Well, yet another fantastic stay at the Crystal Cove Hotel. This was our 3rd visit here and the staff not only remembered us amongst the thousands of visitors that must come and stay with them, but they could not have been more helpful to us during our stay.
The food is excellent, the rooms very comfortable and the entertainment very good.
We visited this year as a group of 8 adults celebrating a 60th birthday. The staff were very accommodating and made our friend feel very special on the day.
I would undoubtedly recommend this to all couples with older children, as although there is a kiddies club, I do not think that it would suit couples with very young children.

I was amazed to read negative reports about this hotel.

It is great value for money for an all inclusive resort . We have learned over the years that 4/5 star Caribbean is not 5star Europe or USA. The hotel is not all marble with white coated skivvies obtrusively bowing and scraping to your every need. It is quietly efficient, the staff are friendly without being over familiar, the room we had was clean and spacious (we were actually given a suite this time at no extra cost as we have stayed there before - and when we arrived we were personally welcomed back - nice touch). The ambiance of the place is charming, completely relaxing.

The food was very good, we particularly enjoyed the casual lunch at Drifters where you can stroll up from the beach covering up with a wrap or tee shirt. I think it is right to have a more "formal" (no shorts, sleeveless T shirts) dress code in the evening for the Reflections restaurant - if you don't want this option Drifters was open in the evening every night whilst we were there where you an wear shorts if you wish. Would agree that the Cave Bar is not particularly inviting -grab a drink and sit somewhere else. The wine is not great, white is drinkable with lots of ice but you can buy wines from the wine list and it is not over expensive. At night they do change the chair cushions at the tables surrounding the pool area.

The only evening a buffet was served was Saturday night which was fine as we do not like buffets. We did go out a few evenings to eat, can recommend Tides and Cocomos(less formal - go for Happy Hour and reserve your table at oceanside) in Holetown.

This is not a hotel to come to if you want exciting nightlife, although there was some sort of entertainment every evening it is was OK, we regarded it as "background music" whilst we had our after dinner drinks. Some couples were dancing.

We were at the hotel for 10 days and during the first week the average age of guests was about 45-50 I would say and mostly couples. We didn't realise that it was half term and toward the end of our stay there were a lot more younger families arriving with young children which did change the atmosphere somewhat (particularly in the restaurants). I would not have thought it was particularly child friendly with all the steps (lots of buggy carrying) but the families I spoke to thought it was a great place to come because it was so relaxing and some had been there before. Personally, I preferred it when it was quieter (my children are now in their early twenties) so I will avoid school holidays in future! When my children were young we went to Almond Beach Village - great at the time but I would avoid it at all costs now I don't have "kids".

We did the Tiami catamaran cruise which was a fantastic day out, great fun, great crew. Also did the Oistins trip on Saturday night, not really our thing though and left early. We have been to Barbados several times so we were quite happy using the reggae bus to go back and forth to Holetown. All beaches in Barbados are public, the good thing about Crystal Cove is that it is a cove and you do not get pestered by beach vendors.

We love Crystal Cove - if you want an all inclusive chill out holiday at a reasonable price this is the place to go.

My husband and myself have just returned from a 10 day holiday at Crystal Cove and, having read some of the reviews on Trip Advisor, we set off with some trepidation. We really didn’t need to have worried about it because it was lovely! We had a really great holiday and wouldn’t hesitate to return. OK, the place isn’t brand new and doesn’t have a great “wow” factor but the service we received was excellent. The food was very good, the whole place is spotless, bright and cheerful and the gardens are very well tended. All the staff that we came into contact with were helpful and pleasant and Peter Charles in the Reflections restaurant is a treasure. He makes a point of remembering your name so you feel quite special. The water sports “boys” are really good fun and made us feel safe when they took us out. So, if you are planning a trip to Crystal Cove, just go and enjoy yourself.

We have visited Barbados a number of time over the past six years and we do try to get their twice a year, and for a week in November. I think so far Crystal Cove has been overall the most comfortable hotel we have visited. We had previously visited Mango Bay in Holetown which was very good but it is doubtful that we now afford it since it is now marketed as a boutique hotel.

We booked both the flight and the hotel via "Dial a Flight". We wasn't aware that they also booked hotels. We had a great trip out but the return was a nightmare because XL Airways had double sold our pre-allocated seats.

Transfers to the resort were not included but we had an email address of Tyrone's taxis who's daugther turned up at the airport with a top of the range BMW. the fare I think was about £100 to and from the resort. Much cheaper than that qoted by Dial a Flight. Please Email me if you want details of the taxi firm.

The accommodation at the resort was very good. We had a Pool/garden view that was more than adequate. It was very quiet. The room number was 103 and it was very clean and well maintained. The bathroom was imaculate.

I would not fancy one of the rooms situated towards the beach bar and grill. There is a lage industriial kitchen extractor sitauted quite close to the bedrooms. I am sure it could be quite smelly with kitchen smells etc.

The quality of the food in the restaurant was extreemly good. In fact this is the main reason why we are going back in November 2008. The breakfast buffet matched the standards found in all other quality hotels on the island. Evening dinner was excellent with only one buffet served during our 7 night stay. (we don't like buffets). The daily menu provided a good choice and was well cooked and presented, especially the fish.

We did not eat at the beach bar because the quality of the food served in the restauant more that met with our expectations. The lunchtime offer in the restaurant ranged from a sandwich to a burger to a three course lunch. It really was very good.

There is a good atmosphere in the restauart and the netting around the perimiter ensured that only one or two birds actually came into the dining room.

The wine served in the restauarnt is palateable but the management need to be aware that market forces in the U.K. demand that well chilled Rose wine should be available, everyone was asking for it.

The beach is quite large and the there are plenty of sun beds. One bonus was a lone turtle that kept "bothering" us while we were swimming. Sadly one "knobhead " from Manchester started bothering the turtle and that was the last we saw of the turtle, (but not the knobhead unfortunately). No need to reserve beds with a towel in the early morning rush. The morning walk takes you south past all the beach side villas to Escape and Spa and North towards the Cliff restaurant. If you want to venture further north, then a short walk on the road up towards Paynes Bay will bring you back onto the baech at the Blue Monkey restaurant (great spot for people watching) and then you ae on the best beach on the island and round the corner you are at Sandy Lane, It's great!!

The only dissappointing areas are the bar and lounge facilities. The Cave Bar is a waste of time. It doubles as a swim-up bar though i did not see anyone use this facility. The inside of the cave is unappealing and the management should really look at what they want to offer their guests, especially after dinner where again there is little of nowhere to lounge.

Upstairs close to Reception there is a small seating area but it means walking up and down some very steep stairs. For this reason i would not recommend the resort to anyone with walking difficulties. there appears to be a patio area above the restaurant but it was undergoing repairs during our visit, This would make a great seating area after dinner.

The entertainmant every evening was very good but again to watch and enjoy it. it means sitting at the poolsde tables which is not what you really want to do after dinner.

The staff were excellent and not too familiar and displayed very good customer care skills, especially housekeeping.

We have already booked again for November for ten nights via Dial a Flight at a good price.This time we are travelling with British Airways. Other Teletext operators couldnt secure the flight.

i have no reservations about reccommending Crystal Cove for a peace and quiet holiday.