Island Tour of Barbados - suggestions please

[Martin and Lindsey]

We have been to Barbados once before when we snorkelled with the turtles.

This time we want to see the island.

 

I am looking for some recommendations of tours of the island.

 

Please also let me know of some of the things that you saw.

 

Who did you use, and can you remember how much they charged?

[Wanderbug]

I went to Barbados on the "Serenade of the Seas" last week. There were 6 in our family so we made arrangements for a private tour with Cameron Reid. Through email before the cruise, he made suggestions and let us choose what we wanted to do. He was excellent and the price was very reasonable ($198 for 4 hours for 6 people).

 

http://www.scenicbarbados.com/

[SuiteTraveler]

We did a FANTASTIC Photoadventure tour with a local photographer Rodney Carrington.

http://www.carrington-barbados-images.com/default.html

 

My husband's hobby is photography and this THE best tour we've ever taken in the Carribbean. I wasn't even taking photos, but I enjoyed it immensely. We saw things that you don't normally see there and learned a great deal about Barbados. Well worth every single cent. Mr. Carrington knows EVERYBODY who's anybody on Barbados. Just an outstanding tour! I cannot recommend this tour highly enough!

[mcarthia]

We just came back this week. The two of us just went out into the taxi line and hired a driver. It cost $20 / person for a three hour island tour. We shared a van with 6 other people. Very economical way to get a good overview of the island.

[Martin and Lindsey]

We did a FANTASTIC Photoadventure tour with a local photographer Rodney Carrington.

http://www.carrington-barbados-images.com/default.html

 

My husband's hobby is photography and this THE best tour we've ever taken in the Carribbean. I wasn't even taking photos, but I enjoyed it immensely. We saw things that you don't normally see there and learned a great deal about Barbados. Well worth every single cent. Mr. Carrington knows EVERYBODY who's anybody on Barbados. Just an outstanding tour! I cannot recommend this tour highly enough!

 

This sounds interesting! My husband is into photography and this cruise is for his 60th birthday, so I am interested to know more. ;)

 

How long was this tour and how much did it cost?

 

Could you please give some more information of how the day went?

Many thanks :)

[SuiteTraveler]

This sounds interesting! My husband is into photography and this cruise is for his 60th birthday, so I am interested to know more. ;)

 

How long was this tour and how much did it cost?

 

Could you please give some more information of how the day went?

Many thanks :)

 

It was a 6 hour tour. I'm not sure how much it cost - it's been a few years - not much though and whatever we paid it was 100% worth it - even 200%. I just noticed there is a thread about the photography tour in this Barbados section with prices quoted! Go check that out - those folks are also thrilled with their tour! We started in the early morning, drove all over the island, got amazing photos, there were some beach places where I bought beach towels and a rum bar where I bought a rum punch. Rodney taught me the recipe for rum punch - I still know it by heart:

 

One of sour,

Two of sweet,

Three of strong,

Four of weak.

 

Rodney has photographed the Prime Minister of Barbados - we drove by his house and the state buildings and Rodney also talked in detail about the history of the island and the architecture of the island including the frilly holiday houses and rum bars - really fascinating - got some amazing photos. Some areas we photographed were natural such as the Mushroom Rock of Batsheba:

 

http://tripatlas.com/guides/Caribbean/1353/Mushroom_rock_of_Batsheba_in_Barbados

 

The East Coast is amazing, btw. But we drove all over the island with multiple stops to get photos and Rodney gave my husband some great tips on getting the best shots. I just liked seeing everything and getting to know the REAL Barbados. So many people go there and never see the East Coast.

[BonnieLark]

We have been to Barbados once before when we snorkelled with the turtles.

This time we want to see the island.

 

I am looking for some recommendations of tours of the island.

 

Please also let me know of some of the things that you saw.

 

Who did you use, and can you remember how much they charged?

 

We were in Barbados last week and did a private tour with Marson through Scenic Barbados Tours.

5 hours at $40US per hour

Our tour:

_Leaving the port area we drove north along the West Coast.

