Escape Hotel And Spa At Prospect Bay Reviews

This hotel was great to stay at. We stayed in a superior upgraded room overlooking beach and it was beautiful. The hotel was clean, a little dated (but it's been renovated)but overall the staff made our stay the best holiday we've ever had. Just can't wait to afford to go again!

This hotel was not acceptable as a 4 star. The food was cafeteria like, and the special restaurant which was decent, restricted you to eating there once a week.

We went on this holiday for my sister's wedding and had been looking forward to it for 18 months. In the hotel grounds there are villas for 6 people in the gardens and rooms in the hotel. Some rooms are standard and some luxury. We had booked a luxury villa for 6 but both Virgin and the hotel seemed unable to understand we wanted to stay all together and despite having a letter from Virgin stating we had been allocated a 6 roomed villa, on arrival at the hotel we were all split up. Four of us in a villa with two strangers and two in the hotel. In the end we did get what we wanted but this involved room changes part way through the holiday.

The luxury accomodation is really nice and I would recommend any one who can do so to upgrade as the standard rooms needed a refurb.

The food is very good and there is plenty of it. The breakfasts and buffets not up to 4 star standard but the restaurant meals were excellent. Although we were all inclusive we did eat out a couple of times and I remommend a visit to the Lonestar for lunch as the setting is beautiful.

The entertainment was also very good in the evenings and although there is not much to do in Prospect Bay, it is easy to get taxis to go elsewhere at night. I would say a car is essential. We did some touristy trips round the island which were great fun as there are no propoer road signs! We did feel very safe there. Shopping is fab if you like jewelery so a trip to the Columbian Emerald Shop and diamond shops is a must!

The beach and sea are lovely, both very clean and we loved swimming and sun bathing every day. The wedding was also great, a beautiful setting and the minister gave a lovely service.

Don't expect everything to run like clockwork as the Bajans are very laid back but if you ask, they are usuually very obliging and will do their best to help.

All in all we had a good holiday but it's not the best long haul I've been on. I'd definitely go back to Barbados but not sure about the hotel or using Virgin again.

After reading alot of negative reviews on this hotel, we were on the verge of changing our accomodation. We are so glad that we didn't!

On arrival we were welcomed with a drink which is just what we needed after the long flight. Our room was a superior room which was quite basic but very clean and comfortable. The 'extra virgin' touches such as bath robes, beach towels and toiletries were really nice.

The food in both the restaurants was very good. The Seascape had an excellent breakfast buffet and a wide choice of salads and fresh fruit, fresh fish and pasta daily as well as several main courses for lunch and dinner if it was a buffet. If it was an a la carte evening the choice was equally as good. The house wine is nice but if you want a particular type you can pay extra for this. The Garden restaurant was intimate and the food was very good. You do have to book for your meals but can do this for a week at a time if you wish so there is no need to book on a daily basis. Sandra the Guest Relations Manager and Jacquline in the restaurant are great and nothing is too much trouble.

The staff really are a credit to the hotel and are extremely friendly. Kenny the barman, Ray on the watersports, Prudence who organises the activities deserve a special mention!

The beach is very clean but is small so space is a little limited at times, but there are plenty on sunbeds up on the terrace or at the spa pool.

Overall this is a comfortable, well run hotel with nice staff and good food. The evening entertainment is excellent especially the Divas and Elements! It is extremely good value for money when you compare it with other hotels along the West Coast. There has been some renovations to the reception area and there is redecoration taking place in some communal areas and the rear of the building is due for some renovation shortly.

We would definately return to this hotel.

This was are wedding in paradise.
This was not to be,
Upon arrival the hotel looked run down. building work going on.
No free room upgrade as promised, they put us on the 4th floor no lift, in what I would describe as a pigeon loft, no dressing table to get ready for our big day dirty and drab.
after 4 days of false promises to move us we where ready to come home.
The wedding plans where a sham, They expected us to marry in the gardens full of weeds and over grown shrubs.
They where painting in the corridors where i had to walk in my wedding dress down 4 flights of stairs as the lift wasnt working, (we stated when booking I had a medical condidtion thrombosis)
The staff couldnt understand why we wasnt happy. I cried for 4 days.
This is just a few problems we had i could go on and on.
It cost us £1500 to move hotels this was the only option virgin gave us.
this is not 4V flagship hotel as stated in the brochure this is a youth hostel.

