providence, R.I., with one connection
through Philly and timely arrivals at every corner, Wimco agents Glenn
Ormiston, Anne-Marie Caye, Barbara Pierce and I found ourselves swimming in
crystal-clear Caribbean water off Gibbs Beach in front of beautiful
Villa
Sandalo by four o’clock in the afternoon. Our driver Donald had been
waiting for us at the airport and it was a pleasure to enjoy our first
glimpse of the island through his seasoned eyes.
Sandalo would be our home for the first part of the week, a beautifully
renovated British colonial-style residence on the leeward west coast
fronting the beach at Mullins Bay and shaded by a stand of luscious mahogany
trees. What a magnificent place! Four bedrooms occupy the upper floor and a
fifth is available in an adjacent guest cottage. There are balconies
overlooking the pool, the grounds and the Caribbean, and a state-of-the-art
media room if you are so inclined. It is supremely comfortable and
incredibly civilized. We enjoyed chilled towels, fresh lemonade and an
endless supply of home-baked fish cakes day in and day out.
