We have just come back from a week's holiday at the Barbados Beach Club Family Resort. I would recommend this hotel as we got a very deal from Virgin and Barbados is beautiful, excellent beaches and exceptionally friendly people.

Hotel:

The hotel was very clean and well maintained. The rooms were basic and were cleaned everyday, giving you new bath towels but bedding was only changed once a week. There are two pool areas, one for the kids and another for the adults. The family resort is better as the rooms are newer than the main hotel, and the main one does get quite noisy in the, especially in the evening as the entertainment is in the centre of all rooms.
The reception staff were very friendly particularly Sheena (she is the one with the golden ‘S’ on her tooth) they will help you with any problems.

The Bar opens at 10.30am and is open until midnight. Wendy the bar lady makes the best cocktails! Try the Barracuda or simple Rum & coke or the famous pinacalda – it’s so nice!

No member of staff expects a tip - when one is given they do really appreciate it.

The Beach

The beach is at the main hotel which is less than 5mins away. The beach is excellent and well maintained and is kept very clean. There are water sport’s available if you are interested at a local cost. There is another more secluded beach going towards Oystins, 10 mins walk away from the main hotel which was excellent.

Restaurant:

If you stay at the Family resort – breakfast and lunch are served there and you do not have the option of going to the main hotel for these. Dinner is served at the main hotel, meals are all buffet style but very limited choice with different themes for everyday. If you are vegetarian (like us) – beware as it is difficult as every meal you will possibly have is pasta but if you enjoy fresh fish and meats you will love it.

There is a limited vegetarian option available which you have to book at breakfast. We were not told about this but we found out that this option was available by another guest. They also have two other restaurants that you can book, these are the Italian Restaurant and a Seafood Restaurant, again not good for vegetarians unless you like pasta and melted cheese – very disappointing!

Raquel was our favorite waitress, she was so caring and very friendly, and was always came to say hi with a smile.

Out & About

Strongly recommend swimming with the turtles, we booked via Virgin but you can get a cheaper deal (check through the leaflets at main reception – Speak to Sheena).

There is a free shuttle bus goes to Bridge town on weekdays, this is well worth the trip, many bargains to be found.

They have a mini supermarket outside of the resort on the main road (Maxwell Road) its like a small corner shop selling the essentials, but there is also a large supermarket 15mins walking distance away – just walk towards Oystins and you will see the shopping centre.

There are also many restaurants at St Lawrence Gap, which we didn’t try, but many others recommended visiting.

There is also I fish barbeque night at Oystins – again if you enjoy fish then you will like this.

Negatives

The only negative I would say is when the BA cabin crew staff came to stay for 2 days they seem to occupy the whole place, make a lot of noise (at both sites) and if you were unlucky enough to be at reception to sort any problem out while these guys are checking in, then BEWARE to be ignored! I complained about this and was told that they give first priority to BA staff!

Well not everything can be perfect!

Overall I would definitely go back to Barbados, maybe not the same resort although we did enjoy our stay. Its beautiful beaches and friendly people defiantly make this place very special for any couple or family.

Booked myself in here for a long weekend and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Barbados!
The hotel is definitely no 5-star, but the room was clean and the staff were very friendly and polite.

The buffet meals were a bit of a disappointment - but I did not have time to check out the hotel restaurants, so I cannot comment on those.
The guys who deal with the watersports are a great laugh and not intimidating in the slightest (important to me as I was travelling alone), and the beach outside the hotel is gorgeous.

St Lawrence Gap is just a walk along the beach and if you fancy travelling further afield, you can arrange day trips and other activities through the hotel.

All in all a great holiday, but unfortunately too short for my liking!!!

We arrived 6pm on 22nd Feb for a fortnight's stay at Barbados Beach Club - we were in the family resort which is literally a one minute walk to the main hotel.

We were in room 308 which was airy, clean and a good size, complete with balcony, a fridge, bathroom and TV. The maids did a great job in keeping it clean and tidy each day.

Breakfast was buffet style and had fruit, cereal, fish, bacon, sausages, beans, eggs, pancakes, bread, toast, tea, coffee, fruit juice etc. Omelettes were cooked fresh when asked for (being quite partial to omelettes I ate quite a lot!).

Lunch was also buffet style and to be honest, neither my husband nor myself had any complaints, we certainly never went hungry that's for sure!

Tea, coffee, cakes and sandwiches were available around 4pm.

Dinner was in the main hotel's restaurant and personally we loved the food. Food in Barbados is not as spicy as in other Carribbean countries, we found it very tasty and often had seconds.

The pool in the family resort was lovely and is set in beautiful gardens, it is very peaceful and the surroundings make it very enjoyable. When we first arrived, we fully intended to spend most of our pool time around the main hotel, but we ended up preferring the family resort's pool. The beach can be accessed via the main hotel and is truly beautiful - as the sun sets, it is breathtaking.

The entertainment consisted of discos, steel band, cabaret act, karaoke, live band and changes each day, it is situated in the main hotel. We had a good laugh with the bar staff, thumbs up to you all!!!

St Lawrence Gap is 10 minute walk across the beach - literally, the beach is so beautiful you don't even notice the time moving. If you walk via the road it takes just over 15 minutes (all depends how far into The Gap you want to walk).

Oistins takes about 20 minutes to walk, if you don't want to do that you can catch a bus, they are very regular.

We went horseracing at Garrison Savannah on the Saturday, it costs $50 to be in the grandstand but is free on the outside and in the middle of the course, we chose the latter as that is where many of the locals are and the atmosphere is great. The Rugby Club bar sits right in the middle of the racecourse too, brilliant time!

To put it in a nutshell, regarding the Hotel, we loved the place, we would go back, in fact, we didn't want to leave it!! Thank you Jackie and all the staff :)

Regarding Barbados itself, oh such a beautiful Island, if I had my way, I would never leave, everything from the people, to the scenery to the wonderful, wonderful weather. People who live in Barbados are clearly very proud of their Island - they should be too, it is brilliant!!!

We have visited Barbados three times and each time I cry when it is time to leave, this time was no exception.

See, now writing this review, I just HAVE to go back...

We stayed in the family resort side of the hotel, which is the newer part, the rooms still fresh and clean.
On arrival there was only one receptionist on duty to book in over 50 people, the luggage arrived an hour later and although the local clock says 11pm, when you've just arrived your body knows it's 3am..... not a good start.

Food...Having stayed in hotels around the carribean I can assure you that this hotel is not a 3star, and could be as little as 1star.
Breakfast offered fish cooked in some sort of gravy sauce, and also corned beef hash!!!. Even the strongest stomach would rebel at that at 8am!!!
Vanishing cutlery and crockery: there is never enough to hand and you have to ask the staff every time!!!
Dinner was held in main hotel down the road. Buffet style there, where the food was adequate but not inspiring, in the Italian restaurant (Venetos) and Sea Rocks restaurant the standard is better, but you will be there some time, the service is so slow.

Staff.....With a couple of exceptions they seem to regard you as a necessary evil, and can be quite unhelpful at times.

Beach..... Lovely white sand, turquoise sea warm but lively and plenty of sunbeds. Watch out for the old American Victor Meldrew who regards the shade of the Almond tree as solely for the use of the patrons of the Bougainvillea Hotel!!

On a more serious note, the standard of cleanliness in the ladies toilets warranted a complaint to the desk in the main hotel, which could have been a health hazard. However it was addressed by the following day. The gents, however still had a toilet blocked four days later.

The island is lovely, and the local people are great, but this hotel needs a total overhaul of Management, staff and Kitchens to live up to expectations. I would not be happy to recommend this Hotel to family and friends.