Best Beach to Go to

[BcIcemen]

I think the Boatyard will be to crowded. Any suggestions on other beaches for the day?

[macaroni]

We love Accra beach....as long as there is no seaweed problem...get drinks at the tiki bar and walk across the street to just grillin for a flying fish sandwich...doesn't get better than that....on the west coast I like allynes beach...you can swim out to the turtles if you like.

[pghsteelerfan]

I think the Boatyard will be to crowded. Any suggestions on other beaches for the day?

 

We were just at Payne's Bay Beach, which was beautiful and while there were others there, it wasn't packed. We didn't have a lot of time there since most of the time was spent swimming with turtles (only 2) and out to a shipwreck where we saw TONS of fish. By the time we got back, our private tour was due back to pick us up for our tour of the east coast of Barbados, so I only had time to get a few quick pictures. I've heard great things about Accra Beach, as macaroni mentioned above, but don't know if it's affected by the seaweed or not. There may be other areas of Carlisle Bay away from the Boatyard that are less crowded but I don't know so hopefully others can add input. Adding a few pictures so you can "see" what Payne's Bay Beach looks like. It's about 15 minutes to the north of where the cruise ships dock.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tribe17]

Took taxi to one of our favorite beaches.. boatyard.. $6 pp p us tip

At boatyard cost is $12 pp gets you 2 beach chairs, large umbrella. 2 Alcoholic drinks and free ride back to ship . Water is pristine. Clearest I have seen and sand is fine white. Have a pier you can jump off and a rope swing. Got trampoline float and for fee can snorkel with turtles.

[mitsugirly]

We were just at Payne's Bay Beach, which was beautiful and while there were others there, it wasn't packed. We didn't have a lot of time there since most of the time was spent swimming with turtles (only 2) and out to a shipwreck where we saw TONS of fish. By the time we got back, our private tour was due back to pick us up for our tour of the east coast of Barbados, so I only had time to get a few quick pictures. I've heard great things about Accra Beach, as macaroni mentioned above, but don't know if it's affected by the seaweed or not. There may be other areas of Carlisle Bay away from the Boatyard that are less crowded but I don't know so hopefully others can add input. Adding a few pictures so you can "see" what Payne's Bay Beach looks like. It's about 15 minutes to the north of where the cruise ships dock.

 

 

Time for more planning for (us) :D since you have been so great in helping me plan for my upcoming cruise. :p Tell me more about this place. I don't think you have mentioned this to me. I did just look it up on google earth and it looks like it's much further away then the "normal" suggested beaches. How far of a taxi ride is it? Is that how you got there prior to being picked up for your tour?

[pghsteelerfan]

Time for more planning for (us) :D since you have been so great in helping me plan for my upcoming cruise. :p Tell me more about this place. I don't think you have mentioned this to me. I did just look it up on google earth and it looks like it's much further away then the "normal" suggested beaches. How far of a taxi ride is it? Is that how you got there prior to being picked up for your tour?

 

Hey there (again)! :)

 

This is Paynes Bay Beach. We loved, loved, loved this beach. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend as much time there as we wanted because of the private tour. This beach/turtle swim/snorkel was actually part of our tour, the first half (second half was Barbados' east coast), and the cost for that was included in the price we payed for the day. It was through another review, Dirkgun's Valor review from January 2015, that I saw pictures of, and fell in love with, this beach. Since we had similar plans to what they did (beach/snorkel/swim with turtles then sights on the east coast), I asked how they went about it. They did a private, customized tour based on what they wanted to see and do. I got the information on the taxi driver/company from him, contacted them and she was able to do a private tour based on what we wanted to see/do.

 

I know you're not interested in touring and prefer the beaches, but our driver told us when she picked us up to go to Paynes Bay Beach that she'd be dropping us off and going back to the ship for a group of 8 people who just wanted to spend the day at that beach and do the turtle swim/snorkel. She dropped us off first because we only had about 2 hours there. So she does arrange tours for just the beach/snorkel/turtle swim.

