Latest Reviews for Barbados

St James is the only place to stay on the island. It has fabulous resturants, whilst a bit pricey what do you expect they have to make their money in a few months to cover them for the year. It is a very grown up place without a nightclub but great bars to drink in. Favourite resurants: The Cliff, lone Star and Daphines

My partner and I were really looking forward to a break over christmas and whilst it wasnt a total loss due to the great weather. The bad bits are as follows, first the customer facng staff were not friendly at all, the bar servcie was terrible and when we suffered a theft of items from the beach where the security gaurd should have been the hotel manager was not apologetic or helpful in assisting us cancelling the mobile phone that was stolen. Then when we went to check out on our last day the bills were not correct, in some rroms you have to leave a deposit for the safe key. Fair enough but they had not deducted this fromt eh total bill at the end, if it wasnt for my partner noticing this we would have ended up paying for it. Then once you start to scrutinse the bill closer it was full of charges that had not been made. Make sure that everything you sign ofr you keep a copy off and check it against the bill when leaving. We saved ourselves at least a third on the bill this way.

my wife and i have just returned from the silver sands after a chillin fortnight,overall a very good holiday which we got for a song ie £1200, just a few points regarding the resort itself, we felt the security was not up to scratch namely lighting and patrols, on the day we arrived we where informed that a guest had been burgled during daylight hours,the police were still on site as we arrived to book in, our patio doors not very secure which didnt help matters; resort very secluded which after a while made us feel like prisoners till we got a car to escape the drudgery, the bar called THE STICKY WICKET which is owned and run by a wonderful welcoming chap called Ricky Clarke who i must inform anyone who goes to this resort will gladly procur some wild aloe vera from his garden to sooth your sunburn or insect bites even on his day off as he lives across the road from the bar which is less than 5 mins walk from the reception area, it was a welcome reprieve from the overpriced onsite bar( just a note here to say that when my wife asked the barman onsite what drink he could suggest at our first sitting he just shrugged his shoulders and said "i dont know" ). We found the food in the resaurant quite expensive but good quality but $104 dollars for two meals was a little excessive to eat there every night. A must for anyone going to Barbados is the turtle cruise which we enjoyed so much we booked a 2nd cruise the following weekend along with 2 other couples, (my wife was quite wary of deep water) but as soon as the turtles were around the boat she was in the water with us and really enjoyed getting up close and personal with these beautiful creatures who are extremely tame, if you do go on this trip please book it thro the resort rep whose name is JULIET as she gives it the personal touch and comes along on the day to assist and entertain along with the crew who will certainly entertain you, Sheldon the boat captain is clown prince and you will take to him straight away. My final word is for JULIET our First Choice rep, i cannot express enough how good she has been throughout our stay and being a native of the island she makes you feel like a local by her very nature and laidback Bajan attitude, nothing is to much trouble and i have every respect for her. NICE ONE JULIET

Loved Barbados, some stunning views (especially on the East Coast). The people are so friendly especially in the small villages. I did a lot of driving/sight seeing and couldn't believe how helpful the locals are, they get very concerned if they think you're lost and often flag you down to ask if you're lost and query whether you need directions.

The wildlife park is well worth a visit, the animals come up very close (1-2 foot away).

Beautiful surroundngs and a great choice of children or adult pools. Because there is a childrens club, the kids on site seemed very well behaved and were no trouble at all.

The food was good although slightly repetitive, the best restaurant is the Italian, it is adult only which is also a plus for me as too many times in the past I have come across people who appear unable to control their children and let them run riot when on holiday, it's a shame for people who have well behaved children, but it was a definite bonus to have a pleasant quiet evening meal.

You have to be patient as there is quite of bit of queueing involved at some of the restaurants and bars.

We had a superior deluxe room which was anything but! It is a large room with a huge bed (which was very comfortable) but the room smelt really badly of damp, the furnishings are incredibly basic, the decor leaves a lot to be desired (in need of a total refurbishment). The bathroom was a bit manky, the grout was discoloured, some rust in the bath and old, dirty grout around the sink surround. The saving grace was the view from the balcony, it is stunning.

There is a guest laundry on site (12 dollars per wash) working full time, it made it really convenient taking all the clothes home laundered.

Tommys bar has a small tv and a flat screen outside the bar, not enough for the amount of customers who wanted to watch sport.

The evening entertainment was very good, really enjoyed the shows especially a trio of female singers called Rush Hour.

Plenty of watersports available.

All in all the holiday was good value for money, once the hotel has been refurbished I would go again.

It appears to be the best area on the island to stay...Many good restaurants and bars at reasonable prices................Only young party animals should consider elsewhere, maybe St Lawrence Gap/Oistins.

