Carlisle Bay
Carlisle Bay
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
This bay is best known for its calm, sheltered waters, perfect for swimming and scuba diving.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view










What is Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best?
This award is our highest recognition and is presented annually to those businesses that are the Best of the Best on Tripadvisor, those that earn excellent reviews from travelers and are ranked in the top 1% of properties worldwide.
Top ways to experience Carlisle Bay
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
221 within 3 miles
Attractions
78 within 6 miles
See what other travelers are saying
- jason aCannock, United Kingdom31 contributionsVery busy beachTaxi from the cruise port was 5 dollars per person- some people were walking from the port but it’s a few miles. Beds were reasonable. It is very commercialised and we were pestered to pay 15 dollars to view the turtles by boat. We are all good swimmers and have masks -the boats went 100 yards or so off the beach and they provide the masks and life jackets- their guide then drops fish in the sea and the turtles and rays come to feed. We saw this and more for nothing just by swimming out ourselves.Visited December 2019Traveled with familyWritten January 9, 2020
- Zachary A2 contributionsHarbour LightsGreat deal at Harbour Lights on Carlisle Bay. $20 for beach chair, umbrella, and a snorkeling tour that takes you to a shipwreck and a chance to swim with turtles. Quick access to very clean restrooms (free) and a solid (but pricey) grill with delicious conch fritters, fish cakes, and jerk chicken. The menu also featured local fried fish and various sandwiches. I definitely recommend Carlisle Bay if you are looking for a beach spot not far from the cruise ship port. There were four other cruise ships docked and we didn't feel as if it were too crowded. You will experience a few individuals walking the beach selling various homemade items or trips on a jet ski, but overall it wasn't overbearing or too disruptive to the beach experience. Also, if you are looking for a beach were you look out and see nothing but ocean, you wont like Carlisle Bay. There are a lot of boats either docked in the bay or actively sailing in and out due to the popular snorkeling spots.Visited January 2020Written January 15, 2020
- ChelyseUnited States6 contributionsThis is a Must Go To beach!Carlisle Bay is simply STUNNING!! We were staying quite far away on the island, but we made the trip by bus twice because we loved it so much! The water is clear and exquisite, the waves are soft, and the water is cool. The sand has a tinge of pink to it from the coral, and at sunset it really shows up. It is the longest beach we saw, and has lots of options for a lively beach experience as well as a quiet relaxing one. Absolutely recommend!!!!Visited July 2021Written August 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,706 reviews
Excellent
1,947
Very good
613
Average
97
Poor
32
Terrible
17
Cringlefive_13
Norwich, UK36 contributions
Jan 2020
The departure beach is a loud and busy facility on Carlisle beach.
They provide a sunbed and umbrella, toilets and showers and a buffet lunch. We paid £50 for two people and I wished that we had stayed at our hotel for the last day.
They made a big fuss about the allocation of towels and the beach is full of sellers, constantly try to sell boat trips. Someone near us was charged for the sunbeds by an unconnected person.
Try to pay your hotel to keep your room longer if you have an evening departure, they still took us to the airport 3 hours before our flight.
They provide a sunbed and umbrella, toilets and showers and a buffet lunch. We paid £50 for two people and I wished that we had stayed at our hotel for the last day.
They made a big fuss about the allocation of towels and the beach is full of sellers, constantly try to sell boat trips. Someone near us was charged for the sunbeds by an unconnected person.
Try to pay your hotel to keep your room longer if you have an evening departure, they still took us to the airport 3 hours before our flight.
Written January 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saulius M
2 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
The location is stunning, rooms are beautiful, comfortable and well equipped. The food is average but with high end prices. There are plenty of restaurant choices elsewhere but if guests have paid for an all inclusive stay most are unlikely to venture out to eat. The beach is a gem but there are not enough loungers / parasols to accommodate all the guests that want them. This results in the typical scarcity behaviour. We used to joke about people getting up super early to put a towel, a book or a flip flop on loungers in order to claim their space whilst they then leave for a few hours go back to bed have breakfast etc. Yes this really happens here. Frankly not good enough for a 5 star resort. Maybe the owners want to maintain the aesthetic of the beach by not filling it up with loungers. The facility has allot to offer and is clearly centred around the beach. The feel of the place could easily be maintained by adding more sun loungers and not having a first come first served principle in place. On the whole I would recommend Carlisle Bay to friends and family. A final suggestion (hopefully constructive) regarding the sun beds issue. Have some spare loungers and umbrellas stacked behind the beach and bring them out when demand and occupancy is high - problem solved.
