We have recently returned from a week at the Coyaba Beach Resort, and I have to say, we left disappointed.
The resort itself is very nice. The place was tastefully furnished with a lovely bar/restaurant area, beautiful grounds and Grand Anse Beach on it's doorstep. However, for a 4 star resort, it was badly let down by it's service, which was more 2 star, especially the poolside bar staff. I lost count of the number of times we had to ask for a drink, rather than being asked. The problem wasn't due to a lack of staff, but that they seemed more interested in cleaning glasses, wiping down surfaces or continually pretending to be on the phone rather than serve or even acknowledge their guests. The other thing we found really confusing was the restaurant system. We booked through Tradewinds, and the brochure stated that the resort had 2 restaurants, one formal which required a reservation, and another more casual restaurant. On arrival, we were shown around by the really helpful porter who took us straight to the formal restaurant for dinner, which was predominantly buffet style. However, we didn't realise until our last day that we could have had waiter service for lunch and dinner at the more causal restaurant, with a wider choice of food. Whilst we still had a relaxing holiday, it should have been better considering the four star rating. Unfortunately for Grenada, we wouldn't recommend the Coyaba Beach and we definitely won't be rushing back.

We travelled World Traveller Plus with British Airways. We usually fly Virgin, but we wanted a 10 day holiday and this is not available with them. After previously flying Premium Economy with Virgin, we were expecting the same experience with BA, but the standards were nowhere near as high. We assumed that World Traveller Plus was their version of Premium Economy, but there was no separate check in, no priority boarding/luggage retrieval & no champagne on arrival on board. The stewardesses were rude and my pre-ordered vegetarian meal, when I eventually got it, had a fish starter!!! Although the seats are roomy with comfortable foot rests, Virgin definitely have the edge with their far more superior service.

After a long flight with a short stopover in Antigua (that was an unexpected surprise!!!), we arrived at the Coyaba. As we had been delayed, it was about 7pm when we finally checked in. We weren't offered a drink, which is usual in most hotels on arrival, but we were soon shown to our room.

We had a sea/garden view room which was a lot better than most of the rooms we have had on other caribbean islands. It was clean, quite spacious with a massive bed, table and chairs, TV, large wardrobe and shelves, fridge, iron, ironing board, safe and a good bathroom with plenty of vanity space for all our clutter. We were on the ground floor, so the terrace lead directly out into the garden. Some reviewers have mentioned that the lighting isn't too good in the rooms. It is a bit dark around the bed and window area at night, but the bathroom light is adequate and there is a large mirror outside the bathroom where the light is also good.

At the beginning of the holiday we noticed that most of the guests were elderly but as Easter got nearer more younger people started to arrive - although there were only a few children there at any one time. I would say that it is probably a bit boring there for children and teenagers as there is not that much to do.

There are plenty of sunbeds around the grounds and although you don't need to reserve them, most people tended to sit in the same place everyday - I think they were reserving a shady tree or parasol more than the beds underneath! Although there is usually a beautiful breeze or occasional welcome cloud, the sun gets really hot about 11 and most people take to the shade.

In previous reviews, people have complained that the food is tasteless catering for the British (???!!!!) or boring . My husband and I, between us, are very fussy eaters and can honestly say that we had no problem whatsover with the food - in fact it was excellent and very tasty. especially the breakfasts and lunches. It was great to sample local Grenadan food and not see a chip (french fries) for the whole ten days! Bernie, who served lunch, was very helpful explaining what dishes were and was always keen to give assistance.

The beach is one of the best we have seen in the caribbean and is perfect for an early morning walk before breakfast. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful and the gardeners are always busy working on it everyday. It is truly a wonderful hotel in a beautiful setting.

The only downside is that it is a bit of a trek to get a drink from the beach/garden during the day. The only bar open is by the pool, but luckily I have a husband that is willing to go every time!!! The banana milkshake is gorgeous - that is when there isn't a banana shortage!!!!

