We have just returned from the Turtle Beach resort in Barbados, and had an absolutely brilliant week. The resort itself exceeded all our expectations and more. The staff were polite and helpful, the facitlites were great and the food was excellent, never failing to disappoint with a wide variety on offer in all 3 restaurants. One warning though, there is a strict dress code in 2 out of the 3 restaurants that no one told us about, which resulted in a quick shopping trip in order to eat dinner! So be advised to take shoes and long sleeved shirts for the men. Although the resort was fully booked it never felt busy, the local people were lovely and our room was spacious. The local people were great and the beach was absloutely beautiful, with a strip practically untouched. Everything you could want comes under the all inculsive package, we had an absolutely brilliant week and would highly recommend this resort to anyone. Cant wait to go back!

We stayed at Turtle Beach Resort from April 18 - 25, 2008. Check in was slow - they literally forgot all about us as we waited forever in the lobby area. The bellman passed by and saw us still sitting there and had to point out to the front desk that we were still waiting to check in after a long delay. Thank God for Hermanius the head bellman. He seemed to be one of the few employees who was on the ball. This was the start of a pattern of "poor communication" among the staff at this resort. I don't know the reason for the delay because only one other couple was checking in at that time.

We stayed in Room 314 which had a beautiful view of the pool area and the ocean. Our room was decent (nothing fancy). Room needed a paint job and a little refurbishing to spruce it up but A/C worked well, room was clean, towels were plentiful, slow drains in tub are definitely a problem at this resort as well as old, outdated patio doors which are hard to open and close. Overall I had no major complaints with the room just some updating, etc would be nice as well as some water, soda and juices in the refrigerator would be a plus too. Refrigerators in rooms are "unstocked".

During our stay the hotel was packed with families with small children. Due to this fact I would not recommend this hotel to couples looking for a quiet, relaxed getaway or singles looking for a fun time. Basically this is a "family resort" and nothing more. Overall the children were very well behaved but the pool area tended to be noisy at times and children were constantly being instructed by the staff to "get out of the jacuzzi".

Bar servers at the Waterfront were very unfriendly, lacked personality and were not familiar with the cocktail list. Every time you ordered a drink they had to look up the ingredients and each time the drink tasted different and it came in a different color. So much for consistency!!! I drink white zinfandel wine and it was not available free as a house wine at this resort - I've never heard of such a thing. Champagne is also not included at this resort. No memosas for breakfast! At one point we walked up to the bar and the bartendar was leaning against the back of the bar, looked straight at us and did not ask us what we wanted to drink. I thought they were there to service the guests - I guess not! Go find another job if you're not happy with what you're doing. We paid good money for our vacation and it is up to the staff to supply a reasonable level of service.

The breakfast buffet at Chilonea was average at best - the same stuff every morning. They could definitely add a little variety to the menu - how about french toast, waffles or Eggs Benedict one morning. The birds flying in and out of the restaurant were a big issue for us. I did not enjoy seeing birds bathing in glasses of orange juice or cereal bowls and picking up pieces of toast from the table and flying away with it. I guess there's no Board of Health in Barbados that oversees this type of a problem, but believe me it is a major problem. My sister was christened with bird poop on her back and shoulder on two occasions and believe me it was disgusting.

Lunch at the Waterfront was good - hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza, cold salads, wrap station, chicken, rice, various lamb and pork dishes, soup, deserts and ice cream were always available. We had an a la carte dinner at the Waterfront one night and it was the best meal of the week. The Asian and Meditterrean buffets at Chilonea were also very good. Asiagos (on two ocassions) was a disapointment. Our food was cold on both ocassions, however, the plates were "red hot". Obviously most of the food is re-heated before being served at the table.

I really feel the staff needs some re-training in courtesy and helpfulness to their guest. Most staff seemed like they couldn't be bothered with the guests. I have traveled to over 10 different islands in the Caribbean and have never experienced this before. We did not ask for much and got very little in return.

The staff at the guest relations desk (with the exception of Kinda) was downright rude and nasty. I didn't realize making a dinner reservation was such a problem. Being pleasant and helpful goes a long way but the staff don't seem to realize or care about that.

Overall we had a good time - but we made our own good time because the management and staff did not provide one.

I would not return to this resort nor would I recommend it. There are so many other beautiful Caribbean destinations which truly appreciate their guests and can't do enough for them - this was not the case at the Turtle Beach Resort in Barbados.

I hate to sound so negative but with a little improvement in a couple of areas this could be a wonderful resort but until that happens I can't give this resort a glowing review.

I'm actually quite shocked with some of these reviews, especially the ones from people who were at the hotel the same time as ourselves!

On arrival, after a long flight we were welcomed with a rum punch and there was a very relaxed atmosphere. The hotel is in a beautiful setting and we felt a very high standard compared to other 3* AI hotels in the area that we had considered!!! I am only going to speak for our experience.....

Rooms:
We had a ocean view junior suite which i would have again tomorrow!!! - the view was spectacular. Room 307 great!
Very spacious and clean, we have 2 children so the sofa in our room was made into a bed for our son along with a "z-bed" next to it for our daughter, ok, so this wasn't a single divan but IT WAS A BED! that was very comfortable - there was plenty of space in the room too. Bathroom was fine, yes it needs updating, shower wasn't the best and plug was slow but nothing that would RUIN the holiday! in the hotel's defence they are aware of this, we spoke to the manager one evening at a welcome cocktail party and he had said he was aware all bathrooms needed updating and that they were starting renovation works on this next year, along with replacing the french doors on the rooms.

Food:
Won't go into too much detail as all reviews have covered the fact that there are 3 - (1 al a carte, 1 adult only, and 1 buffet) what i will say is that the choice was wide!!! not sure where one reviewer got the impression that only hot dogs and pizza were served- that was only on the seperate "children's buffet" which is offered at both restaurants to cater for children who aren't that adventurous with their food. We never had a bad meal in the 2 weeks we were there!

Staff:
The staff were very friendly especially if you were to them - i noticed a lot of people who didn't even attempt to talk or communicate with them, they may aswell have sat clicking their fingers expecting them to wait/serve them - so what do they expect! We found them all to be extremely polite and friendly especially Sherral Redman. (promised her i'd give her a mention) - actually apart from one!!! There was one barman in the waterfront who didn't break into a smile once and really didn't want to be there but 1 out of 100+ isn't a bad statistic is it?

Overall:
This hotel certainly isn't 5*, it is a little pricey compared to others in the area but i would definately visit again, no questions i am still in shock at the amount of negative reviews this hotel has had - don't get me wrong i'm not that easily pleased if there was a problem i would say but i just think too many seem to focus on the few little problems which the hotel seem to be ironing out over time anyway. Maybe it is the cost of the holiday overall that justifies the moans but i certainly think it was an excellent holiday and we met some wonderful people while there!

let me tell you now this is a great place and has lovely staff. your kids will be loving it as my daughter had a great time at there kids club which has been provided. me and my husband vulnerable enjoyed talking to the staff including "Timothy Blanche"