We moved to crystal cove hotel a mile away
this was excellent out of this world what we thought we bought in the first place.

We booked in Nov2004 , and arrived on 26-12-05.what a Dump!
Room was disgracefull!
I would expect this standard of room in a £15 a night doss house.
I would not recommend this hotel to my worst enemies.
we have been with Virgin 12 times now and after this shambles there will not be a 13th , as we think the standards of their hotels are declining.
THIS HOTEL IS DEFINITELY NOT A 4V HOTEL.
We moved the following morning.

Barbados overall---nice enough , but overrated and in need of a good tidy up island wide.
The image that the brochures portray is not what you get when you arrive.
We rate our holiday at this hotel as a complete waste of time and money.

If you are looking for a 4* hotel in Barbados, then look elsewhere as this hotel is definately not a 4* as quoted in Virgins brochure, more like a 2*.

To be fair the food is excellent and the staff are very friendly and helpful, especially Tania which made staying her bearable. However, the hotel itself is particularly run down, tiles are coming off the floor, concrete is damaged everywhere, guttering is broken and the spa pool is losing tiles everyday as they seem to fall off when you sit on them.

The beach is very small and cramped, typical of what you would expect in the Costa's and throught the hotel there seems to be lack of space to sunbath.

The rooms are very basic indeed and we had to climb 12 stairs in our room to get to our sleeping area and down again in the night for the toilet.

The entertainment was terrible with only 1 decent night out of 15 and as a result, for a friends birthday, we actually paid for our own entertainment to turn up at the hotel in the late night bar, which to say is just an unused hotel bedroom.

Barbados itself is lovely and the people are so nice but if you are looking for a quality hotel, look elsewhere as the 10's of people who complained and changed hotels on arrival can't all be wrong and I only wish I had done so too.

Having just returned from a fortnight stay at Escape at Prospect Bay and having reviewed some of the comments posted on the excellent site we went with mixed opinions. When we first arrived at the hotel our hearts sank as the first impressions were not that great. Thankfully we proved to be wrong! We stayed in one of the villa rooms.

The room was basic but kept clean on a daily basis with towels refreshed daily and new sheets on a regular basis. As we did not spend a lot of time in our room it was sufficient for us. All communual areas were clean at all times, as were the two pools. The gym was working, so was the steam room and the jacuzi. Although the hotel is beachside, the beach is rather small for the number of guests staying at the hotel. Although sufficient loungers are provided for all guests, they took up most of the beach space making it feel it little bit cramped. Nightly entertainment is provided 6 times a week which is best descibed as low key for our age group (30's).

All staff were very courtious and friendly and would go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. During our 14 day stay we can honestly say that we did not have one bad meal. The quality and presentation of the food matches that of any more expensive hotel. Both the Seascape Restaurant and Garden Room Restaurant provided excellent a-la-carte meals in the evening. Breakfast and lunch were served buffet style from the Seascape Restaurant and these meals were also of good quality. An extensive cocktail menu is also available from the bar which served the drinks without having to wait too long. The watersports facilities are good so was the complimentary catamaran trip to swim over a shipwreck provided for Virgin Holiday guests. Overall we would recommend the hotel to those wishing to stay in a relaxing environment with good quality food. It is excellent value for money baring into mind the price you pay for the holiday. If you want to spend 14 days in utter luxury, you could spend easily 5 times the amount of money and stay at the Sandy Lane Hotel!

You pay what you get for and for what we paid we received excellent value for money

Just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks here.

Our second visit to Barbados. Previously stayed at the Sea Breeze on the South Coast but wanted the West Coast this time,as we enjoy snorkelling. Stayed in the Spa rooms - very quiet, over 16s only. We enjoyed all the meals but especially the Garden Restaurant. Fantastic beach, loved the snorkelling, went up the bay a little to Fitts Village where it was quieter, only one family using it and the fish plentiful. Used the local reggae buses and tapped our feet along with the locals to the very loud music. Went to Oistins - friday night fish fry - a 'must do'. Also went to The Cliff Restaurant as a special treat - expensive but well worth it for a bit of pampering. The nightlife in the hotel was very good also. Met some lovely people.