_First stop was St Nicholas Abbey. This is a place that we had read about as a must see. $35US per couple includes rum tasting, rum punch and tour. Enjoyed the distillery and observing the sugar cane being processed. We were here one hour but could have easily spent two. You can buy a bottle of their very good rum for $70US and they will engrave a personal sentiment at no additional cost.

_Next was Cherry Tree Hill for pictures and the view.

_Drove by Morgan Lewis Windmill and stopped for pictures

_Flower Forest was our next stop. $10US per person. We spent about 45 mins. strolling through this lovely and relaxing place. Nice view of the Atlantic too.

_Next was the beautiful East Coast and Bathsheba Beach. This was my must see destination. Got some amazing pictures here.

_After Bathsheba we headed west driving through villages and neighborhoods, seeing the “real” Barbados.

_Stopped at St John Parish Church which was built in 1836. Loved the architecture of this old church, the cemetery and views for the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

_We ended our tour driving through historic Bridgetown and then back to the port terminal.

This was a great tour for seeing a lot of the island in 5 hours. Marson is a very pleasant man with an abundance of information and stories about Barbados. We will definitely be returning to this beautiful and friendly island.

[pacfinder]

We also used Scenic Barbados, everything went well and we would probably book with them again.

[cptbfcb]

We were on our 4th visit to Barbados. We had been to Sunbury Plantation twice and didn't want to do that again. We had also spent one visit there swimming with the turtles. We looked at island tours on the internet and found Johnson's Tours. We were extremely happy with our selection of Picture Perfect. We could not have asked for a better day. First we drove up the west side of the island past the resort where Tiger Woods was married. We heard later back on the ship that some of the people had just gone there for a day at the beach. Beachgoes may be interested in looking into that. At any rate, we crossed the country through farmlands and sugar cane fields past the old windmill to Chalky Mount Pottery. If you are interested in pottery, we were given an amazing demonstration and offered pottery pieces for about 1/3 what it is sold for in the stores. Our problem was the extra weight in our luggage. We then proceeded to the coast past Bathsheba and on to Bath Beach for our picnic lunch. We were given a nice lunch of sandwiches, homemade coconut bread (yum) and drinks. We also had time to explore the beach area and nearby flea market. We then drove on down the very picturesque coast to St. Johns Parish church. Our last visit was to Ragged Point Lighthouse. There was another stop after that which we chose to eliminate because of a steep set of steps. All in all, we would highly recommend this tour to anyone. Johnson's driver was very polite accommodating. The van was fairly new, clean and had a high ceiling. No complaints at all - it was good value for our money.

[Martin and Lindsey]

We were in Barbados last week and did a private tour with Marson through Scenic Barbados Tours.

5 hours at $40US per hour

Our tour:

_Leaving the port area we drove north along the West Coast.

_First stop was St Nicholas Abbey. This is a place that we had read about as a must see. $35US per couple includes rum tasting, rum punch and tour. Enjoyed the distillery and observing the sugar cane being processed. We were here one hour but could have easily spent two. You can buy a bottle of their very good rum for $70US and they will engrave a personal sentiment at no additional cost.

_Next was Cherry Tree Hill for pictures and the view.

_Drove by Morgan Lewis Windmill and stopped for pictures

_Flower Forest was our next stop. $10US per person. We spent about 45 mins. strolling through this lovely and relaxing place. Nice view of the Atlantic too.

_Next was the beautiful East Coast and Bathsheba Beach. This was my must see destination. Got some amazing pictures here.

_After Bathsheba we headed west driving through villages and neighborhoods, seeing the “real” Barbados.

_Stopped at St John Parish Church which was built in 1836. Loved the architecture of this old church, the cemetery and views for the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

_We ended our tour driving through historic Bridgetown and then back to the port terminal.

 

This was a great tour for seeing a lot of the island in 5 hours. Marson is a very pleasant man with an abundance of information and stories about Barbados. We will definitely be returning to this beautiful and friendly island.

 

 

How many of you were on the tour for $40 per hour?

