Is a self-guided island tour do-able ?

[cheaptravel]

We are explorers and would much rather see what the island has to offer than spend the day on the beach or snorkling.

 

For those in the know, do you think we could rent a car and visit these spots in a 4-5 hour period ?

*Harrison's Caves

*Scenic Bathsheba for photos / quick lunch in a scenic area (recommendations ?)

*Final stop at a beach near Carlisle Bay

 

We have rented a car and done our own tours in Cozumel and Grand Cayman so we are familiar with wild traffic / driving on the left. Are the roads congested ?

Thanks !

[BOOGALOO509]

Although my wife and I have never been to Barbados we will be there next March either side of our Carnival Victory cruise.

 

I have read a great deal about the sites on Barbados and would imagine you would be able to see the areas you want within your timeframes as the island is only just over 20 miles wide at its widest point.

 

However I do believe the roads in the middle of the island can be a bit basic and road signs almost none existant which could cause you worries if you get lost. Also traffic in certain areas can be a bit congested at the busy times of the day which again could be a worry if you are heading back to port and get stuck in it.

 

What we are looking to do is to either hire a taxi and driver for a day to go exactly where we want and to wait for us at each point, obviously negotiating the fare before setting off or contacting some of the local tour operators or even taxi companies to see if we can arrange that type of facility ahead of our arrival.

 

That way we get to go where we want on the island, we go at our pace, we have a local tour guide with us and if anything does go wrong as far as losing our way or getting caught in traffic. If that were to happen they should be able to find alternate ways back to port so you dont run the risk of missing the ship.

 

Good luck with your investigations.

 

Regards.

 

John

[jjbeaches]

i think harrison's cave is doable but bathsheba on the same day, i don't know. i tried to go there twice from the south by the airport and got lost. i was told there's a much better way. i know there's an easy route. and yes, it's true, the island is very small but the traffic is crazy!!!!! i didn't believe it but during morning rush, lunch rush and the afternoon traffic, it can be crazy. and oh, there's only a few main coastal roads/highways with one lanes each way (highways have 2 lanes each way) - downtown, there's lots of streets and many are one ways. the worst is when they are working on these roads. sometimes, 15 minutes drive without traffic can lead to and hour or 1.5 hours.

[cheaptravel]

hmmm....thanks for your replies ! The last thing we need is stress. I'll keep looking into tours !

[floss]

Yes it can be done but for a first timer with such short time i wouldn't do it. From port to cave is approx 20 mins . from cave to east coast about the same and from east coast to carlisle bay about 25mins. one you out of the city area the traffic is must less.

 

you will be criss crossing country with some narrow roads being unfamilar There are maps not the best and there are signs again not the best. getting lost is not a problem just ask a question form anyone on the road and you get all the help you need.

 

It more of a stress factor than the distances.better done if you are staying longer.

[cheaptravel]

We might take the ship tour that hits the caves, Bathsheba area and then cuts across to the west on 4x4's. This tour is only 3 1/2 hours and then we'll still have a little beach time.

[Happy girl2]

Hi cheaptravel

I would say hire a driver and ask him to do your trip for you as said before the roads can be very busy and they are nothing like the roads on Cozumel. I have driven cars in many countries but left it to a taxi driver in Barbados.Enjoy your visit.:)

[14ersco]

We are explorers and would much rather see what the island has to offer than spend the day on the beach or snorkling.

 

For those in the know, do you think we could rent a car and visit these spots in a 4-5 hour period ?

*Harrison's Caves

*Scenic Bathsheba for photos / quick lunch in a scenic area (recommendations ?)

*Final stop at a beach near Carlisle Bay

 

We have rented a car and done our own tours in Cozumel and Grand Cayman so we are familiar with wild traffic / driving on the left. Are the roads congested ?

Thanks !

 

We were in Barbados on August 16 and rented a car. Had no problems getting around the island. Picked up a mid-size from Stouts at the cruise pier area for about $95 for the day. Rental cars in Barbados have a license plate that begins with an "H" and the locals were very courteous when driving around us.