The holiday did us the world of good and we still feel 'chilled' - The Bagans have the right attitude to life. Some people did have complaints but I think they would probably complain wherever they were.

Will certainly return.

Do not be fooled by the 4 Star rating given to this hotel. It is tired, run down and very dirty. The Barbados Tourist Association only rate this hotel as a 2.5 star! The staff were rude, unhelpful, unfriendly and generally despondent. The food was awful. The accomodation was basic, mis matched and not as clean as you would find in a youth hostel. Avoid at all costs! Even if you manage to get this hotel at a vastly reduced rate, don't bother it is not worth it.

Spent two fabulous weeks in lovely Barbados and in a fantastic hotel. Myself and my parents were in a deluxe room with a balcony overlooking the breath-taking sea views and horizon. Room kept immaculately clean by the cleaners and robes and towels changed frequently. Special mention to Lolita who came in every evening to 'turn down' our beds and stock up on bathroon essentials all with a friendly smile and conversation about how our day had been etc.

Food was out of this world, a good selection at both breakfast, lunch and dinner and all served with a smile. Nothing seemed to much for any of them. The Garden Restaurant across at the Spa building was also gorgeous with first class service. Robert and Sandra who run the main restaurant were so helpful and always had a smile for you. Good selction of drinks on offer too alongside some pretty good cocktails. After Hours Bar over at the Spa building was also a lot of fun with guests mingling together and chatting amongst one another. The barman up there, Wendall, is the most friendly person you could come across and makes the evening so much fun with stories about Barbados etc . .

The beach attached to the hotel is superb too, very clean and plenty of free sun-loungers to go around. Bit short on brollies if you prefer a bit of shade though. Do get a the jet-ski boys asking if you want to ride but a polite no does the trick and they don't bother you again, they too though were very friendly. Swimming in the sea is amazing here, snorkelling is available for free and you can see plenty of fish.

Can recommend doing the Jeep Safari trip, a fantastic day out, also the Virgins Ahoy Catamaran trip where we swam with the turtles which was amazing.

All in all, this was the best holiday I have ever had. Two weeks in absolute paradise in a fantastic hotel. Would go back year after year if I could afford it but will start saving up for another trip there in the next few years.

We spent 1 miserable night at this hotel. The hotel looked good what we saw of it, but please make sure you upgrade your room. We were having a free room upgrade as a bonus from Virgin for booking almost a year early, Things went wrong and when we arrived we were put in a basic room which was to say the least absolutely diabolical. We had to clmb 12 wooden steps to get to the bedroom, but come down them again through the night if you needed the toilet as the only other thing upstairs was the TV !!!!

The room we were put in had no varanda and and overlooked the main street and carpark (you looked at them through 9"; panes of glass). On the first morning the room was filled with sewage smell as a tanker pumped out the hotels effluent tanks, and this was to happen every morning according to the hotel staff!!

We were offered a room on the other side of the corridor but this was exactly the same except it overlooked ehe sea. The rooms you MUST avoid are 400 - 410. They are rooms that have obviously been added on to crush more people into the hotel and looked as though they were top floor staff and store rooms.

WE were more than happy to transfer to ";The Escape at the gap"; even though we were down rating to a 3 star hotel

Well before i booked this i did do a lot of research and did read many different opinions on this hotel this is my personal opinion on this particular holiday on past hotels and resorts all over europe and the US..

