We stayed at the butterfly beach hotel from the 30th of may for two weeks. its in a good location but it is basic and the food is not good! we ate there for lunch most days because its the only close place if your sunbathing at the hotel but we felt sick after every time. the fruit punch is amazing! Had it everyday and the starfish knock out is a good cocktail for the ladies! Room was big and the cleaners are fab. We had a basic room with ocean view. the bed was huge! if i was going back i would not book here the pool was ok not great and the beach off the hotel was ok but there are nicer ones, if you have booked dont worry its not a bad hotel im very fussy its ok but if u want to make it just a bit more special then pay a tad more for something else!

First and foremost the hotel is clean and the staff professional in every way,sometimes a little to professional in that they seem standoffish but not unfriendly.The beach is highly disappointing as it is rocky and can only be accessed at low tide.Going down to the beach on the ramp can be dangerous.Rooms are large and well kept if a bit old in style. TV is definitely geared to a British soccer lover or the BBC.6 stations is a little weak but who came to Barbados to watch TV.Would I stay there again.Loved its proximity to Oistins for Friday Fish Fry. I loved Barbados BUT a nicer beach would have made the stay great.One last thing,a room with a view of the sea is a must as the surf makes the nights wonderful.I probably would look at hotels on the west coast BUT keep in mind there is a $$ cost relationship further up the westcoast.

This is a review of the Butterfly Beach Apartments based on our stay in Barbados for ten nights in May 2008. We are a married couple in our early 30's (well mid - just) from the UK. We booked our trip to Barbados at the last minute (three weeks prior to traveling – as we often do due to the nature of our work). We chose the accommodation based on the price (inexpensive) and also based on what was available at short notice. We cross referenced the accommodation with Trip Advisor reviews (as you are probably doing right now) and decided that we would go for the Butterfly Beach based on the information we had (and the fact that it had availability).
All in all the accommodation was pretty much what we expected – actually it was probably better than we expected on balance, I’d say pretty good in fact. The apartments were clean and functional as were the public spaces, bar, pool and reception. The staff were friendly and polite (especially at the bar, which doubles as the restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner). The bar is well positioned and literally on the beach with very pleasant views across the beautiful azure waters of the Caribbean. The drinks at the pool bar are reasonably priced and would be considered cheap by anyone traveling from Northern Europe and reasonable by those traveling from North America or Canada.
Reading reviews on Trip Advisor, we noticed that there are a number that express disappointment at the quality of the food at the Butterfly Beach. We were inclined to agree but think that this depends upon your expectations. The food was on balance, OK; but could be much better. Breakfast and lunch prices are reasonable but the food is also just reasonable. We ate dinner at the Butterfly Beach three times. Two were BBQ's, which are hosted twice a week (but not very well communicated – we found out because we were drinking in the bar). The food at the BBQ's was quite good and I would be happy to recommend them as the price is reasonable 40 BBD's or £12 approx (for three courses). The one time we actually has the standard dinner menu we were disappointed at both the food quality and the price.

However, I would say that this shouldn't put anyone off the Butterfly Beach, as you are a short distance from a great selection of eateries at St Lawrence gap and also a short walk from Oistins which is great fun on Friday and also on Saturday (On Saturday - provided that you can take a bit on Karaoke whilst you eat you delicious grilled fish and rice).
So the food shouldn't be an issue and is not that bad if you really can't be bothered to venture out in the evening but you wouldn't want to eat there every night.

Some other comments we saw related to the level of noise in the evening, particularly in the island view rooms. I have to agree that it is quite noisy at night. However, the whole of the area around Maxwell main road and St Lawrence Gap is by its very nature noisy. If you want total peace and quiet then stay at the Crane which is in the middle of nowhere and has a typically sterile manufactured environment (great food though!).
If however, you want to be a bit more involved in the Island and the people who live there. Then the noise isn't really a problem. I think that the ocean view apartments would probably be quieter (and it's peanuts to upgrade) but we didn't bother and we were absolutely fine.

The island view studio that we had was clean, quite basic, but with all of the facilities we needed. The room we had (and I think that this is pretty standard) had a normal size fridge (small by US standard but big enough for food, booze and ice). The rooms also come equipped with pots, pans, plates, kettle and a four ring electric hob. All the rooms have a balcony with sliding glass doors and a Velux style shuttered window. Oh, and air con (with remote control) which worked perfectly in our room.
So, on balance we had a great stay and the food and noise are more observations than complaints and in no way affected our enjoyment. The accommodation is a good solid base for a stay on the island. It isn't luxury, but for the price it's very good.

A couple of recommendations for things to do:
• Hire a car for at least four days. It really enhanced our enjoyment of our stay as it enabled us to see the island properly. We paid £150GBP for a weeks car hire and got a jeep which was great. You can get a tourist Moke for less but I like my car to come with doors..... For the majority of the drive on the right, none UK people out there, don't worry about having to drive on the left. All the roads are single lane and no-one is in a hurry. We met a number of North American's who found it a doddle and it really is worth renting a car.
• Visit Bottom Bay, just West of Crane Beach on the south coast. It is the best beach we saw on the island (and we visited quite a few) you’ll need a car for that by the way (or if you are staying at the Crane you could walk - probably).
• Go on the “Cool Runnings catamaran tour on Wednesday in the afternoon and catch the sunset as you return. It really is all it's cracked up to be and even non-swimmers are catered for during the snorkeling with the turtles by using floatation devices.
• Drive up to North Point and have a coffee
• Drive to Bathsheba and see the East coast. It is amazing and a real contrast the the West.
• Visit Holetown and have lunch on the beach.
• Lunch at the Crane is also excellent, perhaps after a trip to Bottom Bay
• The setting at David's Place in the Gap is lovely (very romantic) and the food is pretty good and relatively inexpensive by European Standard. Plus, it's also for sale if you've got a spare 2.6 million USD burning a hole in your pocket.
Regardless of where you stay, it's pretty tough not to enjoy a trip to Barbados but on balance we'd recommend the Butterfly Beach for a good budget stay : )

We just returned from a week at the Butterfly Beach in Barbados. This is a clean, quiet property. We stayed in #119, and I recommend it as the best room at the hotel. It has an ocean view and a nice balcony looking out over the hot tubs, bar and restaurant area so you can pass time just watching the other guests come and go. It has a king bed and easy access to the lobby.

No coffee pot or microwave, but otherwise the kitchenette was ideal for making a good breakfast. We bought bacon, eggs, juice, etc. at the grocery store and saved money by cooking each morning.

We found the staff friendly and helpful, just not outgoing like you would expect in the states.

Rent a car and spend the days exploring the island. There's not much to do at the hotel, but you'll be guaranteed a quiet getaway.