 

Two things that really helped us get around easily: good maps and GPS. Had bought a 2011 Barbados map from ITM map company from Vancouver (can get from Amazon). My wife kept that map and the map from Stouts on her lap and she followed our progress from intersection to intersection. Also before leaving on our cruise I plotted the places we wanted to visit on all the islands into my Garmin GPS. I got the latitude and longitude for all of the places by using Google Earth and then entering those coordinates into the GPS. The Garmin could not give driving directions, but by checking it ever so often I could tell how close and which direction we should be going. We did this on most of the islands the Serenade of the Seas visited over 14 days and it worked out very well.

 

We drove across the island to St. Johns church, north along Hackelton's Cliff, down to Andromeda Gardens, along the Bathsheba coast, north and back across the island past wildlife reserve (didn't stop), and then south to Brandons Beach. We got across the island so quickly we were at St John's before the trinket sellers had set up for the ship excursions that were coming later in the morning. At Andromeda Gardens there is something like 600 varieties of plants from all of the tropical areas of the world. Great stop if you like botanical gardens and there were no tours there; was there about 2 hours from about 10:30 to 12:30. Would have gotten there earlier, but gas stations on the east side of the island are limited and we had to double back to Four Corners (car came with only an 1/8 tank gas). Ate lunch on the north end of Bathsheba at the Edgewater Inn. We were the only ones there until a bus tour group came in for drinks and to take pictures from the dining room deck. Their dining room has a great view of Bathsheba. Edgewater service is on Caribbean time; so it took about an hour to get a couple sandwiches and a bowl soup. Very tasty and home-made; plus they were the only place we could find open.

 

We wanted to stop at Paynes or Mullins beaches, but could not find public parking. The road along the west coast and beaches was the busiest road we found on the island, but gas stations were plentiful to refill the car. We kept driving south and towards the pier looking for beach parking. Just a couple miles before the pier we turned right at the sign for Brighton Beach and drove about 6 blocks to the T intersection. Took a left and the road ended at Brandon's beach. There is free parking and restrooms with showers. This is the closet beach to pier and the ship was in sight; so we stayed there until about a half-hour before we were required to get back on the ship. This gave us about an hour on the beach. There were also a couple tour buses at the beach. Best thing at Brandon's was some of the local spear fisherman were cleaning their daily catch and the turtles knew that these fisherman would do this most afternoons. Turtles like to eat fish guts; so if you would stand quietly in the water near where they were cleaning the fish then turtles would swim around you.

 

Overall this was one of our best island days and we would go back to Barbados for a land vacation. It took us all day to do all these sights and have lunch; we had the rental car from about 8:30 to 4:30. If you have a good map, have good driving sense (can figure out if going E/S/W/N), and don't mind driving on the left then this could be a good day to rent a car. Enjoy Barbados.

[wd2crv]

We just came back from Barbados last week and had a wonderful time. I think it might be a lot to do Harrison's Cave and Bathsheba in one day. When you get off the ship, you can go to the Tourist Information spot and arrange a personal tour there. That's what we did and it was very economical. We toured the whole island with a woman named Angela who was very knowledgeable about what we were seeing. I think it was $120 for the day. I think it is doable to travel Barbados by yourself but there are no street signs anywhere or anything to indicate where you are on the island (so I would strongly recommend a GPS). But any Barbadian will gladly give you directions! You can ask any of them! But why put yourself through the stress and not have a full understanding of what you are seeing when you can travel with someone who knows? I recommend just booking a private tour when you get off the island. Oh, and you should stop and see some of the very old churchs on the island - very neat. Enjoy - we loved Barbados!

[MsCruiserT]

We were in Barbados on August 16 and rented a car. Had no problems getting around the island. Picked up a mid-size from Stouts at the cruise pier area for about $95 for the day. Rental cars in Barbados have a license plate that begins with an "H" and the locals were very courteous when driving around us.

 

Two things that really helped us get around easily: good maps and GPS. Had bought a 2011 Barbados map from ITM map company from Vancouver (can get from Amazon). My wife kept that map and the map from Stouts on her lap and she followed our progress from intersection to intersection. Also before leaving on our cruise I plotted the places we wanted to visit on all the islands into my Garmin GPS. I got the latitude and longitude for all of the places by using Google Earth and then entering those coordinates into the GPS. The Garmin could not give driving directions, but by checking it ever so often I could tell how close and which direction we should be going. We did this on most of the islands the Serenade of the Seas visited over 14 days and it worked out very well.