Written August 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ste_n_Deb
Manchester, UK73 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
Carlisle beach is a fantastic spot for crystal clear Caribbean water
Calm waters great for swimming.
The boats congregate just a couple of hundred metres from the shore to view the marine life turtles, rays and other fish in open water and on the wrecks
If you swim from the shore be very wary of boats coming and going in the same areas can get quite busy with boats and snorklers jostling for a view of turtles
Be aware of a guy trying to sell boat trip from the shore called Fabien gives you a spiel about a 2 hour boat trip to view 3 sunken wreck spots and a spot for swimming with the turtles also comes with free drink and snacks aboard charges $50 US each we booked with him and paid called a boat over we got on the Blue Waves glass bottom boat. Boarded the boat from the beach at 14:10, we had our own snorkeling equipment so we didn't need there equipment. went to snorkel with the turtles 1st only 15minutes there then onto the 1st wreck and 15 mins there then boat returned to beach and said tour was over at 14:50 🤬 fuming to say the least. captain of the boat said the beach vendor had informed you wrong, for the boat tour basicly the beach vendor ripped us off and the captain wasn't going out again
be vary aware of beach vendors trying to sell boat trips book with reputable tours operators. Avoid Fabian at all costs
Calm waters great for swimming.
The boats congregate just a couple of hundred metres from the shore to view the marine life turtles, rays and other fish in open water and on the wrecks
If you swim from the shore be very wary of boats coming and going in the same areas can get quite busy with boats and snorklers jostling for a view of turtles
Be aware of a guy trying to sell boat trip from the shore called Fabien gives you a spiel about a 2 hour boat trip to view 3 sunken wreck spots and a spot for swimming with the turtles also comes with free drink and snacks aboard charges $50 US each we booked with him and paid called a boat over we got on the Blue Waves glass bottom boat. Boarded the boat from the beach at 14:10, we had our own snorkeling equipment so we didn't need there equipment. went to snorkel with the turtles 1st only 15minutes there then onto the 1st wreck and 15 mins there then boat returned to beach and said tour was over at 14:50 🤬 fuming to say the least. captain of the boat said the beach vendor had informed you wrong, for the boat tour basicly the beach vendor ripped us off and the captain wasn't going out again
be vary aware of beach vendors trying to sell boat trips book with reputable tours operators. Avoid Fabian at all costs
Written March 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren E
Toronto, Canada4 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Beautiful long beach but getting crowded and developed if you keep walking to the very end furthest from the cruise port it is much less crowded. Good public facilities shower and bathroom/changeroom. Can go on the tourist boats to see turtles and shipwrecks... really close enough to swim out to but no longer safe because of all the tourists boats lol but we got them down to 20$ for two of us which was worth it! Started at 40 each lol. So haggle!
Written February 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne Y
Sandefjord, Norway3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The bay itself is pretty enough. However this is where everybody gather to see turtles. All the boats are feeding them, and their behaviour is not natural for the animals. Quite appaling to see these wonderful creatures so stressed. Please don’t touch them or chase them if you have to go to support this tourist trap
Written March 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
joolsie34
Portsmouth, UK174 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We were given this trip by our hotel as a freebie! So yay- let’s go!!
They had reserved seats and umbrellas at the CopaCabana. With two free beers. So it’s a winner.
Staff are friendly and the beer is cold so all good. The beach sellers seemed determined to get me on a bloody boat to look at turtles. So I relented. And what a great $20 that was. We only went off shore 200 yds. And there they were eating from the guides hands with Stingrays sat on the sandy bottom beneath us and smaller fish darting about.
