Crane Beach is often included in the list of Caribbean’s top beaches, its soft pink sand, deep blue waters, and coral reef form a natural harbor and the perfect place to relax for a lazy and romantic beach day. Protected by rocky outcrops, the waters here are relatively calm and also ideal for bodysurfing.
The trick with visiting Crane Beach is to avoid paying the entrance fee the resort charges. If you’d like to have a meal or drink there, then the fee pays for itself (the resort allows you to use that money in the restaurant). If not, look for the unmarked footpath, open to the public, to the left of the resort if you are facing the sea.xa0
Visit Crane Beach as part of a full-day tour that stops at the island’s most captivating attractions including St. John’s Parish Church and Cherry Tree Hill with plenty of down time to relax on this beach or the pretty sandy beach at Little Bay.
- Crane Beach is ideal for sun worshippers and boogie boarders.
- Access to the public beach is free.
- Find the unmarked footpath to access the beach next to the upscale Crane Resort, or enter through the resort for a fee, which is redeemable at the bar or restaurant.
- Chairs, umbrellas, and boogie boards are available to rent.
- Mind the warnings and flags as the currents for swimming are often strong.
Crane Beach is located on the southeast coast of Barbados, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from Bridgetown. Drive or take the 27 or 12A bus, which leaves about every half hour from Bubba’s Sports Bar and takes about 45 minutes. If you’re coming from the airport, drive about five minutes north or take the same bus originating in Bridgetown. Parking is available at Crane Resort for a fee or for free down the road near the roundabout, if there’s space.
Visit Crane in the early morning to beat the crowds. The high season on the island is from December to May when the weather is still hot but also the most dry. Or come in August for Carnival when the island is a riot of celebration, with colorful costumed locals dancing and parading down the streets.
Go up the coast to visit one of the island’s top attractions. Established almost 60 years ago by one of the island’s best regarded horticulturalists, the elegant six-acre (2.4-hectare) Andromeda Botanic Gardens offer some 600 different species of flowers, shrubs, and trees from around the world as well as a medicinal plant garden. From its elevated location in St. Joseph Parish, cool island breezes accompany a bird’s eye view of the coastline.
