Top Ten Beaches in the World: The Crane in Barbados

Although I only spent 4 days in Barbados, I came home with about 10 posts that I wanted to write...there is so much that I want to share with you! I don't want to overwhelm you all with endless accounts of stories of me walking along the beaches, so I've decided to narrow it down to three posts...I've already written two, and I've saved the best for last!

When I was planning my vacation in Barbados, I did a bit of research and found out that Barbados is home to one of the top ten beaches in the world: The Crane in Barbados. My Conde Nast Traveller subscription came in handy, after all!

About two centuries ago, the formation of the Crane Beach’s protective coral reef permitted small trading ships to sail in and out and a small commercial port to develop. On the cliff where the Crane presently stands, was a crane used for raising and lowering cargo. Thus, the beach got its name, "The Crane." 

When the cabbie let us out, it was down an alley way and I could actually see the ocean peaking through the trees.

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I arrived, as I avoided looking up any pictures before my trip. I wanted to be surprised...the only thing I knew was that it was secluded - and I learned on the way over that it had pink sand because my cab driver told us so.

The cabbie also mentioned that it was the only beach on the island with three shades of blue...but what he didn't mention was the expedition it would require to actually reach the beach. Holy crap!

Unfortunately, the entire Eastern side of the island was covered in sea moss while we were there. It was an unexplained event that had most of Barbados riled up - they had no idea what caused it all to wash up on shore, and they were just thankful that it didn't happen during high season. While the massive amounts of sea moss definitely put a damper on our experience, it really wasn't that bad. The beach was still beautiful, the water was still sparkly blue, and the sand was still pink. Even covered in sea moss, The Crane was breathtaking.

My husband is not a big fan of swimming in the ocean; he hates the sticky, salty feeling afterwards. I, however, absolutely love it and went for a little dip while he waited on shore. After I came out of the surf, we headed over to a little stand where two locals were selling coconut cocktails.

We were given the choice of "light, medium or strong" - we chose medium...we should have chosen light. Ha!

A funny story about the coconut cocktails...the guy, "Hollywood," was super friendly and asked my husband if he partied...my husband responded, "yeah, a little." I immediately began laughing...then Hollywood started to explain that he had some really high quality weed...

Me? I was laughing hysterically. My husband thought he meant "party" as in "have a party" but I watch enough television to know that party = do drugs. I told Hollywood that we don't party, that my husband just didn't know the term...we had a good laugh about it.

Just as we were getting ready to leave, we spied someone standing on the cliff and realized that we could actually climb it...so off we went for a little adventure!

I had to climb that cliff barefoot, because I wore 4 inch wedges to the beach. Yeah, I wore heels to the beach. When I think "beach" I think South Beach. I am not used to beaches that are only accessible by scaling coral rock! Once we got to the top, my husband was so tempted to dive but the sign clearly indicated that was a no-no.

I am not necessarily afraid of heights, but I have a horrible balance issue. I have a hard time standing up straight - I sway a lot. When I get up high like I was on this cliff, I began feeling a little woozy...and every time my husband took a step towards the edge, my heart just about leaped out of my chest! I could only stay up there for a few minutes before making my way down...

And to the nearest bar.