Bellairs Research Institute
         Holetown, St. James Parish, Barbados
         Tel.   : +1 (246) 422 2087 (Erin)
         Tel.   : +1 (246) 422 2034 (dining hall)
         Fax    : +1 (246) 422 0692
         e-mail : bellairs@caribsurf.com
         scientific director : Dr. Judith Mendes
        

• take a taxi. Ask to be taken to the Bellairs Research Institute in Holetown. Most taxi drivers know where Bellairs is (thanks to the many workshops as well as the field semesters for students). In case they don't know, say it is located in between Folkstone Park and the Coral Reef Club on the North side of Holetown. The taxi price is typically around $70 Bds. There is now a sign at the airport which gives fixed prices for several destinations. In 2009 we paid $90 Bds for a van with 6 people. You can find a list at barbados.org. Some amount is added for each extra passenger and luggage. Note that those prices are only for rides from the airport. You negotiate the price in the opposite direction. You may ask the Bellairs secretary to book a taxi for you to take you to the airport. The taxi ride takes between 40 minutes and 1 hour, depending on traffic. Bellairs frequently uses taxi drivers Jason +1 (246) 256 82 35 and his wife Nicole +1 (246) 256 83 37. Taxi driver John is also very reliable: +1 (246) 420 15 89 (office) or +1 (246) 230 41 99 (cell). You can also e-mail John at rehotaxitrans@gmail.com. If you let him know when your flight arrives, he can pick you up from the airport.
• take the bus ($1.5 Bds, exact change required, no change given on the blue official government buses). Note that you can change money inside the airport baggage claim hall. That gives you the opportunity to get some small change. Cross the parking lot to get to the bus stop when you come out of the airport's main exit. Don't forget that traffic drives on the left-hand-side of the road! You need to take a bus on the airport-side of the road. If you're really adventurous, you won't take the blue government buses, but rather an orange private one :) There is a direct bus (destination Speightstown) on Sunday and holidays. On weekdays, buses are more frequent, but you need to first take a bus to the Oistins hub (buses to Bridgetown will also stop in Oistins) and switch there to a bus to Speightstown. Switching in Bridgetown is not advised (I'm told one needs to transfer between bus terminals). Note that there is no "transfer" ticket. When you switch in Oistins you need to buy a new ticket. Bus schedules can be found on the Transport Board website. Buses are not always on time. The Airport - Bellairs trip takes around 1.5h, depending on traffic. The bus takes a longer route (along the coast) than a taxi (which takes an internal "highway"). The bus stop is right in front of Folkestone Marine Park, just past Holetown and the Bellairs entrance is 30m farther down the road. Ask the driver to tell you when you've arrived. Just past the Folkstone Park stop is the entrance to Bellairs. On the way back to the airport, take buses going to either Airport or Kirtons (stops at the airport) or to Oistins and switch there to get to the airport. If you have a really early flight out of Barbados, you should book a taxi.

1. Kitchen and Food
   • Breakfast (toast, pancakes, ... varies daily) is provided by Bellairs (at 5 US$/day, Monday - Saturday).
   • We can make coffee in the kitchen any time we want. The available coffee at Bellairs is of the instant variety. If you wish to bring your own coffee (and share) that is appreciated.
   • Dinner is provided by Bellairs (Gwen, the cook comes in in the afternoon and prepares wonderful roast chicken, local fish, ...). If you need specific food, you will most likely find it at the local supermarket. There is a guest fridge in the dining hall where we can keep our own private food. Please label your food and remove any left-over when you leave.
2. Showers and Sand
   • Sand in the shower drains can cause serious blockage problems. Be sure to rinse off the sand from your feet before entering your rooms. There are water taps outside for this purpose.
3. Locked Doors and Valuables
   • Please leave your room locked when you are not in.
   • You can leave your money and other valuables in the safe in the main office. If you leave some money in your room we suggest you put it in a purse inside a locked suitcase inside a closed closet; certainly do not leave it within arm's reach of the back windows facing the public park.
4. Telephone and Computers
   • Computers are available. Internet connection speed is reasonable, most of the time. The speed is high enough to use Skype, which is far cheaper than buying local phone cards. Since a few years, there is also wireless internet.

1. Bellairs is situated on one of the best beaches in Barbados, so don't forget your bathing suit for swims before breakfast, between work sessions and even at night (the daily "midnight swim" is now a tradition). Right in front of Bellairs is a small (and somewhat alive) coral reef. Do bring snorkeling goggles as the fish are gorgeous. Above all, don't forget sunscreen !
2. Depending on the weather conditions and other factors, we may get some mosquitoes (this is typically more of a problem during the rainy season). You should bring some bug repellant (DEET) just in case. Note that there is no malaria on the island of Barbados.