Saphire beach on our own, or tour?

[Derbie]

My husband and I have been to Sapphire beach in the past, and I think we went up on a van, and were dropped off.  We then rented our chairs, and spent the day, and returned the same way.  There are 10 of us this time.  Four children/six adults.  We are considering a beach package, but it only gives us 3 hours at the beach, and I don't think the kids will see this as enough time. The tour is $38 for transportation, chairs and one drink.  None of us drink (accept my husband on rare occasions has a beer) so the drink is not so much a big deal.,  Could we do better monetarily on our own, as well as staying a little longer? All suggestions are appreciated.  Also, we are considering Sonny Liston tours.

 

[blue_water]

Roundtrip taxi is  ~$20pp from Havensight and ~$22pp from Crown, and lounge chairs are $9pp so yes you can get much more beach time and pay less by going on your own...

 

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by blue_water
typo

[Derbie]

19 hours ago, blue_water said:

Roundtrip taxi is  ~$20pp from Havensight and ~$22pp from Crown, and lounge chairs are $9pp so yes you can get much more beach time and pay less by going on your own...

Thanks.  Have you ever used the public buses?  There are 10 of us, and some of the travelers are on strict budgets.  They have been saving for this trip for a very long time. Any advice is appreciated!

 

19 hours ago, blue_water said:

 

 

[blue_water]

3 hours ago, Derbie said:

Thanks.  Have you ever used the public buses?  There are 10 of us, and some of the travelers are on strict budgets.  They have been saving for this trip for a very long time. Any advice is appreciated!

 

 

I understand, although $20pp roundtrip seems very reasonable to me...less expensive than the cruise line excursion, right?

Last I knew the $2 taxi was an option, but folks often get passed up because it's full of residents and other visitors. Hopefully;y someone can give you details if there is a newer option.

[Russ Lomas]

11 hours ago, Derbie said:

Thanks.  Have you ever used the public buses?  There are 10 of us, and some of the travelers are on strict budgets.  They have been saving for this trip for a very long time. Any advice is appreciated!

 

 

My family actually used the public bus to get to Sapphire when we went about 10 years ago.  No issues getting the bus at all by what was a K-Mart (not sure if it is still there or not).  Catching the bus was simple, but it was a good hike to get from the end of the pier past the length of 3 ships to even get out of the port area first (my family was not happy I had them walk this distance - 2 of the children were young at the time 3 and 5 years old).

 

Had to wait about 20 minutes til the bus came by to pick us up in the afternoon.  It was pretty full of locals, so 10 of you would not have fit in with the locals on the bus we were on around 3 pm.  It stopped for us with no issues.  We loved the ride on the bus with many local school children to chat with.

 

Hope that helps a bit.

[O2B@Cagain]

Also, the safaris do not stop *at* the beach. You will stop on the road and walk down to the condos and beach. That means you will have an uphill walk back to the road. The safari route goes only one way, so you will actually go in a circle to the east, before the route takes you back to town.

[blue_water]

I wouldn’t want to be the travel planner leading the group to the $2 taxi/bus, but you could share the $2 taxi/bus info with your fellow travelers and let them decide if it’s worth the time and hassle to them. If two or three are very budget conscious and don’t mind the walk and the wait they would probably be fine. And they could also take the $10 taxi back to the ship with you.

[Derbie]

Thanks one and all.  We will probably go the taxi route, and have more time at the beach.  I appreciate you all taking the time to comment and offer suggestions.

[blue_water]

Enjoy Sapphire! It's a gorgeous bay with nice island views!

[Jeal]

We take the open air safari every time we go to Sapphire. It’s $2 a person. It does get crowded in the morning and afternoon- residents traveling to and from work and school. As long as you avoid those times you will be fine. They drop you off on the road above Sapphire Beach and you have to walk down and then back up to catch the bus. The hill is fairly steep but doable if you are used to walking. 

[erikaem86]

I used the $2 Safari bus with my family (5 of us) to go to Coki beach.  it wasn't a problem and the bus wasn't full so we weren't taking spots for the locals.  It was pretty easy.  We just went to the spot near the cruise port and asked the buses that came by if it was $2.  On the way back, we went back to the spot that dropped us off and waved down busses.  We talked to lots of locals to make sure we were heading in the right direction.  Total cost there and back: $4 pp x 5 = $20 plus.  Used the money we saved for a bucket of beer and some beach chairs and an umbrella.