A Most Enchanting Place: Photographic Tour And Review of "Hunte's Gardens" in Barbados

Hunte's Gardens is a recommended stop for any nature lovers visiting the island.

Today we took a drive up to St. Joseph to visit Hunte's Gardens for the first time. It's a bit shameful to admit that we've never been there before, even though my wife and I were born and raised on the island and lived here our entire lives. The secondary reason for the trip was that I wanted to take some photos of the flowers with my new macro lens. The place is quite nice, so I've decided to write here a quick review and include some of the photographs that I took while we were there.

If you're ever in Barbados, I recommend it.

The entrance to the gardens

Hunte's Gardens: A Most Enchanting Place

The manicured forest of exotic plants, trees and bushes sits in a geological 'sink hole' in the parish of St. Joseph. Upon arriving at your destination you're greeted by a sign promising "the most enchanting place on earth", a pretty hard sell, I'd say. But the garden is exquisite, a most enchanting place if not the most, and maintained personally by the owner of the property Mr. Anthony Hunte. He lives in the former stables of the old Castle Grant Plantation which sits overlooking the garden. The entrance fee is just $15 USD per adult.

The view from above

Sunlight through the canopy

Following the winding pathways through unfolding ferns and velvet orchids buzzing with bees and butterflies you come across several European and Japanese style statues featuring what appear to be Greek gods, lions, devils and Buddhas. Several nooks with wrought iron and wooden chairs are scattered throughout the garden, making it an ideal spot for private picnics and teas.

Lemonade & Ginger

After you have had your fill of the garden you can make your way up to the house for refreshments such as lemonade & ginger, or have a sample of Mr. Hunte's own rum line. Stay for bit and have a chat with Mr. Hunte and the other guests.

Here are some of my favourite shots from the day.

These were taken with natural lighting on a Canon SL1 with a 100mm 2.8f macro lens and lightly edited with Nik Colour Efex. Now that I have them all here next to each other, it's clear that I was drawn to the purple flowers!

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If you're ever in Barbados, let me know. Maybe I'll have some time to show you around a bit!!

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