best beaches for western caribbean

[kmknox]

My wife & I are sailing on Liberty of the Seas in march 2009 & wondering the best beaches with chairs & drinks, we are not to concerned with a lot of water activities but may like to snorkel if there are good spots.we are going to the following ports

Labadee: 1st time visiting

Montego Bay: 1st time visiting

Grand Cayman: have done stingray city twice looking for something different

Cozumel: have done chankanaab park & paradise beach

We have enjoyed all we have done but just looking for new beaches to visit

[subtchr]

We just did that cruise and loved pretty much every minute of it...you will have a great time!

 

I have lots of pictures in my album in the links below.

 

For Labadee, there are plenty of spots that are great. It is stunningly beautiful, but one warning, there are lots of rocks and coral in the sand, so water shoes are helpful. Our group split up, one on the "ocean" side (where the zipline passes over the water), and one on the "bay" side (where the ship anchors). We loved Barefoot Beach, on the bay side. We had read great things about Hideaway Beach, but that is closed because of the construction of the new pier for Oasis. Of course there are waiters wandering everywhere offering drinks. We did not go to the area where all the water activities are (to the right as you get off the tender), although we did take a quick trip through the flea market, where the vendors are VERY aggressive. There is a map of the peninsula in my photo album.

 

For Montego Bay, most of us did a river tubing excursion that we LOVED, but my sister and niece spent the day at Doctor's Cave Beach, which they said was gorgeous. Chairs, warm, clear water, soft sand. It is a short taxi ride from the dock.

 

At Cayman, we did the Rays, Reef, and Rum Point tour through Native Way. It was our favorite day of the entire cruise. Rum Point is a secluded little paradise, with everything you could want. Lovely beaches, clear water, great rum drinks, picnic tables, some shade some sun, friendly people. There are lots of pictures from here in my album.

 

At Cozumel, we did Paradise Beach, which you have already done. Our previous cruise we did Chankanaab, so I can't help much there, either! We had a good day at Paradise Beach, but I would try another beach next time. A bit too toursity/crowded for my taste. I have heard good things about Playa San Francisco, which is adjacent to Paradise.

 

Have a great time, and I would be happy to answer any questions!

 

Sue in Ohio

[QTBabyNurse]

My favorite beach of all time is in Grand Cayman...it is a part of 7 mile beach, called Seagrape Beach.....here is a photo:

[BecciBoo]

You'll gain a wealth of knowledge by going to the Ports of Call boards here, port specific. No end to the good advice. Try Nachi Cocom dot com in Coz. They limit the number of people in the resort to 100 and are not on the list of excursions by ship. Most times we are there, no more than 30 or 40 people to use the great swim up bar pool and the stretch of beach where you can look down the beach at Paradise Beach where all the crowds are. Great service and great drinks (all inclusive all you can eat and drink for $49 pp) plus great food as well. Its just a couple of miles past Paradise. The October trip our friends made on Conquest, they were 4 of only 10 people there!

 

View My Video

 

[TEXASMUNK]

Try renting a car and heading over to the other side of the island.

 

It is quiet, almost no tourists, gives yu a totally different point of view of the Gulf. If you head straight across when you get to the water there are a couple of small outdoor restaurants that can offer exactly what you are looking for...

[want2seaitall]

I agree with QTbabynurse...7 mile beach in Grand Cayman. Nachi Cocum in Cozumel is ground up shells. As you can see in the photo 7 mile beach is powdery white sand with the clearest water you've ever seen. You don't have to do an expensive excursion with the ship. You can take a cab to several hotels that offer day passes. One is the Beach Club Colony Hotel. This is where we went. We actually did it through the cruiseline...only to find out later that we paid 2x as much as folks just coming by taxi and paying directly to the hotel.

 

This is their website:

 

http://www.caymanresortsonline.com/beachclub/home.htm

 

You would have to contact them to get their current day pass rate. I went in 2002.

[bgsimp]

When we go to Cozumel, we go to Playa Mia Beach. You can do it through the cruise line or on your own. They always have taxis. You can get different programs there. Admission, drinks, food any or all of them. We really like it there. Have Fun !!!

[cruise-bunny]

We just did that cruise and loved pretty much every minute of it...you will have a great time!

 

I have lots of pictures in my album in the links below.

 

For Labadee, there are plenty of spots that are great. It is stunningly beautiful, but one warning, there are lots of rocks and coral in the sand, so water shoes are helpful. Our group split up, one on the "ocean" side (where the zipline passes over the water), and one on the "bay" side (where the ship anchors). We loved Barefoot Beach, on the bay side. We had read great things about Hideaway Beach, but that is closed because of the construction of the new pier for Oasis. Of course there are waiters wandering everywhere offering drinks. We did not go to the area where all the water activities are (to the right as you get off the tender), although we did take a quick trip through the flea market, where the vendors are VERY aggressive. There is a map of the peninsula in my photo album.

 

For Montego Bay, most of us did a river tubing excursion that we LOVED, but my sister and niece spent the day at Doctor's Cave Beach, which they said was gorgeous. Chairs, warm, clear water, soft sand. It is a short taxi ride from the dock.

 

At Cayman, we did the Rays, Reef, and Rum Point tour through Native Way. It was our favorite day of the entire cruise. Rum Point is a secluded little paradise, with everything you could want. Lovely beaches, clear water, great rum drinks, picnic tables, some shade some sun, friendly people. There are lots of pictures from here in my album.

 

At Cozumel, we did Paradise Beach, which you have already done. Our previous cruise we did Chankanaab, so I can't help much there, either! We had a good day at Paradise Beach, but I would try another beach next time. A bit too toursity/crowded for my taste. I have heard good things about Playa San Francisco, which is adjacent to Paradise.

 

Have a great time, and I would be happy to answer any questions!

 

Sue in Ohio

Sue do you see the same types of things going to Rum Point as Stingray alley? I have not been to either and you are the 2nd person that called Rum point their cruise favorite?

thanks

Sandy

[kmknox]

thanks for all the suggestions we will check into nachi cocom & seagrape beach

[MrZoey]

We went to Nachi Cocom last week and loved it.......very quiet, great service and nice beach.:D