As most of the reviews have said, Mango Bay is a very pretty, intimate (in the sense that it is small) place. The natural scenery is beautiful, the weather was perfect, etc. etc.

Our only caveat is for American travellers who (if we and the Americans we met in Barbados are any indication) have different expectations than many British travellers. Mango Bay is not a five-star resort by American standards. It might even be characterized as rustic in some respects. If rustic is what you want, this is a very nice kind of rustic. But if you want a resort with soft linens, comfy duvets, newly renovated bathrooms, and so on, this isn't the place for you. This is an expensive place by most standards, but your money won't get you what it does in the U.S.

The food is pretty mediocre--we likened it to New York City diner food--the meat is overcooked, the eggs are mush, and fresh fruits and vegetables are few and far between. It's what we expected, but it was still a disappointment. One highlight: the chocolate ice cream was superb.

Our experience was particularly unsatisfying because we were "upgraded" from a standard room in the main building to a one-bedroom condo in an adjacent structure. To get to our condo, we had to walk behind the restaurant, past the service door, around an overgrown garden, through a parking lot, and up a flight of rickety wooden stairs. The condo itself was bare and a little bleak, with an odd assortment of stained cushions, outdated plumbing fixtures, and locked doors that led to nowhere. To be frank, it made us feel like second-class citizens--and we were paying over US$500/night! We requested another room--even offered to pay more--but were told the resort was booked to capacity.

If you do choose to go, the activities included in the package are worthwhile. We enjoyed the catamaran/snorkelling trip (swam with enormous turtles!). We also paid an additional fee to rent jet skis, which was fun. The bus trip to Bridgetown was kind of a let-down. We went to the synagogue (the oldest one in the western hemisphere) and an attached museum, but otherwise Bridgetown was a lot of duty-free shops, dangerous traffic patterns, and dust. It's always interesting to see the business center of a community, but this one was a bleak mix of cheap tourist attractions and wide-spread poverty.

Though this sounds like a rant, we actually had a very pleasant time. If you like to sit on the beach and read, this is great place to do it. We just think we could have spent less and gotten as much if not more some place else...

If you bought this trip using only their website, you will be slightly disappointed on arrival. But please remember this is the Caribbean. Once settled in this hotel, it can give you a fabulous, relaxing holiday. If you like snorkelling and fishlife this hotel is well placed for local reefs, with Folkstone Marina to one side and a shipwreck site to the left. Our teenage boys were delighted with these opportunities, discovered by the complimentary boat/catarmaran trips. This stretch of coastline enables you to walk good distances along the beach, from either side. (subject to weather/small tides). The beach is narrow and has quite a sharp shelf, so appeals to more confident swimmers, not young children.
If you book the standard rooms...Yes, at the weekends the noise from the local bars and street parties is ridiculous. We managed to change rooms for the following weekend. Midweek was fine. Our rooms were clean and spacious. Room service was good.
The hotel offers a brilliant bar service and the restaurant is on the whole very good. Most of the staff are charming and helpful. Don't encourage the beach traders...But these are everywhere in Barbados/Caribbean. Being a small hotel, you can quickly make new friends, if you want to. My teenage boys loved this hotel, as I was able to give them quite a lot of freedom as it was so small, but they wanted the water and swimming, not disco's and dancing. The evening entertainment is mellow and relaxing. From our point of view, the watersports facilities are disappointing and should be improved. The hotel was full most of our stay, so it felt nice to be away for parts of the day, but enjoyable to return to. There are great views from the ocean view rooms and worth the extra, if you can afford it. There are many more pluses than minuses, but the lagoon next door is not pleasant, and probably does not help with mosquito/insect bites.

my 5th visit to this wonderful island and by far the most enjoyable, this hotel is a real find, have never stayed in 'all inclusive' before as normally would expect to receive pretty average food and drink, nothing could be further from the truth, excellent restaurant with great variety, great service and a lovely bar area with a chilled, laid back atmosphere. Water sports were excellent -
managed to Water ski after 10 minutes tuition - what a thrill !
Special mention to Onisha who you will often see on the front desk - lovely warm attitude from day one which really reflected the atmosphere of Mango Bay.
Met some of the nicest, most genuine and relaxed people during the holiday which proved the icing on the cake, some were on their 6th visit !
Previously stayed at Coral Reef club which is absolutely lovely but a little more formal and with little interaction between guests.
If you enjoy socialising and looking for a relaxing, laid back holiday and not necessarily looking to stray too far from your hotel, you would really struggle to find anywhere on a par with this absolute gem !
tim - london

As always there seem to be mixed reviews and as always I write what I find rather than be influenced by others !!

We arrived at the Mango Bay after a long flight to be greeted with smiles, service and a rum punch with lots of rum and even more punch. Check in was friendly, efficient and without fuss.

Our room was very nice ... large bed, clean, tidy and with all that was needed and having had a really nice relaxed dinner a comfortable nights sleep was just what we needed.

The hotel itself, is relatively small, but intimate with more than enough facilities, and staff who would do all they could to please.

The first morning we walked both the beach, and out of the complex to the local shops, post office etc. Everyone we met was so friendly and helpful and everything you need is within about 5-10 mins.

The swimming pool again was clean and offered more seclusion than the beach so we opted for that as our preference, moving only to order another cocktail.

Food was excellent, drink on tap as needed and definitely worth the money as an all exclusive.

We were only there for three days but had time to sign up for the catamaran, swim with turtles trip which was free and a fabulous experience. Didn't really try the other watersports but all seemed available.

No prolems with the mossies and all in all thoroughly enjoyed our stay.