Barbados: West coast beach??

[ksps cruise fan]

I need help choosing a calm public beach for our Barbados port call.

 

I love the view and the food at Crane Beach, but this is definitely not what I'm looking for.

 

The eastern end of Rockley Beach might work for the quiet and shade options, but the wave action on the south coast is a mixed situation. What is the wave action like at the east end of Rockley?

 

Decades ago, we stayed at the now-gone Best Western Sandy Beach resort on the south shore. The water there was bath tub quiet because a sand bar lay just off shore. I would not be suprised to be told this was located on Worthing Beach based on what I've read about that place. Is Worthing Beach open to the public and, if so, does it have a beach shack, and chair and umbrella rental?

 

On two other trips, we stayed at now-gone Buccaneer Bay resort on the west coast. (I know this was closer to Bridgetown than Sandy Lane. And I think it may have been close to the still-existing Sandpiper Resort.) Otherwise, I can't be specific about the beach on which this was located but we loved the place.

 

So, I'm right back where I started this post: What beach do you recommend for calm water, reasonable distance to/from the port, chair and umbrella rental?

 

Thanks!

[aimodels]

The east end of Rockley can be hit-or-miss. Some days the water is a bit rough, other days it can be fairly calm. As you move up the west coast, the water gets calmer.

 

Worthing Beach has public access off the main road (Hwy 7). I'm pretty sure that there's a bar where you can rent chairs and umbrellas, but I can't remember for sure. Our favourite was Rockley (we used to swim with turtles at the reef off Bar Kanei most mornings)... As for the sandbar, there's one on the east end of Worthing that extends (more or less) all the way to the little bay at the west end of St. Lawrence Gap. I would often take the kids swimming here... The water is calm and shallow.

 

If you want something close to port with amenities, I'd say go with Carlisle Bay. It's south of Bridgetown about 10 minutes by cab or bus. The Boatyard Bar is there, and you can rent chairs, umbrellas or sit in the bar right on the beach and have drinks or lunch. There's also public access to that beach south of the Boatyard. This is a huge beach area that stretches south to the Hilton.

 

All beaches in Barbados are public.

 

Just north of port are several beaches, also within 10-20 minutes. Brandons, Brighton, Paradise and Batts Rock are all great. All of these have calm water... Some of these beaches may or may not have any amenities. I'm pretty sure Batts Rock doesn't...

 

A little further north from Batts Rock is Paynes Bay where the catamaran tours go to feed the turtles.

 

I love this island and it has some of the best beaches I've seen anywhere....

 

Cheers, P:)

[cojuqui]

We have a Segway tour scheduled for 1 pm. Would Payne's Bay or Carlisle Beach be better to get a swim with the turtles before we have to be back to the ship. We figure we will take the bus so we need to allow time for waiting (not sure how long of a wait) for the bus.

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

[aimodels]

Carlisle Bay is closer to port than Payne's. Because Carlisle is on a main bus route (Hwy. 7) you won't have to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes to catch a bus heading back to port. They all cost the same, whether you catch a blue gov't bus, a yellow mini-bus or a white ZR.

 

Cheers, P:)