Island Inn

Island inn Hotel Barbados The Island Inn Hotel is small and charming, but with no real Curb appeal. But once you get inside it all changes, the place is full of charm and character including the staff from Manager all the way through to the night security. It used to be the Garrison Rum Store, with only 24 rooms; the hotel offers a wonderfully sociable atmosphere. If you're the kind of person who enjoys meeting fellow travellers, you’ll likely know most of the guests by day two. It’s not a party scene, but it’s a lovely place to unwind and enjoy good company in the shared spaces, the pool, while small, is perfectly suited to the intimate size of the hotel, and the hotel itself is more for adults than families The rooms are clean, and everything is well looked after, but looking a bit tired in places, and could do with an independent big brighter light in the middle of the room for when you are getting dressed, there is a drying rack outside your room, and you get used to the tree frog chorus of a night, and the early morning wakeup call as the monkeys run across the roofs. All rooms have irons and ironing boards, TV, kettle, hair dryer, safe and a big can of bug spray, which we didn’t use, but other people did. The air con in the rooms is excellent. The all-inclusive is a bit different from larger resorts it’s menu-based and served to your table, which makes meals feel more personal and relaxed. Breakfast and other odd times like BBQ evenings are buffet. The food was consistently good, and we never went hungry. The eating area could do with better ventilation, Fans in the covered areas and something to create an air flow on the corridor eating area, as there seems to be no air flow to keep the temperature down as the heat builds up. Watch out for the monkeys! There were lots of them at the resort, watching you at Breakfast; they snatch those bananas off the table like no tomorrow. The Green monkeys hang out at the closed brown sugar restaurant next door to the hotel. They are friendly as long as you don’t tease then with food if you decide to feed them, but the hotel would prefer you not to. There is entertainment a few nights a week, a couple of singers and a DJ. There is a lovely atmosphere in the evenings. Because it’s a small hotel, you naturally end up chatting with other guests, and that’s part of the magic. It creates a friendly, family-like feel. The Managers Rum tasting and cocktail party is a lovely friendly event For the readers there is a very large second hand book 'library' should you run out of your own reading material in reception. The location of the hotel was great for Pebbles Beach, just a 2 minute walk, Pebbles beach is where they bring the horses from the racing stables to bathe at 6:00 a.m. walking then past the Hotel to the beach and then back home to the stables. Carlisle Bay beach was a 5/10 minute walk away. We found it was only 20 minutes’ walk along Carlisle Bay beach into Bridgetown Everyone was so friendly including the locals who helped put you at ease and feel welcome. It is easy to catch a bus of different types to many places on the island. George Washington’s house, museum, the Garrison and horse racing course are nearby. If you are going out for the day or to the beach request a packed lunch the day before freshly made sandwiches, pastries, fresh fruit and beers. All packed in ice in a cool bag. Check out when cruise ships are in when planning your trips. You can go to both sister hotels Mango Bay and The Sands Hotels, and used their facilities for the day, which always make for a nice change of scenery. Enquire at reception. If you come back to the hotel after a certain time at night, the doors are locked, and you need to buzz to get inside. This was our first stay at Island Inn Hotel and certainly won't be our last; we loved every minute and will definitely be back again. Read less

We’ve just returned from our second stay at Island Inn Barbados, and once again, it was absolutely brilliant. From the moment we arrived, it felt like coming home. Many of the same staff were still there, and their customer service is just outstanding—so warm, welcoming, and genuinely caring. The hotel is small and charming, which is exactly what we love. The rooms are spotlessly clean, and everything is well looked after. It’s not flashy, but it’s comfortable, relaxed, and has a lovely laid-back vibe. The all-inclusive setup is a bit different from the big resorts—it’s menu-based and served to your table, which makes meals feel more personal and relaxed. There are occasional buffet nights and BBQ evenings, which are great fun and a nice change of pace. The food was consistently good, and we never went hungry! Entertainment was also a highlight—great singers and a lovely atmosphere in the evenings. Because it’s a small hotel, you naturally end up chatting with other guests, and that’s part of the magic. It creates a friendly, family-like feel that’s hard to find elsewhere. We loved every minute and will definitely be back again. If you’re looking for a peaceful, welcoming place with great service and a personal touch, Island Inn is a gem. Read less

