St. Nicholas Abbey and Steam Railway

Absolutely wonderful experience. We purchased the ticket for the train and the rum tour, which were 100% worth it. The train ride feels from another era on the coal-powered engine. Our train guide, Tonia, was fantastic and charming. She has a lovely voice. It was my niece’s birthday on the day that we went, so I asked Tonia to send her a greeting which she agreed to! Well-earned tip for a gift to remember. The second part of the tour was the rum distillery. That was fascinating to me, particularly the traditional method that continues to be widely used in Barbados. The guide, Chris, was also knowledgeable. Before the rum tasting you watch an 18 minute film shot by one of the owners. Honestly, I was not expecting much from it, but I was wrong. It is a film about Barbados during colonial times narrated in the most clever, hilarious way possible. Worth a watch!

We started our tour poorly because it was raining and Google Maps took us down a shorter but unpaved back road, on which we almost got stuck. Luckily we called them and they guided us to the starting point. Note that if Google Maps is taking you on a dirt road a few minutes before you're due to arrive, that's the bad back road and you really shouldn't go that way. Advice to managemrnt: add some signs there to guide visitors the right way. We started with the short steam train ride, which was enjoyable even though it rained. We then continued with a guided tour of the house. A 20 minute video of the distillery and Barbados followed, which was fun, but we expected a distillery tour, even if short. Then we had the tasting, which was disappointing - only a couple of their cheapest rums and it ended very quickly. We were hoping to buy a few bottles of rum at the end, but they were far too expensive, so we bought none. Advice to management: make it clear that there's no tour of the distillery with this package, just a video. Improve the tasting experience with more variety and taking a bit more time. And do work on those prices a bit - it's better to sell more at a lower price then sell almost nothing at all. Overall it was a great experience, especially since the guides were engaging and funny, but some tweaks could easily be made to gain that extra star.

I first came here in 2023 with my husband and it was a 5 star experience. Our guide, Virginia, was knowledgeable and took the time to explain things fully. We took a train ride to Cherry Tree Hill and it was a beautiful vista. Our tasting was done by Simon Warren. We had lunch in the outdoor restaurant after and Mr. Warren took the time to thank each of us, personally, for coming. In 2025, I came here with a friend. I would give it a 3.5 star experience. Our guide was fine but Virginia was sadly in the gift shop and the guide who took us through missed A LOT. So I explained things about slavery at the plantation, medicinal gardens, the bricks, and so on to my friend. There were 2 options for a train ride. We took the latest option and it was essentiallly just a marketing ride for the new areas where there will be luxury rental stays. It was fine and nice for a first timer. The tasting was okay. Mr. Warren was not present which is understandable. He can't be there all the time. Lunch was also decent. For first timers, i do recommend coming here. Just make sure the guide doesn't try to rush you through and you hear the history. Very little history was given.

Wonderful trip on the stream railway around the sugar plantation and surrounding area. Amazing views across the island when it stops at the top of Cherry Tree Hill. The tour of the old big house was great and very informative as was the run distillery tour and tasting.

We did the combination House and Long train tour. Excellent value for the money. The guided tours are well run with lots of good information. The guides are friendly, patient and all with good humor! The Owner Simon was presenting in the tasting room, and he is so fun to be around! The tour takes you right thru the middle of an operational distillery and one gets to see every step of the process. Very cool.

Amazing tour. Both the train ride and the great house tours were really great and well worth it. It was our favorite tour on the island. My only complaint is that the rum tasting was incredibly stingy. The rums are very expensive, so for someone who loves rum and would gladly pay for a really nice bottle, it would have been nice to taste some of the aged rums. We only got to taste the silver, 5 year regular proof, and a ginger liqueur. I've read old reviews that say they got to taste the entire lineup, so I'm not sure why this is no longer the case. If you want someone to spend hundreds of dollars on your rums, it should be included in the tasting. Even if there is a separate charge for a premium tasting, I would have jumped on the opportunity immediately.

Established in 1658, this is one of the oldest plantations on the island of Barbados. A guided tour will lead you through a Jacobean great house, a boiling house, and even a distillery. The tour also includes a taste of aged rum and a very quick educational demonstration of its production process. A train ride through the plantation's grounds offers insight into the history of Barbados' railways while providing breathtaking scenic views. I found the shorter train ride to Cherry Tree Hill to be more than sufficient but there is a longer option as well.

Fantastic Experience! I purchased the Steam Railway Ride & Rum Distillery Tour and had a wonderful time. I was extremely fortunate to see the processing of Sugar Cane which typically ends in June but was running late in the season as they still cut the sugar can by hand so that was a lovely bonus. They have some beautiful birds on site as well. Colin who was our guide for the Rum Tasting Tour was absolutely delightful, very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. I would highly recommend this tour, it's great for all ages