 

We drove across the island to St. Johns church, north along Hackelton's Cliff, down to Andromeda Gardens, along the Bathsheba coast, north and back across the island past wildlife reserve (didn't stop), and then south to Brandons Beach. We got across the island so quickly we were at St John's before the trinket sellers had set up for the ship excursions that were coming later in the morning. At Andromeda Gardens there is something like 600 varieties of plants from all of the tropical areas of the world. Great stop if you like botanical gardens and there were no tours there; was there about 2 hours from about 10:30 to 12:30. Would have gotten there earlier, but gas stations on the east side of the island are limited and we had to double back to Four Corners (car came with only an 1/8 tank gas). Ate lunch on the north end of Bathsheba at the Edgewater Inn. We were the only ones there until a bus tour group came in for drinks and to take pictures from the dining room deck. Their dining room has a great view of Bathsheba. Edgewater service is on Caribbean time; so it took about an hour to get a couple sandwiches and a bowl soup. Very tasty and home-made; plus they were the only place we could find open.

 

We wanted to stop at Paynes or Mullins beaches, but could not find public parking. The road along the west coast and beaches was the busiest road we found on the island, but gas stations were plentiful to refill the car. We kept driving south and towards the pier looking for beach parking. Just a couple miles before the pier we turned right at the sign for Brighton Beach and drove about 6 blocks to the T intersection. Took a left and the road ended at Brandon's beach. There is free parking and restrooms with showers. This is the closet beach to pier and the ship was in sight; so we stayed there until about a half-hour before we were required to get back on the ship. This gave us about an hour on the beach. There were also a couple tour buses at the beach. Best thing at Brandon's was some of the local spear fisherman were cleaning their daily catch and the turtles knew that these fisherman would do this most afternoons. Turtles like to eat fish guts; so if you would stand quietly in the water near where they were cleaning the fish then turtles would swim around you.

 

Overall this was one of our best island days and we would go back to Barbados for a land vacation. It took us all day to do all these sights and have lunch; we had the rental car from about 8:30 to 4:30. If you have a good map, have good driving sense (can figure out if going E/S/W/N), and don't mind driving on the left then this could be a good day to rent a car. Enjoy Barbados.

Thanks for the wonderful report! We will be renting a car when we are in Barbados on our December cruise. We're from Vancouver too what is the name of the shop you bought your map from?

[severna]

We just came back from Barbados last week and had a wonderful time. I think it might be a lot to do Harrison's Cave and Bathsheba in one day. When you get off the ship, you can go to the Tourist Information spot and arrange a personal tour there. That's what we did and it was very economical. We toured the whole island with a woman named Angela who was very knowledgeable about what we were seeing. I think it was $120 for the day. I think it is doable to travel Barbados by yourself but there are no street signs anywhere or anything to indicate where you are on the island (so I would strongly recommend a GPS). But any Barbadian will gladly give you directions! You can ask any of them! But why put yourself through the stress and not have a full understanding of what you are seeing when you can travel with someone who knows? I recommend just booking a private tour when you get off the island. Oh, and you should stop and see some of the very old churchs on the island - very neat. Enjoy - we loved Barbados!

 

I am interested in the Tourist Information spot where you booked your private tour. Were there lots of ships in port and were there enought private tour companies available? We will be there on a Celebrity Cruise in January.

[Buffettfan 225]

We might take the ship tour that hits the caves, Bathsheba area and then cuts across to the west on 4x4's. This tour is only 3 1/2 hours and then we'll still have a little beach time.

Please post what you ended up doing--would love to see caves (would like anyone's feedback if $$ is worth it and time well spent or not) and see Bathsheba too.

[themerle]

We just came back from Barbados last week and had a wonderful time. I think it might be a lot to do Harrison's Cave and Bathsheba in one day. When you get off the ship, you can go to the Tourist Information spot and arrange a personal tour there. That's what we did and it was very economical. We toured the whole island with a woman named Angela who was very knowledgeable about what we were seeing. I think it was $120 for the day. I think it is doable to travel Barbados by yourself but there are no street signs anywhere or anything to indicate where you are on the island (so I would strongly recommend a GPS). But any Barbadian will gladly give you directions! You can ask any of them! But why put yourself through the stress and not have a full understanding of what you are seeing when you can travel with someone who knows? I recommend just booking a private tour when you get off the island. Oh, and you should stop and see some of the very old churchs on the island - very neat. Enjoy - we loved Barbados!

