Asha and Afiya Frank on their off grid stay and the Barbuda life they want to share

Who are the sisters behind Frangipani Eco Lodge in Barbuda?

Asha and Afiya Frank wanted to show me their Barbuda. At Frangipani, I asked both sisters what they wanted to share.

“Barbuda is special to me because I have grown up here,” Afiya told me. “I have been here since I was two years old. It’s my home really.”

“You just feel connected. You’re not lost in the world. People know who you are and you know who people are.”

“If I’ve seen you on Monday and you come back on Wednesday, you’re going to be remembered.”

“It has that very kind of island feel, local feel, and it’s a special place for children as well, young people, because you really have a sense of independence.”

“You can really relax and be connected to a community.”

Frangipani is on Barbuda’s Atlantic coast. Compare its current offer with the Barbuda area guide.

What way of life does Asha want to share at Frangipani?

Asha wants Frangipani to share living close to nature.

“I control my hours. I control my time,” she said. “But the vision that we have for this place is to share the way of life.”

“Living in nature, being at one with nature, not trying to intrude.”

“Obviously you’re you’re putting something that wasn’t here before, but we’re trying to be as less intrusive as as possible.”

I asked Asha how she had found moving from the UK to Barbuda.

“Because I have a connection with Barbuda in the sense that my father’s from here,” she said. “So it is very it is difficult, it’s not easy.”

“even when you leave for a short period of time and live in a place that is a metropolitan world, it you change.”

“there’s always that adjustment that you have to make when you come back and live, live with nature.”

Compare the facilities with our other Barbuda stays.

How does reusing materials shape Frangipani’s design?

Frangipani’s design uses materials available on Barbuda.

“Coming from a small island, you have to reuse and recycle, and you can only have access to what you actually have on island,” Afiya said. “And that can be very limiting, but it can also really trigger the imagination.”

“frangipani has developed over time. Um, and with the inspiration of local buildings, the ideas from local builders paired together with what we think would be great for the tourism industry.”

In the tour she showed me a canoe that had started taking in water. “So now we’ve changed it into a little swing or a little area to relax.”

Compare the guesthouse and cabana in the current accommodation information.

How do the sisters bring Barbuda’s outdoors into Frangipani?

Frangipani brings outdoor living into its cooking areas, planting and places to sit.

“We really try to connect with nature,” Afiya said. “We have very rustic but comfortable designs and we try and incorporate outdoor with indoor living.”

“Going out to the beach for picnics for a full day is a huge part of the Barbuda culture, and so we try to make that as easy as possible for tourists and people visiting Barbuda to experience.”

Both spaces have cooking facilities in the owners’ accommodation overview. A kitchen is one of the details I would compare in a Caribbean stay.

Which plants did Asha choose for Frangipani’s grounds?

Asha named local palms and wild growing balsam among the plants used at Frangipani.

“We have a local palm and so we use the local palm. We use the balsam. That literally just goes wildly.”

“We don’t even have fencing. So we have cows that are growing freely. We have donkeys.”

“We as a people need to move collectively and look at the ways that we can live at one with nature, less intrusive,” Asha said.

“you’re living with animals and you’re, you know, rather than, you’re doing your more research to make sure that you’re not taking over the space that actually essentially belongs to them.”

Asha described thinking about the space the animals use. The property’s landscape description gives more of the sisters’ approach.

What does Afiya want guests to hear and see at Frangipani?

Afiya wants Frangipani guests to hear the ocean and see the stars.

“You really feel like you’re having a sense of both hearing the ocean very clearly and very powerfully without hearing any other background noise.”

“The dark night skies is something that you’ll always remember. The stars, the moon rise and the sun sets.”

“You can switch off. You become one with nature and you do really have to just slow down.”

“It’s not really something that’s forced. You don’t really have a choice. It just comes naturally.”

The Frangipani visitor information states there is no WiFi. Make a separate plan for work that needs an internet connection.

What should you know before booking Frangipani in Barbuda?

Frangipani’s current offer is a guesthouse for four and a cabana for two, with self catering facilities. Check the current room information for the setup you want.

Afiya showed me the solar powered guesthouse and solar charging during the tour. I also filmed a separate petrol generator running the water pump. Ask how the systems work for the accommodation you are booking.

“We provide you as well with water, drinking water,” Afiya said during the tour. “We really enjoy outdoor cooking at Frangipani. So in both our accommodation areas, we try to provide you with enough stuff so that you can cook outside comfortably.”

At the cabana, Afiya showed me what was there for cooking during the tour.

“We’ve got an outdoor cooker, which is a gas stove. We provide all of your cooking wares.”

“We’ve got cups, glasses, tea, coffee, sugar, just a few of your essentials that you need because who wants to have to go and do a huge shop when they arrive on holiday?”

“Even a fridge. Mini fridge, but really enough space to keep all of your essentials cold.”

“We catch the local rainwater so we’ve got spouting on the cabana. So you’ve got water here to wash up and to do everything that you need really easily and quickly.”

She pointed out the locally made grill.

“It’s actually an old vehicle hub, tire hub. So it’s been welded together to create a lovely little grill area to cook outdoors.”

“We even provide you with the charcoal so that you haven’t got to go looking around for things to burn.”

“Although the cabin doesn’t have any electricity, we do provide you with a solar charging station, so even if you come, you’ve got you’ll be able to charge all of your devices.”

“We’ve got a guidebook to Frangipani itself, with all of the little hints and tips on how to survive here, and also a guidebook on Barbuda, because there’s a lot of interesting information that you might want to sit and read in the evenings, and it’s quiet enough to do so.”

Will you have Frangipani to yourself during a Barbuda stay?

Frangipani is private to your booking if you reserve both accommodations, or if the other has no booking. The owners’ visitor answers explain that separate bookings can mean sharing with other guests, and local people may be fishing on the beach.

When I stayed, it felt as if I had an island to myself. Check who else will be there if that privacy is what you want.

Afiya described the change of pace: “When you come to Barbuda, you already, as you step off the boat or you step off the plane, you have to slow down.”

“Whether it’s waiting for your taxi to pick you up, whether it’s going to the supermarket. Barbuda is a place where everything isn’t accessible at your every whim.”

“You really have to become one with the environment and become one with what’s happening. It’s very authentic, very authentic experience. And I think you really find that here at Frangipani.”

How should you arrange travel and meals for Frangipani?

Arrange your arrival with Frangipani and bring your first meal. Its current visitor guidance says the stay is self catering and breakfast is not included.

“The connection between Antigua and Barbuda is not always great and sometimes it can be off putting,” Afiya told me. “But we try and support you so that you can get here.”

“We have a ferry service and a flight service and the ferry service is the most commonly used. It’s the most affordable.”

“If the weather is very rough, they might have to cancel. And it’s something that is very last minute.”

“the flights can be more reliable, but they are sometimes can be pricey.” Afiya said. “And so we try and accommodate tourists or work around and find ways for you to get here.”

“That’s our main goal for people coming to discover Barbuda. The lifestyle in Barbuda from a child growing up is being in touch with nature and being outdoors.”

“We like to provide that for people that may not have the know how of how to make it happen for themselves.”

Confirm your crossing and room. Compare the Barbuda accommodation guide. Give yourself time to arrive, my loves.

Keep exploring, my loves. Discover more places in My Ideal World.