My move from Berkshire to Barbados fulfilled all of my fantasies

Barbados is a paradise for holidaymakers – and, it turns out, a paradise to live in, too.

As British expat Julian Armfield discovered when he gave up his life in Berkshire after marrying a Bajan over 20 years ago and settling with her on the Caribbean island.

He tells MailOnline Travel that the warmth of the people is ‘simply wonderful’, the weather is amazing – apart from in hurricane season – and that he feels safe ‘at all times’.

The story of how and why Julian moved to Barbados begins in 2003, when he worked for the BBC, reporting on horse racing.

He explains: ‘I was single at the time and happily travelling the world reporting on major horse racing events for BBC World Service Radio. Moving away from Berkshire was the last thing on my mind until I accepted an invitation from a Barbados-based friend to attend his birthday party.’

While Julian hadn’t imagined he would move away from the ‘charming town’ of Newbury, fate had other plans.

He recalls: ‘Three nights after the party and on the eve of my flight home, I was introduced to Susan in a beach bar. Love was in the air soon afterwards and we needed to decide whether Susan moved to England or me to Barbados.

‘We had a debate that lasted ten seconds and my flight was booked. Within a year, we were walking up the aisle in an enchanting church overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We made our home at “Mistletoe”, Susan’s lovely townhouse near Bridgetown.’

While the decision to move countries was easy, the reality of expat life did come with some challenges that would change Julian’s career and outlook on life.

The writer says: ‘There were many [challenges], but having achieved a childhood dream of living in a tropical environment, I was not fazed by them.

‘Bajans are very conservative by nature and I had to make an effort to be absorbed into Susan’s extensive family and even more extensive circle of friends. Also, I needed to learn about the local customs and lifestyle.

‘I continued to jet off to exotic destinations for the BBC for a spell, but that lifestyle was not compatible with being a newly-wed and so I had a meeting with myself. I had been a journalist with a British national daily newspaper before going into radio, so what was to stop me writing an eBook about my exciting change of lifestyle?

‘Researching every aspect of Barbados’s culture, heritage and way of life would open my eyes to this new home country in a way that could also prove to be lucrative.’

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Julian published his book, ‘Absolutely Barbados: One Man’s mission to Discover the heart and Soul of a Caribbean Paradise’, and it ‘quickly became an Amazon Caribbean best-seller’.

‘I began to feel that I was getting closer to becoming a proud member of the Bajan community,’ notes the author. Having explored Barbados for his research, Julian shares that it wasn’t just his new bride that he fell in love with.

He comments: ‘First and foremost, I love the people. Their warmth and hospitality is simply wonderful and there’s an ease about the way of life that is unique to the island.

‘For example, when I walk into my doctor’s surgery, each and every patient in the waiting-room says “good morning”. When I wait in my car to get out from a side road onto a main road, it’s never long before someone stops to let me out.

‘If Susan or I spot an elderly lady struggling to walk along a pavement, we will offer her a lift. Of course, as an expat, I enjoy knowing exactly what I am going to wear (smart shorts and a short-sleeve shirt) every morning, 365 days a year.

‘It’s also hard to believe that every possible service and activity is only a ten-minute drive from my front door: fine dining, a drive-in cinema, my doctor’s office, a racecourse and on and on.’

Julian also notes that the island usually feels very safe.

He says: ‘There is some petty crime, but I feel safe at all times. The main danger is getting “over-refreshed” at the local rum shop!’

All British expats in Barbados have ‘their favourite rum shops or bars’, he adds. The small bars provide locals with a space to socialise and try the local tipple – very much the tropical alternative to a pub.

He notes: ‘Brits feel very much at home here, what with the red mailboxes and the familiar place names like Kent, Yorkshire, Brighton and Hastings. And if you are old enough to remember Woolworths, well you can still pick and mix in their store in Bridgetown.’

The Bajan weather is another plus that adds to Julian’s happiness.

The author delineates: ‘The weather is wonderful all year round. It is at its best between December and May. June to November is hurricane season, although Barbados has fared better than some of its neighbours over the years with both hurricanes and storms.

‘The UK weather is much more volatile. When it is good, it is wonderful; when it is bad, it is awful.’

While the island suffered some damage during the recent Hurricane Beryl, the author comments: ‘Our last major hurricane was Janet in 1955.’

That’s not to say that Barbados is perfect or that the UK is a disaster. Julian explains that there are upsides and downsides to both nations.

He says: ‘There are many things that I miss about not living in the UK, the long summer evenings, the village pubs with their real ales, the wonderful cultural events, the stately homes and the ease of access to other European countries.

‘It’s very irritating how many Bajan drivers hog the fast lane and don’t turn their lights on until it is pitch dark and the high cost of living [in Barbados] means less cash in my pocket.’

The price of a life in the Caribbean may surprise some readers – Julian claims that rental homes’ can range from $1,200 (£948) to $6,000 (£4,740) per month, whilst you can purchase a property for somewhere between $400,000 (£316,024) and US$38,000,000 (£30,022,280)’.

He adds: ‘The latter would get you a beachfront property on the West Platinum Coast. Barbados is booming and there could be no better time to invest in a property here.’

Julian would know… his wife, Susan, is a sales and rental agent at Terra Caribbean.

The author did reveal that there was one ‘bad’ aspect that he found shocking after his move to Barbados, and that was ‘the lack of care for many fine old buildings, which are so well looked after in the UK’.

The expat notes that little has changed in Barbados in the 20 years he has resided near Bridgetown and that, despite the island ‘becoming overdeveloped in some places’, he insists that it ‘retains its charm’.

Julian will never move back to Berkshire, he says, despite never originally planning to leave when he flew out to the Caribbean that fateful day in 2003.

On that, he says: ‘I am so happy here that it will always remain my home. We get to return regularly to the UK to spend time with my family there so we get the best of both worlds.’