 

The taxi ride was about 15 - 20 minutes, so it's not as far as it looks on the map. I don't know if you can just get a taxi there or not and if so, if taxi's are waiting or will arrange to pick you up. I was able to get the information on the taxi service and driver from Dirkgun. It was his review (January 2015) that really helped us plan our day. They also went to Paynes Bay Beach. I asked him who he used and he gave me the information for her.

 

I'm sure if you just wanted to spend the day at Panye's Bay Beach, she could arrange that. There are many other beaches and I saw earlier that you mentioned a few. She might even be able to arrange to take you to Paynes Bay for a couple of hours AND another beach. Since we were only at Paynes Bay long enough to do the turtle swim/snorkel, we really didn't get to spend time on the beach except the 10 minutes we had and I ran up and down the beach getting as many pictures as I could. Did I say it was gorgeous? I could spend a whole day there. I don't know how snorkeling was from shore, but I did notice people snorkeling to the right (if you're looking out toward the ocean). I don't know how good it actually is.

 

Our total was $200 for the day ($100 per person), but a lot of that cost was because we went over to the east coast as well, and that's a lot further. So I'm not sure what the prices are for just the beach (or two beaches). But here's her information. Her name is Patsie Nurse and she's great with communication. I used her email to set everything up. I just received an email from her last week seeing if we had a cruise booked for this year (unfortunately no...:(), so she is still doing the tours. Here's her information.

 

 

Patsietaxi@hotmail.com is her email and her cell number..... 246-264-7413 or 264-571-8291.

 

I'm attaching the link to my review so you can see more pictures of the Barbados/Paynes Bay section. There are more pictures of the beach, and of course the turtles/fish. It's Page 15, post #295 but I'm hoping it will open up there: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&highlight=liberty&page=15

 

I'm also attaching the link to Dirkgun's Valor review (January 2015). The Paynes Bay section starts on Page 6, post #103: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2173623&highlight=valor&page=6

 

If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer. Sorry I didn't offer any information before since I know you wanted a nice beach with snorkeling for the day. That's pretty much what we prefer too. On our Valor cruise in 2013, we just went to the beach at the Hilton. Although we did like it, it wasn't our plan and we just kind of ended up there. The swimming area is very small and water can be rough, so I couldn't recommend that for you.

Edited July 11, 2016 by pghsteelerfan

[caral2004]

We are planning to rent a moke and do our own tour. Can you please tell me where you went ***** east coast and give me advices?

[pghsteelerfan]

We are planning to rent a moke and do our own tour. Can you please tell me where you went ***** east coast and give me advices?

 

Yes, the main thing we wanted to see was Bathsheba on the east coast, very pretty. That's where there are large boulders (some the size of a small house) in the water. The east coast has rougher water than the west coast, so Bathsheba is not really a swimming beach. We stopped at a couple of other places that were really nice along the way and on the way back to our ship. Since I don't know the exact route we took, I really can't help with specific directions. I can tell you where we stopped, so that may give you landmarks to use to find the right roads to get there:

 

When we left Paynes Bay Beach, we headed north along that main road and stopped at St. James church for about 15 minutes before heading north again until we got to a town, pretty sure it's called Speightstown, Barbados, which is still on the west coast. We continued through the town and just outside of the town we made a right onto another road (heading east) at a marina called Port Ferdinand Luxury Marina. We did stop for a minute along that road for pictures of the marina. After that, we continued east until we got to the higher elevations and came to a place called Cherry Tree Hill overlook for some beautiful views and pictures. From the overlook, you can see the east coast. I knew there were a few turns onto other roads that we made, but again, not sure of which roads or when we made turns. There is another road that goes along the east coast of Barbados and that road goes through Bathsheba. We stopped at two different places in Bathsheba to get pictures. After leaving Bathsheba, we headed west again and I know we stopped at a place called Mount Hillaby, where there were restrooms and some other nice views. I think we were told that is the highest spot on Barbados. After that stop, we headed back into Bridgetown were we saw a few more sights before we got back to our ship. We did all of this between 12:15PM and 3:30PM.

 

If you're interested in seeing pictures of the places we saw, I'm attaching the link to the review I did. It should open up to the section where the trip to Bathsheba starts. If not, that is on page 17, post #323. There are a lot of pictures of the places we stopped, in addition to scenery along the way. There are other nice areas along the east coast, but we just didn't get to them. Another popular place to go is Harrison's Cave. We've never been there, so I don't have any thoughts on it.

