South Frigate or Cockelshell???

Less than two weeks away from our cruise! Trying to make a final decision on a beach to go to in St. Kitts. I have it narrowed down to South Frigate or Cockelshell. Can anyone give me some advice? Do they cost about the same to get there by taxi? Is one better than the other for snorkeling?

Can't wait!

It costs a little more to go to Cockleshell than Frigate because it is alot farther away.

We were on the Destiny 6/1 sailing and took a water taxi for $10 pp round trip to Frigate. Much nicer than a land taxi. You can arrange your ride at the end of the pier, just to the left as you enter the covered area. Mr X's is who we went with. It was a quick fast ride to the beach, we got tickets when we reach the destination, those are your return ride tickets so don't lose them! It is a nice beach, but rocky at the water's edge. Wear water shoes or start floating as soon as you hit the water. It was a great beach for beachcombing, lots of seashells. There were chair, umbrella, hobie cat and jet ski rentals as well as banana boat rides. Several beach shacks/bars along the beach. It was a nice day.

~Machelle

We were on the Destiny 6/1 sailing and took a water taxi for $10 pp round trip to Frigate. Much nicer than a land taxi. You can arrange your ride at the end of the pier, just to the left as you enter the covered area. Mr X's is who we went with. It was a quick fast ride to the beach, we got tickets when we reach the destination, those are your return ride tickets so don't lose them! It is a nice beach, but rocky at the water's edge. Wear water shoes or start floating as soon as you hit the water. It was a great beach for beachcombing, lots of seashells. There were chair, umbrella, hobie cat and jet ski rentals as well as banana boat rides. Several beach shacks/bars along the beach. It was a nice day.

~Machelle

Is the colour of the sand light at Frigate or is it more on the golden side? Is there such a beach with white sand & turquiose water in St.Kitts?

silly questions...I know. But I gotta have my beach time!

If you want authentic St. Kitts then S. Frigate Bay may be for you, I loved the area nice restaurants, BUT not much beach. About 2 miles away is the St. Kitts Marriott INCREDIBLE beach, water was unbelievable and the resort was straight up 4 star, you have plenty of time to visit both. The beach at the Marriott is unparalleled. Spend your morning at S. Frigate and your afternoon over at the Marriott we did and are planning it again. Hope that helps Todd

I saw pictures of cockleshell and it looked beautiful.The vendors from what i hear can be annoying at frigate.

If you want authentic St. Kitts then S. Frigate Bay may be for you, I loved the area nice restaurants, BUT not much beach. About 2 miles away is the St. Kitts Marriott INCREDIBLE beach, water was unbelievable and the resort was straight up 4 star, you have plenty of time to visit both. The beach at the Marriott is unparalleled. Spend your morning at S. Frigate and your afternoon over at the Marriott we did and are planning it again. Hope that helps Todd

We went to Cockleshell Beach on July 12th. The ride was $13 round trip pp, and our driver stopped at a scenic overlook to allow us to take pictures along the way..we got some great ones showing a sliver of land with the Atlantic on one side, the Caribbean on the other. At Cockleshell, we rented lounges for $5 pp (umbrellas were also $5), and had buckets of 6 beers for $15, and fantastic freshly made Mango Coladas for $6. There is a wealth of sea life here, and we saw lots of starfish and lots of people snorkeling. A boat pulled up with two fisherman and 3 huge bags of lobster they had caught....I had a huge grilled lobster with plantains and rice for $32. I definitely recommend Cockleshell Beach and the Reggae Beach Bar for those wanting something less commercial.

We went to Cockleshell Beach on July 12th. The ride was $13 round trip pp, and our driver stopped at a scenic overlook to allow us to take pictures along the way..we got some great ones showing a sliver of land with the Atlantic on one side, the Caribbean on the other. At Cockleshell, we rented lounges for $5 pp (umbrellas were also $5), and had buckets of 6 beers for $15, and fantastic freshly made Mango Coladas for $6. There is a wealth of sea life here, and we saw lots of starfish and lots of people snorkeling. A boat pulled up with two fisherman and 3 huge bags of lobster they had caught....I had a huge grilled lobster with plantains and rice for $32. I definitely recommend Cockleshell Beach and the Reggae Beach Bar for those wanting something less commercial.

