Local Hotspots – St. Lawrence Gap

St. Lawrence Gap

Are you looking for a place to have a nice dinner? What about a place to enjoy the local culture of Barbados? Do you want to have a good night out partying with friends? Looking for a nice restaurant, with an amazing view for that special person in your life? Are you tired and drained and need a place for a good staycation and still have access to some good old-fashioned fun? What if you want all 5 of these things in one location? Impossible? Definitely not. On Highway 7 in Christ Church is a small stretch of road called St. Lawrence Gap that offers you a unique combination of each of these aspects and so much more. Fondly known by many as “The Gap”, it is one of the most popular locations for both locals and tourists seeking to have a good time. “The Gap” is almost the complete location. It has a variety of bars, restaurants and hotels as well as many nightclubs and activities for recreation and entertainment. Added to this, it consists of a variety of places for shopping and various water related activities on its beaches. Therefore, whether you are a tourist or local; the young or the young at heart, St. Lawrence Gap can provide a complete package.

Restaurants

The Gap has a collection of some of the finest restaurants in Barbados. Whether you desire a romantic fine dining experience or lively dinner in a more casual setting, you can definitely find the restaurant best suited for your occasion in the gap. This collection of restaurants serves a variety of International Cuisines including Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Seafood, Caribbean, Indian and Brazilian. Paulo Churrasco Do Brazil is popular among those who love “all you can eat buffets”.  However, if the sheer quantity and variety of restaurants in the Gap don’t impress you, then the quality of the food served definitely will.

But the number of restaurants is far too many to mention! So here are the top 11 places to eat as ranked by Trip Advisor as at Jan 2018 (only includes places with over 100 reviews):

1. Happy Days Cafe
2. Bliss Cafe
3. My Friends Place
4. Harlequin Restaurant
5. Rude Boyz Jerk Kitchen
6. Castaways
7. Primo
8. Apsara Samudra
9. Beach One
10. Sand Dollar
11. Sharkey’s

Nightlife

One of the main attractions of St. Lawrence Gap is the nightlife activities. You can be sure that almost every weekend and even some weekdays, the Gap will be buzzing with activity. The Gap tends to come alive at night as the wide variety of bars, clubs, restaurants and even hotels usually have some form of music whether live music from a new kid on the block or DJs paying some of the more popular tunes. The best places to go in the gap include Sharkeys Open Air Bar ( formerly Sugar Ultra Lounge / Ship Inn) and the Cove (formerly Reggae Lounge). In addition to this, there is the Old Jamm Inn where you can experience live and DJ music of all varieties, from calypso to reggae or Hal’s Car Park Bar which features Karaoke weekly. In the gap, you can also experience themed nights, wild themed parties such as glow parties and shorts parties, as well as dance competitions at Sweet Potatoes restaurant, just to name a few of the nightly activities.

Shopping

Most of the shopping resources available in the Gap are souvenir shops. Whether you purchase from the numerous street vendors lining the sidewalk or you visit one of the many shops in the Gap, make sure to pick up something in St. Lawrence Gap that you can remember your stay by! One of the best places to pick up these souvenirs is the Best of Barbados Gift Shop located at Southern Palms hotel. This shop is one of the oldest, as it has been selling souvenirs for almost 40 years. It is ideal for those looking for authentic souvenirs, i.e souvenirs made locally and by hand.

There is also Walker’s Caribbean World for ceramic souvenirs and Diamonds International at the Turtle Beach Hotel for high-end jewellery and watches. Additionally, do not forget to stop in at the Chattel House Shopping Village. The construction of this village, modelled after the old-fashioned chattel houses, has been seen as instrumental in the revival of chattel houses in Barbados. This is that little piece of history and culture that the gap offers. Within each house is a shop selling items ranging from souvenirs to clothing.

Beaches

There are nightclubs, restaurants and award-winning hotels – but what if you want something simple like a lazy day at the beach? The beaches in The Gap are not only exquisite but cater to a wide array of water activities.

Dover Beach is the ideal beach in the gap for swimming and snorkelling due to its calm waters.  Watersports and beach rentals are also provided to tourists staying in the surrounding area.St. Lawrence Bay, also known as Little Bay is also good for bathing as it has a very shallow tide. It tends to be rocky in parts due to the presence of reefs, which also makes this beach great for diving and snorkelling for an underwater adventure. Rainbow Beach (also called White Sands Beach) on the other hand, is mostly choppy all year round. However, water sports are provided by those operating the beach as well as beach rentals and there is also an opportunity to engage in surfing lessons. Similarly, Turtle Beach also has choppy waters but also provides beach rentals and water sports (non-motorised).

Casinos

These are mostly concentrated at some of the hotels, for example, South Gap Hotel which houses the South Gap Arcade.

Holiday Rentals

If you do a lot of travelling, you may get tired of staying in hotels and may be looking for something that has more of a “home-like” feel for your stay. If this is the case, the Gap has a good collection of holiday rentals available to suit your needs.  These include but are not limited to the St. Lawrence Beach Front Condo, a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom rental that can sleep up to 4 persons and the St. Lawrence Beach Condominiums which can come in either 2 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms. For more details on the holiday rentals in the Gap as well as all that people have said about them visit www.tripadvisor.co.ok.

Street Life

Despite its collection of restaurants and shops, The Gap also has a variety of street vendors that are visible as you peruse this location. Some sell various handcrafted Caribbean jewellery, while others sell food. The popular finger food in The Gap is “the Gap burger” for those who may just want something light on the stomach.

Hotels and Accommodation

So, you can eat almost anything in the gap, find almost anything to do in the gap, lime at a nightclub in the gap, wouldn’t it make sense to just stay in the Gap as well?

There are various hotels and few are more impressive than the award-winning Rostrevor Hotel, located in the heart of St. Lawrence Gap. Some great hotels in this fine location include the newly opened Sandals Hotel and Little Bay Hotel, both located near the entrance of The Gap. These hotels are perfect for tourists seeking an extended stay on the island, and locals who may just be looking for the ideal staycation location.

Like with restaurants, there are too many hotels discuss in this space, so we will make things easier by giving the top 5 as ranked by Trip Advisor:

1. Ocean Two Resort & Residences
2. Sandals Barbados
3. Southern Palms
4. Rostrevor Hotel
5. South Gap Hotel

Thus, this hub of social activity provides you with everything you need for a good night out or for a fun all-inclusive vacation. It caters to the needs of everyone: young and old; locals and tourists; the party animal and the casual limer. Make St. Lawrence gap one of your places to be in Barbados!