Hilton Barbados Reviews

Holiday started off badly, as we had booked meet and greet service to park the car. Despite phoning, as requested, from the M23, and arriving exactly at the stated time, Maple Manor Parking turned up half an hour late to pick up the car. I could have used the normal long-term parking quicker, and at less cost, and avoided the irate Traffic Wardens!

We flew to Barbados in BA Club Class. What a wonderful start to any holiday. Very expensive, but, oh boy, do they look after you well.

The BA rep met us at the airport (or building site as it has become known!), and very speedily got our transfer to the hotel.

The new Barbados Hilton is a magnificent hotel, having been opened only since July 2005. It is superbly located on a small peninsular of land, so the sea is on all sides. It is only a few minutes from Bridgetown (Hotel Shuttle $3US for 2 people). We were greeted in reception with a cold towel and a much welcomed drink. All the rooms are the same (except the suites) and are of typical Hilton 5 star standard. Every room has a balcony over looking the sea. The food in the Hotel was of truly excellent standard. Each evening in the 'Lighthouse Restaurant' there was 'A la Carte', or a magnificent buffet, the theme of which changed each night (Bajan, Tex-Mex, Asian, Seafood etc) There was another 'A la Carte' restaurant which seemed more expensive, which we didn't use. Buffet Breakfast cost about £15 and Buffet Dinner cost about £30 each. There were two bars, one inside and the other, 'Waters Edge' very close to the beach. Happy hour 5-6 each night. The hotel caters as much for conferences and air crew stopovers as it does for holiday makers, but that means the wonderful pool area isn't as busy during the day. Despite the hotel being full, it never seemed very busy. There were 3 pools, with one being just one foot deep for kids.

The golden beaches were wonderful, with imported rocks dividing the beach up into safe little shallow coves. Being on the south coast of the island, the sea isn't as calm as it is further north on the east coast. The rock pools were a delight to see all sorts of highly coloured tropical fish. There is a dive and water sports centre very near-by, which we didn't use.

We hired a car for a day, and drove round the island. Some roads are a patchwork of potholes, and it's impossible to drive more than about 10mph - unless you are Bajan of course! Of note, the insurance on the car doesn't include for wheels and tyres - I now know why!

The Bajan people were extremely friendly, and whilst in Bridgetown, taxis drivers hassle you, they accept a polite 'no thanks'

Return home was as good as the journey out, so we had a wonderful relaxing holiday. Even Maple Manor did better returning the car!