Rockley vs Carlisle Bay

[Caribbophile]

I've narrowed it down to one of these 2. I know Carlisle is closer to pier. Is Rockley better to make it worth going further? Thanks for opinions.

[aimodels]

Not really sure what you mean by "better"...

 

Both beaches are gorgeous, both have snorkeling, both have a place where you can grab a bite to eat and a beer or cocktail...

 

Carlisle Bay has shipwrecks, Rockley doesn't.

 

Rockley is smaller, Carlisle Bay is about a mile long.

 

Generally, the water is calmer at Carlisle, whereas Rockley can get some small waves.

 

Both beaches are right along Hwy. 7 about 1.5 miles apart.

 

You could easily spend some time at both, depending on what else you have on your agenda for that day.

 

Cheers, P:)

[Caribbophile]

Thank you so much, your answer was very helpful:)

[aimodels]

No prob. If you decide to snorkel at Rockley, there's a small man-made reef about 150 yards straight out from the Side Shore Beach Bar & Bistro.

 

Most mornings, we would see turtles at the reef if the water wasn't too choppy.

 

The reef is about 150 yards long and it's marked at either end by flags.

 

Cheers, P:)

[Caribbophile]

Thanks again aimodels but I've decided on Carlisle, especially since it's milder & actually closer to the ship and you said both beaches were gorgeous. I'm not a snorkeller anyway. Almost drowned when I was younger & now can't stand the sensation of submerging my face in water; only swim in shallow water with my head above it. I appreciate your helpful responses:)

[Caribbophile]

One more question for aimodels or anyone. Can you give walking directions from pier to Carlisle? This will sound stupid: a few years back at another port (don't remember which) I was told a particular beach was walking distance & without proper directions I wasted valuable time & energy walking in the wrong direction. Thanks.

[aimodels]

It's about 2.5 miles from port to the north end of Carlisle Bay. The beach is roughly about a mile long, with Lobster Alive near the north end and the Hilton at the south.

 

I'm not sure exactly where your ship will be berthed, but can give you directions from the cruise terminal building itself...

 

Walk through the cruise terminal and head southeast towards the South Gatehouse (about 300 yards). The ocean will be on your right. Once through the gatehouse you'll see a traffic circle with trees in the middle where taxis like to sit and wait.

 

Keep going straight with the ocean on your right - you are now on Princess Alice Hwy. You will pass Pelican Village and the Princess Alice Bus Terminal on your left.

 

Keep going past the Fishing Harbour on your right, until the road makes a gentle S-bend. You are now on Wharf Rd. Keep going until you reach

Bridge St. (which is also Hwy. 7). Turn right on Bridge St. and go over the canal. You should see the Fairchild St. Bus Terminal on your left.

 

Go another 3 blocks or so until the road makes another S-bend and becomes Bay St. (still Hwy. 7) Another block or so you should see Lobster Alive and The Boatyard on your right.

 

Another route is to hang a left on Cumberland just after the Fishing Harbour and go about a block until you reach Jubilee Gardens. Go right, through the gardens and you'll see Broad St. This is where a lot of the shopping is... Follow Broad St. for about 6-8 blocks until you hit Bridge St. and go over the canal with the Fairchild St. Terminal on your left.

 

If you get lost, just ask any local on the street. They are friendly and more than willing to help.

 

Just keep the ocean on your right and you can't miss...

 

Cheers, P:)

[Caribbophile]

Awesome detailled answer. Thank you so very much, you rock!:)

[aimodels]

No prob! I love this island - it is my favourite...

 

If I could get a job down there doing what I do, I'd liquidate everything I have and move down there tomorrow:)

 

Cheers, P:)

[Solorca1]

We were in Barbados last week and decided to go to Rockley. It was quite wavy the day we were there, but the snorkeling was nice. On the way back to the ship we drove by Carlisle and it looked really calm and peaceful. We asked our cab driver about it, and he recommended it as the nicest beach in Barbados.

[Caribbophile]

We were in Barbados last week and decided to go to Rockley. It was quite wavy the day we were there, but the snorkeling was nice. On the way back to the ship we drove by Carlisle and it looked really calm and peaceful. We asked our cab driver about it, and he recommended it as the nicest beach in Barbados.

Thanks. 16 years ago I stayed at the Barbados Hilton which was on Carlisle and I remember the beach being very nice. I posed the original question because Rockley is so popular and I wanted to know how it compared. All things being equal I decided on Carlisle because I'd rather be closer to the ship and don't feel I'd be missing anything by picking Carlisle over Rockley.

[CaliforniaAC]

Thanks again aimodels but I've decided on Carlisle, especially since it's milder & actually closer to the ship and you said both beaches were gorgeous. I'm not a snorkeller anyway. Almost drowned when I was younger & now can't stand the sensation of submerging my face in water; only swim in shallow water with my head above it. I appreciate your helpful responses:)

 

We rent our chairs and umbrella from Lobster Alive at the north end of the beach. 2 chairs, 1 cloth umbrella and 3 drinks for $15us. The cab was $5us p/p.

 

It is an easy in/out to get in the ocean no real waves to speak of.

 

If I do this right, here is a picture of the beach in the late afternoon-

[austinlw]

Just started looking at port info for our cruise next November. We like beaches and we also like to snorkel, but it's often tricky to find places where both are good. Some beaches on St John in the USVI are examples of pretty good snorkeling from a beautiful beach. I'd like to find someplace like that reasonably close to port on Barbados, perhaps at Carlisle or Rockley. I do see from earlier comments that they both have some decent snorkeling. Where on Carlisle (since it's so long) would be the best area to target for snorkeling? Any other suggested places? Thanks.

[aimodels]

At Carlisle, I found the best area was straight out from Harbour Lights Nightclub.

 

Just look for the dive boats and the booze cruise catamarans...

 

Cheers, P:)

[austinlw]

At Carlisle, I found the best area was straight out from Harbour Lights Nightclub.

 

Just look for the dive boats and the booze cruise catamarans...

 

Cheers, P:)

 

Great. That'll be one of our options. Looking at Google Earth and other info, it looks like some of the other smaller beach areas between Bridgetown and Holetown may have some reefy/rocky areas very close to shore that could be even better for snorkeling with better underwater visibility than a big sandy beach. Is that the case? Are there any places in that area that are particularly good snorkel spots? Or are they not really any better than Carlisle? Thanks.

[aimodels]

I found that most of the beaches along the west side had similar snorkeling. A mix of sand and rocks - not the best snorkeling I've ever experienced, but definitely enjoyable...

 

I really liked Carlisle, because of the shipwrecks that are in relatively shallow water. The bonus is that you'll generally find turtles there also.

 

You can also look at Folkestone Marine Park, near Holetown.

 

Cheers, P:)