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Paradise Cove (Deadman's Reef) or Taino Beach in Freeport


KKnKT
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Really we're just looking to sleep on a quiet beach -- no chairs or anything fancy needed.

 

MAYBE snorkel, but more likely sleep and jump in the ocean when it gets too warm.

 

I've been going some research and I've heard positives about both Paradise Cove and Taino Beach. Are they both taxi-accessible?

 

Anyone want to chime in on opinions on which would be better?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been home for a week now and have no more excuses, so here it is... my review of Paradise Cove and Deadman's Reef:

 

As our ship (the Carnival Ecstasy) arrived at Freeport on Grand Bahama Island, the Carnival Pride was already there letting people off. By the time we made it ashore, the port was a beehive of activity and it soon became obvious the layout was designed to shuttle people directly to Port Lucaya. The "gentleman" directing this flow of tourists into vans looked at me like I was crazy for asking to go 20-30 minutes the other way. He urged us to "go with the flow" and change our plans, but we had snorkeling gear with us and knew where we wanted to spend our day. We insisted on Paradise Cove, and since my wife and I didn't make a full vanload, we had to pay $20 each instead of the advertised $8 rate. Looking back, it was well worth the price difference to visit such a quiet and secluded beach... and to avoid those crowds at Port Lucaya! ;)

 

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Deadman's Reef is located just off the beach at Paradise Cove, a small resort about 12 miles away from the port. The drive there takes between 20 and 30 minutes. Our driver kept us entertained the whole time by talking about life on Grand Bahama and pointing out places we drove by. Time passed quickly and we were soon at Paradise Cove... the beautiful beach house in the middle of nowhere!

 

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The staff was nice and they checked us in quickly. It cost $3 each, and we paid $5 for a locker plus a $5 deposit for the lock. Then, they sent us over to "Elvis" who gave us a short briefing about the reef and the turtle-filled grass banks on the way to it. He explained how walking through the sea grass and standing on the coral destroys the ecosystem, then offered us any equipment we may have forgotten.

 

 

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The reef itself wasn't quite as nice as the one off West Bay beach on Roatan, or as nice as the one off Grand Cayman for that matter, but it was much nicer than either Chankanaab or the Money Bar in Cozumel... making it one of the best options I've found for snorkeling from shore.

 

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When you factor in the reef's proximity to such a peaceful beach, it makes Deadman's Reef one of the best snorkeling excursion I've found. .. it's right up there with West Bay beach on Roatan and the beach is much quieter.

 

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After snorkeling for an hour or two, we took a break and had a tasty Bahamian meal. It was a tour of conch... the local favorite. We had it cracked, grilled, and frittered! It was really good and relatively inexpensive.

 

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Our taxi driver was Eva in Taxi 262. (winker@gmail.com) She said she'd be glad to give private tours or transportation for an email negotiated price. She seemed very reliable and met us on time to take us back to the ship, so we'll use her next time we're in Freeport. :)

 

After she dropped us off, we spent the rest of the day basking in the afterglow of a great excursion. :cool: We ended up spending $80 on cab fare, $6 for admission, and about $30-35 on food and drinks... not too bad for two people. I'm not sure how this compares to the ship's excursions, but we're glad we didn't "go with the flow" and spend our day at Port Lucaya with everybody else. :rolleyes:

 

freeport.JPG

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Nice review and great photos! How far would it be from Nassau? We are on the Dream in two weeks and are considering Cable Beach but Paradise looks to an option as well. We only get five and a half hours in port so time is going to be limited.

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Nice review and great photos! How far would it be from Nassau? We are on the Dream in two weeks and are considering Cable Beach but Paradise looks to an option as well. We only get five and a half hours in port so time is going to be limited.

 

I believe your confusing Paradise Cove with Paradise Island off Nassau. Unfortunately, Paradise Island doesn't have very good snorkeling from shore :( and Paradise Cove is too far away... it's on Grand Bahama Island near Freeport.

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I believe your confusing Paradise CovNo e with Paradise Island off Nassau. Unfortunately, Paradise Island doesn't have very good snorkeling from shore :( and Paradise Cove is too far away... it's on Grand Bahama Island near Freeport.

 

No, wasn' t confusing the two but I wanted to know how far it was from Nassau. This will be our first time in the Bahamas and was trying to get some ideas besides all the touristy beaches.

I did a search and found it was in Freeport and not close to Nassau, oh well, next time maybe. Still, your photos are making me want to do a land vacation there!

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The staff was nice and they checked us in quickly. It cost $3 each, and we paid $5 for a locker plus a $5 deposit for the lock. Then, they sent us over to "Elvis" who gave us a short briefing about the reef and the turtle-filled grass banks on the way to it. He explained how walking through the sea grass and standing on the coral destroys the ecosystem, then offered us any equipment we may have forgotten.

 

This did NOT include equipment, right?

Did you notice what the cost was if you DID rent equipment?

Love, love, love the pictures!