 

Pictures are in the attached link to the review (Page 17, post #323):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&highlight=liberty&page=17

 

Hope this helps and if you have any questions, please ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Edited July 11, 2016 by pghsteelerfan

[Doggielover68]

I hate crowds and loved the boatyard. The bar is where the crowd is, the beach is great and spacious. Loved that we were all set up on the beach 20 min after getting off of the ship

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[mitsugirly]

Hey there (again)! :)

 

This is Paynes Bay Beach. We loved, loved, loved this beach. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend as much time there as we wanted because of the private tour. This beach/turtle swim/snorkel was actually part of our tour, the first half (second half was Barbados' east coast), and the cost for that was included in the price we payed for the day. It was through another review, Dirkgun's Valor review from January 2015, that I saw pictures of, and fell in love with, this beach. Since we had similar plans to what they did (beach/snorkel/swim with turtles then sights on the east coast), I asked how they went about it. They did a private, customized tour based on what they wanted to see and do. I got the information on the taxi driver/company from him, contacted them and she was able to do a private tour based on what we wanted to see/do.

 

I know you're not interested in touring and prefer the beaches, but our driver told us when she picked us up to go to Paynes Bay Beach that she'd be dropping us off and going back to the ship for a group of 8 people who just wanted to spend the day at that beach and do the turtle swim/snorkel. She dropped us off first because we only had about 2 hours there. So she does arrange tours for just the beach/snorkel/turtle swim.

 

The taxi ride was about 15 - 20 minutes, so it's not as far as it looks on the map. I don't know if you can just get a taxi there or not and if so, if taxi's are waiting or will arrange to pick you up. I was able to get the information on the taxi service and driver from Dirkgun. It was his review (January 2015) that really helped us plan our day. They also went to Paynes Bay Beach. I asked him who he used and he gave me the information for her.

 

I'm sure if you just wanted to spend the day at Panye's Bay Beach, she could arrange that. There are many other beaches and I saw earlier that you mentioned a few. She might even be able to arrange to take you to Paynes Bay for a couple of hours AND another beach. Since we were only at Paynes Bay long enough to do the turtle swim/snorkel, we really didn't get to spend time on the beach except the 10 minutes we had and I ran up and down the beach getting as many pictures as I could. Did I say it was gorgeous? I could spend a whole day there. I don't know how snorkeling was from shore, but I did notice people snorkeling to the right (if you're looking out toward the ocean). I don't know how good it actually is.

 

Our total was $200 for the day ($100 per person), but a lot of that cost was because we went over to the east coast as well, and that's a lot further. So I'm not sure what the prices are for just the beach (or two beaches). But here's her information. Her name is Patsie Nurse and she's great with communication. I used her email to set everything up. I just received an email from her last week seeing if we had a cruise booked for this year (unfortunately no...:(), so she is still doing the tours. Here's her information.

 

 

Patsietaxi@hotmail.com is her email and her cell number..... 246-264-7413 or 264-571-8291.

 

I'm attaching the link to my review so you can see more pictures of the Barbados/Paynes Bay section. There are more pictures of the beach, and of course the turtles/fish. It's Page 15, post #295 but I'm hoping it will open up there: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&highlight=liberty&page=15

 

I'm also attaching the link to Dirkgun's Valor review (January 2015). The Paynes Bay section starts on Page 6, post #103: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2173623&highlight=valor&page=6

 

If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer. Sorry I didn't offer any information before since I know you wanted a nice beach with snorkeling for the day. That's pretty much what we prefer too. On our Valor cruise in 2013, we just went to the beach at the Hilton. Although we did like it, it wasn't our plan and we just kind of ended up there. The swimming area is very small and water can be rough, so I couldn't recommend that for you.