 

Where is the Tourist Information spot? Is it easy to locate? Was $120 for 2 people?

[Buffettfan 225]

We might take the ship tour that hits the caves, Bathsheba area and then cuts across to the west on 4x4's. This tour is only 3 1/2 hours and then we'll still have a little beach time.

Please post how it went in Barbados, if you did the caves & recommend them, or would have preferred a tour that just did Bathsheba or beaches. I see you sailed already.

Thanks.

[tuffy0317]

I echo those who say this might be a bit ambitious (been there six times, my Dad was an ex-pat there for four years). If you're sticking to main roads, you'll be fine driving, but you'll find once you get into the interior of the island, the roads are rough and unmarked. There aren't really landmarks to go off of, just lots of sugar cane! Of course, you can also ask a local for advice, they're friendly and always willing to give it out.

 

That being said, Bathsheba is my favorite place on the island. Head over that way, make reservations at the Round House for lunch (amazing macaroni pie and flying fish!), and enjoy a lovely day (make sure and stop at Cherry Tree Hill for a photo!).

[tuffy0317]

Oh, and Harrison's Cave is great! Very well organized and put together - by far my favorite "touristy" thing on the island!

[nautica34]

What is there to see in the caves? I'm trying to convince my travel companion to go but his feeling is that we've seen caves before and that Harrison wouldn't be any different. I really like the idea of a tram.

[Peter Birks]

What is there to see in the caves? I'm trying to convince my travel companion to go but his feeling is that we've seen caves before and that Harrison wouldn't be any different. I really like the idea of a tram.

 

WHen I was much younger I used to go the cave at least once a year! You hop on a tram and literally get taken down into the cave which is all limestone. What most people don't realize is that all of Barbados is made up of Limestone. In addition to being very beautiful to look at (the colorful spot-lighting underground helps!), it also acts as a natural filtration system for the island's water supply. You get to learn a lot about Barbados and literally see underground canals and lakes (small ones!!! -- maybe Ponds is a better word?!) but is very beautiful.

 

They throw in a bit of history since the limestone take years and years and years to form from the calcium slowly drying from the water it filters; it's all good fun and especially fun for youngsters. If I recall its not terribly long; so you'll have plenty of time to make it to the beach after which, after all, is what Barbados is really all about!

 

-Pete

[nautica34]

Hi Pete,

 

Thank you so much for the information. Would you happen to know if the caves are public transportation accessible?

[phoenix_dream]

A number of years ago we rented a car to do Barbados ourselves and our experience was far from pleasant. The car had very bad brakes, and the island is quite hilly (not large hills, but larger than you want with bad brakes!). It was before GPS became popular for the masses and finding our way around was very difficult. Traffic in certain areas is also horrendous at times.

 

One more point to mention - depending how many ships are in port that day the Cave can possibly be booked up with people on shore excursions - at least at the time you prefer to visit. Would hate to see you drive all the way over there and find you could not get in in time. There are of course other things to do if you are flexible, but this is something to consider is as well

[nautica34]

Does the cave take reserevations? It would be for just the 2 of us.

[Buffettfan 225]

Does the cave take reserevations? It would be for just the 2 of us.

I am thinking of reservations privately myself. The Harrison Cave website (seems to load slow and some days not work) has a section to request reservations. I heard ships take a lot of am time slots. I hope if I request and get an am slot they honor it. Let me know if you decide to reserve online and how it goes.

[nautica34]

Thanks for the information. I wonder if we could just show up without a reservation.

[Buffettfan 225]

Thanks for the information. I wonder if we could just show up without a reservation.

Only in the PM would I risk showing up without a reservation on a cruise ship day. I read on CC that cruise ships buy out the am slots.

[nautica34]

I e-mailed the caves about reservations and haven't heard back. I'll let you if and when I do.