I flew from London Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic in Economy delight so we received premium check in, priority boarding and extra leg room seats which were perfect for the duration of the flight and made it so much more comfortable.
Whilst in Barbados we were lucky enough to visit a range of different hotels all over the island that were by the ‘Elegant Resort’ Brand. The good thing with all of these hotels (apart from Turtle beach) is that they had a water taxi that you could use that was complimentary and use the facilities at all the other Elegant hotels, also if you paid for anything at these other hotels you could charge the amount back to the hotel you were staying in. What I loved too, was that all the Elegant hotels offered you a cold towel on arrival and each hotel had the own scent which was so refreshing.
Hotels we visited:
Treasure Beach – this was the first hotel we stayed in which was for 2 nights in total. We were welcomed with the cold towel and a rum punch. This hotel is Adults only on the west of the island. With 35 suites (3 of which had their own private pool) this hotel is perfect for those who want peace and quiet with 5* service that is right on the beach. Rooms were beautiful and modern and the food was faultless.
Tamarind – Tamarind is located next to Treasure beach, again on the west coast. This hotel is family friendly and offers 3 pools, kids club as well as teens had their own games room with movie nights and play stations. This hotel offers B&B, half and full board and have just released an all-inclusive option for the summer season. (June-October.)
Waves Hotel and Spa – this beautiful hotel is located again right on the beach and is extremely modern throughout. This hotel is in two halves divided by a main road, one side allows children and the other side is adults only. 52 rooms throughout the hotel and its own coffee shop the hotel is lovely and relaxed. In the adults only section they have a spa which we were luckily enough to receive 3 treatments (30min each) and they are amazing!
The House – this is a luxury adult only hotel. They offer champagne breakfasts, Jet lag revival massages, tea service and canapés every night. The main restaurant the hotel uses is a restaurant that is located next door called Daphne’s which we didn’t go in but it looked amazing and was always busy which is good.
Colony Club – this hotel was one of my favourites and has something for everyone. This is the next hotel we stayed at for 2 nights. It is family friendly but was still luxurious and peaceful. This hotel was slightly more spread out so worked well for all clients staying there. They are more popular with the bed and breakfast option but do have half and full board options available. They have their own organic garden located at the back of the hotel so a lot of their food is home grown and is so fresh. Their highest category of room available was the one bedroom ocean suite which is located on the ground floor and they were beautiful! They have luxury ocean view rooms which were one floor up and have sun loungers on the balcony which I thought was really nice. Also, they have 4 lagoon style rooms with their own swim up pools. The hotel has yoga and a gym and seasonal kids clubs for peak seasons. We were invited to the manager’s drinks party which were nice and relaxed and had a range of amazing cocktails and canapes, the atmosphere was really good and was a nice touch from the hotel. Close to Colony club was the lime grove shopping centre which had designer shops in and a cinema which was nice to go out and have a look around, it was roughly a 5 minute taxi ride away.
Turtle beach – this hotel is all inclusive and is really good for families. They had lots of kid’s facilities here with their own ice cream parlour, kids club with kid’s slides and play area. They have 160 rooms which again had something suitable for everyone. They also had a coffee shop which looked and smelled amazing. We had lunch here and is buffet style which worked good for the families as the kids could go up and help themselves. This hotel is in the south of the island so there’s a bit more of a breeze which is quite refreshing.
Bouganville – this isn’t a hotel by ‘Elegant’ but is a popular hotel which we were lucky enough to have a look around. This hotel is best known for its self-catering board basis but do offer meal plans and all-inclusive in summer season. They have 100 rooms at this hotel, 2 restaurants and 3 pools. Guests can use the suite lounge on their last day to freshen up and relax before departing. This hotel had a huge gym, amazing spa experience and had the BBQ’s around the hotel that families or couples could use which I thought was nice. They offered a kids club here and the rooms were huge too and really modem which is perfect for families. They had their own full size kitchen with a lounge area next to it, full bathroom and separate bedroom which was really spacious.
Sugar Bay – this is the last hotel we were fortunate to stay in for 3 nights we were all inclusive which was ideal. The room key was attached to your all inclusive band which was perfect and convenient. I would say this was my favourite hotel, is a brilliant 4*+ hotel and the staff couldn’t do enough for you. The food was always at a high standard. They had a main restaurant which was buffet but had a la carte restaurants e.g. steak and Asian which you could dine in. again this hotel is right on the beach and the staff would come around throughout the day to offer you drinks and to check if you needed anything. The hotel had a modern chic deign and was just lovely and relaxed. The Sugar bay was near St Lawrence Gap which is a long road of bars and nightlife which had a really good atmosphere. Bridgetown is a short drive away with the famous boardwalk with duty free shopping and where you can go on boat trips.
We did an island tour one day, tasting some local foods such as freshly made fish cakes and roasted breadfruit which was a brilliant experience. We visited the Rum Vault and tasted 6 different types of rum they had to offer. A catamaran cruise we were lucky enough to go on was unforgettable. We were on the boat for the full day which is a must do in Barbados! All food and drink included and the staff couldn’t do enough for you.
Overall I absolutely loved Barbados and would highly recommend it. All the hotels offered free water sports and it was so easy to get out and around the island. Another place I can recommend is going to Oistins and try their local food – mostly is fresh fish but they do offer chicken too.
It was such an amazing trip and loved every minute of it. For more information on Barbados please contact [email protected] or call 01455 233935.