Fantastic hotel; rooms and restaurant a little tired, but the customer service and other services certainly make up for it! Nothing seems to be an issue for this hotel; the staff are so friendly and laid back, but don’t confuse that as being lazy or dismissive; they get the job done promptly with a ‘no problem’, a smile and a little banter. We LOVED this place!! Not for party animals in the evening; so if you’re looking for an elaborate show, dancing, or fire eating, this isn’t the place for it.
Absolutely beautiful. The staff and scenery make this hotel. The food is lovely with lots to choose from. Its clean and welcoming. This is our 2nd stay and we will be returning. Management are always on hand - although we had absolutely no complaints! The hotel is due an upgrade later this year but we hope it doesn't lose its natural charm!
The room is stayed in was not up to what i expected ,very dated and furniture not working properly , when going to breakfast on first morning I was asked to book table for dinner and given the dinner menu to choose from that early, 50% of the sun beds had sun shades and most of them were broken the rest of them had no cover, the food for lunch and dinner was basic. I also thought I was booking with Elegant Resorts but was informed that Marriott Hotels are the new owners. The main assets of this hotel are the staff and the weather the hotel itself needs a revamp, I stayed too long
We have just returned from Crystal Cove having last stayed there 5 years ago and were a bit apprehensive having read recent reviews but we were not disappointed. Not a huge lot has changed but Yes it does need refurbishing, as returning guests we were given an upgraded seafront room and were very grateful for that. We love the freedom of choice to use the sister hotels via the water taxi and in particular enjoyed Tamarinds bar area and 246 restaurant at lunchtime. Crystal Cove has by far for the best beach even though it is a bit tricky entering the water at times. Most of the staff were friendly, in particular the reception team, special shout out to Antoinette, Lisa and Celeste. Jerome was also great fun at the mixology event. Some times the bar and restaurants were short staffed which made the staff come across as stressed. The evening entertainment is very quiet and some nights was cancelled, being left with background music which isn’t great, this could be improved. Overall Crystal Cove is a fantastic place to stay, very relaxing and we very much enjoyed it, don’t go expecting 5 star but a relaxed Caribbean style and you won’t be disappointed. We would go back in a heartbeat.…
This was our first visit to Barbados but we met lots of people who had returned to the hotel many times. The resort was lovely, beach was stunning and the staff were all very friendly and provided excellent service. Big shout out to Steven and the other beach ambassadors who brought us drinks and lollies on the beach! Food and drinks were good with lots of variety. Good range of water sports on offer - we were taken out for a couple of trips in a Hobie sailing boat which was fun and we also went kayaking on the sea. We would recommend the glass bottomed boat trip where we enjoyed swimming/snorkelling with sea turtles, rays and tropical fish. We booked our mealtimes in advance and apart from our last day we didn’t have to queue for anything. We particularly enjoyed eating on the beach edge at Drifters. I celebrated my birthday during our stay and the staff provided made the day special for me. The resort did feel busy on our last day but was fine for the rest of the week. Thanks to all the staff for making our stay so memorable and enjoyable.…
We stayed for 3 nights before joining a cruise. Will not stay in this hotel again unless Marriott can do some serious work on the rooms, restaurants and customer service. Checking in: Extremely disorganised. Waited for around 45 mins before getting our room key and then another 40 minutes before our luggage was delivered. Restaurants: Food is barely average and choice is limited. Drinks are ok but draught beer was flat as was the tonic in my gin and tonic. The sparkling wine available is nice. Every time we went to a restaurant we were kept waiting before we were seated even though we had booked. We waited 20 minutes for breakfast despite counting at least 15 empty tables which were set up for guests. Customer service: Communication is extremely poor. Apparently we were invited to attend that old feature of hotels in the 1980s….an orientation meeting. The only problem with this is that no one told us about the orientation so we missed out on crucial information. Some staff were friendly and helpful but at least 50% of them had a real attitude problem and I would go as far as to say were passive aggressive. You are able to visit other hotels in the same group, using the water taxi which is free but limited on the number of people it can carry. You can also use the restaurants in these other hotels but need to book at least 48 hours in advance for dinner. This information was something which was apparently shared in the orientation but as we didn’t know about it we were disappointed and unable to visit the restaurant we wanted. Rooms: We were upgraded to a larger room as we have Marriott Ambassador status. The rooms were ok but very tired and in need of some updating. We had 2 bathrooms which was very useful. Overall this hotel needs some significant updating and improvements as well as staff training on customer service. Marriott are going to have their work cut out on this one!…
We’re just back from three amazing weeks at this lovely hotel which never fails to give us the best times ever. Yes Crystal may not be wearing her best dress right now but she still looks beautiful and will be having her make up done later this year (hopefully Marriott won’t change her too much.) Wonderful staff, great service despite 100% occupancy,from everyone. A massive Thank you to our special staff members too many to list but you know who you are. ❤️ One of the best beaches in the Caribbean, don’t listen to the bad reviews- you can’t compare the Caribbean with Dubai, grab yourself a cocktail and let Crystal work her magic. See you next year and thanks again everyone.
