We have just returned from our 5th visit to this wonderful hotel. Having read some of the previous reviews, i was a little concerned about our second home, and found it hard to believe some of the adverse comments.

This wonderful hotel is quite remarkable. You just get drawn into the warm family atmosphere of this lovely small all inclusive hotel. We stayed in our usual superior garden view room which was once again impeccable. The highest level of housekeeping and facilities, clean towels every day, great air-conditioning.

The restaurant once again provided lovely meals and snacks, some buffet style, some a la carte. It was nice to see some different ideas coming though onto the menu.

What was lovely to see this year is that the management have listened to their customers comments and have provided 3 sunshades around the pool, and have available for rental, beach chairs and sunshades. Each item is available at a cost of 10 bds, and they were proving to be very popular.

We met some lovely people this year who were visiting the Island Inn for the first time. They are already sorting out their trip for next year!!! Because we have stayed so many times and usually the same time every year, we meet up with some very familiar faces and that is what is so unique. To catch up on all their news from the previous year is just great and i don't know many hotels where you can do this. And also the lovely staff, they really do make the Island Inn what it is; they welcome you back with open arms, the biggest smiles and love hearing all your news.

We are already looking forward to planning our next visit and can't wait to meet up with all our 'holiday friends' and catch up in our own little 'island paradise'.

Despite suffering from a flu-like sinus/chest infection imported from the UK, we still loved our stay in Barbados and thought the Island Inn was a charming small hotel, with a lovely relaxed atmosphere and friendly, helpful staff.
We both soldiered on ( despite my wife needing antibiotics from a local private doctor) making the most of our time on the island, hiring a Mini Moke for a week to tour, which was great fun and something we would heartily recommend.
We booked a superior garden view room that was very comfortable and spacious. Well worth the upgrade.
The hotel is all-inclusive but most meals are a la carte, which was fine for us as there is no temptation to over-indulge with the huge international-style buffets we have experienced elsewhere. There was a manager's cocktail party and BBQ once a week on a Wednesday, which was very good. Overall we were very happy with the food, including the packed lunches we ordered for days out and about.
Being a small hotel there are plenty of chances to be sociable if you want and we met a number of very pleasant, interesting fellow guests with whom to swap travel tales and share a drink or four in the evenings.
Although some reviewers have complained they had to wait for drinks at the bar, we never experienced this and only received friendly, prompt attention from whichever barman - Earl, Michael or Mr Cain -was on duty. The same was true of all the staff - they were the epitome of the unforced, natural friendliness we encountered throughout Barbados.
Although the hotel is not directly on Pebbles Beach it is no more than a two minute stroll away and we enjoyed wandering down to watch the sunset, cocktails in hand. Previous comments about the lack of loungers on the beach have led to manager Thora Browne arranging for excellent lightweight beach chairs to be made available for hire at the reasonable rate of 10BDS$ per day (5US$). There are also beach mats and umbrellas available.
Our overall of experience of Barbados and the Island Inn was excellent and we are not surprised that many guests choose to return year after year. Although there is a big world out there we'd like to explore we also hope that one day we will be among the returners - this time 100% healthy!
PS: try to arrange your stay to coincide with a race meeting at the nearby Garrison Savannah racecourse. It's a few minutes walk away from the hotel and is a great fun afternoon out, especially if you pick a couple of winners!

Have just returned from our first visit to Barbados and we stayed at the Island Inn. As previous people have said it is a small, boutique style, all inclusive Hotel. There are only 24 rooms of varying sizes and prices. We stayed in a basic room our son having No 1, us No 3. The rooms were great for us and in some ways better than the more expensive ones. There are half a dozen rooms along a veranda where you can sit quietly in the sun in the morning and keep out of direct sun but in the fresh air later on. Yes you do look onto a small area of garden and a car park but it was never a problem for us and we could keep an eye on our car! Apparently the monkeys used to run along the veranda but we never saw one there so they may have been relocated! Room 1 is closest to the lounge area and is able to still connect to the Internet which was great for our son. The rooms are plenty big enough and have small shower only bathrooms which was fine for us. They were kept immaculately clean with clean towels every day and tea and coffee topped up. However it it is just as easy to walk to the restaurant and grab a coffee from the machine and take it back to your room. The same can be done with drinks from the bar too. They will even fill up a jug with water and ice for you to take to your room. Plastic glasses are available too if you want to take a drink to the beach!
The food was great and the menu is done on a two week rotation. You can ask for different types of eggs and pancakes in the morning if they are not there already. Portions are not huge but plenty adequate for most people and leaving no waste. I do not eat fish at all but never had a problem with what to choose the meat option and veggie one were always good. If you want masses to eat and endless choice this is not the place for you but we loved it. The staff were very attentive always topping up your iced water and wine. The rose and White wines were particularly good. Afternoon tea was a treat if you were about with warm scones and crustless sandwiches. Packed lunches were also a great option if you are out for the day, loads of sandwiches, cake, fruit and bottled drinks all given in a cool back although they may benefit from ice packs rather than ice in a bag!
The hotel is 90 seconds away from a beautiful sandy beach. On first look it appears very scruffy, as does a lot of the island, but when you look past the car park and bins etc you see a stunning beach which slopes very gently. There us a little shade if you walk up towards the Hilton. We were about to suggest to the hotel that they bought some chairs for people to use as the Sunshine Suites in Grand Cayman do when we discovered that they had just bought some. They rent them out daily for $10 BBD. They are very good quality and worth using, we even had to unwrap ours as they had not been used before. I believe they do have a few umbrellas too. The staff are very open to any ideas anyone might have to improve their experience with them.
We found all of the staff to be very helpful and friendly and have no qualms recommending the Hotel to everyone. The air conditioning is the best and quietest we have ever experienced anywhere in the world and my husband said the bed was the best ever too as he slept like a baby. It was a little too firm for me but after a couple of nights I got used to it. I can imagine this type of hotel is not for everyone as it is not glitzy with huge pools and massive meals. It is small, personal, friendly and for us perfect. Thank you everyone, we had a wonderful time. We will be back.

Fantastic hotel, stayed here for two weeks over Christmas and New Year, beautiful christmas tree in reception, decorations throughout, realy made it welcoming. Front desk staff friendly, as were the Bar, waiting, Kitchen, and Housekeeping staff. Rooms lovely, spacious, and extremely clean, we had a garden room no 24, in between the bar and the pool, (could hear the housekeeping staff chatting in the mornings, which wasnt so good if you' d had too many rums the night before). If you get the chance, stay in the deluxe suite, we saw one of these when the maid was cleaning, it looke amazing. Hotel not on the beach, but literally 2 mins walk from reception, Food to die for, drinks and cocktails in abundance,pool a little on the small side, We will defintely be returning.