By Fiona Jarosz
We sat at the dining room table obsessively scrolling through AirBnB to find the “perfect” house/apartment in Barbados. I had started the search on a Monday and it was now Friday! We had found ourselves looking for a place that had all the luxuries we had at home and quickly realized we were doing it all wrong.
We decided to take a breath, manage our expectations and have fun with the search! I knew the house needed to be in a safe neighborhood /area, had to have good WiFi, a Kitchen; because 5 year olds get hungry at the drop of a dime and Air-conditioning (this one was a bonus and definitely a luxury, but we had never been to the Caribbean before and weren’t willing to take on a battle with the heat).
And finally…we stumbled upon “Cozy In Paradise” a 2-bedroom, 1-bathrom apartment located in the parish of Christ Church. The pictures were great and affirmed all our major requirements, but what definitely sold us were the 5 star reviews! One thing that especially stood out, was the constant mention of the owner of the AirBnB, Catherine. Everyone seemed to rave about how great she was.
The Host
I booked the apartment and immediately sent Catherine a message via AirBnB to introduce myself and give her our flight details, as one of the perks that came with booking her apartment was a free airport pick-up and drop-off!
We were greeted with a big smile and hug at the airport and it was at this moment that I knew we had made the best decision! The apartment was a quick 10 minute drive from the airport and during the ride there, Catherine took the time to give us a thorough rundown about the exact location of the bus stop (which was literally steps away from the apartment), what bus we needed to take to go to the beach, Bridgetown, e.t.c. What blew us away even more, was that she offered to take us on a quick tour of the island and a supermarket stop once we had dropped our bags off at the apartment!
We drove into what appeared to be a quiet local neighborhood and recognized the large yellow and green stone house that was pictured in the AirBnB photos. We carried our bags down a short flight of steps and were welcomed into a fresh smelling, cute apartment. The apartment was exactly as pictured on AirBnB if not better! We took a quick tour and were amazed (and appreciative) at how clean it was. The place was spotless! Both rooms were quite big with plenty of room to store our luggage as well as room to move around.
The Amenities
The beds were super comfortable, with soft sheets and even softer throw blankets. There were drawers in both rooms fully stocked with extra sheets and extra towels. The bathroom was fully equipped with everything from body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and a first aid kit.
The kitchen was even more impressive and had to be one of my favorite rooms in the apartment. Catherine spared no detail while stocking it up. There were several pots and pans, cooking utensils, plates, cups, eating utensils and everything else you would basically have in your kitchen at home. We were delighted about this because we were going to be cooking a good portion of our meals at home.
The apartment is strategically located; a 10 minute drive or bus ride to Miami Beach and Oistins (which is a street famously known for its Friday night fish fry). The Wi-Fi was incredibly fast and worked well in all the rooms which was great for our remote work. We had several Zoom meetings during the trip and experienced no problems at all! The apartment even had cable T.V with Nick Jr. and several other kids channel’s that Cameron was especially excited about. We were grateful for this too as it gave him something to preoccupy himself with when we weren’t exploring.
Why this was the the “perfect” house/apartment in Barbados for us
“Cozy in Paradise” was truly just that! A cozy, comfortable home away from home. I can’t speak highly enough of the apartment and even higher of Catherine. Her level of hospitality isn’t something they can teach you in school, it’s something you were born with! She is truly a gem!
Be sure to follow our other adventures around the world HERE. If you would like to book Catherine’s AirBnB, click on the link below.