 

Thanks, once again, for the information. I actually did find and read your review from your day there. Very nice. Although again, I'm not sure I want to spend that kind of money just for a trip out to the turtles and to a beach. The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking just catch a cab to whatever beach we decide on and "hope" that someone is there to take us out to see the turtles only for a decent price. It just sounds like a cheaper way to go. We are spending so much on this cruise already (especially with 4 days in SJ prior to the cruise and everything I want to do :eek:) that I have to limit some things. I just HATE that it's not something I can book with a vendor ahead of time. I'm such a planner and this will eat me alive. :p

 

 

I hate crowds and loved the boatyard. The bar is where the crowd is, the beach is great and spacious. Loved that we were all set up on the beach 20 min after getting off of the ship

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. :)

[pghsteelerfan]

Thanks, once again, for the information. I actually did find and read your review from your day there. Very nice. Although again, I'm not sure I want to spend that kind of money just for a trip out to the turtles and to a beach. The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking just catch a cab to whatever beach we decide on and "hope" that someone is there to take us out to see the turtles only for a decent price. It just sounds like a cheaper way to go. We are spending so much on this cruise already (especially with 4 days in SJ prior to the cruise and everything I want to do :eek:) that I have to limit some things. I just HATE that it's not something I can book with a vendor ahead of time. I'm such a planner and this will eat me alive. :p

 

That amount would definitely be way over priced for just Paynes Bay Beach/turtle swim, but it was the cost of everything that day including the second half of the tour of Barbados' east coast...and a cooler full of beer. We weren't driving. :D Since the turtle swim/shipwreck was also included in that cost, I don't know how much the guy doing the turtle/shipwreck swim normally charges. They do take others from the beach, and when we first got there they were trying to round others up to do a tour, but the others there had just gotten there and weren't ready to go out yet. They did come back to get the other 8 people that did just the Paynes Bay tour/turtle swim with though Patsie. After dropping us off, she met them back at the ship at 10AM and brought them then. There are several beaches along the west coast that may have someone offering turtle swim tours, but the two I know of are Carlisle Bay (closer to port, where Boatyard is located) and Paynes Bay and they usually have some kind of food that they throw into the water to attract the turtles.

 

I just did a search and found some reviews (on another site I don't know if I can mention) of two other beaches not far from the cruise pier and not too far past the Hilton, which is located at the opposite end of Carlisle Bay. The first is Accra/Rockley Beach. There was mention of a reef and snorkeling from shore where they saw a turtle. The next beach down is Worthing Beach. That one has a few mentions of being able to swim out from the beach and see turtles. Both appear right next to each other on the Google Earth view of Barbados and that wouldn't be too far from the ship. It took us about 10 - 15 minutes to get to the Hilton, part of that was going through town. Both Accra/Rockley and Worthing Beaches aren't too much farther than the Hilton. There is also a beach that is just past the Hilton called Drill Hall Beach. While at the Hilton, I walked that beach and it's not really a swimming beach. The water is rough just past the Hilton property then it becomes an area with a lot of of coral, but the water there is not deep enough above the coral to snorkel and a lot of the coral (maybe rocks) is exposed. Further down was a private resort and that's where I turned around and walked back.

 

If you look at Google Earth, there is another beach just to the north of the cruise pier called Brandons Beach. We actually walked there on our honeymoon cruise in 1992. There was nothing then and apparently nothing now, but it is a pretty beach. That's how we ended up at the Hilton. We were waiting for taxi van to fill but before dropping us off at Brandons, where we originally wanted to go, we were informed that there are no facilities, not even a bathroom. You drop your towel in the sand and that's it. We went to the Hilton with the others. Hope this has been some help. I'm going through major, major cruise withdraw...can you tell? :p

Edited July 12, 2016 by pghsteelerfan

[caral2004]

Hey there (again)! :)

 

This is Paynes Bay Beach. We loved, loved, loved this beach. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend as much time there as we wanted because of the private tour. This beach/turtle swim/snorkel was actually part of our tour, the first half (second half was Barbados' east coast), and the cost for that was included in the price we payed for the day. It was through another review, Dirkgun's Valor review from January 2015, that I saw pictures of, and fell in love with, this beach. Since we had similar plans to what they did (beach/snorkel/swim with turtles then sights on the east coast), I asked how they went about it. They did a private, customized tour based on what they wanted to see and do. I got the information on the taxi driver/company from him, contacted them and she was able to do a private tour based on what we wanted to see/do.

