Jolly Beach - Free Side

[SomewhereBeyondTheSea]

So my favorite beach that I have ever stepped foot on is by far Jolly Beach (and I have been to a lot of beaches throughout the Caribbean, US and Eurpope). The last time I was in Antigua I paid for a AI Pass at Jolly Beach Resort. I read that you can take a cab to the free side...If we are taking a cab, do we let the driver know to take us to the "free/public" side of Jolly Beach? Will there be cabs waititng to take us back to the ship? Also, what kind of facilities can we use on this side? Bathrooms, resort, food, etc? Will we have access to any watersports? I'm not sure if the AI at Jolly Beach would be worth it for our entire party (maybe 3 out of 8 people would get use out of that so I am looking for other options.

[teacherman]

Just tell the taxi that you want the beach, not the resort. There are a couple of restaurants, chair and umbrella rentals, restrooms, etc. There will be taxis waiting to go back, or you can tell your driver what time to pick you up.

[merinski]

Just tell the taxi that you want the beach, not the resort. There are a couple of restaurants, chair and umbrella rentals, restrooms, etc. There will be taxis waiting to go back, or you can tell your driver what time to pick you up.

 

How much does a taxi cost to get there? Is it good for snorkeling?

Thank you:)

[SomewhereBeyondTheSea]

Thanks teacherman :)

[Antigualocaldg]

@Somewhere,

 

The entire beach is public. Just tell the driver that you're not taking a day pass, so just to drop you off at the beach. You can always get a cab from the Jolly Beach parking lot as well, there will be lots there available. There is Castaways and one or two other beach bars on the beach where you can get food and use their facilities. You'll have access to watersports but you'll have to pay of course

[jaspersmommy]

There are four ports on our upcoming cruise where we have no excursions booked (Antigua, St. Thomas, Curacao and Grenada) I'd like to spend some time on a beach at a couple of them. My elderly father will be accompanying my husband and I, and he is NOT a sun lover. So, I am looking for a port where I can rent a cabana or large umbrella on the beach for him.

 

Earlier in this thread, Teacherman said that there are umbrella rentals on Jolly Beach. Can Teacherman or anyone else who has been to Jolly Beach tell me whether there were a lot of umbrellas and chairs for rent there? When you were there, did it look like there was enough of them that you would have no problem getting one?

 

Thank you!

[austinlw]

We were at Jolly Beach about 2 weeks ago (Emerald Princess). Took the bus from St John's to the Jolly Harbor bus stop, then it was about a 1/4 mile walk to the beach. Walked past the back side of the resort and arrived at the beach at Castaways, just on the N side of the resort. A helpful friendly guy named Andy at Castaways set us up with 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella for $20. Castaways did have decent restrooms. The food service didn't get going until almost noon, and then it was pretty slow, so you can't be in much of a hurry there. The water was beautiful with the sun on it. The sand is white and very fine, except for shell fragments in some spots. The fine sand is suspended in the water, so the water is not clear, it's milky-looking, and you can't see your feet. But that suspended sand is why the water is such a bright shade of aqua in the sun. The color of the water is stunning. But as for snorkeling, no - you probably wouldn't see anything. When we were about ready to go, Andy hooked us up with a taxi driver taking a group back to the cruise ship area. It's an amazingly beautiful beach, among our favorites now.

[AnchorAway]

Hi Austin,

 

How much is a taxi (5 adults, 3 children)?

[we3k9]

yes how much is a taxi for 7 people to jolly beach?

[we3k9]

We were at Jolly Beach about 2 weeks ago (Emerald Princess). Took the bus from St John's to the Jolly Harbor bus stop, then it was about a 1/4 mile walk to the beach. Walked past the back side of the resort and arrived at the beach at Castaways, just on the N side of the resort. A helpful friendly guy named Andy at Castaways set us up with 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella for $20. Castaways did have decent restrooms. The food service didn't get going until almost noon, and then it was pretty slow, so you can't be in much of a hurry there. The water was beautiful with the sun on it. The sand is white and very fine, except for shell fragments in some spots. The fine sand is suspended in the water, so the water is not clear, it's milky-looking, and you can't see your feet. But that suspended sand is why the water is such a bright shade of aqua in the sun. The color of the water is stunning. But as for snorkeling, no - you probably wouldn't see anything. When we were about ready to go, Andy hooked us up with a taxi driver taking a group back to the cruise ship area. It's an amazingly beautiful beach, among our favorites now.

 

hi there, thanks for your review, how long did it take to get to jolly beach from the port, were you docked at falmouth?

[austinlw]

Don't know about a taxi for 7 people. There were just 2 of us. When we arrived at the port in St John's I asked at the main taxi booth how much to Jolly Beach for the 2 of us and was told $24. I talked my skeptical wife into walking to the bus station, maybe a half mile away through the busy town. The bus only charged a few bucks. They waited until it was filled (typical Caribbean large van), which didn't take long - people going to work and school. Made several stops along the way and took maybe 20-30 minutes to get to the Jolly Harbor bus stop where the bus had to turn around (a cul-de-sac). From there it was about a 5-10 minute walk to the beach. At Castaways when we were ready to leave we asked Andy about a taxi back. He told us there was one about to leave in a few minutes with some other people. It was another van, but a bit smaller than the bus. I asked before we got in how much for 2 and was told $16. No problem mon.