The staff are on the whole very friendly. Some of the girls that work in the bar are a bit miserable, but the majority are great - especially Lindy, Sheldon and Roderick to name but a few. We usually went to the pool bar for cocktails after the beach and to be honest, there would have been a better atmosphere there had the staff been a bit more chatty.

We went on one trip around the island. We didn't fancy an organised tour that took in the Nutmeg Factory and the Rum Distilliary, so we hired a car and driver for 5 hrs at US$25 an hour. Our driver was Ralph, a lovely man, who was knowledgeable about the island and very informative. We saw quite a bit of the island, including Concord Falls, and had a great few hours.

On the whole Grenada is a fantastic holiday destination. The people are friendly, it feels safe to leave the hotel grounds and walk around. The capital is pretty and a great place to visit (except when the cruise ships are in!!!!).

The Coyaba is a brilliant hotel if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing break away from it all. You couldn't find a better location for the perfect beach holiday. There is some entertainment about 3 nights a week. What we saw was good, but we tended to go back to our room after our evening meal, so we weren't too bothered that there wasn't more of it.

Our flight home with British Airway was better than the flight over, mainly due to the fact that we slept through most of it!!! The stewardesses from our outward bound flight could learn a few lessons from the brilliant Steward Simon who was on our return journey - it's amazing how far a bit a friendliness goes!

We have just returned form the best holiday ever in the Caribbean, and we have been to many hotels there before, always good, but this has to be the best - wish we had found it before. The location in beautiful gardens, fronting right on to Grand Anse beach is just perfect.. Before going, I had read some reports that the rooms were small etc, well our experience found otherwise - plenty of hanging wardrobe space, including shelf storage and more than adequate drawer storage. The fully equiped room included iron, ironing board, personal safe, refrigerator, multi channel TV etc, and had two double beds, table and chairs , and tea/coffee making facility. The bathroom was spotless, and had everything needed, including hair dryer. Towels and sheets, changed as required. We were on the ground floor and had a nice patio area, lawned frontage, and furnished with patio table and chairs, very relaxing, with both side sea and garden views.
Without exception, the hotel staff were extremely efficient, always pleasant and helpful, and it would be unfair to single out any, but as I particularly enjoy a drink, then a very special thank you to all who served in the bars - some of your special cocktails were amazing !
Hotel management were always available, and mixed freely with guests, and too should be complimented on such a smooth running and happy hotel.
We were on a Virgin holiday, and their representative - Johanna, was again so kind and helpful, so deserves a special mention.
I said earlier that I wouldn't single out any staff, but I have to mention Winston, who was even gracious when his cricket team lost to the guests team !, and still maintained his enthusiasm and was always visible to guests.
My wife and I are a bit disabled with arthritis, and having been to Grenada before, limited our trips, but decided to do" Fish Friday" - my opinion is that this is really not suited to anyone with any walking difficulty, as the small congested roads were very uneven
and could be dangerous.
I nearly forgot to mention - the hotel restaurants - there are two, and between them offer a large selection of meals, both buffet and a la carte - you will be spoilt for choice.
If you are going to COYABA BEACH - you will enjoy !. Brian and Barbara. Dorset UK

Just returned from a short stay, 5 nights. The hotel and rooms were clean and peaceful. Plenty of closet space but no drawers, only 4 small shelves to lay clothes on.The grounds were beautiful and well kept. The staff was always helpful. This is mostly a British vacation destination and the food reflects that, tastless. We ate 3 breakfasts and 2 lunches there. How do you make a tastless omlett and why use what seemed to be juice from a can when there is so much fruit to be had? The catch of the day fish sandwich was good for lunch. The best places to eat we found were the Aquarium for lunch with a great fish soup and the sushi restaurant across from the hotel. La Belle Creole was recommended and had good food too but the service was terrible. There is apparently a pressure system off the coast of Florida that has caused large ocean swells over the past 3 weeks or so that has churned up the waters so that diving, snorkeling and fishing were poor. It also was erroding the beaches (conserned the locals the most) and made the cruise ships' docking a temporary one. The ships would dock, let off their passengers and then anchor in the bay until pickup time.