We stayed at the Island Inn to celebrate a special occasion, marking a return to the beautiful island of Barbados 20 years after our previous visit. Whereas before we stayed in the St. Lawrence Gap area as a newly married couple, this time we stayed at the Island Inn as a family with older teenagers, and so had 2 neighboring rooms, being rooms 1 & 2 in the garden area of the hotel, away from the main courtyard and pool areas. These rooms were clean and spacious, with our only niggles being very poor wi-fi reception - it just about worked in the bathroom but very rare to get a signal in the bedroom, although you could always go into the public areas of the hotel to get a signal. Not a major issue, but something that affected our children throughout our stay. And in room 2 the air-con unit had a tendency to make a very loud 'gurgling' sound when it sucked the condensation out through a clear tube (you could see the liquid passing down the tube), this was intermittent but quite loud and could last minutes at a time, throughout both day and night. Other than that we had no complaints, food was great, very tasty and plenty enough to keep you full up if you took breakfast, lunch and dinner. We tended to eat outside but you could also go inside if there was space. We did not go for afternoon tea at any stage but it was there if you wanted it. Drinks and bar service were very good with a wide selection available and we tried a range of cocktails throughout our stay, mostly to stay refreshed after a trip out as it was very hot in August. The Mai Tai cocktails were our favourite, but quite lethal - one was definitely enough! You were always offered a drink along with water or wine with your meal, and they were aware our son has allergies and would always give advice as to what was safe to eat, or otherwise. The location of the hotel was great for Pebbles Beach, just a 2 minute walk, although we preferred to walk slightly further down towards the Hilton and go onto the beach near the toilets, as it was quieter, and there is a nice walk along the fence at the back of the Hilton, a great spot for sunset photos, and we saw a Hummingbird here on one occasion. We did prefer Browne's Beach over Pebbles, this is about a 7 or 8 minute walk along the road towards Bridgetown, and again was quite peaceful down this far end. The general area between the hotel and Bridgetown is a little run down in places but you soon get used to it, and we did not see any trouble, and were often greeted by the locals as we passed by. Everyone was so friendly which helped put us at ease and feel welcome. It is easy to catch a bus to many places on the island, do some research before you go as some buses go from Bay Street just near the hotel, whereas to get to Holetown and other locations on the West Coast you may need to catch the bus near the Garrison horse racing track. Again, this was easy enough, and we even came back on one of the 'crazy buses' from one trip out which was definitely an experience! All in all, we loved it here and would definitely stay again! Read less

From the moment we arrived we were wecomed with genuine hospitality, The location was great just 2 minutes walk to pebble beach and only 6 minutes walk to brown beach , said to be one of the best . We found its was only 30 minutes walk along brown beach into Bridgetown. Being a small hotel we soon got to know a lot of the staff ,most of which help to make our holiday memorable, Special thanks to Terri the bar man and Elise and Marlene in the restaurant , all so Theodora the manageress who was very friendly, THE FOOD WAS SOME OF THE BEST WE HAVE HAD IN ANY HOTEL AROUND THE WORLD , Read less

This place was BORING and outdated. The food is HORRIBLE. No cultural meals whatsoever. Although it is all-inclusive, that meant you did not pay extra for your food but who wants wet scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, etc. everyday?! The set menu for dinner was equally distasteful, and the portions are SO SMALL. You DO NOT get your money's worth here. The bar opens at 10 am - you can't even get a juice or soda before then, only bottled water. The wait staff are not social or very friendly, with the exception of Crystal. The pool is small but clean. We stayed in a junior suite and there was nowhere to store your clothes, so 4 people in a room living out of a suitcase for a week - nowhere to hang the towels with the exception of 1 towel bar and small hook behind the door - no soap dish in the shower. Oh, and a towel rack OUTSIDE your room. If you leave the property after a certain time at night, the doors are locked, and you need to buzz to get inside. The best meals we had was off the resort - across the street at Burger Bar and dinner at Champers (expensive, but worth it!) Please do not rely on the photos you see here - they are not accurate. I would not recommend this hotel at all. Read less