We were blessed to shoot our 2020 catalog in the rustic seaside town of Bathsheba Beach, Barbados.  Although we worked hard we couldn't help but feel a sense of ease and happiness just being there.  The first warm welcome was the sweet, fresh, balmy salt air.  There is a constant trade wind there making the breeze intoxicating.  You just wanna take deep breaths and feel it against your skin mixed with the sun. Wish we could bottle!  It's that good!

Then there's the lush hillsides speckled with wood framed, beach cottages popping up through deep shades of greenery and overlooking spectacular views of blue, see-through ocean waters; so synonymous with the Caribbean.  Everywhere we turned one backdrop was more beautiful than the other!  The locals are so cool too!  Always greeting you with a warm smiles and friendly banter.   It was a definite check on how life really should be lived; simply and surrounded by nature.  

What To See:

Soup Bowl Beach

So what to do when visiting Bathsheba?  Well for one the surfing there is insane!  Soup Bowl Beach is considered one of the most legendary surf spots in the world,  with perfect barrels on right of the reef break.  Kelly Slater and other surf greats all hit the Soup Bowl yearly and some serious pro-surf competitions are held there as well.

Where to Stay: 

In Barbados, the West Coast gets all the hype and most tourists flock to towns like Bridgetown and Speightstown staying at larger, fancy, resorts like Sandy Lane.  Bathsheba is sweet, unspoiled, and an escape from tourist congestion.  You're one with nature in this little hamlet on the east side of the island.  It's a special, small-town feel and the locals like it that way.  There are only a few hotels but you can rent quaint little beach cottages along its lush hillsides overlooking Soup Bowl Beach.  Bathsheba is a sleepy fishing town but thats what adds to its ambience.  If you're looking to chill, surf, repeat then this is the part of the island you want to be on. 

We stayed at a perfect, little, hotel called The Eco-Lifestyle-Lodge. https://www.ecolifestylelodge.com  "Unplug and relax" is their motto and its easy to do: start your day with their morning yoga classes overlooking the ocean.  Grab your board and catch some amazing waves before lunch.  Get a massage on your room deck or nap in the sun on a hammock.  Then hit their cliffside restaurant which serves delicious, healthy dishes, featuring organic fruits, vegetables, eggs and poultry all grown local on the island.  Their fresh made lemonades, watermelon juices and hibiscus teas are the perfect thirst quenchers too.  We downed like 6 of them a day!

 Local Eats:

If you want to take a stroll and explore there's a little, no-frill, local hang called De Garage. They serve fresh fried fish and the island's version of mac and cheese.  Top it off with their homemade cheesecake...Delish!  

 Nature Stroll:

Check out Andromeda Botanic Gardens designed by famed horticulturist Iris Bannochie and now owned by The Barbados National Trust.  It is an eye-candy feast of beautiful tropical flowers, ponds and greenery.  So soothing and grounding to walk through its paths of landscape art.  

We LOVED the time we spent in Bathsheba.  Here are some selects from our photo shoot.  It truly is life in paradise!  Def going back!