Beaches in St Peter Travel Guide
About Beaches in St Peter
St Peter Parish is home to a couple of very fine resorts, where guests tend to stay put. It's far removed from the island, but what the parish lacks in other pursuits, it makes up for with exceptional beaches.
Beach:
Beaches on the west coast have delicate white sand. With little surf and smooth, sandy bottoms, they are excellent for both swimming and sunning. The shores in St Peter Parish are somewhat wider than those in the resort areas of St James. Mullins Beach, south of Speightstown, is a favourite. Its calm, crystal waters are ideal for snorkelling and swimming. Local restaurants serve food and drinks and will rent you a chair and umbrella. The beach at the Almond Beach Village is particularly long, wide, and inviting.
Beyond the beach:
Famous for its 'bearded' fig trees, Arbib Heritage & Nature Trail in Speightstown offers two of the island's best hiking trails. One is an easy walk through the back streets of Speightstown itself. St Peter also has two of the island's more interesting historical sights. Farley Hill, a national park, includes the ruins of a plantation great house and some excellent views. St Nicholas Abbey in Cherry Tree Hill is the island's oldest remaining great house, one of the best-preserved examples of Caribbean Jacobean architecture. Golfers may be interested in Almond Beach Village's nine-hole course, but the island's best courses are south in St James Parish, at Sandy Lane or the Royal Westmoreland.
Family fun:
The Barbados Wildlife Reserve in Farley Hill has examples of all the island's native wildlife and birds. To the north, the Animal Flower Forest, at North Point, some magnificent tidal pools and sea caves harbour all kinds of sea life. To the south, Harrison's Cave, on Highway 2 in Welchman Hall, is a favourite for all ages.
Exploring further:
The 40-minute flight to Vigie Airport (aka George F L Charles Airport) near Castries, St Lucia, makes it possible to do a day tour and return in time for dinner. Barbados is well connected to other Caribbean islands by reasonably priced flights for those who wish to spend a few days on more than one island.
