Bus to Accra Beach

[Aplmac]

Bye yes, Accra is roughish in the sense that the water isn't as nice as you would find in Carlise Bay and along the West Coast.

There's nothing wrong with Accra - parking, restaurants, stalls etc,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These pics of Accra Beach/Rockley Beach

taken on different days, different times of day, different times of year

showing average sea conditions -at no special state of tide, hi or lo..

.

[virginiatechmom]

I followed Aplmac's advice last May and went to Accra and LOVED it. I am starting to plan another cruise for this May and without a doubt I will be going to Accra again. The water and sand were perfect. We went for a nice walk on the boardwalk and there are a few food/drink huts nearby. No one bothered us at all - it was truly paradise. It was easy to grab a taxi right off the ship and we arranged a time for them to come back to get us. Well, the driver ended up being stuck somewhere with another passenger, so he arranged for another driver to come and get us. Amazing! So, yes, Accra is a great choice if you want breathtaking scenery, beautiful sand and calm, clear water (at least on that day it was :)). Enjoy!!!!

[Bage]

Don't be deceived - the water is not always calm. Take care!!

 

Marcia

[Aplmac]

Don't be deceived - the water is not always calm.

Take care!! ===> As you always should!

Marcia

Ever seen Sandy Lane breaking from point to point? ..right across the bay?

-I have!

With sand washed up all across their dance floor

and all behind the main bar! ;)

 

Ever seen Rockley so utterly calm you can walk out into chest-high water

with an expensive camera in hand to take pics looking back to shore?

-I have (done exactly that)

 

 

So, dear reader, we try not to paint with broad brushes.

 

Crane is usually -but not always- rough to rough-ish.

Bathsheba can be very calm, but I'm talking Sept. and Oct.

The normally placid millpond West Coast can erupt overnight

when a North Swell comes rolling down within a matter of hours,

transforming it from Tourist Heaven to Tourist Hell.

Rockley Bay can break at 8-10 ft. when a hurricane passes South of the island

--seen that too -- Janet, Sept. 1955 !

or it can be flatter than Sandy Lane Bay,

with bathtub temps. so warm it's not refreshing -but that's low tide some Septembers.

 

Sea conditions are as variable as the wind that creates them!

Locals get fixed ideas in the heads, not easily changed.

Blanket statements become "truths" over time.

Sea conditions depend on the day and your great (or tough) luck on The Day you're ashore here.

On ANY coast, you can't possibly be 100% sure of what 'your beach' will be like, so take care indeed.

.

[Tazerok]

The beach has always been called PAYNES BAY.

The silly "Blue Monkey Beach" handle got stuck to it due to a bar operating there.

The real name is Paynes Bay, and yes the turtles are still there

they haven't gone anywhere.

 

Any bus going to Holetown or Speightstown goes right past there.

Get off at COACH-HOUSE.

.

 

Is it easy to swim out and see them or would you recommend a tour to swim with the sea turtles? Thanks in advance

[Aplmac]

Is it easy to swim out and see them

or would you recommend a tour to swim with the sea turtles?

Honestly, I've never been, but from what I've read, they're a good 150-200 yds. offshore,

so unless you're a super swimmer/snorkeller, you're probably better off doing an organized tour

with ppl who know where to go, at what time, what to feed them to attract them near to you, etc.

 

Seems a lot less bother to me,

than trying to do your own thing to save a few bucks,

and probably get run over by jetskis or boats in the process..know what I mean? ;)

 

Paynes Bay is busy water...as is Holetown Bay as well.

.

[Tazerok]

Ahh, good points, thank you so much for your quick reply. On that note would you happen to have a good tour company you can recommend for this? =P Thanks again!

[Aplmac]

Ahh, good points, thank you so much for your quick reply.

On that note would you happen to have a good tour company you can recommend for this?

Even if I knew, I'm not allowed to -sorry.

 

 

 

___________________________________________

Please know that it is a requirement of Barbados law

that snorkellers carry with them a bright orange marker-buoy,

to make them obvious to ski-boat and jet-ski operators.

 

Watersports operators who supply/rent snorkel gear

should be able to provide such equipment

.

[Tazerok]

No problem, thanks for the help

[Aplmac]

To illustrate a point I made, a few posts back...

 

 

 

Accra! -Rockley Bay, South Coast BARBADOS

 

 

______________________

Taken with a Nikon D60

with a 10.5 mm. Fisheye-Nikkor lens

- in swelly,chest-high water ..October 11th. 09

 

[cruisingcouple2008]

Aplmac what are the chances of you providing us with r/t transportation for a fee to and from the cruise ship?? My husband and I would be interested in that, or could you recommend someone or some company who you feel is as informative as you always are on these boards.

[Aplmac]

Aplmac what are the chances of

you providing us with r/t transportation for a fee to and from the cruise ship?? ===> My car's a small car!

My husband and I would be interested in that,

or could you recommend someone or some company who you feel is as informative as you always are on these boards.

As a "Local Expert" (CC's phrase -not mine..)

I'm not allowed to recommend tours.

I am restrained to making "general comments" only. :cool:

Sorry.

.

.

[waterbugohio]

I would like to recommend Silvermoon. We did a tour with them last year and swam with the turtles. they were top notch. Very, very nice boat, small groups and get day. I would say it was our best excursion out of five days. We are heading back to Barbados in four weeks and the only reason we will not do Silvermoon again is we did not get the chance to actually see the island of Barbados. I know we will miss a wonderfull excursion, but will check out Accra and other areas instead.

