Any activity or restaurant recommendations for The Crane

[cdwillie76]

Four of us have a 2 bedroom at the The Crane in Barbados in a few weeks and looking for any suggestions for those who have been there. Thanks!

 

[Janann]

Its been many years since I was there, but as far as I can tell the following places are still getting good online reviews.

Cutters is a small, traditional restaurant that is close by. https://maps.app.goo.gl/n7tyefuVcwnWZAfp6 My husband even got to play one of the guitars that was displayed in the corner of the restaurant. Besides eating at the restaurant, be sure to buy a big bottle of rum punch to take with you for later on your balcony.

Cool Runnings is still doing a "swim with the turtles" and lunch excursion. https://www.coolrunningsbarbados.com/index.html

While I was searching online, I found this HGVC article from March 2024: https://www.hiltongrandvacations.co...ert-advice/we-stayed-at-the-crane-in-barbados

Enjoy your trip!

 

[rc51]

We did a couple of units there about a year ago and it was a great time. We mostly ate there at the resort. It offered several options, and we all enjoyed it well enough. It's a bit out of the way, so it's a bit tough to get around without a car or spending money on taxis. For excursions, we really enjoyed the botanical garden in the center of the island (it was my wife's kind of thing, but no joke, it's incredible) and doing a catamaran day is always an amazing time. Some really great beach options, too (Carlisle Bay is a nice area).

 

[mjm1]

We haven’t stayed at the resort, but we just completed a cruise last week where the final port was Bridgetown, Barbados. We walked to Carlisle Bay, which is a beautiful aqua colored water beach with the softest sand ever. You could make it day trip there. It is much more touristy and is lined with restaurants and hotels that offer beach chairs and an umbrella for $15-25 dollars depending on the vendor. It‘s best to get there early if cruise ships are in port, but there was still a lot of room to walk along the beach and enjoy the water. The surf was very calm.

We considered taking a cab over to The Crane, but decided against it. Enjoy your time there.

 

[Yzfguy06]

We were rethinking about going to the crane we’ve never been. How is it as an island? Safe? Things to do? We typically visit Hawaii a couple times a year. How much different is it from that? Not dying to thread jack op.

 

[studerbd]

Four of us have a 2 bedroom at the The Crane in Barbados in a few weeks and looking for any suggestions for those who have been there. Thanks!

Did you enjoy your stay. We go I April. Do you have any helpful tips for us? Can we purchase all inclusive meals and if so, do you know the cost?

 

[cdwillie76]

Did you enjoy your stay. We go I April. Do you have any helpful tips for us? Can we purchase all inclusive meals and if so, do you know the cost?

We enjoyed the resort and the restaurant's. I thought the prices were ok and we would go back. There no all inclusive meals but a nice small general store if you want to pick up some food for the room (bread, chips, etc). Anything outside the resort will be a taxi ride. We did a catamaran day trip and a taxi for 7-8 hours around the island with multiple stops.

 

[dblezard]

We stayed at the Crane in March 2024. It is a beautiful property with historical buildings, beautiful views, great landscaping, and monkeys (!!), and we definitely enjoyed it, but it is in a small corner of Barbados and there's a lot more to explore on the island. My thoughts:

• Safety - Barbados felt very safe to us with very friendly, welcoming people. No concerns. Well, other than the narrow, winding rural roads with oncoming cars!
• Driving - If you want to explore, rent a car. The Crane is 30 minutes or more from most anything else. Much of the activity, beach areas, shops, restaurants, etc are on the west and south coasts. It is left-side (British) driving, but we adapted pretty quickly to that. Roads in the north of the island are narrow and not in great shape. The roads to the south and west were mostly fine.
• Beaches - Crane beach, while beautiful, is not a swimming beach between high surf and lots of washed in algae. Carlisle Bay near Bridgetown is a must. If you like snorkeling, check out the western shore near Holetown, especially Folkestone Marine Park.
• Restaurants/Food - We enjoyed food we had on the Crane property, but we also explored. I give a second shoutout to Cutters. Also, there's a great fruit smoothie stand just down the road from the Crane called Sunlife. We enjoyed every meal we had at different places around the island. We also bought groceries and ate in a fair amount. Oh, and especially if you are there on on a Friday night, go to Oistins for the fish fry - fresh fish and other options from local shacks. Not that Oistins is open other nights, too.
• Rum - I like rum. A Lot. Barbados has a great rum history and current tradition. Foursquare makes excelled stuff and is near the Crane - self tour avaialble. Mount Gay is in the north of the island and has a great tour. St Nicolhas Abbey is an interesting historical property and makes rum in a very traditional fashion. We didn't check out the 4th rum distiller on the island - West Indies in Bridgetown.
• Boat trips - We went out on Tiami Cruises for a nice catamaran snorkeling/swim trip with lunch and rum. Did I mention the rum? Recommended.

There are a lot of resources online for other activities and things to explore so just search and see what interests you. The island is large enough to have a range of options depending on your interests.

 

[cdwillie76]

If you get a rental car, it will take longer than you expect to get around and the secondary roads are BUMPY!! Concur on the beach, it is pretty but don't swim.,,it was at least red flag everyday we were there. The Crane has a shuttle (small cost) to Oistins on Friday if you decide to go.