In the UK, “bed and breakfast” conjures an image of grimy rooms occupied by travelling salesmen and desperate lovers.

At Bayfield House it means unpretentious luxury, peace and quiet and elegant, spacious rooms, each with a unique, old-world charm.

A Twinkle in His Eye?

After 50 years running some of the best hotels in the Caribbean (and most of that in Barbados), Trevor knows a thing or two about hospitality.

“We have a bit of a niche market. We get all sorts here – including honeymoon couples, though they tend not to come back as we don’t take children.” (Did a twinkle just pass his eye as he said that? I wasn’t sure…)

Trevor retired – sort of – in 2007 but within a year was re-building Bayfield House.

He supervised the work himself, hiring a foreman, masons and carpenters.

Trevor added 10 feet around the shell of the old building and modelled the new ground floor arched verandah on The Garrison buildings near Bridgetown.

The bar, dining and pool were next.

He now runs this delightful, hidden gem with his wife Pam, a Bajan who can trace her ancestry back to the first English settlers to arrive in Barbados nearly 400 years ago.

“I did it just to keep myself occupied,” said Trevor, “and to create a family-run business.”

Unpretentious luxury. The Bulkeley Room

Something was missing…

The majority of guests are from the UK. And typical of all these Barbados family run hotels, Bayfield House has a lot of repeat visitors.

And his pride in the finished article is obvious.

From the elegant, yet individual look of the 10 rooms, to the huge, simple, modern bathrooms and walk-in closets.

“Those stairs are made from purple heart wood”, “that four-poster bed is mahogany”, “I had that made using Indonesian wood” and “those tables belonged to Pam’s family”, he says.

During the tour, I sensed something was missing, but couldn’t put my finger on it. Televisions. Of course, that was it. There are no tvs in any of the rooms, and deliberately so.

And he hates the garish sign, required by law, pointing to a fire extinguisher: “What else could it be?” he said, shaking his head.

A Cromwell Cannon

Elsewhere, prints of old Barbados from the Illustrated London News line the walls, smart cane furniture sits in the shaded first floor balcony and a 17th century cannon is on guard duty in the garden.

The garden… he’s particularly proud of his garden and the plants within it.

“This one attracts the bees”, “that one has a beautiful lilac-coloured flower” and “this is the lipstick tree”, pointing to a tree with bright red fruit resembling, well, lipstick.

The rooms are named after old Barbados sugar factories.

The biggest, Porters, has a huge bathroom, a wet bar and a private sitting room overlooking the pool.

Lipstick by the pool

Pam and Trevor Ramsay. A Bajan and a Brit

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