Hiring a taxi for the day - advice needed

[canadian cruisehounds]

My husband and I were considering hiring a taxi for a tour of the island and then have him drop us at a beach (probably Rockley). Has anyone had any experience with just hiring a taxi from the pier to show you around? How much do they charge? We are not bus tour people. Thanks for any advice! :)

[crisp1]

Hiring a cab at the pier is tough, they are dispatched by the dispatcher :rolleyes: You have to at least walk out of the gate and try to negotiate with the cabbies out there. What we did our last time in Barbados was to take the cab into town- $3pp I think, as soon as we got out of the van we found a driver who we negotiated a day tour for the 2 of us from $150 down to $125. We toured the island spent an hour on the beach and made a stop for lunch, about 5-6 hrs total

[canadian cruisehounds]

crisp 1 - thanks for the information re: taxis. We'll probably do just that...take a cab into town, look around there for a while and then see if we can arrange a tour. Less than 2 weeks to go! Can't wait:)

[cinnam0n]

We pre-arranged transportation with Cameron Reid. He is a wonderful gentleman who really knows the island. He does not have "preset" tours - you design where you want to go. His website (with contact info ) is scenicbarbados.com. You may want to email him just to get a rate to compare with others.

[Nickymjw1]

Hi Nicky

My tours are 3 to 4 hours Us 125.00 dollars for the car ( can carry 4 persons )

My tours are personalize (just you and your party and where you want to go)

There is Scenic, Historical, Garden and Rum distillery, you can have a combination of all if you so desire

Please note all places other than Scenic carry an entrance fee which you would have to pay

Have a nice day

 

Cameron Reid

[shark&minnow]

Hi

we walked out of the dock area and found a taxi...this was a little nerve wrecking for me. The dock area was confusing. Once we got out and found a taxi the driver was wonderful. We went to the Rum factory, then he came back for us and then took us to a nice beach where we had chairs and a lot of privacy (around Paynes I think) He came back to get us and helped us stop and purchase some Banks beer to take back on the Destiny. All and all it was about $100 for the day. If I were going back there I would pre arrange something...Cameron sounds very nice. Many of the taxi drivers at the port were very aggresive.

[sas80]

I would send Sarah from glory tours an email and ask her about doing this as well. I bet she could arrange a day for you at a good price.

 

http://www.glorytours.org/

 

Just ask her if she can accommodate your needs and ask her for a price quote.

 

She's quite busy, so don't be surprised if she doesn't get back to you in a day or two. She will get back to you tho.

[cinnam0n]

Yes, Nicky, Cameron does personalize all his tours. You can do some research online and tell him the exact places you wans to go (this is what we did), or just tell him the type of things you are interested in (gardens, nature, beaches, museums, animals, etc.) and he will give you some suggestions. He charged us $125 for 5 of us. His van was very roomy and on the new side.

[Wasasalad]

We just hired a car and driver for 6 hours. I did need to give a deposit by fax. Used AMX so I hope I will have no problems. He gave me a gate number to meet him at.

We must pay for our own lunch and all entry fees. That is ok with us. I googled him and the google matched the information that he gave me.

We always hire a car and driver because we do not like to be on a bus or in a group!

 

My husband and I were considering hiring a taxi for a tour of the island and then have him drop us at a beach (probably Rockley). Has anyone had any experience with just hiring a taxi from the pier to show you around? How much do they charge? We are not bus tour people. Thanks for any advice! :)

[Wasasalad]

We just hired a car and driver for 6 hours

 

My husband and I were considering hiring a taxi for a tour of the island and then have him drop us at a beach (probably Rockley). Has anyone had any experience with just hiring a taxi from the pier to show you around? How much do they charge? We are not bus tour people. Thanks for any advice! :)

[Aplmac]

Just read the frank and realistic discussion at this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=699117

and get someone OUTside the Port's gatehouse..

 

or like the guy above said, walk/Outside cab it into Bridgetown

to shop for awhile and get a City taxi driver to show you around the island - he'll be delighted.

 

It's not difficult.

it's only the guys INside the Port complex that are problematic

- they like to think they're shooting fish in a barrel!:)

[Aplmac]

Just read the frank and realistic discussion at this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=699117

and get someone OUTside the Port's gatehouse..

 

or like the guy above said, walk/Outside cab it into Bridgetown

to shop for awhile and get a City taxi driver to show you around the island - he'll be delighted.

 

It's not difficult.

it's only the guys INside the Port complex that are problematic

- they like to think they're shooting fish in a barrel!:)

[canadian cruisehounds]

Thanks to everyone who posted a reply to our question about taxis. Every site I visited seemed to have the same advice...get away from the port and then negotiate. That is definitely the plan. We are new to cruise critic and I must say, people taking time out of their busy life to post replies is very nice. We will certainly do the same once we are back. What a great resource! Thanks again!:o

[63Corvette]

We just got back last week from a cruise on the Destiny. Prior to the cruise, I made arrangements with Johnson Tours to have a driver meet us at the terminal. We paid $40 per hour for the service. Spent the first 10 - 15 minutes reviewing a map and discussing possible stops. The driver (Edith) was very helpful and knowledgable of the places of interest. We spent 5 hours touring the Island, and had a wonderful time. We ate lunch at Bathsheba, which was very nice (view of the surf pounding in was beautiful). A friend recommended that we tour the island this way, and I am sure glad we did. Next time I go to Barbados, it will be for more than 1 day - I hope to spend at least a week there possibly next year.

 

Dave

[memphre]

My wife and I will be on the Pearl March 7-16th if anyone is interested in splitting a taxi in Barbados. Hope to get away from the port, perhaps Accra OR Folsktone for snorkelling. We're early 40's, Canadian, 3 kids (left with grandma), teacher and accountant. Let me know at robin.franmoore@wightman.ca

[Aplmac]

Hope to get away from the port, perhaps Accra OR Folkestone for snorkelling.

Not much snorkelling at Accra BUT...

there is a long (250yds.?) man-made boulder-barrier-reef

about 100-150 yds. offshore (yes, you can get out to it easily)

which comes up from about 15ft. depth on a bright sandy bottom,

in clear water usually, to within 1-2 ft. of the surface -depending on the tide.

 

It's been there about 15 years now

so it's accumulated decent marine life around it

although it's not yet a "reef" per se.

There's an inland and a seaward side to it, so there's some variation to be had.

 

It's not spectacular, but the beach and beach-life sure is

and it does provide some snorkelling

for those who might want to spend a memorable day at Accra/Rockley.

 

Hope this helps you make your decision.:confused:

[naples queen]

It seems that we were lucky on Barbados...........we got a taxi driver right outside the port who was absolutely wonderful. His name was Peter Young and he is in the process of setting up a web site to arrange private tours. He said he would let me know when this is ready. His price was $15 per hour per person which we thought was very reasonable. His tour was very comprehensive and he was extremely professional. I have to admit that I was a little leary at the beginning but it couldn't have worked out better. If you are lucky enough to find him, you will not be disappointed.

[Holly2]

We booked Cameron in advance based on his reviews for 6 of us on the Constellation. He was waiting for us when we got off the ship and took us wherever we wanted to go by the most scenic routes available. He charged us $30 per person for the tour which was over 4 hours.