Oistins and Miami Beach are right next to each other.

If you’ve been to Barbados before, you’ll know all about Oistins Fish Fry, especially on a Friday night. Endless freshly caught fried and grilled fish/meat/seafood shacks and a lively party atmosphere enjoyed by locals and tourists together.   

Oistins doesn’t get as much attention during the day when all is calm and quiet, but some of the food sellers open from lunch time onwards, so you can sample the food without the big crowds and loud music if you prefer. 

Locals never stop flocking in to pick up some delicious food.

If you’re interested, during the day you might get to see the locals preparing their catch if you’re there at the right time; you can also buy fresh fish.

For any fishing connoisseurs I think I remember ‘catching’ sight of a guided fish tour at Oistins – in terms of fishing and getting to know the different types of catch, talking to the fishermen etc….I saw it online somewhere (via Get Your Guide or something similar).

Fruit and veg sellers as well as some souvenir stalls can also be found.

Chef’s kiss to the dolphin fish, which is more like a steak than fish!! So good.

(Disclaimer – no this is not dolphin meat, it’s just the name of a local fish – also known as Mahi Mahi). 

Advice from a You-tuber – look for ‘Uncle Georges’ –  for the best food!! I didn’t do this – I ended up at ‘Pat’s Place’, and this didn’t disappoint. I doubt any of the sellers would disappoint to be honest – everywhere seems to sell great food.

Fish Supper

Best place to get it – Oistins of course!!  I did an Oistins post a few years back, the set up is still the same. I noticed lots of roaming chickens earlier in the day and cute baby chics hopping around the place too. As mentioned in a previous post – ‘roosters rule’. Standard.

As mentioned before, roosters are everywhere in Barbados, and one was standing outside the Legendary Fishcakes stand when I got there, eyeing up the menu maybe…….seems logical since there was no chicken on the menu.

Miami Beach

A five minute walk up the road takes you to Miami Beach, also known as Enterprise Beach, and I’d say a hidden gem.

Miami Beach is bigger, quieter and more shaded than the more touristy beaches further west, and the smaller enclosed bay is enjoyed largely by locals.

It’s not tourist heavy and there’s lots of car parking space and wooden picnic bench tables to sit at  – under those fir trees if you need respite from the sun.

There are two sides to Miami Beach, on either side of the life guard tower. One side is vast and wide with bigger stronger waves than the other more secluded calmer cove on the other side (just a few steps away) – perfect for a relaxed dip and more suited to children, less confident swimmers and anyone who doesn’t want to be thrashing against strong waves.

There was a very elderly gentleman on the vast side of the beach – he looked quite frail, he seemed determined to battle against each wave that came his way despite the waves knocking him off balance almost every time. I was a bit concerned about him being by himself until I realised he had a relative nearby keeping a watchful eye on him 😉

Oistins and Miami Beach are perfectly placed for some hearty bajan food and a lazy beach day.

I won’t be winning any awards for my videography lol, but I’ll still try and throw in the odd wobbly clip!! I didn’t even bother taking my mini tripod out with me much of the time – I wasn’t really thinking about blog content on yet another slow day in Bim.

Seaweed

I’ve heard some tourists say their beach time was ruined by the huge amounts of seaweed washing ashore from the Atlantic. This seaweed problem seemed to heighten around 2018 when Barbados declared a state of emergency due to the high and unmanageable volumes covering some of its beaches.

Thankfully, there wasn’t any seaweed on this beach when I was there – none whatsoever but the problem is still ongoing, with questions around whether it is set to increase.

Mainstream newspapers at home and abroad have all published articles about this ‘seagassum’ issue at some point, which is obviously not good for tourism driven beach destinations like Barbados.

Heading off

As with most places, if you’re not driving you can get a bus to Oistins, it’s a popular route up and down the island, or take a taxi. Do it like the locals. Check bus routes here: https://www.transportboard.com/route-finder/  They all have a sign in the windscreen for final destinations and you can ask if you’re not sure about your stop.

The ZR buses will usually beep loudly and slow down asking if you want to get in (whether you’re at a bust stop or not). The yellow and ZR buses take payment when you’re getting off.

The blue government buses only stop at actual bus stops, it’s best to stick your handout for them to stop, and you pay before you sit down, like we’re used to in the UK. It’s all a lot easier than it sounds – the drivers are used to confused tourists lol.

Some of the bus stations can be a bit confusing but someone will always be able to help if you ask.

Oistins bus station isn’t an obvious looking station, and some of the buses look like they’re just parked up for a break – but they’re waiting for you to come over and get on.

As usual, taxis will beep at you when walking on a main road, (the beep meaning ‘do you need a taxi?’) so you’ll never be short of options.

So there you have it, Oistins and Miami Beach – and a reminder that there is life down at Oistins during the day!