Barbados Five Questions

J

J. Frost

Guest
To everyone who has visited Barbados (and in particular to poster “Cycofan,â€Â) I would be grateful if you would share your insights on the following:

1. Barbados resort day passes?--in particular Sandy Lane Hotel or the Fairmont resorts.

2. Green Monkeys? Best way to see Barbados’ monkeys?

3. Any information on the Barbados Wildlife Reserve?

4. Sea turtles? Cycofan posted that snorkeling with sea turtles was possible in Barbados. Please--how, where and when? Number of turtles seen?

5. Recommended Barbados guides or tour guide services?

Specifics and as much detail as possible would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

John



Post Edited (03-22-04 15:52)
 
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cycofan

Guest
We did our snorkeling with the turtles through the ship. I would imagine yours will have similar opportunities.

I don't know the answer to many more of your questions. I can tell you that a couple we dined with from Great Britain had a taxi take them to Sandy Lane hotel. The were allowed to go through the circle drive, and then sent on their way. I guess I don't know for sure, but would say the odds of a day pass there are slim.....unless you want to pay the $4500/night rate! :)
 
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gaa

Guest
We also snorkeled with the turtles through a Princess excursion. It was great! As I recall we took a rather uninspiring two deck motor boat to the location (cruised along some pretty beaches) and then we entered the water from a platform to snorkel. We then swam to shore and got into kayaks (2 person) and we asked the shuttle driver to drop us off near some real local-looking sandwich shop and walked to some great little shops before taking a taxi back to the ship. I can't remember the name of where we ate (it was on the way back to the ship, on the right hand side of the road)........it reminded me of a burger king, but it wasn't. It was fast, inexpensive, and got us to where we could walk to some art galleries/local handicraft stores. Hope this helps. Sorry I don't have the answers to your other questions.
 
J

J. Frost

Guest
Thank you for your reply and information. If you would be so kind:

How many turtles did you see? How close did you get to the turtles? Species? Were the sea turtles completely wild and freeâ€â€not controlled or enclosed? Could this be done on one’s own or only through ship excursions? Tour operator’s name? Size of boat? Number of participants? Length of excursion? Location on Barbados?

I apologize for all the questions. Your help is appreciated very much.

John
 
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gaa

Guest
We saw several large sea turtles, but I could not tell you the species (perhaps I knew at the time, but it has been about 4 years). We were able to get very close to them by "free diving" while snorkeling, but we were encouraged not to get too close so we did not harass them. There were no requirements that we stay a certain distance, like Hawaii, but we wanted to make sure we did not bother them. We mostly floated above while snorkeling, or swam behind them while underwater. They were completely wild and free. They were large, beautiful and very graceful--quite magical. We hoped to see babies, but did not. The ones we saw were solitary---one at a time. There were one or two other boats in the area, so I assume there are other tour operators than the one we used. I do not recall the tour operator's name or any of the anwers to your other questions, because it was done through an excursion we booked onboard. There were probably 20 people on our excursion. They had a morning excursion, and one that left a bit later. It seems it was about a 4 hour excursion total---we left first thing in the morning, and finished probably around noon or 1 pm.
 
J

J. Frost

Guest
To gaa,

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with my questions on Barbados. The insights and experiences shared by people, such as you, over the internet are extremely valuable. Best wishes.

John
 
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gaa

Guest
My pleasure! I have gotten alot out of this board, and it takes so little time to reply when you have something that might be useful to another.

Have a wonderful time!
 
C

cycofan

Guest
I would say that we saw 7 or 8 turtles. They were "wild" and we were free to get as close to them as we could, but were discouraged from touching them too much. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me!
 
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nerak

Guest
WE just returned from Barbados and the Serenade of the Seas. We took the cruise line snorkling trip. It was through Ocean Adventures and loved every bit of it. The swim with the turtles was great...maybe 8 of them at once. The next stop was at a sunken barge and reef with many fish. After that, we were taken to a beach for swimming and sunning. Great trip...very clean and professional. For tours, we took a taxi with a great driver....Fernando Carter. We connected with him at the port. For two hours he took us to sites that tour buses could not always get to. Our only time with a green monkey was at the top of the rain forest. Friendly little guy named Joe.
 
J

J. Frost

Guest
Thank you cycofan. Thank you nerak. Your help is much appreciated.

