Concorde supersonic jet to find new home in London

by Meg Nesterov on

Seven years after the final Concorde flight, one of the 11 remaining supersonic passenger jets may find a new home on London‘s South Bank, next to the London Eye. RHWL Architects, whose past projects include the British Airways headquarters and the Four Seasons Canary Wharf, are rumored to have planned a $35 million dollar double-decker display with a river boat landing underneath the plane.

The current Alpha Bravo aircraft is housed at Heathrow Airport by British Airways and not viewable by the public. Travelers can currently see a jet at the Concorde Experience in Barbados, the only Caribbean destination on the former supersonic route, as well as at these museums and airports. Earlier this year, a team of engineers began an examination of a French plane in hopes of bringing the Concorde back to the skies.

Travelers – would you pay to see the Concorde? Or better yet, fly the Concorde?

[Photo credit: Flickr user Beechwood Photography]

Barbados within reach: American Airlines adds nonstop flights from DFW

by McLean Robbins on

Texas residents will have even easier access to the sun, sand and fun this summer with the addition of new non-stop flights to Barbados courtesy of American Airlines. This new nonstop, three times per week service from the airline’s Dallas- Fort Worth (DFW) hub begins Dec. 16. Currently the airline provides daily nonstop service from New York-JFK and Miami International Airports.

The flights will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

“These new flights will provide our customers from the Central and Western regions of the U.S. easier and more convenient access to Barbados,” said said David M. Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Tourism Authority.

Currently available for purchase, the flight will be operated with Boeing 757 aircraft with 22 seats in Business Class and 166 in the Coach cabin. December coach fares begin at $314.

Photo courtesy of Barbados.org

Labor Day travel: Barbados

by Meg Nesterov on


If you’re still thinking about how to spend Labor Day, how about saying goodbye to summer with one last beach trip? You know not much happens in the office during the last week of summer, so why not make Labor Day a little longer? The island of Barbados offers a good-value promotion starting September 1st, a perfect excuse to recharge on a Caribbean beach before fall sets in. Previously called Best of Barbados, the Fall for Barbados deal includes airfare and hotel for a week with free breakfast daily, one free car rental day when you book three days or more, and up to $300 airfare credit per booking. They also throw in a 25% discount card on restaurants and some deals on activities. Prices around Labor Day start at $1,100 per person for 5 nights in an all-inclusive or $650 per person for 7 nights at a standard hotel (I calculated from New York, other cities might be higher or lower).

I took my first trip to the Caribbean with this deal in 2008, and not being an all-inclusive resort-type of traveler, I booked the independent boutique Silver Point Hotel. The hotel is nicely located in a residential area with plenty of rum shops and small restaurants within walking distance, served well-priced and actually decent food (contrasted with the expensive and mediocre food served at certain American chain hotels), and the staff was friendly and helpful. In 2008, I paid around $750 per person for the week of Labor Day with airfare and found it available for $777 in 2010. The previous deal had also included a $200 debit card to be used anywhere on the island, but the current promotion still represents a good savings. I calculated the hotel and airfare separately for the same dates and it worked out to over $400 more per person without the package.

The package is government-subsidized in an effort to increase tourism during hurricane season, though Barbados is one of the few Caribbean islands outside the hurricane belt and hasn’t suffered a major storm in over 50 years. You may encounter a few rainy days in September, a good time to explore the travel nerdy Concorde Experience, check out a historical house, or just hunker down in a rum shop. Barbados is a former British colony and remains a high-brow but laid-back destination with a nice balance of beach, nature, and culture.

Full details: Book by August 31st for travel September 1 – December 18, 2010. You have to stay a minimum of either 5 nights at an all-inclusive or 7 nights at other hotels. You can book through a travel agent or online through Orbitz and the like, full partner list here.

Must-see in Barbados: The rum-filled abbey

by Annie Scott on


St. Nicholas Abbey isn’t just a rum producer and rum connoisseur destination, it is a stunningly beautiful property with a rich history.

