Caribbean Beach Days

A Caribbean cruise would not be the same without a few Caribbean beach days – Crystal clear waters, golden sandy beaches and the comforting warmth of tropical sunshine, what could be better?

I never used to be a massive beach lover, that was until I visited the Caribbean, and I decided today would be a good day to share my top 3 Caribbean beaches with you – after all, we have had some glorious weather ourselves lately, so this should get you even more in the more for a tropical adventure.

Eagle Beach – Aruba

Eagle Beach is noted as one of the best beaches in the world, so during my time in Aruba I had to make time to go and see it. You could walk to the beach quite easily, it is a straight line from the port, but I decided to take a taxi, which was quick and cheap, and a saviour in the heat. The driver was friendly and told us exactly where to go – he dropped us off outside a hotel and we had to walk through the hotel and out the back in order to get to the beach.

I don’t think there are words powerful enough to describe to you what my eyes settled upon. It was absolutely incredible! The sand was so soft, almost like talcum powder, and the water was the most beautiful shade of turquoise that I had ever seen. It was quite a wide, and very long beach, and there were various resorts nestled in the trees along it – Sandals being one of the most impressive.

It was busy, but not overcrowded and for as far as the eye could see it was nothing but sheer paradise!

If you visit Aruba then please go to Eagle Beach! The island has many sublime beach options, but this one really was fantastic.

Cane Garden Bay – Tortola

What can one say about Cane Garden Bay, other than WOW! I fell head over heels in love with this beach the moment I stepped foot upon it. Crisp white sand, clear waters and a backdrop that you only ever think you will see in travel magazines – Cane Garden Bay was exactly that. The beach was shorter than I had imagined it to be, but I was glad of that, and there were numerous restaurants and market stalls dotted here and there.

Cane Garden Bay is on the other side of the mountain to the port of Road Town, so you really do need taxi transportation to get you there, but it’s not expensive. Just make sure you use a professional taxi service and arrange a time for someone to come and collect you to take you back to the port. Another thing to note – ask your driver on the way there if you can make a quick stop for a photograph as the views from the top of the mountain are absolutely magnificent. You can get a wonderful birds-eye view of your ship from one side, and the most breath-taking view across the other British Virgin Islands on the other.

My time here wasn’t long enough, so I am hoping to visit again in February 2016. Watch this space!

Dickenson Bay – Antigua

Dickenson Bay was my first Caribbean beach experience and it was a great choice. I had done my research before leaving for my cruise and decided this would be the ideal “taster” beach. It wasn’t far from the port, which meant the taxi cost was low, and it had several bars, restaurants and resorts – perfect.

There were a few locals making and selling crafts, and one man walking up and down with an aloe vera plant on his head. He would scrape the pure aloe from the plant and bottle it for you for $10. He was very popular!

If you want to hit the beach for a few hours, then definitely consider Dickenson Bay, you could visit and still have more than enough time to explore the area around the port. Registered taxi drivers will be just outside the port complex when you leave your ship, so there is no hassle finding a car. The guy who drove my friends and I also arranged a pick-up time with us, he arrived back at the beach approx. 30-minutes before he needed to be there, just so we knew our lift was ready when we were. I really appreciated him doing that. There’s no worse a feeling than having a great day ruined because your transfer is late.

Images sourced via Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: Goran Ingman, bxi4092, Lindz Graham.