Dover Beach Barbados
There is no doubt that St. Lawrence Gap needs a facelift, a serious makeover, or whatever you may want to call it! Well, one must admit there are some attempts. The Ship Inn is now Sugar Ultra Lounge and Rush Restaurant. After Dark is now Lipgloss, and Hal's Carpark Bar. There is a new sports bar and restaurant called Jobu serving meals and drinks at reasonable prices, and the slightly renovated easy listening jazz and blues recorded music Jan-Frank Cocktails Bar opposite Rostrevor Hotel. Most importantly though is Johnny Cool's Jazz and Blues Bar on Dover Beach with live music on Saturday nights and Ocean 15 Restaurant and Bar with the outstanding Mike Sealy and Friends every Thursday night from 7:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. Thank goodness there are a few enjoyable places to provide some solace from the noise which emanates from the bars nightly at the lower end of the Gap! Often it seems that these places from Sugar Lounge to Reggae Lounge are in a competition to outdo each other in sound levels and assault on the ears of sensible persons!
St. Lawrence Bay, Barbados circa 1965
Certainly the streets and sidewalks of most of the Gap could do with a power-wash while some of the bars there need to be spruced up. The closing of Escape and Red Rock Café makes this street less appealing, and the street-lighting could be improved immensely especially between Waterside Restaurant and Southern Palms. Mentioning Southern Palms, one must say that they still help to keep steel-band music alive with performances by Barbados Steel Orchestra. on Sunday afternoons from noon until 3 and Thursday nights from 8 to 11p.m. The fairly newly located Café Sol Mexican Restaurant and Bar is in full swing, and continues to add flavour to a street that visitors and locals have come to like a lot as an enjoyable centre for mature and young persons alike. Now if we can tidy up the area including that patio beside the shops of Dover Beach, and open more spots like Ocean 15, Café Sol, Jan-Frank Cocktail Bar, and Johnny Cool's Jazz and Blues Beach Bar, stage a Music Festival or two annually, the St. Lawrence Gap would certainly become a most enjoyable entertainment area again!
Steelband at Southern Palms Hotel