When we arrived at CC we were presently greeted with a nice cocktail and showed to our room. Room Our room had been upgraded to a sea view which was nice. The room itself was nice although the bathroom was very tired with a broken shower screen. Food Breakfast was good a large variety of choice. Please book the day before otherwise you get told off, nobody tells you this is the process you have to work it out for yourself. Lunch is ok not the greatest selection burgers, chips, rice and some meet dish. Lunch doesn’t need to be booked but does have a disorganised queuing system, this again you don’t know exists until you are rudely told off like a child. The Pigeons join you for lunch (lots of them) and apparently this is your fault, you will be rudely spoken to if you don’t keep chasing them away. Evening meal needs to be booked, 3 courses selected from the menu options of around 3 different options, sometimes this was really good other times really not to our liking. The drinks at the hotel are really hit and miss especially the wine and beer, rum drinks are the way to go if you are after consistency. The coffee shop at the hotel is great serving nice drinks all day. The location of the hotel is very remote and they don’t have a shop, only 1 bar Wendy’s nearby which is great! The beach is nice although not the best for swimming as it’s very rocky in the water. Buses: reggae bus is fun but think roller coaster and I’m not sure it’s the safest way of getting around! The government bus was a whole new different and I’m not sure this is normal but we had a guy flasher on ours!! All in all I wouldn’t return here as it’s too remote for the facilities on offer, the rude few staff members ruined it for the rest and the main age groups are 65+…
I was concerned at some of the negative reviews, I needn’t have worried. As repeat guests, we still love this place and the staff that work tirelessly to please the guests. Is the hotel a little tired, yes but this did not impact on our stay as was still a wonderful memorable holiday. Special thanks to all the team, especially Stephen beach ambassador, who worked the beach in the heat to continue to serve us regular cool drinks and ice lollies on our sun beds. My biggest bug bear is the reserving of sun beds at ridiculous o’clock on holiday and the hotels that turn a blind eye. This hotel is one of the few hotels in the world that actually manages this by ensuring even when the hotel is at 100% capacity there are sun beds for all, the beach team always on hand to assist you. Thank you team Crystal Cove for the memories, we can’t wait to return.…
Not sure where the negative reviewers were staying but certainly not the Crystal Cove where we’ve just had another fabulous holiday. If you want impeccable but impersonal corporate service I suggest you book somewhere else but if you’re looking for a genuine warm Caribbean welcome this is the place to stay. We had an ocean view room with a modern bathroom and walk in shower which was very clean and had a stunning view from the balcony. We never had a problem getting sun beds although some do need a little TLC. Chantel and her kitchen brigade did a great job with menus with something to suit everyone. The staff are friendly and helpful under the guidance of manager Raj who seems very hands on. For some winter sun and relaxation you couldn’t be in a better place. Can’t wait to return.…
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