Agreed, we were there last month, also had the mango Coladas (yum..), beer and grilled lobster. Nice beach with decent snorkeling.

MTV

suzski can you recall if there were plenty of shells on the beach at cockleshell? We are trying to decide between this beach and Frigate Bay. ColoradoCruzers commented that the beachcombing on Frigate Bay was good but just wondering how it compares to Cockleshell? I always like to bring home a bit of sand and shells from each beach I visit. Some would say this is not legal but I figure I have been doing it for years and am real careful not to pick a shell with a living creature in it so all is good. We are trying to decide between the two beaches. We are not drinkers and usually don't eat when off the ship so just looking for a relaxing spot to sunbathe and beachcomb a bit.

Agreed, we were there last month, also had the mango Coladas (yum..), beer and grilled lobster. Nice beach with decent snorkeling.

 

MTV

MTV you're everywhere :)

MTV/Suzski - when you went to Cockleshell, did you just catch a taxi right at the port? You mentioned it was $13pp round trip, did the same driver come back for you at a designated time?

Thank you!

Jessie

MTV you're everywhere :)

MTV/Suzski - when you went to Cockleshell, did you just catch a taxi right at the port? You mentioned it was $13pp round trip, did the same driver come back for you at a designated time?

 

Thank you!

Jessie

Hi Jessie,

I got great information for my trip from this board, so I share a little of my experience. Yes, taxi is right after you pass the security gate. St. Kitts port is a nice area. The taxi waited for us and took us back to the ship. Our group filled up this bus, we could not decide between Turtle or Cockleshell, he made a stop at Turtle first, we did not like it, then headed to Cokleshell.

Please post your snorkeling experience in the "Snorkeling Board" when you get back. Thanks

MTV

Thanks will do! I didn't realize there was a "snorkel board" :)

Jessie

Some would say this is not legal but I figure I have been doing it for years and am real careful not to pick a shell with a living creature in it so all is good.

I know this is off topic, but if everyone took home sand and shells, then what would be left for people that visit in the future? In the past, I also collected sand from the places I visited, but then someone made me reconsider. Now I try to "take only pictures and leave only footprints". Just something to consider....

OMG.....just HOW MUCH "sand" and "sea shells" are you "collecting" to make you concerned that there might be a shortage in the future????? Wow! Just curious.....

Hi, I'm looking forward to my cruise in December which stops on St Kitts and i noticed my tour changed. It was the Nevis Sail Away and this is what Princess Web site states:

PLEASE NOTE: This tour has been modified from the description in the tour book. The beach used in Nevis for lunch sustained damage from Hurricane Omar. The tour has been modified and now returns to St. Kitts, following the snorkeling, for lunch on Cockleshell Beach.

So I guess there will be more visitors now me being one of them. I was upset but seeing your report on this beach relieve my mind as I booked 16 of our group on this tour and now its changed. At least its not canceled.

Hi Jessie,

 

I got great information for my trip from this board, so I share a little of my experience. Yes, taxi is right after you pass the security gate. St. Kitts port is a nice area. The taxi waited for us and took us back to the ship. Our group filled up this bus, we could not decide between Turtle or Cockleshell, he made a stop at Turtle first, we did not like it, then headed to Cokleshell.

 

Please post your snorkeling experience in the "Snorkeling Board" when you get back. Thanks

 

MTV

Hello all - just got back from my cruise and visited Cockleshell. Couple things to note: The cab ride there is $26.00 each way or $6.50pp (if you have more than 4 people). So if there's only 2 of you try to round up some extra people at the port that are going there too to save on cab fare. The drivers will also come back for you at a designated time so you won't have to worry about that.

The beach it self was not very nice, mostly rocky and trash here and there. The beach bar was expensive ($17.00 for a burger). However, besides that we did enjoy our day there. The ride over there was amazing - some great views of both the Atlantic and the Caribbean side. I did not snorkel because there was not good visibility that day but my DH did and said that along the shore the visibilty was good, he saw quite a bit of structure, fish and even some lobster. I'm sure if the water/weather conditions were better this would be a great place to snorkel. The beaches on the Atlantic side looked nice but the ocean was too rough to go into the water.

Hope this helps!

