We had the penthouse suite which was pretty roomy. The view was amazing, the suite clean, the bathroom was a little dark and dingy. All the light bulbs are flourescent so it was a bit 3rd world inside at times. All in all it was an ok experience. The beach was pretty small, meaning it has been eroded so much the hotel is literally on top of the waves. The ocean is not exactly calm so the waves were in your face 24-7. When you're on the beach you only have about 5 feet til the waves start getting to you. There is very little sand on this beach. If you are used to pretty nice 4-5 star places and expect that kind of experience, this is not the place for you. If you are ready to compromise a little and pay less for a lot of room and a nice setting, then this place is perfect. We bought some fresh fish and cooked dinner in the well-stocked kitchen. We tried to make it a home away from home so really it was more of a condo rental and not a hotel. We had a good time but there was definitely some stress involved.

It's tough. I really wanted to love Barbados, but driving there and transportation is a pain. It takes forever to get from one place to another because of traffic and you can't really walk from place to place as there arent really sidewalks on the main road. We rented a car and boy was that a mistake.

So would I go back to Barbados? Probably not. If I did go back, I would stay at the Crane for sure. The restaurant was delicious, the grounds were amazing, the beach was sooooo much fun. It was huge and we boogy boarded. It was the best part of the trip.

I think in retrospect, Barbados would be best enjoyed off the beaten path and away from the touristy area. Splurge and stay at the Crane. Although the ocean waves were really strong there, there's plenty of beach and fun wading to be had. The southwest coast is just too hectic and busy for my taste.

Stayed here for two weeks in a studio room - they have bigger apartments but this was fine for us, comfortable bed, good storage, great shower, air conditioning worked well, decent kitchen and fridge.

Negatives? Shower wasn't very warm for a couple of days, restaurant had limited choice when we ate there (but there's plenty of other places within walking distance) beach in front of hotel had red flag throughout our stay (but there's plenty of other beaches within walking distance), tv reception not great (but who goes to Barbados to watch tv?)

Positives? Stunning view from the balcony, right on the main bus route, (we didn't hire a car and didn't miss it) very friendly and helpful staff, wifi at reception, good fitness room that nobody else seemed to want to use, supermarkets nearby, clean and comfortable. If we go back (and we hope to), this is where we'll look first. And I shook hands with Gary Sobers.

March 29th,2008
I have just returned Mar 23rd,2008 from a weeks stay at the Coral Mist Beach Hotel in Barbados. It was a great stay. The room was 193$ per night and we had a kitchen, sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. Everyday the beds were changed and the floors were washed. It was all very very clean. It was my first trip to Barbados so I really did not know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. A turtle layed eggs on our beach only forty feet from out room, it was something you only see on tv. I went on this trip with my sister and was a little concerned about being two females alone. The Coral Mist has security present 24 hours a day. I don't know if it is needed but I was more relaxed just knowing they were there. They were actually stationed right next door to our room so being a new traveller I slept like a baby. Our room was located on the first floor so we were literally twenty feet from the water. The loud sound of the surf was hard to get used to at first but I grew acustom to it very quickly and it lulled me to sleep at night, and now home in Montreal with all the snow, I really miss it that sound. While there I called home and raved so much that my husband insisted that I book us for next year which I did.!! If relaxation is what you want and not formallity it is the place to stay. You don't have to dress up for diner but can if you'd like, all very casual. The staff is friendly and Reggie and Vie at the front desk help in any way they can and then some. The bigger hotels which we had friends staying at were lovely but more crowded and formal. If that is what you want then by all means do. The Coral Mist on a busy day has only about twenty people on the beach you really feel like you are on an island because there are not five hundred lounge chairs lined up in a row after row. It is a fabulous place to be and Lisa who handles the bookings is a great help also. I did book a room on a higher floor for my next visit for more privacy but other than that I hope everything is exactly the same. I look forward to being back in paradise in fifty weeks or so with my husband to make some new memories and to show him paradise through my eyes. Fantastic vacation spot.!! Would go back every year and will try!

Stayed at this property with my Wife for her 50th Birthday. Chose it from the reviews on this site and I knew the area as I had stayed at sandy Bay along the road twice! The reason we did not stay at Sandy Bay this time, was my Wife prefers Self Catering and she wasn't with me when I stayed there. Arrived at about 9pm and got checked in quite easily and shown to our 1 bed studio,and yes we were given help with the bags. The room was fine, clean,well appointed with a kitchen that had everything you could need to cater for yourselves(we ate out every night). the location is great, right on the beach and as other reviewers have put ,within easy access to bars and restaurants. we walked over to Berts for a drink and something to eat that first night. We also ate at Champers(very nice), Bellinis(excellent) twice, Berts again whilst watching 2 West Ham Football matches(we lost both 4-0) Lucky Horseshoe(no!) and Jade Garden at the gap (food was ok, lots of it, but place didn't seem clean). This was my 6th visit to Barbados and we both enjoyed it very much. Now the BUT! The noise from the road is unbearable and I don't know how other people can say it doesn't affect you. We had to stuff pillows in the slatted windows and it could still be heard and as for the waves drowning it out,well the waves were just as unbearable, I was ready to move hotels after 2 very bad nights sleep but my wife said she couldn't be bothered with packing and moving. So, I would like to say a big thank you to Virgin atlantic for the earplugs we nearly left on the plane. One other gripe,when checking out I wanted to pay cash in $US the bill had the total in $BDS and $US as I went to pay, I was told they charge at an exchange rate of $BDS1.95 to $US1,where on the bill the amount was showing at 2 for 1, they also took $US510 as my $BDS1020 deposit when I first booked. I walked to the bank and changed my $US there. Overall it was a nice relaxing ( around Blue Orchids pool) clean hotel with friendly staff, in a great location for walking to places but the noise spoilt it for us.