My wife and I spent a week in Crystal Cove in June 2009. I should preface this review by saying we were on honeymoon and had spent the previous week in an absolutely fabulous resort on another Caribbean island so my views on Crystal Cove probably suffer in comparison somewhat.

In general I would say that it is a good resort but there were a number of things which we felt were lacking. We stayed in an Ocean View room which was small but had everything you would expect. I think if we were going again I would go for a suite as the room was a bit on the cramped side with the large amount of luggage we had with us.

The grounds of the hotel were well tended but felt slightly cramped to me. The resort faces onto a lovely beach and it's well worth walking up along the coast to the end of the beach as you'll have it to yourself and it's much cleaner than the beach directly outside the resort.

The food was fine for the week we were there. We had some lovely meals but one or two were slightly disappointing. The variety of food on offer was quite good, particularly at breakfast which was consistently excellent. We generally ate in the Reflections restaurant. I couldn't figure out why a reservation had to be made every night to eat, even when the restuarant was buffet style. The staff were always attentive and the service was good. A word of warning about the afternoon tea. The area where they serve it is open and we saw several large pigeons fly in, walk all over the crockery and peck at the cakes/biscuits. The staff didn't seem too bothered by this but it really put us off eating the afternoon tea.

The bars were quite good but at times you had to endure a long wait to get served in the Cave bar. This was because there was generally only one person working there and they often got hit with large orders for cocktails which they would make up from scratch. When someone in front of you asks for a round of 5 Mojitos, you can expect to be standing there for a good few minutes before you get served! The barstaff come round to the recliners on the beach and by the pool with fruit, ice creams and drinks periodically during the day which is a nice touch.

We didn't partake in the watersport activities but we played tennis and used the fitness centre. The tennis facilities were fine and the fitness centre was excellent. The three pools are small but clean and picturesque. While we were there, generally one of them was closed each day for cleaning. The pools were never crowded and usually fairly quiet. The hotel also offers free internet facilities which is a big plus.

A let down was the evening entertainment provided by the hotel.This was partly to do with where the bands/DJs are located. The stage is beside one of the pools and there are only three tables from which you can see the stage. You can't see the stage from the other outdoor tables. This led to a really flat atmosphere and we felt sorry for the musicians as they were usually playing to a very small number of people and at no time did anyone get up to dance. The karaoke night was more interactive but we felt the whole setup of the entertainment was badly done.

A big bugbear I had was with regard to the poolside recliners. During the week we were there (which was in June and therefore outside peak season) you had to be down to the pool by 8.30am with your towel or you wouldn't get a recliner. If this was the case you could get a recliner on the beach but we preferred the poolside ones as there were more biting insects on the beach and you get hassled on the beach by people trying to sell you trips on a glass bottomed boat and rides on a jetski. It is disappointing to come down to the pool at 9am and find very few people there but every recliner covered in a towel. We bit the bullet and started getting up at 7.30am and leaving our stuff out before going for breakfast. I feel the hotel should look at providing more poolside recliners.

The hotel itself is located on the main Barbados West Coast road which is great for jumping on a bus to Bridgetown to the south or Holetown/Speightstown to the north. If you are going on a bus, be prepared for an interesting experience if you take one of the private yellow buses!

In summary I think this resort is a 3.5/5 but with a bit of re-organisation from management it could be a solid 4/5.

Me and my boyfriend stayed at this hotel for 5 nights and enjoyed our stay. The rooms were large and comfortable and were cleaned daily. We were all inclusive during our stay and the food and menus were fantastic at both the restaurants. And the cocktails are to die for.

We made use of the free water sports during our stay which were great fun. My partner used the rubber rings and we both tried water skiing, the staff at the water sports were very friendly and helpful.

I think we would of got bored if we had stayed for more than a week, as there are only two restaurants to eat at, and the hotel just seemed a bit limiting. The staff at the Reflections restaurant are really slow to seat you, serve you and provide drinks, but they are pleasant enough and I think that it might just be the 'Caribbean way of life'.

If you are a pool person i wouldn't recommend this hotel as it has 2 lagoon style pools that link. One is surrounded by tables and chairs and the other with about 15 loungers, so grabbing yourself one in the morning is near on impossible. However, if you prefer the beach it's ideal.

Whilst in Barbados we went on the Catamaran excursion through Virgin which was a great day - I would really recommend it. The boat is amazing with lunch and drinks provided, and the best thing was that we got to swim with turtles. My boyfriend also did scuba diving which Virgin arranged, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Just a warning - the tour agency will always be at least 20 minutes late picking you up for any excursion!

We also went into Bridgetown for the afternoon which is an experience. You can flag down a bus outside the hotel on the opposite side of the road. The blue bus is government owned and you need exact change, and there is also a yellow bus which is privately owned which gives you change. The bus ride was probably one of the funniest moments of my holiday and other holiday makers dubbed it the 'reggae bus' - you'll see why!

Crystal Cove is not the four star resort we thought we were going to. However, it didn't matter. The people are fantastic. They know you by name and are so accomodating. The beach is so relaxing and on the island the
snorkeling and swimming with the sea turtles was fantastic. The resort is well kept and the rooms are CLEAN! We loved our stay, but we did go to other restaurants at a few other resorts. The food at Refections was just so/so.

My wife and I stayed here in June of 2009 to celebrate our one-year anniversary and had a wonderful time. The beach is excellent with crystal clear water. This all-inclusive hotel is a great value, as the food is delicious and watersports such as sailing, snorkeling and waterskiing are included. The swim up bar is great fun. Did I mention that the food was delicious. One caveat: Ask for a quiet room away from the road. We arrived very late on our first night and were placed in a room where road noise was very loud (even past midnight). I was worried that we'd chosen the wrong hotel and that our vacation would be ruined. I called the front desk the next morning and the very accomodating clerk quickly found us a quiet room. From then on it was a perfect vacation.