Found: Nice uncrowded, quiet beach

[jabcruiser]

This is for those of you looking for a nice quiet uncrowded beach near the cruise terminal in Barbados.  We were just there in December and did not want to go to the beach bars on Carlisle Bay as we wanted uncrowded and quiet and the cruise ships even have excursions to Carlisle.  So we took a $6 cab ride to a beach north of the port called Brandons Beach.  Bar/restaurant named Rascal's there rents lounge chairs and umbrellas for $20 including two rum punch.  Carson set us up on the beach and got our drinks and took care of us.  Local beer, if I remember Banks, is only $2.50. I drank the free rum punch and husband drank beer. Beautiful clear calm water, nice soft sand and no crowds at all.  There were maybe 4 or 5 other couples there and chairs well spaced with lots of room between them.  There were a few local families with their children on the beach and that be all.  We really enjoyed this place away from the crowds.  When ready to leave Carson or another staff member will call you a cab and it took less than 10 minutes to be on our way back to the ship. Highly recommend.  It is actually just past the Mount Gay rum factory but that was closed as we were there on a Sunday.

Hope this helps for those of you looking to escape the crowds.

Jane

 

[JohninDC]

Thanks for the detailed feedback.😎

[mcase131]

Thank you, we will be there on the 7th of January. 

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you for this!  We walked to Brandon's beach while on our honeymoon years ago (ship was in port from 8AM - 10PM) for sunset.  When in Barbados in 2013, we got a taxi to take us there but were told there were no facilities (no loungers, umbrellas, restrooms, etc.) so we ended up going to the Barbados Hilton where the others in the taxi were headed.  Glad there is at least something there now.  It was very pretty from what I remember. 

[jbiker]

Thanks for the great review, just what we are looking for!

[HALrunner]

On 12/28/2018 at 11:33 PM, mcase131 said:

Thank you, we will be there on the 7th of January. 

Please report back! 

[Aplmac]

These two photos taken

from the Southern end of that beach, looking Northward

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

Thank you so much! Brandon's Beach sounds like my kind of beach. We went to Boatyard last time because we were with a group, but want something quieter for just the two of us.

[Aplmac]

On 1/7/2019 at 5:44 PM, NorthCarolinaBelle said:

Thank you so much!

Brandon's Beach sounds like my kind of beach.

We went to Boatyard last time because we were with a group,

but want something quieter for just the two of us.

.

This beach at Brandons (also known as Brighton)

is a lot quieter than Boatyard

or any of the busier beach outfits along Carlisle Bay these days.

[beshears]

On 12/28/2018 at 2:56 PM, jabcruiser said:

This is for those of you looking for a nice quiet uncrowded beach near the cruise terminal in Barbados.  We were just there in December and did not want to go to the beach bars on Carlisle Bay as we wanted uncrowded and quiet and the cruise ships even have excursions to Carlisle.  So we took a $6 cab ride to a beach north of the port called Brandons Beach.  Bar/restaurant named Rascal's there rents lounge chairs and umbrellas for $20 including two rum punch.  Carson set us up on the beach and got our drinks and took care of us.  Local beer, if I remember Banks, is only $2.50. I drank the free rum punch and husband drank beer. Beautiful clear calm water, nice soft sand and no crowds at all.  There were maybe 4 or 5 other couples there and chairs well spaced with lots of room between them.  There were a few local families with their children on the beach and that be all.  We really enjoyed this place away from the crowds.  When ready to leave Carson or another staff member will call you a cab and it took less than 10 minutes to be on our way back to the ship. Highly recommend.  It is actually just past the Mount Gay rum factory but that was closed as we were there on a Sunday.

Hope this helps for those of you looking to escape the crowds.

Jane

 

 

[beshears]

So to reach Brandon's Beach in Barbados, the Taxi charges $6 each way, is that correct?

[jabcruiser]

On 1/19/2019 at 2:10 PM, beshears said:

So to reach Brandon's Beach in Barbados, the Taxi charges $6 each way, is that correct?

Yes. That is correct. Per person. 

Jane

[beshears]

Thanks Jane for getting back with me on this.  In about another month, I'm planning on checking out this Brandon's Beach and some others, as we don't want to do much on the beach, other than walking/laying, enjoying the sun!  Here in Kansas City, our temperature this morning was 13, and probably felt like a - 5. 😞  I have waited "two" days, just to get my car "unlocked" from the rain, ice, snow that fell on it. As you can see, I am READY for warmer/hot weather! 🙂

[scouseronline]

Ha, Kansas 13 degrees,  Try us here in Toronto today, 

 

Extreme Cold Warning

Southern Ontario

5 hours ago – Environment Canada

A period of severely cold wind chills is expected. A bitterly cold Arctic airmass will remain in place tonight with wind chill values of minus 35 to minus 40 expected ...

 

 

Looking forward to Barbados in April 🙂 Thanks  for the Beach Tip, exactly what we were looking for !

[brookie848]

What time does this place open? We prefer getting places early and then getting back to the ship at a decent time. 

 

Also, can you confirm that there are restrooms available?

Edited January 31, 2019 by brookie848

[jabcruiser]

On 1/31/2019 at 1:51 PM, brookie848 said:

What time does this place open? We prefer getting places early and then getting back to the ship at a decent time. 

 

Also, can you confirm that there are restrooms available?

