The Crane Beach Resort, on the island of Barbados, is one of the best exchanges I’ve ever done. It’s said that it is the first resort ever built in the Caribbean! The main building, which still exists, started accepting guests at the end of the 1700′s.
The Crane sits on a bluff above one of the most beautiful palm lined, pink sand beaches you’ll ever see. You take a switchback staircase down to it where the staff will bring you drinks and rent you umbrellas and body boards. The shallow slope of the beach makes it safe for swimming and even though there were good waves for body surfing, I detected no undertow or rip currents.
It’s also on the quieter and more remote side of Barbados and is very romantic. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of Bridgetown, the capital, and the more popular resort area of St. Lawrence Gap.
The pool has one of the most dramatic settings you’ll ever find. At far end of the pool are sets of Dorian columns that are backed by the ocean. It’s truly a breathtaking setting. You can see some pictures of it here.
There are a great restaurant and pool bar on site and a grocery store nearby. Because the Crane is more remote you’ll either want to rent a car or take tours to see the other parts of the beautiful island.
Be warned, Barbados is a former British Colony so you drive on the left, which takes some getting used to for many of us. Also, be sure to look both ways when stepping off a sidewalk because the cars will be coming from a direction you’re not used to.
Make sure you visit Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, a beautifully manicured mangrove swamp filled with the natural flora and fauna of Barbados. Look for the beautiful Rainbow Eucalyptus trees the bare trunks of which are covered with the pastel colors of the rainbow.
Barbados is also outside of the hurricane zone so you can safely travel there anytime of the year. Winter is best, of course, but the hardest time to exchange. I was there in May and it was great.
You can check it out at http://www.thecrane.com/.
You’ll find this one of the most challenging timeshare exchanges you’ll ever do. If you want any chance of exchanging to this resort, make sure you pick up
“The Timshare Exchange Bible-The Da Vinci Code of Timeshare Exchanging.”
In the next post find out which resort you can stay at with its own penguin colony while still wearing shorts all week.
