Don’t listen to the negative reviews, only an idiot would travel to paradise and not enjoy themselves. It’s a hotel with character not super glamorous. Go to Dubai if you you like that sort of thing. The hotel is situated in a perfect position, everything you need is close by for you to enjoy. It’s right on the beach with the most beautiful clean calm seas and perfect sunsets. We loved the food, lots of fish and interesting local dishes to try. I will remember eating breakfast outside in the warm morning fresh air forever. Take me back there now.
We spent 11 days here over Christmas. I rarely do package holidays, and this reminded me why. That doesn't mean it was bad. Actually, it was great. But you do feel a bit cut off from the rest of Barbados. But that's me. I know most people are looking for a relaxing place, with a nice pool and beach, good food, and a stocked bar. This place ticks all those boxes. It is also very clean, with friendly staff. The location is nice. It is right at the south end of Paynes bay, which is a nice beach for swimming. If you have good time, you can dodge the waves and sneak onto the beach at Sandy Lane. Speaking of money, Tamarind is not cheap, but this is Barbados and we were there over Christmas. You do mostly get what you pay for. Everything is included. There are really no hidden charges that we came across. There's a lot you can take advantage of. They provide a lot of free watersports, there are organised tours (some free, some not), the kids club runs all day. There is also a water taxi that takes you to other Elegant hotels up and down the coast if you want different scenery. One of the key drivers for us choosing Tamarind was the kids club. Unfortunately, we were there during Covid and the club wasn't doing all their activities, and not many kids were attending. But I think this likely reflected Covid more than anything else. The staff seemed very friendly, and they did some great crafts and things even if the other activities weren't happening. The room we had was nice with an ocean view. It was clean. The hotel can feel a bit of a throwback, but that is common in Barbados, and it still has a nice environment. The adult pool area is a very nice courtyard in the middle of the hotel. We had a few small issues where the hotel can improve. The table service at dinner could be painfully slow. We had to wait over 1.5 hours one night for our meal one night, which was extreme, but they clearly had a few kitchen / staffing issues on a few nights. Also, when we arrived the receptionist gave us no overview of the benefits available at this all inclusive (which actually were relatively extensive). We would have expected some kind of pamphlet at a minimum explaining all the services on offer (tours, water taxi, watersport equipment,etc...). Given all the issues with the pandemic, we got the feeling the hotel was operating with fewer staff than normal, so generally we feel these were small slips were forgivable in the circumstances, but in normal times I'd be harsher..…
Room Ocean view suite, very spacious great storage space for clothes also inc kettle /iron. The staff are brilliant & genuinely want you to enjoy your holiday, helpful & willing to do as much as they possibly can for you. Food & drink was a good standard. Beach is shallow by the hotel but more than suitable (small reef for snorkelling) & has great access to adjoining beaches for a nice walk /swim. Great water sports included sailed the hobby cats most days inc 15 mins motorised banana boat / water skiing, the lads in the water sport hut can arrange a no frills glass bottom boat trip to swim with the turtles $100 ECB (recommend) the boat shores at the hotel and takes about 2.5hrs, its basic but is a great value morning trip (we had the boat to ourselves) the captain jumped in the sea with us and fed the turtles to attract them, also seen stingrays & snorkelled a ship wreck.…
Barbados was everything and more. The tamarind is such a lovely hotel, super clean, spacious, great location but the staff are what make this hotel even more amazing. Big shout out to my favourite bar staff/waiters Christopher, Kendall, Joseph, Ray, Tito, Wayne, Dijon, Shanelle, Rashida and Deon. (Sorry if I spelt any names wrong) they are always working hard with smiles on there faces (under masks) and always got time for everyone and nothing is too much trouble. The Al a carte food was AMAZING, however I found the evening buffet was where the standards slip in a way of choice and it wasn’t always hot but I always found something tasty to eat nether the less. We ate in the 246 bar most lunchtimes and really enjoyed the food there. We stayed in Room 229 which was an end room on the middle floor. It was big with a double sink and double showers/a bath. Plenty coat hangers, safe, hairdryer etc. The balcony was a great size and we had views of both the pool and the sea with amazing sunset views. The only downfall of the room which I found was odd compare to most all inclusive is there is an empty fridge, you get bottles of water left on the side for you, I don’t know why these aren’t put in the fridge and usually you would find fizzy drinks in a fridge on all inclusive holidays, however you could get bottles of coke, sprite and Fanta from the bar and take them to your room for free so it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience. During our first week it was over Easter and people were reserving sun beds at 6am however we always found a bed when we went to breakfast around 8am, on the second week is was a bit quieter and there was no bother getting a bed at any time. There are 3 pools one to the left side of the hotel one to the right and an adults only in the middle hidden away between the buildings. All pools were excellent and had different depths. The beach was lovely but due to Mother Nature there is a little bit of an incline getting in and out of the sea. Overall I had the best 2 weeks here and I would return in a heartbeat. If you want a nice chilled holiday with amazing sunsets from your hotel this is the place to be.…
We have just returned from a lovely relaxing break. Special thanks to Paul, Sharesa, Thor, Harriet, Dacia, Trey and Ether and all the other staff who were so kind and helpful. Our room had flat access and was close to the amenities that we needed. The outlook to the garden and the sea was idyllic! The fish dishes were a favourite and especially well cooked. A trip to the National Museum in Bridgetown was very interesting and thought provoking. The music enhanced the evening meal, except on one occasion!