I'm pretty sure they opened about 9 am.  We got there about 10 and left around noon and that was on a Sunday.  There were already several couples there set up with beach chairs.  I didn't use the restrooms but my husband did and he says they were basic but not filthy or anything. You might search "Raschal's Bar" in Barbados.  Seems like i saw a picture on line, maybe TA,. with hours written on it.

Jane

[brookie848]

52 minutes ago, jabcruiser said:

I'm pretty sure they opened about 9 am.  We got there about 10 and left around noon and that was on a Sunday.  There were already several couples there set up with beach chairs.  I didn't use the restrooms but my husband did and he says they were basic but not filthy or anything. You might search "Raschal's Bar" in Barbados.  Seems like i saw a picture on line, maybe TA,. with hours written on it.

Jane

 

Thanks! I'll do a little more research and go from there.

[brookie848]

We did end up going to Rascal's last week and enjoyed our time there. The workers considered it a "crowded" day because there were two "big" ships in port. Of course, compared to Carlisle Bay beaches, this was not crowded at all. It did take a little time to get our chairs/umbrellas, though. 

 

The food and drinks were good and reasonably priced. It was a short ride to the beach and there were taxis waiting for us at the end of the day. 

 

One thing to note -- bring water shoes. There was a lot of coral in the water and people were complaining about stepping on it. 

 

We would definitely consider returning here again. 

[sft429]

Were there 

4 hours ago, brookie848 said:

We did end up going to Rascal's last week and enjoyed our time there.... <snip>

 

 

Was it actually Rascals or was it Weisers bar?  Right by the public parking and the park?

 

I was discussing this on another thread about water temp with Aplmac that seems to have disappeared for some reason...

[brookie848]

2 minutes ago, sft429 said:

Were there 

 

Was it actually Rascals or was it Weisers bar?  Right by the public parking and the park?

 

I was discussing this on another thread about water temp with Aplmac that seems to have disappeared for some reason...

It was Rascal's. The water temperature was a bit cooler than we expected, but not unbearable. Like I mentioned, the bigger issue was the coral. I would definitely suggest having something to protect your feet. 

[Aplmac]

On 1/13/2019 at 9:15 PM, Aplmac said:

This beach at Brandons (also known as Brighton)

is a lot quieter than Boatyard

or any of the busier beach outfits along Carlisle Bay these days.

.

Although it wasn't a sunny day

I got down there and took a few information pics.

This is the beach bar that used to be Weiser's.

 

Ownership has not changed, but the name has.

It is now RASCALS, as recommended by the Westmoreland resort folks

.

[Aplmac]

Better pics - today was sunny

and I got there around 9:30 a.m.

 

As you can see

there's a stack of chairs waiting for you guys.

The Port area is right there -and it's a big wide beach area!

.

[helensobol]

On 12/28/2018 at 3:56 PM, jabcruiser said:

This is for those of you looking for a nice quiet uncrowded beach near the cruise terminal in Barbados.  We were just there in December and did not want to go to the beach bars on Carlisle Bay as we wanted uncrowded and quiet and the cruise ships even have excursions to Carlisle.  So we took a $6 cab ride to a beach north of the port called Brandons Beach.  Bar/restaurant named Rascal's there rents lounge chairs and umbrellas for $20 including two rum punch.  Carson set us up on the beach and got our drinks and took care of us.  Local beer, if I remember Banks, is only $2.50. I drank the free rum punch and husband drank beer. Beautiful clear calm water, nice soft sand and no crowds at all.  There were maybe 4 or 5 other couples there and chairs well spaced with lots of room between them.  There were a few local families with their children on the beach and that be all.  We really enjoyed this place away from the crowds.  When ready to leave Carson or another staff member will call you a cab and it took less than 10 minutes to be on our way back to the ship. Highly recommend.  It is actually just past the Mount Gay rum factory but that was closed as we were there on a Sunday.

Hope this helps for those of you looking to escape the crowds.

Jane

 

 

Do you feel this beach and location would be good for kids?   There will be 4 boats in port when I there and I don't want to go to a place and find no beach chairs/shade... (my worry about going to the boatyard) 

 

[brookie848]

1 hour ago, helensobol said:

 

Do you feel this beach and location would be good for kids?   There will be 4 boats in port when I there and I don't want to go to a place and find no beach chairs/shade... (my worry about going to the boatyard) 

 

 

One issue we had with this beach is that there was a lot of coral in the water -- you really needed water shoes. Just be aware of that if you go.

 

Another thing we noticed is that it is quite a walk from the restaurant to the water. Not a big deal for us, but it did take a while for our chairs to get set up (maybe 20 minutes or more) since they have to be carried down from the restaurant. This had a lot to do with our timing -- we got there right after another group. There was only one person setting up chairs/umbrellas.

 

How early do you plan on getting off the ship? If you get off early enough, you shouldn't have trouble finding chairs and shade any place you go.

[helensobol]

23 hours ago, brookie848 said:

How early do you plan on getting off the ship? If you get off early enough, you shouldn't have trouble finding chairs and shade any place you go.

 

Good Info about the coral. That might be a no go for us.  

 

I didn't have a set time to get off.  We normally get off fairly early unless my daughter is exhausted.   I aim to be off before 9am. 

 

I'm never a fan of not having an agenda getting off the ship and we leave next week.  I have read so many different reviews on Barbados and can't decide on the best thing for us.    I was debating the Boatyard and Copacabana but then I recently read awful reviews of Copa on trip advisor.