We were on our own and we really think you don't need to book a tour for this one. We were very lucky that ours was the only ship at the island but anyway once you get near the beach, you realize how busy it is so if you would like some place more private you have the option to take the Tram (the Station is just there) that will take you all the way to the Dining Pavilion (lunch is free) or walk along the pathway, as we did, and when finding the place of your liking, you will find lots of empty lounges and umbrellas at no charge. We had a fantastic swim in those out of this world blue waters, a blue we had never ever seen in all our many beach experiences. Really outstanding. After sunning for quite a while we had a great lunch (excellent broiled chicken breast and beef burger, salads and desserts), with a very good white wine (at extra cost as EBP it's not accepted). After enjoying every moment we left towards the ship, very happy indeed after spending a great time on that beautiful island that in our minds epitomizes paradise.

We've been there several times so we went out for a while coming back to the ship, with the idea of having a more tranquil atmosphere. How wrong we were!!! At any rate we did our best to enjoy the rest of that sunny and warm day.

This was our first time in Amber Cove and first with the mentioned Shore Excursion Group on a tour called "Playa Dorada beach day" 4 Hrs - From the ship to reach the Tour bus we had to walk, I should say meandering through the port and parking lots and approach road for about 30 minutes and though it was early in the morning it was quite hot, humid and sunny; not a very good start. However, the tour guide was a very pleasant young girl as well as her assistant; going around showing the city we saw (but not visited) the Cathedral San Felipe Apostle, Fort San Felipe and from afar the Teleferico that goes all the way to the top of Pico Isabel de Torres, pity we didn't go there because the view would've been superb. After all that city sightseeing we headed to Playa Dorada; a very expansive beach, with quite a few places to eat or have drinks and with lounges and umbrellas close the shore. There are several All Inclusive resorts nearby but they did not make the beach seem crowded at all. Very private indeed and not being busy helped a lot. The waters were quite turbulent and having the red flag up, we decided to skip going in for a swim. Decided to wait for lunch till getting back on the ship and that's what we did once on board. In general, except that very long walk to reach the tour bus, it was quite a pleasant excursion especially as our group was only eight people.

We've been there before so no tours. On walking around, right away we noticed how much it had changed from our last time there (around 4 or 5 years ago) and besides the ship docked as far as possible from the port. Naturally it was hot, humid and sunny so we didn't go all the way into the center of town not even getting close to the famous Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge but we had a great lunch in a Restaurant located inside Fort Amsterdam on the second or third floor of the fortification walls on a covered veranda facing the sea; it was a very pleasant and refreshing experience.