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I know you can rent equipment, but while I'm not sure about the price, I think their "Snorkel Adventure" package is the way to go... If you looked HERE, you probably saw this:

 

SNORKEL ADVENTURE

$35 Adult ● $20 Child (under 12)

Includes Transportation to and from,

all Snorkel Equipment and Flotation Device.

Duration: 2 hrs, 4 hrs, 6 hrs (same price)

With Meal: additional $6 per person*

 

Even with your own gear, that's the way to go. It sure beats anything the ship offers! :cool:

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I know you can rent equipment, but while I'm not sure about the price, I think their "Snorkel Adventure" package is the way to go... If you looked HERE, you probably saw this:

 

SNORKEL ADVENTURE

$35 Adult ● $20 Child (under 12)

Includes Transportation to and from,

all Snorkel Equipment and Flotation Device.

Duration: 2 hrs, 4 hrs, 6 hrs (same price)

With Meal: additional $6 per person*

 

Even with your own gear, that's the way to go. It sure beats anything the ship offers! :cool:

 

Yep, that's the pricing I found. Thanks so very much for the photos - they're the best I've seen for this particular snorkel site.

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If you have your on equipment, would the charge be $3.00 each. If some in our group did not want to snorkel would they also pay the $3.00? How deep was the water and did you just swim out from the shore?

 

Thanks

Edited by geovet
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If you have your on equipment, would the charge be $3.00 each. If some in our group did not want to snorkel would they also pay the $3.00? How deep was the water and did you just swim out from the shore?

 

Admission is $3 for everyone and they have rentals for those not snorkeling... volleyball, kayaks, or lounge-chairs and umbrellas. I'm not sure about the prices, but I know they're less than at Port Lucaya! ;)

 

We swam out. Although it's hard bottom and slippery in places, you can walk out more than 100 ft. There, it becomes grass beds with sandy pockets for the next three or four hundred feet. This area varies between 5 and 10 feet deep and is where I saw all the turtles. :D In the middle of the area, about half way to the inside of the reef, they have a raft floating for people to rest if they need to. :eek:

 

As you reach the inside reef, it's very shallow in spots. Like the pictures show, it even sticks out of the water. Finally, on the outside of the reef, it drops from 15-20 ft. past 50 ft. pretty quickly... and if you want to come right here, they have a boat which takes people for $5 each. :cool:

Edited by Armedaneian
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Very nice. I'm solo on Leg 1 of my B2B on Ecstasy in November. As I posted in the other thread (thanks for your response there), I'm thinking about just going to the Radisson at Lucaya. We're already planning on doing the Von Humboltd excurson on Leg 2 when I'll have three others with me.

 

I'm not a swimmer. I finally got brave and went snorkeling in Cozumel because I could walk in. I'd (sort of) like to try again - since I was pleased that I didn't drown! - but I'm just not sure. I certainly wouldn't try it on my own.

 

I may email them and see what it would be just to spend the day there and hang out on the beach, have a grouper sandwich and a couple of beers.

 

Have you posted a review thread on the Carnival board? Despite the number of times I've sailed, and the number times those sailings have been on Fantasy-class ships, I still love reading reviews when I have a cruise booked.

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hdr_location.jpg

 

Our taxi driver was Eva in Taxi 262. (winker@gmail.com) She said she'd be glad to give private tours or transportation for an email negotiated price. She seemed very reliable and met us on time to take us back to the ship, so we'll use her next time we're in Freeport. :)

 

After she dropped us off, we spent the rest of the day basking in the afterglow of a great excursion. :cool: We ended up spending $80 on cab fare, $6 for admission, and about $30-35 on food and drinks... not too bad for two people. I'm not sure how this compares to the ship's excursions, but we're glad we didn't "go with the flow" and spend our day at Port Lucaya with everybody else. :rolleyes:

 

freeport.JPG

Why was cab fare $80? The sign in the pic above said $8.00

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Why was cab fare $80? The sign in the pic above said $8.00

 

The sign shows "Group Rates" and the 2 of us weren't considered a group. :o Apparently they charge a 5 person minimum... its the old Bait & Switch, a marketing classic:

 

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Right, so my cruise buddy thinks she'd rather go here than do the Von Humbodlt excursion.

 

If we all pick the snorkeling excursion, then it's "just" $35 each, including transportation, correct? There will be four of us. The website doesn't say that there's any minimum number at that price.

 

Would we have to pay an additional $3 each or is that included in the package price? And we would also need to rent chairs and umbrellas? Any idea what those would cost?

 

I may just have to email them and find out. I don't want to make reservations thinking it would be $35 each (plus tip(s) I imagine) and then find out that we end up spending double that. Plus food!

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The sign shows "Group Rates" and the 2 of us weren't considered a group. :o Apparently they charge a 5 person minimum... its the old Bait & Switch, a marketing classic:

 

a_little_bit_of_bait_and_switch.jpg

Ah~Haaaa.. I see, sorry for the delay I totally couldnt find this post.

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