Ibiza/Barbados – Same but Different

After 2 quiet Christmases I had the fortune to be in Barbados this past festive season.

As fate would have it I stayed in the same hotel as the last time I visited over 20 years ago. I was looking forward to kicking back and spending time on the beach with my family,

Barbados is very similar in size to Ibiza and there’s plenty of synergy between the 2 world famous destinations, not least as they are both reliant on tourism, so I was keen to see how much it had progressed since my last visit.

The Bajan atmosphere is ultra laid back, the vibe is friendly with tourists freely mixing in with the local population who clearly understand the food chain and respect the tourists (sometimes more than they should).

Unlike Ibiza, local transport is good especially the crazy minivans that pick up tourists and locals alike for a flat fee of around 1.75 euros, reggae music blasting out so much that your ears are popping and your head is banging. It’s all part of the fun and no attitude is ever shown towards tourists.

The Caribbean is all about the white sandy beaches and cocktails and Barbados never disappoints. After a couple of days of drinking Banks’ and Deputy (the local beers) I discovered the local rum punch which hit the mark like a ballistic missile to the brain, a couple of those babies and life is a whole lot easier.

So far so good however there is a slight caveat. Barbados hasn’t changed in 20 years. My hotel hadn’t changed, the surrounding area hadn’t changed. The airport hadn’t changed (still had the same mobile air-con units and slow moving security).

As comforting as this was it was also surprising. Maybe it’s the tourist geek in me or the guy who has witnessed his own island change so much but I was amazed. Is it a missed opportunity, laziness, corruption or a strict adherence to the rule of ‘if ain’t broke don’t fix it’?

The answer is probably a combination of all of the above and speaking to a few British ex-pats who live in Barbados it was clear that that’s how they like it. You don’t want to compare but comparison is a part of life and you can’t help it especially when you’ve worked in tourism for over 30 years.

There’s a lot to be said about the comfort of staying the same even when the world has moved on but it made me realise how much Ibiza has changed (some might say for the worse but I’m definitely not in that camp), it’s non-comparable from 2 decades ago. In Ibiza so much has changed, in Barbados nothing has changed.

There’s no right or wrong in this tale, just 2 islands of a similar size with 2 very different philosophies but seeing it first hand hammers home how much Ibiza has moved forward in the last 20 years. This brings its own challenges (housing, cost of living, pressures on infrastructure) and although the ageing hippies looking through nostalgic goggles still rue the day you couldn’t dance around naked and buy a beer for 20 pesetas the strength of the modern day Ibiza, whether you like it or not, is its unwillingness to stay the same.

Barbados retains that old money charm with a fractured infrastructure whereas Ibiza is like a lottery winner flashing the cash, all mouth and trousers but with a hard business edge, constantly moving forward because it has to. It’s merely responding to the needs of its expanding client base. More 5 star hotels, more quality restaurants, more days and nights options than ever before.

Barbados was a wonderful experience, drinking cocktails under the Caribbean sun with 3 generations of my family pottering around in the sand beside me. Travelling and seeing other destinations is the gift that keeps on giving even if only to appreciate what you have on your own doorstep.