Jessie

Cockleshell beach and Raggae Bar & Grill was a nice visit but I'd recommend enjoying more of St. Kitts then just this beach alone...We toured with Thenford Grey$35pp...Thenford's tour includes Cockleshell Beach and many other great stops...

I've posted a couple pictures of the beach in front of Raggae Bar & Grill...it isn't very nice..however, if you walk away from the bar...the beach is beautiful and very enjoyable...

Oh yeh...forgot...Jessie was very correct when she said the bar & grill was expensive...my jaw dropped when I seen the prices! After not eating all day though...we sucked it up and ordered some pulled chicken dish and our bill with drinks was almost $30...the day we was there...we had to constantly shoo flys away just so we could eat our food..don't know if it's always like that, but it was gross and bothersome...

Hi Jessie,

I hope you had a great cruise!

I am so glad you posted.I think my decision is made to try another beach.Was the whole beach rocky?Was it crowded?

What cruise ship did you go on?

Nancy

Hello all - just got back from my cruise and visited Cockleshell. Couple things to note: The cab ride there is $26.00 each way or $6.50pp (if you have more than 4 people). So if there's only 2 of you try to round up some extra people at the port that are going there too to save on cab fare. The drivers will also come back for you at a designated time so you won't have to worry about that.

 

The beach it self was not very nice, mostly rocky and trash here and there. The beach bar was expensive ($17.00 for a burger). However, besides that we did enjoy our day there. The ride over there was amazing - some great views of both the Atlantic and the Caribbean side. I did not snorkel because there was not good visibility that day but my DH did and said that along the shore the visibilty was good, he saw quite a bit of structure, fish and even some lobster. I'm sure if the water/weather conditions were better this would be a great place to snorkel. The beaches on the Atlantic side looked nice but the ocean was too rough to go into the water.

 

Hope this helps!

Jessie

Hi laura,

Where did you go on the stops?Was it a private tour?

Great pictures-I can see how Rocky it is.

Nancy

Cockleshell beach and Raggae Bar & Grill was a nice visit but I'd recommend enjoying more of St. Kitts then just this beach alone...We toured with Thenford Grey$35pp...Thenford's tour includes Cockleshell Beach and many other great stops...

I've posted a couple pictures of the beach in front of Raggae Bar & Grill...it isn't very nice..however, if you walk away from the bar...the beach is beautiful and very enjoyable...

When did you go?Was it crowded?

Oh yeh...forgot...Jessie was very correct when she said the bar & grill was expensive...my jaw dropped when I seen the prices! After not eating all day though...we sucked it up and ordered some pulled chicken dish and our bill with drinks was almost $30...the day we was there...we had to constantly shoo flys away just so we could eat our food..don't know if it's always like that, but it was gross and bothersome...

Is there a less rocky beach or are they all that way?

most of the beaches we've seen are rocky, but you might want to try the Marriott; the beach there was very nice (some rocks in the water though). Food and drink are expensive there as well though. The beaches are public, but you will have to be a guest to use the pools. Cost about $90 for 4 people for a room for the day. Worth it!

Hi laura,

Where did you go on the stops?Was it a private tour?

Great pictures-I can see how Rocky it is.

Nancy

Hi floridalady..We were at St. Kitts the end of October...I decided that Cockleshell beach was a nice stop after I discovered the nicer end of the beach...and no rocks at that end...it was neat to see Wilbur the pig and the monkey also...OMG...we toured the city, stopped at a place where I held a 2 month old monkey, Romney Manor-Caribelle Batik which includes botanical garden, visited Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, stopped atTimothy Hill for panoramic views of the Frigate Bay Resort and the ethereal Southeast Peninsula, and finally....ended up at Cockleshell Beach which is where Raggae Bar & Grill is at....When on a cruise we try to go with the flow and appreciate all we visit...even though Cockleshell wouldn't have been my first choice of a beach....we still enjoyed our time there...even though we shewed the flies away as we ate...LOL...Thenford Grey is who we toured with...he is an awesome tour guide...just google Thenford Grey...he only charged $35pp...had an airconditioned van...provided bottled water...and was entertaining...

When did you go?Was it crowded?

I wouldn't say it was crowded...there was a nice amount of people there though...I just didn't understand this though...as nice as the beach was away from the bar...people stayed in front of it...??? But then...every beach DH and I went to...we ventured away from the tourisy area and found beautiful beaches...