Our American fellow traveller continued to give us a running commentary on his experience. So kind of him. Luckily he caught a small wave in his mouth after removing his snorkel for the 75th time to talk and that shut him up.
After a 30 min stop with the turtles they took us to a wreck. That’ll be crap I assumed as it was only 400 m from the turtles. But it was amazing!! 100ft long and only 10 foot below the surface with gazillions of fish all over it. Tip here. Try to lie in the water as still as poss and the fish settle down and come close to you. They then interact with each other and look great. Our American pal missed all that!
Our boat was the Lazy Lizard. I’m sure they are all quite similar.
They had reserved seats and umbrellas at the CopaCabana. With two free beers. So it’s a winner.
Staff are friendly and the beer is cold so all good. The beach sellers seemed determined to get me on a bloody boat to look at turtles. So I relented. And what a great $20 that was. We only went off shore 200 yds. And there they were eating from the guides hands with Stingrays sat on the sandy bottom beneath us and smaller fish darting about.
Our American fellow traveller continued to give us a running commentary on his experience. So kind of him. Luckily he caught a small wave in his mouth after removing his snorkel for the 75th time to talk and that shut him up.
After a 30 min stop with the turtles they took us to a wreck. That’ll be crap I assumed as it was only 400 m from the turtles. But it was amazing!! 100ft long and only 10 foot below the surface with gazillions of fish all over it. Tip here. Try to lie in the water as still as poss and the fish settle down and come close to you. They then interact with each other and look great. Our American pal missed all that!
Our boat was the Lazy Lizard. I’m sure they are all quite similar.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2HappyinCR
Cedar Rapids, IA39 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
This wide beach is incredibly gorgeous with three shades of Caribbean blue. The waves are less than on the other side of the island. Even if you are at the Hilton, walk over to the calmer side of the ocean. Only one place has rentals such as paddle boards and such. Many public parks, the Radisson hotel area and many places that rent umbrellas and chairs up at the northern half of the beach. Google high and low times if you want the widest beach time. There are at least two sunken ships to snorkel out to. They aren’t posted but they are near the yellow lifeguard stand. Ask someone carrying gear or look where all the snorkel boats are clumped. Dippers is the only public restaurant we could find which is part of the Barbados Boating Club.
Written February 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gk347N
Oxford, CT346 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
As with all beaches there are good and bad things. The only negative I have about Carlisle Bay Beach is a lack of shade. Unless you pay for chairs and an umbrella, spending a long time on the beach can be very hot and lead to a good sunburn even with SPF 50. The beach is beautiful. White fluffy sand, no stones, smooth bottom, calm seas, unless there is a wind coming in from ocean, warm and very clear water, lifeguards, options for food. Overall a great beach to visit, swim and walk when in Barbados. Oh yes, the locals are super friendly. Also, it is only a 15 minute walk to Bridgetown where there are shops, more food options and history to explore.
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DebinDC
Washington DC, DC71 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Beautiful Sandy Beach and turquoise blue waters near the shore. We woke very early to see the horses (near the Radisson) and it was worth it. After 8am we walked a bit - under the restaurant bridge towards the lifeguard stand and swam. We purchased sun beds for $30 BDS- we would pay that in the states so not too pricey. Unfortunately it rained a bit, which caused street run off and garbage to pour into the ocean where we were swimming- and it stunk so bad we left. We did notice lots of bottles and other garbage in the sand which was sad to see. It is beautiful though.
Written July 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wetravelalot12
London313 contributions
Jan 2020
We decided to make our own way to Carlisle Bay from the cruise ship terminal. Its about a 30 min flat walk. We stopped at the beach in front of the Pirates Cove Bar. You can rent chairs/umbrella’s here. 2 chairs and 1 umbrella costs USD 15. The sand was smooth and sloped gradually into the sea. The sea was clear enough for snorkelling although not many fish – just the odd one or two. It is a lovely part of the beach and wasn’t too busy. The cruise ship did offer a transfer to this beach at a cost if you didn’t fancy walking or have mobility issues. However I am unsure where along the beach they drop you. It is a rather long stretch of beach.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob_Dee_7
Chatham, UK14 contributions
Hi, has anyone taken the trip to Carlisle Bay from the Marella Discover? Do they organise transport to and from? And rough idea of cost please.