Run of the mill hotel but it has absolutely excellent staff and, being in Holetown, is in probably the best area on the island..........We stayed for 8 nights in the early part of October 2008, booking on a room only basis via BA Holidays because I had booked flights with BA....Only criticism was that when we went to the hotel restaurant on a rainy night, we felt that we were "being watched" excessively by the staff in case we tried to "get out of paying" although we had booked into the restaurant in a proper matter, the same thing happening in the bar when I ordered drinks after the meal.....The reception lady interrupting the barmaid serving the drinks to get her a glass of water and presumably pass on a message for her to watch us although I had asked, once again, in a proper manner...The wives of myself and my colleage were both upset...We didn't spend another penny in the bar or restaurant !... Within a couple of hundred yards of the hotel are loads of very nice and acceptable bars and restaurants at reasonable prices, some actually on the beach within a few feet of the water........The hotel and indeed staff, barring the above incident, and people was generally excellent....The area, touch wood,seemed quite crime free and although we actually visited a local bar with some of the local idiots there we never felt threatened........We may go back again to Barbados and if we do we will head for Holetown again and we may stay in Discovery Bay on a room only basis as the local restaurants serving local food are excellent and probably cheaper than booking MAP or full board.....Locally to Discovery Bay, The Sandpiper and Colony Club looked smart and the food was good, although I would consider Board Only and BB to try the local cuisine......

Not much to see or do in St James, drug addict on beach threatening tourists?

Just return and couldnt believe it after reading reviews on here.Room was tatty and we had to move because the waste water from the room above was running down our wall. The food was always cold and not much in the way of variety.This was not a 4star in our opinion and even the rep agreed with us!!!

Take lots of money for your excursions don't miss out. We did the cater marine via hotel. The hotel use the same company as Virgin do but different crew. The crew we had were fantastic; it was a party boat with Soca Music blearing out true Caribbean feeling. Our 3 year old loved it!! Take beach/water shoes especially for the little ones the water can be bit rocky in some places. Speightstown is just 10 – 15min walk from the hotel this is where you can use ATM we found smaller ATM’s was a bit temperamental using ATM at the Bank of Canada worked every time. Walking in Speightstown is save enough but as with anywhere just keep your wits about you...

I wouldn't recommend a girlie or lad holiday here it's far too quiet no clubs or bars for miles and the bars in the ABV close at 11pm hardly a nightout huh....

Well what can I say we have just returned from the Almond Beach Village (ABV). The foyer is rich looking you begin to think oh luxury until you reach the rooms! We booked a superior deluxe garden view. Well I would hate to see their standard room! It smelt as though someone had smoked 60 cigarettes this was a non smoking room there were cobwebs on the walls and it was very dank and dark, I didn't even look in the bathroom. We complained porously and the hotel relented and upgraded us to a superior deluxe ocean view. The amount they charge for this room if you pay from UK is not worth it. We again complained about the mould above the shower head in the bathroom it was blue and hairy, there were stains and black on the rug in the bedroom (told the reception staff so they wouldn’t blame us and charge) the A/C was leaking water and was dripping down the wall. This hotel is supposed to be 3.5 - 4* depending on the travel agents website. We are a well travelled family and this hotel is neither of these I would say 2 - 2.5* at the most. The food is the same you have to make restaurant reservations if they all say they’re fully booked what are you supposed to eat its all inclusive although you have got an alternative restaurant called Enids but after our chicken came back raw twice gave up! At the Horizon restaurant all of the children meals come with fries I explained to the waitress my son cannot have fries again would be 5th day on the run she said sorry there's no alternative to fries she cannot change it to mash (even though mash was on the adults menu)! If you like beer stay clear of the ABV they only have one kind of cheap flat local beer they don’t even have red stripe etc. The drinks from the machine doesn't taste like sprite, coke, etc oh and if you do chose to stay here pack a refillable drinks bottle as after 8pm the refreshments room where the tea, coffee, soft drinks machines are, is closed and you can only get plastic beaker drinks from the bars. If you have children you cannot dine in the Italian restaurant as this is for adults and children over 16yrs only, not too sure why the Almond Beach Club which is an adults only hotel is 15min away. The restaurant staff moody they are worked very hard. The hair dresser Charmaine is fantastic shes very good at her job! All in all not great value for money we're used to 4* hotels and this is a far cry from a true rating feel a bit deceived. we couldnt move as the wedding party was leaving from ABV :(

not the best location if you just want a location based holiday but a brilliant location for a base so you can travel around

we have just come back from a week at what must be the best value hotel on the south west coast of barbados - big, CLEAN rooms, great staff & a brilliant beach side location

A very good hotel good rooms lovely location large well tended gardens. The staff were very pleasent. It had good size swimming pool with plenty of room to sit in privacy. The hotel has two eating areas ,the bar which is reasonably priced and an a-la carte which is more expensive The beach was vurtually deserted but you need to be careful of the cross current in the sea, young children beware. We look forward to going again.

We always book flights and hotel seperately. . . . When I read some of the other write-ups I wonder if we've stayed in the same hotel. We have been here three times now (twice with our 2 grown up children) and each time we have had to most amazing holiday. Our last stay we were automatically up graded (as returning guests) It is always very clean, all staff are very friendly and polite. The bar staff in particular work their socks off (in fact alot of them remembered us from previous years) Hiring a car for a few days is a good idea. There are several really good restaurants in Holetown if you fancy a change of scenery, but if you eat in at the hotel you don't need to book for EITHER Enids or Horizon (which is also buffet, so again I'm not sure if some people are at the same hotel!!)La Smarita is a must. It's also good fun to haggle with the guys on the beach over the hire of ski bikes (never pay what they ask and try and get a deal for several rides in one agreement - it works out far cheaper and they won't renage on what you've agreed)If you are adults always use the adult pool at the north end of the resort; they are very strict about minors using it. Love the hotel. Love the resort