[HAULNTA]

The beach has always been called PAYNES BAY.

The silly "Blue Monkey Beach" handle got stuck to it due to a bar operating there.

The real name is Paynes Bay, and yes the turtles are still there

they haven't gone anywhere.

 

Any bus going to Holetown or Speightstown goes right past there.

Get off at COACH-HOUSE.

.

Thank you so much! I was there in 07 but could not remember

[HAULNTA]

Is it easy to swim out and see them or would you recommend a tour to swim with the sea turtles? Thanks in advance

It is very easy to just swim out. Last time, I just waited for one of the tour boats to come and the turtles were there.

[cruise14]

Aplmac~about how far is the walk from Accra to the Hilton? After reading your posts, I can't decide if I want to plant myself in the sand at Accra or the Hilton. We visited the Hilton several years ago, and it looks like they remodeled. We thought it was gorgeous then, it looks even better now! Also, how do you feel about the Boatyard or Lobster Alive as opposed to Accra?

[Aplmac]

About how far is the walk from Accra to the Hilton? ===> 2 miles?

After reading your posts, I can't decide if I want to plant myself in the sand at Accra

or the Hilton. ===> Halfway in between?

 

Also, how do you feel about the Boatyard or Lobster Alive

as opposed to Accra? ===> Close but no cigar?

There's a nice little(not so little) family-run hotel by the name of Coconut Court

somewhere along the South Coast, sitting about halfway between Hilton and Accra

and this might be your solution.

 

 

Wife and I had a nice swim there last weekend, and I took a few pics on their coconut beach

 

 

 

You might consider camping there for the day -I'm sure they won't kick you out

and from that base camp you might wander West to Hilton

 

 

- and then East to the boardwalk, with Accra at its end.

 

How's that for the best of both worlds?

[cruise14]

I think that sounds like a great solution! Does the beach at Coconut Court have a place to order food and drinks (I assume they do, since they are a hotel) water toys, etc? It looks beautiful as well! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I don't know what these boards would do without you!

[nerak]

Quick question...any idea how long the bus ride is to Accura Beach? Any idea what the taxi fare would be to Accura Beach from the port?

 

It looks beautiful. We have been to the Boatyard, too busy, too cheesy...been to one by the rum distillery, very pretty, but would like to try this one. Your pictures are beautiful!!!

 

Thanks in advance

[Aplmac]

I think that sounds like a great solution!

Does the beach at Coconut Court have a place to order food and drinks

(I assume they do, since they are a hotel) ===> I'd assume so, too.

water toys, etc? ===> NO water toys! Quiet laid back place

It looks beautiful as well! ===> Nice big protected tidepool to swim in

No water toys, no jet skis, just wallowing in the spacious tidepool

feeding the small fish near the rocks, if you'll take a few slices of bread into the water with you

 

 

Take the boardwalk East up to Accra, if Coconut Court is too quiet for you

- there's more watersports activity up there, albeit not a lot.

.

[jackdiamond]

To be honest, that may be somewhat far-fetched as the island's main source of income is presently tourism and as such, most people here come into contact with tourists on a regular basis. Maybe it was just someone with a bad experience.

 

 

The walk is relative. Some people may find it to be nothing whilst others may see it as a challenge. From the photo above, the Cruise Terminal is the one located by the red arrow. The Fairchild Street Terminal has a yellow arrow and the River Terminal a blue one. Looking at the scale of it, maybe you can decide which it is to you.

 

 

 

Getting to either Harrison's Cave or St. John's Parish Church by taxi is easy. Getting back in time might be the difficult part. I'm not 100% sure on the transit times dependent on the time of day but it may be a gamble if you are trying to get back into Bridgetown during rush hour. If anything, I'd do St. John's Parish Church or Harrison's Cave in the morning, head back to Bridgetown and then, if you have the time, you can do Accra or Carlisle Bay.

Is that beach shown by Bridgetown nice? Also, is it available to the public?

Thank you.

[tourismmonkey246]

The beach in question is known as Carlisle Bay. I think it's one of the nicest beaches here. This beach to me is like Accra is to aplmac (I think that's enough said!)

 

At one end is The Boatyard beach, Lobster Alive and Wispers Restaurant. On the other, the Barbados Yacht Club, Grand Barbados Beach Hotel and Needham's Point.

 

It's a vast expanse of beach and the water is relatively flat and shallow.

 

As with all the beaches in Barbados, it is public.

 

When I get back home from work I'll post a few pictures of it (unless aplmac has some available).

[Can'tstopcruising]

The Coconut Court beach looks lovely. How much would a taxi cost? Do we just walk in? Do we pay for the lounge? How does it work? Thanks

[CRUZN CHICK]

I agree and would like to know more about it. We'll be there in February (Victory) and it looks like just the kind of place I'd like to hang for a day. I also liked Accra and will be considering that as well.

[cindygad]

We just got home from our Cruise. We planned on taking the local bus to Accra beach. The taxi drivers were having a slow day so we got a ride for 12$ there and 15 back. We walk alot and was glad we took the taxi. It is a long hot walk to the bus station.

 

We loved the beach, the boardwalk starts on the end of the beach. We also walked across the street to convenience store to get water, pop, and beer for cruise.