Janicelynn256
Gibbstown, NJ3 contributions
Seeing that visiting Barbados is restricted to cruise or government approved excursions Can I take an approved taxi at cruise port to Carlisle Bay?
Patricia C
Estepona, Spain43 contributions
Hi
We are a family group of 15 and we have used both taxis & buses throughout our stay including airport transfers without any issues, masks must be worn on transport and in indoor places.
Hope this helps
Laura B
West Edmeston, New York, United States52 contributions
Hello. I have visited Carlisle Bay a few times, and never found the free toilet facilities. Where are they located? Thanks.
doc_alg
Maple Ridge, Canada380 contributions
Well you got the correct answers already. Such great help from fellow travellers. Do not be shy to ask locals and other visitors for info when in Barbados. Everyone is helpful.
rwjohn2754
Dunfermline, UK79 contributions
Do you pay to access the beach?
What facilities does it have e.g toilets, bars, food?
Thbanks
All beaches are free in Barbados, sun loungers are 30 Bdollar for 2 and an umbrella. There are toilets which are free, clean and have toilet paper. There are cars and a van selling drinks 3 Bdollar for beer/soft drinks. Turtles straight out in front of the toilets in the sea all free. Enjoy
mabarka321
Boston, MA3 contributions
How far is this from the cruise port and what is the best way to get to Carlisle Bay from the port?
Neil S
Trinidad,West Indies3 contributions
Its roughly just under 2km.
Travel is readily available via bus or taxi...and always on time!
Curious551019
Antioch, CA
Is there food available near Carlisle Bay?
Larry
Maple Ridge, Canada28 contributions
Yes there is the Pennydiver food truck
maxine m
Leicester, UK30 contributions
Hi what's the best way to book a swim with the turtles if you dont want to book it through your cruise ship. Thanks
Simon B
Holton Le Clay, UK18 contributions
Get a taxi or the reggae bus to the bay and there are turtle boats every hour or there abouts for 20 bucks.You get to see the turtles and snorkel on a ship wreck,they can provide the gear also.
louisville273
Louisville, KY2 contributions
For those of you who snorkeled from the beach- what did you do with your stuff while you were snorkeling?
Neil T
London, UK32 contributions
There are lockers at the boatyard club.
Recently viewed
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingCarlisle Bay (Bridgetown) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Carlisle Bay
- Carlisle Bay is open:
- Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
- We recommend booking Carlisle Bay tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 35 Carlisle Bay tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Carlisle Bay:
- Barbados Excursion Snorkel Cruise and Beach Day on Carlisle Bay (From $48.50)
- Barbados Turtle and Shipwreck Snorkel Adventure (From $30.00)
- Carlisle Bay Clear Kayak Shipwreck Tour (From $51.38)
- Barbados Shore Excursion Barbados Paradise Sightseeing Tour (From $70.00)
- Barbados Harrison's Cave Tram Tour and Boat Cruise Snorkel Adventure (From $135.00)
- Restaurants near Carlisle Bay:
- (0.32 mi) Lobster Alive
- (0.37 mi) Harbour Lights
- (0.34 mi) The Boatyard
- (0.59 mi) Cuz's Fish Stand
- (0.31 mi) Copacabana Beach Bar & Grill
- Attractions near Carlisle Bay:
- (0.24 mi) Good Times Catamaran Cruises
- (0.24 mi) Jammin Catamaran Cruises
- (0.31 mi) West Side Scuba Centre
- (0.34 mi) Jetblade Barbados
- (0.33 mi) Tranquility Cruises
Carlisle Bay Information
| Excellent Reviews | 1,947 |
|---|---|
| Very Good Reviews | 613 |
| Carlisle Bay Photos | 1,783 |



































































































