My husband and I and our 2 sons ages 9 and 11 have visited the Crane 3 times and are planning our 4th for March of this year. This resort is amazing - so beautiful and relaxing. Absolutely breathtaking. Pay no attention to any review that says this is an "awful hotel" - it is not to be believed. I will upload a few pictures from our trip. Maybe I could have found a dirty window if I looked for one (afterall there is some construction going on) - but the resort is breathtaking - why would I waste one minute lookng for a dirty window to photograph? Our experience has been that the resort employees are always friendly and attentive and the grounds are immacculate. The restaurants are very good and the prices are comparable to other restaurants on the island. We have tried them all and our experiences have ranged from good to excellent. The little market at the resort has very inexpensive fresh bake goods each day at a very reasonable price. The Restaurant at the top of the pool complex is also affordable and very good. We also LOVE to get food from a local restarant off grounds - the Crane Palms - great food for a very reasonable price. We have walked there to eat and we have had it delivered. I highly recommend it!! The resort is isolated from the busier parts of the island but we love this about the resort. We come here to unwind, relax and enjoy one another. We spend our days between the beach - jumping in the waves, boogy boarding, swimmin in the pools, using the fitness center and relaxing in our large one bedroom suite whcih is very comfortable and absolutely gorgeous. The resort is very secure and safe and our boys love to show off a little independence and walk by themselves to get an ice cream or a soda and a snack, or shop in one of the gift shops on the resort grounds.

If you are looking for lively night life with a spring break feel this resort is not for you. If you are looking for a place to completely unwind, rest, relax and rejuvenate while enjoying one of the most gorgeous beaches / resorts in the world, this is the place for you!!

I suspect that those that give this resort less than 4 stars either did not do their homework and were expecting to be in the middle of the happy hours and nightlife or they are people who are difficult to impossible to please.

All I know is we can't wait to come back - I can almost taste the delicous welcome rum punch already!! See you soon!

We were booked into The Crane for a couple of nights following a sailing trip around the Caribbean by our travel agent who had recommended it as it was near the airport. We arrived from a LIAT flight at around 730pm and immediately the place didnt feel right , it was unusually quiet for such a big hotel however we checked in to a very large 2 bed suite with a plunge pool and dumped our bags and went to eat at the restaurant which was "ok" , afterwards the one bar available had really poor live music and there were small children sat on the bar stools. I asked if threre was an adult bar and they said no just this one ( Im not against children but at 10pm I prefer a bit of adult conversation rather than a mini disco !) . I went to bed. Well tried to go to bed but the room was full of mosquitos , we had to get a can of spray from reception and do the room before we slept it was so full of them , the reception were quite prepared for that as the resort does have a mosquito issue after rain - in fact they fumigate the whole hotel twice a week ! In the morning we woke and saw the state of the room in the morning light it was filthy , and all the light fittings and door locks etc appeared to be corroded and some very broken. The ceiling lights were tied up out of the way which suggested they wee live and there were water marks on the ceilings near fittings. Rat traps all over the place and the windows were so dirty you couldnt see outside at all.
We decided to check out after just one night and the response from the Manager was pitiful - he wouldnt refund our pre payment for the next night nor did he offer any compensation but asked that we pay our dinner bill and extras. I showed him our photos from the room and he asked me to email them to him ! I respectfully suggested he went up to the room and had a good look himself. The Crane does have a beautiful beach thats for sure but the hotel is tired , dirty and poorly maintained - needs a full closure and refurb.

This was our ninth visit to The Crane and it did not disappoint. We were in a lovely plunge pool unit in Building 5, which we had not been in before. The views were spectacular. Sabrina and Diana, our housekeepers are simply the best. They each did their best to make us feel comfortable and welcome. I must say that I sleep better there than I do at home. We leave the doors to the terrace open and fall aslep to the sound of the ocean.

We ate at each of the restaurants during this stay. We always enjoy our meals at Zen and this was no exception. While the food at L'Azure has improved (I had a wonderful sea bass with lentils), the service is still slow and uninspired. At Donofrio's the risotto with smoked salmon was simply wonderful, the pizza just okay. Waiple is a very effecient hostess and Cloethe attended to our every need and made us feel at home (they should have her train some of the wait staff at L'Azure). The Carriage House for lunch was great. Erroll and Susan always make us feel welcome. If I could have one additional service, it would be to have consistent food and beverage service at the pools. You tend to get so lazy lying by the pools that getting up just seems like too much effort! I do realize that we were not there during high season and they will likely change this when I visit again in February. Each morning my husband would go to the front desk to get the local paper and stop at the pasty/ice cream shop to bring me a croissant. The shop is a great addition.

Stephen at the front desk was very helpful. The paperwork process for checkout is rather lengthy and he did his best to make it as quick as possible and did it with a smile. James, who used to be at the front desk, now has a new job and could not have been more helpful when I asked for something. He went out of his way to find me at the pool to give me the answer. Overall, all of the staff are friendly and helpful. It is rare that you will pass a staff member walking along one of the many paths, who will not say hello.

Can't wait to go again.

I just read a few poor ratings for the Crane and can't believe that it is the same resort that my wife and I have been visiting for fifteen years. In general, people need to do more research before they book a resort. Yes, the Crane is isolated from the hustle and bustle, but that is its lure to many of us. As to the level of service, we cannot agree at all with the negative comments here. We have travelled throughout the Caribbean region for the same number of years and have found the Crane and Barbados itself to be far superior to many resorts and islands as far as the willingness to please guests is concerned. Having read some of these reviews, I have to wonder how familiar some of these reviewers are of the southeastern Caribbean region in general.

In all honesty, we were disappointed on this trip with the quality of L'Azure in comparsison to its prices, which have increased substantially over the years, and we found better value at Carriage House for lunch and Donofrio's for dinner. Guests should also know that the Emerald City supermarket is only a 10 minute drive as the Crane general store is somewhat limited and beyond our budget. Our overall experience at the Crane, which is so very unique in location and atmosphere, was very pleasurable, and we will certainly return this year.