We stayed here for five nights prior to a Regent Cruise. Hotel is well below what Regent usually use. The room was clean but dated and there are no lifts. Our first room was up three flights of steep steps and the next one. The food was poor quality. One meal was al la carte and slightly better than the rest. Choice at lunch very limited and the all day menu also limited. Breakfast was average although the setting nice. They offer dine around and we found the Treasure Beach and Positano good but there is limited availability and you need to book before 9 am. The food was so bad at night we ended up paying for a second meal at Positano. On the positive side the staff were very good and very liberal with alcohol. Also the setting is stunning. The hotel is ideal for children of all ages and there were a lot. For an alder couple, like ourselves and most Regent guests, with no children it was totally unsuitable.…
We had a lovely, relaxing week here after a busy week on a cruise. Room was on the 3rd floor with a beautiful view of the ocean. Think all rooms would have a good view but best from top floor (3). Rooms are large & well equipped. ALL staff were helpful, kind and pleasant. Kids (11 & 9) did join in with some Easter activities put on by entertainment team but for most part were happy in pool with new friends. Did go on banana boat every day! If you want sun beds by the pool you do have to get up & reserve them before 7 but there did seem to be some available on beach ( only yards away) all day. The beach is only disappointment - think it has been eroded by past hurricans? & it is difficult to walk into sea here - lots of rocks / broken coral ( take water shoes)- but you could walk for 5 min & gain access by Sandy Lane? Food is good here - esp breakfasts. Dinner seemed to be mainly buffet with occ a la carte & kids are well catered for. We did go to the Italian next door (free but you do have to reserve at reception ) & that was a nice change. & there are other hotels in chain that you can visit but we were happy staying put! We did go on snorkelling trip & swam with turtles & would advise anyone to do same. There was low key musical entertainment everyday- small group or singer etc & all were good. On 2 days there were weddings and certain areas were reserved for those festivities but we were always told in advance and it made interesting watching and wasn’t for very long. Some people have said hotel was run down & needed refurb but don’t agree - it’s not a new hotel but is well maintained and in my opinion is a charming, smallish hotel set in a lovely location.…
We loved our recent stay at Tamarind. There is much to congratulate the hotel on, and some minor points to improve on but I have to say, regardless of any niggles, the location is just WOW. Having stayed in Crystal Cove and Turtle Beach previously, Tamarind’s position and wide-open vista of the sea and amazing sunsets makes it an absolute winner. Beautiful view, stunning weather and a glass of cold fizz whenever you want it? Paradise. We had a 1-bedroom room which worked perfectly for us traveling with a child as we all had our own space. Really good-sized rooms and a huge bathroom. Whilst agreeing that the bathroom does need updating, it all worked perfectly fine. (Although a separate shower attachment is really needed, especially with kids) The room we had is classed as a pool view but given the location, you get an ocean view too – ideal! The quality of the food and drink at the hotel was really good – occasionally repetitive for lunch and dinner but all tasty. A mix of a la carte and buffet. Putting a kids buffet on when it was an a la carte night is a great idea. If you don’t like any buffets then don’t book an A.I - it’s inevitable. The lunches in the 246 bar were great but really filling – the Roti’s were amazing. It would be nice (and free up staff time) if there were light snacks freely available throughout the day in the breakfast room (ham, cheese, breads etc) that you can just help yourself to if you don’t want or need a full lunch. After the large breakfasts and dinners, I didn’t need a big buffet lunch at times! (Helpful also if you have an excursion to get to/from) The hotel advertises multiple restaurants which isn’t true at night. Everyone is sat on the deck overlooking the sea which is lovely – I would HATE to be sat undercover at the Sugarcane restaurant when I could be sat by the sea! However, by having only 1 restaurant working in the evening, it did mean that it was quite the contest to get a