nice hotel little old horrible food

Bob Sep 9, 2009

nice hotel, in need of some updating but has beautiful grounds. This was a very boring hotel with not much going on. we were ... on a our honeymoon and were looking for a relaxing week but also a fun week. This hotel is definitly a relaxing hotel but not a very fun hotel. The hotel does nothing to make your experience better that is up to you. They had a DJ or a band most nights but they ended very early, one night we met some "mates" from england had a few drinks and at 10 PM we were the only ones still out, the bar closed shortly after (10:15) No music on the beach and the food was absolutly horrible, i am usually not picky about all inclusive food but 90 percent of it was not even edible. I know it sounds like we had a horrible time but we still had an excellent vacation. Barbados itself is a beautiful island and has probably the freindliest people we have ever met. We hired a taxi driver for the day to explore the island and was an amazing experience. [...] was our driver and took us places the tour wouldn't show you. [...] was amazing we used him the whole week. The beaches are beautiful at the hotel and everywhere. the restaraunts on the island are extremly expensive for average food, 40-100 US per meal. We can go to some of the best places in boston and pay $40 dollars for a 16- 20 oz steak down there it is 60 dollars for a 8 oz filet and 65 for 6 ribs.Oistens was very good place to go on friday nights for local food at a decent price, best food we had all week. they love R + B, we went to carribean looking for raggae . if looking for a fun atmosphere stay in the south coast (the gap) if your looking for relaxing vacation stay on west coast but way your options before picking this hotel. Of you are looking for a relaxing vacation with no entertainment you might be satisfied, but we wouldn't recommend this hotel to our freinds. Also taxis are very expensive 30 US to south coast, 60 US round trip.

A Relaxing Getaway

nancy Jul 19, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

My husband and I love Barbados and Crystal Cove. We went there for our honeymoon. The staff is very very friendly and ... accomadating. when we check in we told them that we were on our honeymoon and they upgraded our room. We got to stay in a one bedroom suite. Everyday when we pass the reception or a staff member they would smile and ask how we are. They answered our questions and attended to our needs. The beach is not big by the hotel but it is clean and gorgeous. Some areas of the water is calm but not all. The hotel provides great water sports. We love the banana boat and the tubes. We recommend everyone to go to the water sport desk and try those. you will not regret. Best of all it is free. Jetski is the only thing that requires additional money. the hotel has a variety of watersports (waterskiing, sailing, kayaking, snorkling, banana boat, tubes) The only downside is that there is not a lot of food to choose from. The hotel has two restaurants but most of the time when we were there only one is open for dinner. Even with the minor downside we totally recommend this hotel. It is small but cozy. If you are looking for a place to just sit back and relax crystal cove is the place for you. If you want to go visit Bridgetown (city of Barbados) and other popular places you can take the bus. The bus stops in front of the hotel. If are in Barbados on Friday take the bus to Osintins (popular destination) at night. there are stands where locals sell jewlery and other things and where you can sit and eat local fish. The food is delicious and cheap.

Great Resort

LegalEagel Jul 6, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The resort had the best food for only having two restaurants. We never had the same thing twice. The staff is a bit ... standoffish and not your typical super friendly service. The room was an ocean view and so the fact that the bed was super hard, the tub didn't drain well and the toilet occasionally didn't stop running, it was made up with the amazing view. Use local transportation; it is cheap and a fun experience. We did the submarine tour and it was okay. I think you can get the same experience snorkeling off the shore. Overall, a great vacation and would go back to see more of the island.

Great Couples R and R

KyandBri Jun 15, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

I loved it! We had an amazing time. I was impressed with how clean the rooms were and I thought the staff was very ... friendly. I spent most of my time at the beach which was beautiful. It was a bit rocky in areas but there is a section where you can swim and I spent my entire week there! They offered activities such as snorkeling, tubing, water skiing, kayaking, and other activities that were all free. We couldn't have asked for a better trip for the price we paid.

Average Rooms, Service Not To Good

LA Travel Guy May 24, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

First off - DON'T over analyze this or any review, usually other people's experiences aren't necessarily the one you will ... have!!! So please take this review as suggestions if you choose to stay here. Overall the place is well kept and well laid out, yes we would go back and stay again. However compared to other all inclusive properties we've stayed at there are some things to be desired. As I mentioned the property is well kept & manicured, the pool, dining, and lounge areas are all clean. The cave bar (you swim through the waterfall to get to it) is really neat as well as the sprawling pool. The dining options and drink selection is all well done - especially the relatively large number of cocktails (almost 10 - 15), so really something for every taste! The room was a reasonable size for two people - but no more - and had a good size closet and basic bathroom area. The all inclusive option also includes a good number of water sports (like snorkeling, small dingy/sailboat, water skiing, etc) and a good number of things. Their workout/gym area is also very nice (about 30 - 40 machines). A couple things we didn't like. The staff isn't very friendly, they don't go out of their way to help, VERY slow to do anything (fix problems, room service, make drinks, etc.). We spoke with a manager who basically stared with a "blank" look as if we were aliens - and basically said, "No that's not what you should expect" - but no help in resolving the issue. Their check-in process leaves a lot to be desired, we've traveled to many resorts/hotels and this was the first that didn't check us in as soon as we arrived - although we were offered a "single" drink while we waited, we did have to sit over 2 hours while we waited to be checked in. The bar closes (YES, closes!) around 11pm, there is no 24 hour food/buffet/room service option (like we've seen at just about every other all inclusive location we've visited), and the two evening dining options (that require you make a reservation) have a very limited menu and the food ranged from amazing to just gross. Finally, they had security, but the beaches are all public - so every now and a again you would get haggled to buy some junk or something else - to the hotel's credit their security would run people off, but they could do a little better job of patrolling. Also the beach their on is nice, but there are a great number of large rocks, barnacles, and similar material in the water (except for a small "safe" area they have roped off) - so there's not much of a beach swimming option. As mentioned overall the stay was manageable and we were happy with our vacation, although improving some of their problems would really make the place an amazing place to stay!