The residence you see above was built in 1658, making it the oldest house on Barbados. Not surprisingly, it was never intended to be an abbey, but functioned for hundreds of years as a sugar plantation. A visit to the abbey means traipsing through a Georgian-style drawing room with antique Wedgewood tea sets and Sailors’ Valentines, looking at fascinating furnishings like a 1936 “Gentleman’s Chair” and a genuine Crapper (really!), a conversation with some talkative parrots and a cockatiel, a rum punch-fueled museum tour, a peek into the distillery and a viewing of a historical film so that you don’t miss any details. The brick walkways you’ll see are from Scotland. The Scottish sailors would use bricks to balance their ships, and when they got to Barbados, exchange them for rum. I would say all this makes St. Nicholas Abbey one of the most comprehensive attractions in Barbados, and a definite must-see.

You’ll want to request a rum tasting, as St. Nicholas Abbey is one of the finest rums on the island. The rum comes in heavy, sandblasted glass bottles, and if you buy one, you can bring it back to be refilled at half price. Alternatively, you can get a bottle engraved with “[Your Name]’s Private Collection” (or whatever you want) as a souvenir, or for your sorry friends who couldn’t join you.

I highly recommend St. Nicholas Abbey as a place to visit, drink and, if your schedule permits, get married — seriously, one look at the yard out front and the courtyard in the back and you’ll wish you’d had your wedding there. This is 350 years of history, exquisitely preserved and celebrated. And they make great drinks to boot.

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My trip to Barbados was sponsored by Tommy Bahama Rum, but the ideas and opinions expressed in this article are 100% my own.

Rum shops – Drink on island time in Barbados

by Annie Scott on


Barbados is a island of immense natural beauty, sugar cane fields and rum shops (and two zonkeys, where the mother is a zebra and the father is a donkey, but that’s neither here nor there).

While you might have a tough time locating a Starbucks in Barbados, you’ll have no trouble finding a rum shop. Generally, if you walk along the coast line, you’ll run into one, as many are set up seaside for that fabulous ocean view. Additionally, you may notice your closest dining establishment is a “restaurant and rum shop,” the nearby salon is a “hairdresser and rum shop” and the local mortician’s place is a “funeral parlor and rum shop.” It’s like that in Barbados.

Barbados has about 12,000 rum shops and 12,000 churches. “When someone dies, you’ll see people in one or the other,” joked my guide. I had the pleasure of visiting a couple of rum shops on my recent trip to Barbados, and the experience is a worth a try — don’t let your hotel tell you their bar is a “rum shop;” go to a real one where you’ll see, and get a chance to talk to, real Barbadians.

%Gallery-90859%Rum shop culture is similar to that of pubs in small towns in Britain; but there’s that hot-weather-lack-of-furnishings effect. While the chairs and tables or stools are simple and not necessarily the most comfortable, people park themselves there and sit all day. Why not? Moving around just makes you hot.

In the rum shops, I saw neighbors fight, children playing and the kind of camaraderie you find in drinking establishments anywhere. If you want to look like you know what you’re doing, order an Old Brigand or ESAF, both popular rums. If food is served, ask for flying fish (really!) and macaroni pie (to die for), and a side of rice and peas (made with pigeon peas, which are actually more like beans … whatever). It’s easy to strike up a conversation, as people from Barbados are notably polite; they’ll probably humor you, whether they’re interested in what you have to say or not.

Lastly, don’t get hammered. That’s not what rum shops are about. The Bajans love their rum, but they’re not drunks. Drink on island time and get a slow, comfortable buzz — enough to appreciate the funeral parlor calendars and rump-centric advertisements on the walls (see gallery), but not enough to make you a pest.

My trip to Barbados was sponsored by Tommy Bahama Rum, but the ideas and opinions expressed in this article are 100% my own.