table at the time we wanted. By the end of the holiday we were having to go down to book at 6.30am to book otherwise we’d be left with a 6pm or 8.30pm option. Either far to early or too late with a little one. We did book in the Italian one evening which was delightful – however we could only get a reservation for 1 evening out of a 10 day stay. By the end of our stay, it was clear that there was a staffing issue and those who were working were run off their feet. They worked their socks off and when there was a wait, we just went to the bar ourselves. I believe some of the staffing issues were caused by big parties and events that were booked in the hotel. A wedding really overtook and meant that the pool by our room was closed all day and night and we had to sit and listen to the speeches and party when in our room at night. No issue with hotels having weddings and parties but surely, they shouldn’t be to the detriment of other guests? There were lots of weddings when we stayed at Turtle Beach some years ago but never did it close a pool or happen right in front of guests bedrooms. Not ideal. And as I say, I really think it impacted the availability of staff. The closure of one pool certainly didn’t help when already people bag sun loungers as early as 5.30 AM……. All the staff we met were amazingly friendly, especially the infamous Ether at breakfast and lunch (does this woman ever stop working????) and the lovely Ops Manager Antonia, who helped us out when our daughter got a rash that we needed to get checked out. She was SO kind and helpful. The entertainment is low key which suited us just fine. Over Easter the hotel made a huge effort and it was lovely to see the kids enjoying an egg hunt and games. My daughter didn’t want to go to kids club so a few of things group activities for her to join in and make friends with outside of a ‘club’ were great. The watersports team and the beach guys were fantastic – we loved using both the complimentary and some of the paid for excursions (jet ski and glass bottom boat) Really friendly and helpful guys who we enjoyed chatting to daily. All in all, we loved it, and totally appreciate the difficult times hospitality has had on the Island. We would love to return and hopefully covid problems with staff will iron out these niggles and big events are managed a little more considerately for the rest of the guests. Thank you to all the lovely staff we met at the hotel, we hope to return over the coming years to your lovely hotel and Island.…
The hotel is a little tired although very clean. The bedroom is nice with great aircon, which was needed. Toiletries, bath towels and tea & coffee provided but a little hit and miss on replenishing. Pool towels replaced each day The bars were well stocked and plenty of cocktails to choose from. The food served at breakfast, lunch and dinner was exceptional given the number of guests. We had water-sports included too which was great as we enjoyed the canoeing, the beach was also good fun. The best thing about this hotel is the staff. So friendly and genuine. The last couple of days seem to have some shortages and that affected them all. Troy and Alicia in Rilaks bar were brilliant. Channelle and Kernel in the restaurant were super friendly and efficient. Alicia as the concierge really looked after us well. We would have given 5 stars but due the fact that when other private functions (weddings) we were not allowed to use certain areas. This is simply outrageous and we complained bitterly and were moved to the hotel next door for a day and night stay. As nice a gesture as that was, after much complaining, it was hassle. And then a slightly smaller event was held 2 days later with a live band outside our rooms making it impossible to sleep. This hotel needs to look after the guests who have spent thousands of pounds or dollars to stay in this hotel and not resell those promised facilities.…
This hotel looks great in the photos but there are so many things that need to be corrected. It is like going back on time and is seriously in need of a refurbishment. I do t normally write reviews but I feel so strongly about the poor quality of the hotel that I feel I need to warn others before they book a trip here. The staff are nice but food quality was poor, cleanliness was not befitting a four start hotel and it was impossible to get a sunbed unless you reserved before 6 am. The management of this hotel need to seriously review the product they are selling.
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