 

I know you're not interested in touring and prefer the beaches, but our driver told us when she picked us up to go to Paynes Bay Beach that she'd be dropping us off and going back to the ship for a group of 8 people who just wanted to spend the day at that beach and do the turtle swim/snorkel. She dropped us off first because we only had about 2 hours there. So she does arrange tours for just the beach/snorkel/turtle swim.

 

The taxi ride was about 15 - 20 minutes, so it's not as far as it looks on the map. I don't know if you can just get a taxi there or not and if so, if taxi's are waiting or will arrange to pick you up. I was able to get the information on the taxi service and driver from Dirkgun. It was his review (January 2015) that really helped us plan our day. They also went to Paynes Bay Beach. I asked him who he used and he gave me the information for her.

 

I'm sure if you just wanted to spend the day at Panye's Bay Beach, she could arrange that. There are many other beaches and I saw earlier that you mentioned a few. She might even be able to arrange to take you to Paynes Bay for a couple of hours AND another beach. Since we were only at Paynes Bay long enough to do the turtle swim/snorkel, we really didn't get to spend time on the beach except the 10 minutes we had and I ran up and down the beach getting as many pictures as I could. Did I say it was gorgeous? I could spend a whole day there. I don't know how snorkeling was from shore, but I did notice people snorkeling to the right (if you're looking out toward the ocean). I don't know how good it actually is.

 

Our total was $200 for the day ($100 per person), but a lot of that cost was because we went over to the east coast as well, and that's a lot further. So I'm not sure what the prices are for just the beach (or two beaches). But here's her information. Her name is Patsie Nurse and she's great with communication. I used her email to set everything up. I just received an email from her last week seeing if we had a cruise booked for this year (unfortunately no...:(), so she is still doing the tours. Here's her information.

 

 

Patsietaxi@hotmail.com is her email and her cell number..... 246-264-7413 or 264-571-8291.

 

I'm attaching the link to my review so you can see more pictures of the Barbados/Paynes Bay section. There are more pictures of the beach, and of course the turtles/fish. It's Page 15, post #295 but I'm hoping it will open up there: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&highlight=liberty&page=15

 

I'm also attaching the link to Dirkgun's Valor review (January 2015). The Paynes Bay section starts on Page 6, post #103: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2173623&highlight=valor&page=6

 

If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer. Sorry I didn't offer any information before since I know you wanted a nice beach with snorkeling for the day. That's pretty much what we prefer too. On our Valor cruise in 2013, we just went to the beach at the Hilton. Although we did like it, it wasn't our plan and we just kind of ended up there. The swimming area is very small and water can be rough, so I couldn't recommend that for you.

Thank you for all that useful information

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you for all that useful information

 

You are very welcome. I hope you enjoy Barbados as much as we do. :)

[Tribe17]

We have been to Cozumel twice before and went to Nachi Cocom.. Our next we are again stopping in Cozumel.

Is there anyone who has been to both Mr Sanchez and Nachi Cocom?

Which did you like best and why?

We are thinking of trying Mr Sanchez but it looks like it is much bigger and more crowded than Nachi

Thanks in advance

[mitsugirly]

We have been to Cozumel twice before and went to Nachi Cocom.. Our next we are again stopping in Cozumel.

Is there anyone who has been to both Mr Sanchez and Nachi Cocom?

Which did you like best and why?

We are thinking of trying Mr Sanchez but it looks like it is much bigger and more crowded than Nachi

Thanks in advance

 

I have been to both and have reviews in my signature line with TONS of pictures in both if you are interested. :)

[JohninDC]

We have been to Cozumel twice before and went to Nachi Cocom.. Our next we are again stopping in Cozumel.

Is there anyone who has been to both Mr Sanchez and Nachi Cocom?

Which did you like best and why?

We are thinking of trying Mr Sanchez but it looks like it is much bigger and more crowded than Nachi

Thanks in advance

 

Mitsugirly's reviews should answer most of your questions, but why would you post a question about Cozumel on the Barbados board? :confused:

[Tribe17]

Lost track which board I was on