The Club Barbados

We went to this hotel for a week through Tui after a cruise. The whole holiday was booked in a rush as we were unable to go to Cuba. There wasn't a lot of choice and after we booked the package the reviews looked awful. however we thought we'll have fun and it's better than doing nothing!!! We were so surprised. We experienced none of the awful things being written. The food was fab! Plenty of choice and we especially liked how they mixed it up. Buffet , A La carte, B-B-Q. Breakfast and lunch are in the same restaurant and no need to book. Just be patient it's only a few minutes before you are seated. We were a group of 6 and never had a problem. Every morning I would advise you to book your evening meal slot for the following evening. This works really well. Enid's restaurant was lovely. The food and the service were excellent. Small and friendly with Caribbean style cooking. They do demonstrations too. You also need to book that every day for the following evening and they aren't open everyday. All drinks were of top quality. Wine flowing during the meal too. There are no lifts and I would advise to request a low floor if you have any health problems. The top floors are a struggle in the heat but the staff always help with the luggage. Most of them are lovely especially if you treat them well. We never had a problem. Some were a bit surly but we decided to just be super friendly and it worked! You never know what's going on with people or how they've just been treated and believe me we saw some appalling manners! Rohan on the entertainment team was fun and worked hard to keep everyone busy (If you wanted to be) lots going on but no hard sell which we liked. The hotel is in a lovely spot but doesn't have a beach. You can do plenty of water based activities for free and access to the water is simple. Plenty of beaches either side. Holetown is great and within walking distance. 10 minutes. Opposite is a shopping area. Duty free etc. 3 mins walk. The busses are frequent and an experience not to miss. We took a trip to Oistins which was fun , music, locals ,food etc. The hotel was clean, the towels in the bathroom were good. The only thing that let's this hotel down is the housekeeping. They often miss rooms or forget towels, shampoo ,etc. When reception is called the problem isn't solved easily. When the rooms are done they are great. All I can add is don't be put off by the awful reviews. we are quite picky and had come from a cruise and we loved it and would return. We actually met a lot of people who return year after year.

The hotel is slightly dated with a limited choice of restaurants the gardens are nice and the rooms are quite nice but not amazing The food was actually good however on the ninth when they have other car, they make people queue up for hours outside the restaurant. Nobody that pays so much money to stay in an all-inclusive resort. Should have to queue for 30 minutes to eat dinner.

We booked the honeymoon we never had through Tropical Sky and were delighted to find an adults only, all inclusive hotel billed as having a 'peaceful vibe' with a 'tranquil and relaxing' atmosphere. Aside from the fact that the hotel dropped the bombshell weeks before we flew that there'd be a reality TV film crew there during our stay (thankfully, they left before we arrived), nothing on the Tropical Sky site mentioned the 2 hours of noisy live entertainment including karaoke every night that there was no escape from because of the open plan nature of the small, three-acre site. The hotel is in the perfect location and the food and service are ok, but the entire site is shabby and run down, and the rickety wooden steps to the sea are downright dangerous. Windows were greasy and the ambience and lighting generally wasn't great, especially at Enid's restaurant which is accessed through what resembles a working man's club. Access to most rooms was via a back lane, which was littered with skips and very scruffy. All in all, a huge disappointment and not the honeymoon we waited decades for.

The Club Barbados Resort & Spa Holetown, Saint James Barbados Resort hotel Kerri Finnegan 5 days ago This was our fourth stay at this resort. We’ve been coming here for on an off for over thirteen years and it doesn’t disappoint. We love it here because it’s our home away from home. It’s comfortable and not overwhelming. The food it good with lots of options and different themes. Sometimes there’s a menu, or a bbq and buffet style. The food truck is a welcome addition for those looking for a mid afternoon snack, definitely try the fish tacos they’re delicious . The cafe is available all day with options and décantant treats . Was eating red velvet cupcake at 8 am :) The staff works very hard to please everyone and when I read comments about them being rude it disappoints me because that has not been our experience we treat them with respect and kindness and in return we receive it back. Shout out to Carmella, Sherry, Faith and many others who made our two week stay memorable. The activity team were great. Take advantage of what they have to offer water aerobics, volleyball ball, dancing, water sports … There’s a variety of entertainment nightly too. Our room was clean spacious and the bed was comfortable. Housekeeping was available when needed. Thank you to Caroline GM for taking time to sit with me and ask for my thoughts on what keeps us coming back . My only critique would be to watch the buffet some food items would run out and it took a bit for replacement of items. Bring your water shoes and do the short walk to Sandy Lane beach it’s gorgeous. We will be back ! Rooms 5 Service 5 Location 5 Rooms Some will say rooms could use update, but that’s not important to me as long as it’s clean and I have a comfortable bed. Nearby activities Lots of options . Holetown, Harrison Caves , Sea Shed. Sunday night One Love with the locals and tourists. Safety Very safe but always be cautious. Walkability Easy to get around. Also hop on the buses for affordable transportation. Food & drinks The bartenders will make you whatever summer drink you’re looking for as long as they have the ingredients. The food was very good . Hotel highlights Great view, Great value Kerri & David