Like i said the resort is excellent with plenty to do, the water sports that are included free are. kayaking/snorkelling/sailing/windsurfing.. there are plenty of jetski's to hire out on the beach they cost between $60-100 barbadian dollars(2 barbadian dollars= 1 US dollar)you do get pestered all day by the locals trying to rent you a jetski, but if you politely say no then thats the end of that(for that dat atleast) there is a beach bar that opens at 10am - 5pm ish. they do any drink you desire...(small tip..if you pal up with the locals and provide them with free drinks they do haggle on the prices for the jet ski hire)

The friendliest Local i met goes by the name of 'BOOTS' just ask for him and you will be sorted!!! im not saying that the others arent friendly because everyone is!!! but after 2-3 days of knowing BOOTS you will know all there is to know about barbados and beleive me its facinating..anyway back to the hotel....
the food is excellent, you get a wide choice of meals from breakfast right through to evening dinner.drinks are available inside all day aswell..

over the road you have the spa, loads of different treatments all at reasonable costs..my wife paid the english equivalent of £25 for a full mud wrap thingy with a massage!!!
Dont turn down the complimentary catamaran cruise and try the snorkelling around the coral reefs and old wreck!!! it was awsome(never been before) you can do some duty free shopping in bridgetown but be prepared to get hassled by locals trying to sell you there stuff or trying to get you to buy them duty free goods..i always said ";sorry i havent brought my passport with me"; always worked.......

even though the hotel was a 4 star in the brochure, what you have to remember that this island is very poor in relation to say the US or even the UK,
I have stayed in a resort and spa on the gulf coast of florida and i must say this wasnt no where near as luxurious BUT and i meanBUT having said this the hotel is very nice,always very clean,room service is very good,all staff are very friendly...so if you are thinking of choosing this hotel i would give it a BIG thumbs up!!!

sorry bout the length of this report but its how i see it... oh yeah one more thing november is the end of the rainy season, so if possible choose either late december to june for unlimited sun as we had or fair share of rain..arrived wed late pm..thurs 18th nov scorching sun...fri 19th scorching sun...sat 20th scorching sun...sunday 21st overcast but still hot...mon 22nd rained all day...tues23rd rained even harder all day...wed 24th departure day sunny so i thought id make up lost time got absolutley burnt silly through the clouds 2 hours of sunbathing!!! suffering as i type this (my own stupid fault.so beware even when cloudy you still get very burnt!!!)

basically if your thinking of booking a all inclusive with excellent beaches/great food/wide variaty of drink and cocktails/friendly staff book this one!!!!
ps book a deluxe room with ocean veiws!!!!you also get a mini bar that is stocked daily all included in the price

and dont forget ask for BOOTS!!!

We had a fantastic time here (all 14 of us) and could not fault the hotel at all. The service from virgin and all the staff at the Escape was superb, and we could not have wished for a better holiday.

The hotel is all-inclusive with a buffet breakfast and lunch and a la carte most evenings in the main restaurant. There is also another restaurant, which is open for lunch and evening meals. The food in both restaurants is great and you could probably never eat the something twice on a two-week holiday. The drinks that are included in the all-inclusive package are great; the house wine was really drinkable, as was the house beer.

The beach is OK if a little small, however as all beaches on Barbados are public you only have to walk around the corner to find a perfect stretch of deserted sand. You can walk for quite a long way in both directions along the beach before you can go no further. If you walk to the right from the Escape's beach you will eventually reach a point were the sea reaches the cliff face. It is possible to wade through the water and reach the beach the other side and eventually reach Bridgetown (the capital) although you should be prepared for crabs large and small covering the rocks and at one point you will have to walk through a small cave waste deep in water with crabs crawling across the ceiling a couple of feet above your head (great fun).

We stayed in the deluxe rooms, which had the best view you could possible hope for. Some of our group stayed in the spa rooms, which although they did not have the view were just as nice as the deluxe rooms inside.

There is really very little not to like about the Escape and I would highly recommend this as a safe bet for a holiday to the Caribbean. It easily out does most accommodation in this price range.

As stated above we travelled with Virgin and the flights were excellent. Each seat had its own TV with around seven films playing at the same time. There were so few people on the plane (747) all fourteen of us could have sat at a window seat or slept across a row of three seats for the whole flight.

All in all a superb holiday and we will all be going back as soon as possible.

A beautiful place. Friendly staff and very helpful. We got married out here in the second week. The wedding was excellent with the perfect surroundings.

We all enjoyed the holiday.

Lots to see and do, but if you enjoy just lying in the sun then there is plenty of that!

Would definately go back.

Virgins check in and chillout is a great idea too.