The Club Barbados Resort and Spa

My wife and I stayed at Club Barbados for 1 week in mid-February 2020, just before the Corvid-19 outbreak took hold. It was a two-week vacation booked with Tui, which was ‘all-inclusive’, and included a week’s cruising. The resort had recently undergone a refurbishment and makeover and was in excellent condition. The location was fabulous, as were the spacious bedrooms, which included a balcony with table and chairs, clean and spacious bathroom, excellent restaurant and bar, wonderful choice of food for all meals, superb sunbeds and excellent water sport activities. Here are some worthwhile tips: The Hotel wi-fi covers the reception area, bar and restaurant, the sunbed area and the beach bar, but not all the bedrooms. Try and ask for a room opposite the Tranquility Spa Centre, as you pick-up their wi-fi signal, so won’t have to pay extra for the weekly charge (Room 237 for example). On your first day, book your restaurant times as soon as possible, because if you don’t, you’ll be left with the late slots (9:00 pm). If eating late is your thing, then you won’t have a problem. There is always a queue for the restaurant (unnecessary), no matter what time you’ve booked, so be patient and don’t forget, you are in Barbados, and life moves at a slower pace. A day by the pool is fun, but the pool water was colder than the sea, and the whirlpool was cold as well. Unplug the fridge as you go to bed because the noise will keep you awake (if the fridge is on your side of the bed). Bring a set of earplugs with you, as the night-time crickets will drive you mad! And…the leaf-blower gardener starts at 6:00 am. The noise will wake you. We brought our light-weight towels with us so that when I went to fetch morning tea and coffee, I could place them on a couple of sunbeds to reserve them for later use. Even though all alcohol and soft drinks are ‘inclusive’, bottled water is ‘extra’, so fill up some large glasses with water and leave them in the fridge. There is no problem drinking the tap water and Barbados is very proud of their desalination plants. Or, buy bottled water from the shops across the road and reuse the plastic bottles. The restaurant house wine, both red and white, were mediocre at best and Pinot Grigio was an ‘extra’ charge, at about $15. Really! Go to the water sports hut early to book your ‘activities’ and collect more beach towels. The speed boat trips book up quickly and you can’t book for the ‘next day’! I should mention the sea is clean and warm, and wonderful for a swim anytime. The resort, as someone previously mentioned, mainly leans towards the older generation. Therefore, if you are a young couple, or looking for ‘nightlife’ and a party atmosphere, this is NOT the place for you. However, the surly and rude staff is where the Resort lets itself down. Some of the serving staff dressed in blue were fine, but many of the other staff were not. No smiles, no ‘hello’ and no common courtesy at all! The lady behind the bar when serving shouts ‘next’ every time. Acceptable perhaps in a busy London pub, but not in a Caribbean Resort hotel. Many of their clientele have travelled thousands of miles from the UK and had spent a lot of money to be in Barbados in February when it’s very wet and cold back home. We have escaped to the Caribbean to be spoilt and soak up the sun and not to be disappointed with unfriendly staff. There was never a manager or ‘host’ on-site (except for the Tui rep). No one to ask if you have enjoyed your day if everything was alright, or to hear your comments about your holiday. Would we go back there again? Definitely no. We visited five other Islands during our cruise where local people could not have been more welcoming and cheerful, and people go out of their way to look after you. The same can not be said about many of the staff at Club Barbados, and the resort needs to have their staff undergo a course in courtesy and hospitality. Shame really, as the Resort has so much to offer.

The Club Barbados was highly recommended to us, and having visited ourselves, can understand why they keep returning. We booked 16/29th March, as it was going be a significant birthday of mine whilst we were there. Initially we were disappointed with the room, it looked very “tired”, but after a couple of days, it wasn’t a problem, as it had everything else going for it. Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, we were unable to see any of the island, so really must go back to go to all these Wonderful places, we’ve only heard about, yet to experience, and will definitely be staying at The Club. We found it extremely relaxing, with stunning views of the Caribbean ,and beautiful white sands to stroll along. We always found the staff very amenable, Patricia kept us all entertained the last few days with her singing And cheerfulness which lightened the fact that we were having to go home early, I very much appreciated, them decorating our table with fresh flowers on my birthday, as we were unable to book a Restaurant for the evening, it was extremely kind of them. We met some lovely people while we were there, and it gave us something to talk about, other than Brexit!!