Firstly I would like to say to those who make comments like 'Ignore the moaners', I, like everyone else, am allowed to give my opinion, that is what a review is about. Now here are my comments, some good, some not so good. My hubby & I have just returned from a weeks stay. When we first arrived we found reception to be chaotic & unfriendly. The receptionist gave us the impression she was checking us into prison not a hotel, she didn't smile once. Our room wasn't ready & wouldn't be for about two hours, which wasn't too much of a problem, but as it was raining, most guests were sitting inside the lounge so there was a seating shortage. We were in room 255, facing the grounds which was lovely & we were delighted with our balcony. The shower room definitely needed sorting out, the toilet roll holder was hanging off the wall. There was nowhere to hang towels. The plug in the basin didn't hold the water. The furniture in the room was very old. After a few days my clothes started to smell musty being in the drawers. The wardrobe doors wouldn't close properly. During the night there was a lot of noise from workers pushing trolleys around. At 4.15am, we were woken by a hotel worker wheeling a trolley of empty bottles along a very bumpy drive to tip into a recycling container, the noise was horrendous. The block of rooms that we were in faced huge green containers for recycling etc. The following night we were woken by this again, so we went to reception to ask if this happens every night as we weren't happy to be woken every night. The lady apologised & said the staff had been told not to do this. Although it stopped happening in the early hours it still happened late at night around midnight. We had a pleasant surprise in the restaurant when we had several 'a la carte' evenings as we thought it was only buffet. The food was mostly excellent. There were not always signs saying what was in some of the bowls of sauces in the salad area. There were awful plastic containers with salads & pastas which you had to find somewhere to put the lids while you helped yourself, it was difficult when it became busy. My biggest gripe were the awful heavy chairs in the dining room, they need replacing with lighter seats that don't make such a dreadful scraping sound when they are moved.!! Again, some of the staff in the restaurant rarely smiled, they were efficient & polite but not friendly. I read that to get to the beach's from the hotel you had to walk through water & climb over rocks. We did this on the first day & knew that it wasn't very safe, my husband is in his 70s. We were both disappointed & regretted booking this hotel as good beach's are essential. The second day we joined the orientation group which is held daily. We were shown around but we didn't really get much information unless you like finding out about trees. The guy told us not to claim sunbeds before 8am but there were guests out at 7.20 everyday. There is a very busy main road by the hotel, if you turn left & walk for about 10-15 min you come to a sort of gully with a pathway next to it, this leads to some beach's, the one on the left has sea reaching the wall which you have to walk through to get onto the sand. Turn right & the tiny beach is better but be prepared for lots of stones which roll about with the waves and will give your ankles a nasty bash, I strongly recommend beach shoes. I found it difficult to get in & out of the water. Carry on walking for many more beach's & restaurants. Most of the beach's that we went to had a lot of stones. Carry on walking along the main road & you'll come to other paths that lead to beach's. Turn right out of the hotel and a longer walk along the main road will take you to another beach. The walkway, (which was past a very large cream coloured building), had a large mirror built into a wall & some guys selling some drinks in a sort of makeshift bar. There were a lot of Americans in the hotel so a lot of tipping was happening at the bars which makes the British look tight but I'm not changing the way I tip to receive better service. Would I return to this hotel?? No, it's not for us. 5/10