Turtle Beach Resort

Great hotel location superb ,food good hotel is little run down in places but still really nice would highly recommend this hotel beach is excellent even tho sea was really rough when we were there Barbados really worth a visit an absolute gem in the Caribbean

Turtle Beach is a nice smaller resort but was not what I would consider 5 star, which many other people have rated it as being. Rooms had multiple layers of paint. Doors didn't always close correctly. Shower leaked onto floor. The whole facility had not been updated recently. There was a boardwalk to beach with boards lifting and screws sticking out: Cracks and missing pieces of wood were also common. The main bar needed a great deal of update - old wooden counters and space so tight that 2 bartenders could not work at the same time without running into each other. Drinks were great and plentiful. You needed to be careful that your drink wasn't constantly being refilled while you weren't looking (On the other hand, if that's your goal the drinks were wonderful.) The food for breakfast was identical every day. Also, found it strange that breakfast was not served till 7:30 AM which was late for people who had made plans for the day, as well as the young parents that were very much in attendance. At 7:30 AM there were lines of people waiting to be seated. Dinner was the same situation - no service till 7:00 PM which is tough when you have small children. Lunches and Dinner were mostly buffet and variety wasn't great. They did do theme food nights, but nothing stood out as exceptional. There are 2 pools and a hot-tub. The pools were full of children at all times. I spent my time at the beach. The water is rough (4 - 6 foot waves at all times) but not much undertow so with some common sense not really dangerous. Chairs were always available and the staff would get you a chair if you asked. You are allowed to go next door to the beach at Sandals (all beaches are public) and they had a breakwater to cut the surf. They do have the option of boogie boards and surfboards which were fun for kids and some of the rest of us. Beach staff is wonderful. They'll take you out in the catamaran and I went out a couple of times. They also have jet skis for rental. Take advantage of these amenities. Front desk was very helpful whenever you needed something. Quick and efficient. The only strange thing that was a wasted opportunity for the Management: There was a Managers Cocktail party on Tuesday night. Manager (or representative, I assume) came over and talked to a couple who stated they had just arrived. Manager left them standing there instead of helping them find a seat. Then Manager went and stood talking to staff for the next 15 minutes. What a wasted opportunity to show goodwill. Why were Managers not walking around talking and shaking hands with everyone. Just a wasted chance to spread goodwill for the resort. B-T-W: couple left standing till a table emptied when someone left. Barbados is a nice island to visit if you are worried about personal safety. You can leave the resort and I went running a few times without issue. I was disappointed in the shops though - VERY expensive jewelry, etc, or very cheap items. They don't seem to import much of the minerals for jewelry that is available in most of the rest of the Caribbean. Also variety was low. We had better shopping at the airport on our way out. Yeah, had to get the t-shirt, etc on our way out of town. Take tours. You can rent cars - right around corner from hotel. For us Americans - driving on wrong side of road felt strange and I was happy to leave it to taxis.