Best wishes,

John
 
K

Kgordon

Guest
When we were in Barbados in 2001, we booked an excursion with Tiami Cruises. You can find them on the internet. Had a very nice new, large Catamaran, with lunch, a beach stop, swim with the turtles and a nice ride out to sea.... The cometo the dock and pick you up and take you to their boat. We started with Mimosas. The turtle swim was a highlight, well the whole excursion was a highlight! The stop was off shore, over some coral, they fed the turtles which drew them in - I'd say we saw 4 or 5. Then we had lunch. AND it was GOOD. I don't ever expect these kinds of meals to be impressive but it was VERY good! They had (native) fried flying fish, bar-b-que chicken, potato salad, tossed salad, rolls, cake, tea, water, mixed drinks. After lunch we had a beach break for 30 minutes or so. Then we headed out to sea for a ride. The Rum Punch started flowing and as we flew across the water the flying fish were flying right beside us. Its really cool to see! I t hink it cost about $60/each in 2001 and that is for a 5 hour excursion. All I can say is that it was worth every penny! Nice boat, great food, fun people! GREAT DAY!

Look them up: Tiami Cruises!
 
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joanpav

Guest
Spent many winters in Barbados, suggest you omit Cherry Tree Hill and the monkeys. You are likely to get there and see rustling in the tree tops period. I saw more monkeys scavaging in our backyard than on Cherry Tree Hill. The turtles, on the otherhand are awesome. As stated above the Tiami trip is really worth it we did it at least twice every winter.
We used to get onto the beach on the St James coast via public footpath about one hundred yards from the Sandy Lane beach and use their beach (sit on the sand and swim because there are no urchins or rocks just beautiful fine sand).All the beaches in Barbados are public they cannot be cordonned off, that`s the only way you can get on the Sandy Lane beach.
Doesn`t sound like you`re a shopper which is just as well there are no big bargains in Barbados even so called duty free is more expensive than other islands.
Finally , if you were going to take a taxi tour from one of the cabbies at the port make sure to tell him you want to see Bathsheba on the Atlantic coast its absolutely wild and windswept its really the "other" Barbados. I hope you enjoy your day there we love it.
 
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Jim Wheelock

Guest
Barbados

My wife and I are going on a cruise to Barbados in November and would like some information regarding ship tours vs. purchasing them on the island. I have talked with people who have said that it is best to hire a cab for the day and that you get a much better tour that way. Any help you can give us will be appreciated. There will be a total of 5 in our party.
 
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Smoochy

Guest
I lived in Barbados November 2002 - July 2004 and I am returning for 2 weeks in May.

Obviously, since I lived there, I don't know about excursions from the cruise ships. However.....

In my opinion the best place to see the green monkeys is at the Wildlife Reserve. Be sure to be there at 2:00. This is feeding time and all the animals (that roam free) gather to eat. The last time I was there, we probably saw 30-40 monkeys (up close and personal) including a tiny baby!!! There are also beautiful peacocks as well as the turtles (Beware of mating season - they are noisy boys!!) Keep handbags closed and watch personal effects because the curious monkeys are not above picking pockets and purses.

I went on many many catamaran cruises while living in Barbados. My favorite was Cool Runnings. http://www.coolrunningsbarbados.com/

There are 2 boats (Cool Runnings I & II). Cool Runnings II was brand new January 2003. I believe it can hold up to 80 (maybe more), however Robert never books more than 36. All the catamarans stop at the same 2 locations for snorkling. One is over a sunken ship (that also has zillions of beautiful fish). The other is snorkling with the sea turtles. Last time I was there, I saw turtles everywhere. They would swim within inches of us. Sorry, but if I do not know a specific species. The crew will tell you not to touch the turtles because they do not want them frightened away. An underwater camera is a must!! (Even the little disposable types do a great job.) Because all the catamarans basically cruise to the same locations and their lunch menus are pretty much the same, I base my recommendation for Cool Runnings on the FANTASTIC crew and the uncrowded decks. The regular day cruise lasts for about 5 hours. You stop at the 2 snorkling locations as well as the lunch stop (where you can swin ashore or just swim around the boat). Drinks (sodas, wine, Banks beer, & rum drinks) and lunch are included in the very reasonable price. The snorkling equipment and snorkle vests are also provided.

You can rent cabs for the day and you will have a good time.....however, I highly recommend the Island Safari tour. You will be picked up at your hotel in a 4-wheel drive jeep with an open back that seats 8. The jeeps all meet up and drive in-tandum to many locations not accessible via regular automobile. The drivers are very knowledgeable about island history. They are also very friendly and funny. They are always playing tricks on each other. The tour includes several stops for photo ops (and/or a little rum punch or sodas to keep you going) and a delicious lunch in Speightstown. You will be returned to your hotel. Like the catamaran cruises, this is an all-day adventure for a very reasonable price. http://cwts-bds.com/tours/index.cfm

I understand that if you book online, you can save 10%.

Hope this answers some of your questions. If you have others please feel free to write & I'll do my best to answer.
 
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