From US$55 a person, based on four of you sharing. The car is US$219 for up to four people, with a lounger each and the driver booked back for the time you choose. Four to six hours on the sand is what most people take. A gazebo version runs US$429 for up to four. It suits anyone who wants a beach, a bar and no schedule.
What it costs
| Party | Total | Per person | Agency rate at US$49 each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | US$219 | US$219 | US$49 |
| 2 people | US$219 | US$110 | US$98 |
| 3 people | US$219 | US$73 | US$147 |
| 4 people | US$219 | US$55 | US$196 |
| Gazebo, up to 4 | US$429 | US$107 | no equivalent |
The price covers return transport from Port Zante or your hotel, a sun lounger for each of you, and the driver booked back for the time you choose. Children 3 to 12 count inside the party of four and anyone under 3 goes free, so bring a car seat if you want one. Above four it is US$55 an extra adult and US$35 an extra child. The gazebo version at US$429 puts your party in a private gazebo with a round of drinks, bottled water, cheese and crackers and priority service, at US$75 an extra adult. Food and drink past that are not included, nor the umbrella at the two beaches that charge for shade separately, nor anything on the water with an engine on it, nor anything a vendor offers you on the sand.
Two people pay US$219 and three people pay US$219, because the price buys the car and not the seat.
At four people we are US$23 above the US$196 the booking sites charge for a beach break. What that buys is a private car that comes back at the time you agreed instead of one you have to find at four o’clock, and the loungers already paid for.
If we have another booking on your date we will offer to pair you with it and bring the price down, and the booking form asks whether you are willing to share.
Which of the three beaches should you pick?
Cockleshell Bay is the far end of the peninsula road and the one with the view people come for. You look directly across The Narrows at Nevis, close enough to pick out the roofs. A bar there charges US$10 a day for a chair with umbrella shade over it, and it hires private gazebos, which is what the US$429 version books for you: the gazebo, a round of drinks, bottled water and a cheese and crackers plate. Ask for that one the day before if you want it.
South Friars Bay sits in the middle of the three. A bar there is reported at US$47 for a group, covering chairs and umbrellas with snorkels and lunch in the figure. We have not confirmed that price with the bar, so treat it as the shape of the deal and ask on the day.
The Frigate Bay strip is closest to Basseterre and the busiest of the three. A club on the strip charges US$10 for a chair and US$10 more for the umbrella over it. Some reviews put it at US$39 for two chairs and an umbrella. The two figures do not agree, so we quote the US$10 ones as the rate we have confirmed and tell you plainly that the club sets its own price on the day.
Your lounger is in our price. Where a bar charges for the shade on top, that US$10 is yours to pay at the chair, and we would rather print it here than bury it in a total.
Now the part no brochure prints. These beaches are not supervised. There are no lifeguards and no warning flags on any beach in St Kitts, and Canada’s government travel advice says rescue services may not be consistent with international standards, so plan the day around that. Swim where other people are already swimming, keep children inside arm’s reach, and ask the bar staff about the current before you go in, because they watch that water every day of the year.
One more thing people write about afterwards. The peninsula beaches have vendors and monkey handlers working the sand, some of them persistent, and the ones with monkeys will ask real money for a photograph. They are independent of the beach bars and we have no hand in what they charge. Nothing has to be bought from anyone, a firm no is enough, and saying it is normal here.
How long do you get, and will it fit a cruise day?
Four to six hours on the sand, and you set both ends of it.
Ships in Basseterre are alongside from about 8am to 5pm or 6pm on most calls, which is why almost every excursion sold on this island runs three to five hours. A 9:30am run gets you five hours at the beach and back at Port Zante in good time for a mid afternoon all aboard. Cockleshell is the longest of the three drives, being the far end of the peninsula, so if your call is short the strip at Frigate Bay buys you more beach and less road.
Give us the ship name on the form and we work the return back from the all aboard and not the sailing time.
What should you bring?
Cash in small notes. Chairs and drinks are small purchases and the bars move faster on cash. US dollars are taken everywhere on the island.
Shade money. US$10 covers the umbrella at two of the three, and it is the one cost people do not plan for.
Your own towel. Do not count on the bar having one.
A mask and snorkel if you swim with them. Only one of the three quotes gear inside its price and that figure is unconfirmed.
Sun cover for the middle of the day. There is shade on all three beaches and almost none of it is free.
Who should not book this one
Anyone expecting supervised water. Nobody is watching the sea at any of these beaches, so if you cannot swim, stay where you can stand.
Small children need an adult in the water with them. Nobody is watching that water except you.
Anyone who needs a flat, hard surface to walk on. The drop-off puts you on sand at all three. If you use a wheelchair or a walking frame, book it and tell us on the form, and we will tell you plainly what the access is like at each of the three for your date.
What happens if the weather turns, or your ship is late?
A shower does not end a beach day here. It passes in twenty minutes and the bar has a roof.
If the sea is up at one of the three, say so to the driver and go to another. All three run out of Basseterre in the same direction and the choice can be made in the car. If the sea is up everywhere and you would rather not go at all, tell us before the pickup and you pay nothing.
If your ship arrives late, your driver waits, because we book pickups against the actual arrival. If the call is cancelled or the ship skips St Kitts, you pay nothing and anything already paid comes back in full. Same if we cannot field a driver on our side.
Book it
Tell us the date, which of the three beaches you want, whether you want the gazebo, how many adults and children, what time you want collecting and what time you want picking up, and your ship name if you are on one. Five or more in the party, say so, because the vehicle changes and so does the price. Tell us too whether you are willing to share with another booking. We confirm the car and the loungers and come back to you within one working day, and only then do we send a payment link. Nothing is charged until the day is confirmed.
Questions people ask
What does a taxi cost for the same trip?
The government caps it. Under the Vehicles and Road Traffic (Maximum Fares) Regulations 2021, Basseterre to Cockleshell Bay or Major’s Bay is US$40 or EC$109 for one to four people one way, or US$10 a head for five or more. Friars Bay is US$28 or EC$76. White House Bay and Salt Plage are US$30 or EC$82. Frigate Bay is US$20 or EC$55. The trip back is a second fare at the same rate, which is the single thing most visitors get wrong, and a fare does not buy you a chair or a driver who is still there at four o’clock.
What do the cruise lines and the booking sites charge?
More or less the same as we do, per person. Shore Excursions Group sells a St Kitts beach break at US$49 a head, and a cruise line sells a beach day from US$44.99 to US$56.99. Ours is US$219 for the car with up to four people and a lounger each, which works out at US$55 each at four and sits above their figure at every party size. The car is private and it comes back when you said.
Is the lounger really included?
Yes, one for every person in the party. At two of the three beaches the umbrella over it is a separate US$10 paid at the chair, and at the far end of the peninsula the US$10 chair comes with the shade already.
Can we eat and drink there?
Yes, all three have a bar serving food, and you pay it there. We do not pre-pay food or run a tab, so you are free to eat where you like and to spend nothing at all.
Is the water safe for children?
There are no lifeguards and no warning flags, so the answer depends entirely on you. Keep them where they can stand, stay in the water with them, and ask the staff which end of the beach the current runs along that day.
Do we tip the driver?
Tips are appreciated and not required. Ten to fifteen percent is normal here, and the bar staff work on tips too.
Written by Khareem Cabey. Prices and fees last checked 30 October 2026.