Hi Hibiscus. I was on the first trip there, in May.
The hotel was comfortable and in a wonderful location, but they have serious management problems (i.e. a lack of active management!), which meant poor service, particularly from the bar and also concerning the 'beach club'. You'll have a kettle in your room but need to take your own coffee/tea, as it's not supplied. Also, take your own toiletries - shampoo and shower gel are supplied from naff fixed containers over the bath, but the quality is low. And the bath towels were too small to reach around me.
Concerning noise, the karaoke bar at the back of the hotel can be a problem, but our Tour Manager took steps to ensure that anyone bothered by it was moved to a quieter room and I'm sure that on future trips this will be sorted out right from the start, with quiet rooms allocated.
Food - the hotel has a big restaurant which serves an international menu. Again, the lack of hands-on management meant that the quality was only average, particularly on buffet meals, when the food was placed in heated containers at 6.30 pm and left there until closing time. However, the bar menu was extensive and served much better food. There are lots of good eating places near to the hotel, serving everything from good sandwiches to fine dining.
Good points - the location is fabulous, the beds are comfortable, the air-conditioning is good, the Barbadians are charming and the holiday itself was excellent. It could benefit from being extended to 10 days, to do and see everything. This is very much a beach holiday trip, not a full blown tour and you are not going to be 'organised' every minute of the day. I believe a small number of our party had not appreciated this and were unhappy as a result, so perhaps it needs to be made clearer in the brochure details.
In spite of the niggling problems with the hotel, it was a great holiday and I recommend Barbados as a destination for JY. It's beautiful, laid back, welcoming, not particularly expensive and I felt completely safe travelling around on my own, day and night. The Reggae buses are an experience not to be missed!
I'll be happy to give any more detail to anyone who wants it.
Regards
Deb Nurse
