The Crane Beach and Resort is one of many jaw – dropping beaches that the island of Barbados has to offer. To be more precise, the Crane beach is situated in the district of St. Philip. But not only that the locals say this is the most beautiful beach on the island, the Crane beach is known as one of the top 10 beaches on the planet! Personally, I think that all of the beaches on Barbados are simply the best, but it is funny to tell your friends that you were swimming in the sea of one of the top 10 beaches in the whole world. The Crane beach is also very famous among the movie stars, but I have not spotted any while I was there.
The local people always tell two versions of how the Crane beach got its name – some say that it got its name from an animal, and some say that the name comes from the crane, which was building the resort. But when you are walking around the resort, you will see many statues of the animal crane, so I think this is the answer to the question where the resort got its name.
Because a lot of people are entering the resort just to take a look (because ordinary people simply cannot afford an accommodation in the Crane resort) or to see the view from the terrace, the management of the resort decided that they will start to charge a few Barbados Dollars for the entrance. However, if you are smart enough, or just lucky (or both), you can get in by a simple trick – you tell the staff at the entrance that you are either a hotel guest or you are about to check in. Me and a couple of friends managed to get inside the resort like this three times.
The resort inside looks like a labyrinth, and try to remember your way out, because there is not much resort staff walking around. Right after the guard at the entrance, there is a big parking space, divided into four parts. Then, there are signs, pointing you into different directions of the resort. If you keep walking straight, you will eventually reach a terrace with a nice, but very busy and expensive restaurant, and at the end of it, there is an amazing viewpoint of the Crane beach below.
It is very windy at the top, so you have to almost scream if you want anyone close to you to hear you. The viewpoint continues, if you take the stairs downwards, and this time, you will see the view of the sea. I heard that they used to do cliff – diving from there, but several people got hurt and now it is forbidden. But the clear blue water looks really inviting.
After you are finished with admiring the view and taking pictures, you can take the stairs on your left, that will take you up a small hill with the view of the whole resort. Only from here, you will get the feeling, how giant the whole resort is. On this hill, there is also a whirlpool, however I do not really think that it is useful to have a whirlpool at such a hot tropical island. There are also toilets and showers nearby.
From the whirlpool, you can go back to the centre of the resort directly, without having to walk all the way back.
How to get there?
The Crane resort and therefore the beach are easily accessible by bus. If you are in Bridgetown, which is always the best starting point to get anywere in Barbados, you can take either the blue or the yellow bus that goes to Sam Lord's castle. Unfortunately, ZR vans do not drive in this direction. The journey by bus will take you about an hour, and during the ride, you can admire a beautiful landscape of the Barbados inland. First time I went to the crane, I thought that I am on the wrong bus because it took so long to get there.
You have to get off the bus at the bus stop which is situated right at the entrance of the resort, where the guard is. If you would like to get inside the resort, you have to enter here, and if you would like to get to the beach, you have to keep walking for about three hundred meters ahead from the bus stop, and after that, you will reach a junction. To get to the Crane beach, simply turn to the right until you reach the stairs. After the stairs, you have to walk on really slippery rocks and there are waves, constantly crashing to the rocks, so it can be a bit scary.
The best way to get over it is to have all of your things in a backpack so your hands are free to keep the balance, and it is good to be barefoot. After that, you reach the beach. There are many beach chairs and umbrellas, and it is almost obligatory to rent one of them, because otherwise the guys who are renting them, will keep annoying you. Also, an umbrella is a good idea, because otherwise there is absolutely no shadow at this beach.
A daily rental of a beach chair and an umbrella will cost you twenty – five Barbados Dollars. You can also rent bodyboards at the same place – this beach has very good waves for bodyboarding, but you have to be a strong swimmer.
The guys that are renting beach chairs and umbrellas, are also serving as lifeguards, but I saw that they are not really paying attention to what is happening in the water. If you are there by yourself, they will more likely talk to you and offer you different island tours.
One thing you have to try at the beach, are the fruit cocktails. You can choose between alcoholic and non – alcoholic ones, and they are made out of coconut water, fruit juices, and, if you want so, Barbados rum. The cocktail is served inside a coconut shell, and when you finish drinking it, you can eat the jelly inside – just ask the guy there for a spoon.
There is a free WiFi connection, that is covering the whole resort, so you can instantly upload photos from one of world top 10 beaches to Facebook :) The sygnal reception is pretty good even at the most remote part of the beach.
There are two downsides of this beach. Because it is very famous and worldwide known, a lot of the people are coming there, and this is probably the only beach in the whole Barbados island, where there is constantly a crowd of people. But there is always enough beach chairs and umbrellas for everyone. The other downside is a bit remote location. From Bridgetown, you can catch a bus avery twenty minutes or so, but going back to the city is a different story. If you are lucky, the bus will arrive after about an hour of waiting. There is absolutely no shadow at this bus stop, so you have to wait on a strong sun. If the driver does not see anyone waiting at the bus stop, he will keep driving.