 

Your tour took you to some of the places that I am interested in seeing. :)

[dz63]

Our family of 5 had a private tour with Scenic Barbados tours. Our first stop was Harrison's Caves. Here we boarded a tram and went on a 40 minute journey into this massive limestone cavern. After that our driver Andy, took us to the east coast and picturesque Bathsheba. Here we saw the famous mushroom shaped rocks which Bathsheba is so famous for. Our next stop was St. John's Parish Church, a historic Gothic church built in 1836 which is situated on a hill overlooking the east coast. We also walked through the old cementary. A descendant of Emperor Constantine the Great, who died in 1678 is said to be buried here. Our final stop was beautiful Rockley/Accra Beach, where we spent one hour enjoying the warm turquoise-coloured waters of the Caribbean Sea before Andy took us back to the ship.

 

We paid $60.00/adult for a 5 1/2 hour tour of Barbados (This rate has now gone up to $70). This rate included the entrance fee to Harrison's Cave. This tour does not include food, snacks or beverages.

 

 

For more detailed information about our tour (with lots of photos), check out my review located from posts #88 - #91 at the link below:

 

My review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1038334&page=5

 

I have also put together a youtube video with music of our tour with Scenic Barbados Tours.

 

My youtube video:

[2cool2cruise]

Our family of 5 had a private tour with Scenic Barbados tours. Our first stop was Harrison's Caves. Here we boarded a tram and went on a 40 minute journey into this massive limestone cavern. After that our driver Andy, took us to the east coast and picturesque Bathsheba. Here we saw the famous mushroom shaped rocks which Bathsheba is so famous for. Our next stop was St. John's Parish Church, a historic Gothic church built in 1836 which is situated on a hill overlooking the east coast. We also walked through the old cementary. A descendant of Emperor Constantine the Great, who died in 1678 is said to be buried here. Our final stop was beautiful Rockley/Accra Beach, where we spent one hour enjoying the warm turquoise-coloured waters of the Caribbean Sea before Andy took us back to the ship.

 

We paid $60.00/adult for a 5 1/2 hour tour of Barbados (This rate has now gone up to $70). This rate included the entrance fee to Harrison's Cave. This tour does not include food, snacks or beverages.

 

 

For more detailed information about our tour (with lots of photos), check out my review located from posts #88 - #91 at the link below:

 

My review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1038334&page=5

 

I have also put together a youtube video with music of our tour with Scenic Barbados Tours.

 

My youtube video:

dz63...thanks for a wonderful review. really enjoyed the photos and most esp the video. it's very artistic and well formatted!!! if i can ask a question---what video software did you use? i like the transitions going from one photo to another? do you mind sharing this info?

 

thanks alot. looking forward to our cruise in early May. quite excited already!

[dz63]

dz63...thanks for a wonderful review. really enjoyed the photos and most esp the video. it's very artistic and well formatted!!! if i can ask a question---what video software did you use? i like the transitions going from one photo to another? do you mind sharing this info?

 

thanks alot. looking forward to our cruise in early May. quite excited already!

 

Hi 2cool2cruise. The video software which I use to make my youtube videos is Windows Movie Maker.

[2cool2cruise]

Hi 2cool2cruise. The video software which I use to make my youtube videos is Windows Movie Maker.

dz63...thanks very much for the info. i've heard about it before but haven't had a chance to learn it yet. i hope it's easy to learn.

[dz63]

dz63...thanks very much for the info. i've heard about it before but haven't had a chance to learn it yet. i hope it's easy to learn.

 

I am not technically savvy, and I found it very easy to learn.

[LAFF9004]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in March and just wanted to tour around the island for about 3 hours. Went out to the taxi stand and found Patsie Nurse who had a very nice van and several people also from the ship already to go. The tour was scheduled to last about 3 hours and lasted 4 because we had her stop at a local roadside cafe for drinks and a potty stop. Patsie was very knowledgeable of the island and we stopped for pics and to get out at several places. She got us back to the harbor in plenty of time. SHE WAS A VERY SAFE DRIVER! Cost: about $25 USD/person for the 4 hours. Her contact info is patsietaxi@hotmail.com or tele 246-236-6898. :)