O2 Beach Club & Spa by Ocean Hotels

We were a family of seven, aged 15–80, and stayed in 2 x two-bedroom Oceanfront Concierge Suites, which were fabulous. Plenty of space, large bedrooms, lovely modern bathrooms with powerful showers, a kitchen and lounge area, and a balcony with the most stunning ocean views. The beds were incredibly comfortable, and the daily restocking of the two mini bars/fridges, along with the bottles of rum, vodka and gin, was a brilliant touch. The food was fantastic throughout our stay – great quality, plentiful and plenty of choice. The Caribbean beach buffet and a personal beach dining experience were both highlights. We were also incredibly lucky to witness two sets of turtle hatchings whilst dining on the beach, and even a mother turtle coming ashore to lay her eggs. An absolutely unforgettable experience and great to see the responsible behaviour by the hotel staff immediately calling the Barbados Turtle Project to come and protect/look after the turtles. The pools were great, the cocktails were brilliant (Jakobi was amazing creating bespoke ones for us to order), and there was never any shortage of drinks. I had worried beforehand that the pools might feel a little small or shaded, and a lack of sunbeds but they were absolutely perfect, especially with the beach right on your doorstep, and we could always get a sunbed, even if we'd been out exploring till mid afternoon. I'd also read reviews suggesting the sea could be quite rough, but it was fine for us, however we have older teenagers. We even spotted turtles swimming just offshore! The resort itself was always clean and tidy, the evening entertainment was just right for us, and the bar had a lovely atmosphere. St Lawrence Gap is also easily walkable. Finally, the staff deserve a special mention. Everyone was so friendly, polite and helpful, and nothing was ever too much trouble. We honestly had the most wonderful stay. A beautiful resort, fantastic food, lovely accommodation and an incredible setting. We would return in a heartbeat. Highly recommend! Read less

Our First Visit to Barbados – 11 Night Stay Having just returned from an 11-night stay, our first time visiting Barbados, we came away with mixed feelings. There were some fantastic aspects to the hotel, but also a few areas where improvements are definitely needed. The Positives * Our room: Absolutely spectacular! We stayed in the adults-only section and had incredible views overlooking the ocean. Without doubt, one of the highlights of our stay. * Housekeeping: Spot on throughout. Our room was cleaned every day, with fresh towels and regular changes of bedding. We were also offered a nightly turndown service, which was a lovely touch. * Mini bar: Always well stocked with a good selection of soft drinks and cans of beer. * Gift shop: A lovely shop with some gorgeous items, and we were pleased to purchase a few things during our stay. * Location: Fantastic beachfront setting, with just a 10-minute walk into St Lawrence Gap, where you’ll find plenty of bars, restaurants and roadside sellers. * Restaurant reservations: The booking process was straightforward and easy. Oro was definitely our favourite restaurant of the holiday. * Staff: Most of the staff we encountered were pleasant, friendly and welcoming. * Bars: A good selection of drinks available. * Evening entertainment: Really enjoyable, with some fantastic singers performing throughout the evenings. The magician on one night was also a great addition and very entertaining. The Negatives Welcome meeting and initial arrival experience Unfortunately, our first impression wasn’t particularly good. We hadn’t been shown around the hotel or given any guidance on the facilities, so we were left to figure everything out for ourselves. We weren’t even sure where the welcome meeting was taking place. When we eventually attended, it turned out to be more of a sales pitch than an introduction to the hotel. Rather than explaining the facilities, restaurants, local area or how things worked, we were presented with an array of leaflets promoting luxury catamaran cruises and other excursions. This was extremely disappointing, particularly as first-time visitors to Barbados and the hotel. We mentioned this in our Virgin Holidays questionnaire, and they subsequently contacted the hotel. A couple of days later, we did have a meeting with a gentleman, but by this point we had already worked most things out for ourselves. Interestingly, later in the holiday we noticed new arrivals being given a tour of the hotel, which made us question why this hadn’t been offered to us. Adults-only sunbeds This is probably our biggest frustration. The availability of sunbeds in the adults-only section is simply inadequate. There are just nine facing the sea and a further eight around the pool. There is a very prominent sign stating that reserving sunbeds is strictly prohibited, yet towels were appearing on beds as early as 6.15am, and on one occasion as early as 5.45am. We could actually see this happening from our balcony. Unfortunately, staff don’t appear to enforce the no-reserving policy, which makes the sign somewhat pointless. Something really needs to be done about this. Upstairs adults-only area There is a lovely upstairs adults-only area with plenty of sunbeds, comfortable seating, a bar and two jacuzzis. However, this area appears to be completely underutilised and, apparently, is only used for functions. This seems such a waste of a potentially fantastic space. The jacuzzis themselves were also disappointing and clearly need some attention. They weren’t particularly clean, had broken sections, jets spraying like fountains and dirty filters. Floor 8 – Brisa restaurant Another area with huge potential is Floor 8, where Brisa restaurant is located. There is a large sun deck, swimming pool, bar and fantastic views. We visited twice and on both occasions were virtually the only people there. It seems such a shame that this space isn’t being better promoted or utilised by guests. Attention to detail A little more attention to detail wouldn’t go amiss. For example, there was an empty plastic water bottle lying in the bushes, clearly visible, which remained there for the entire duration of our stay without being picked up. The beach sun loungers in front of the adults-only section were also scattered everywhere and looked rather untidy. A little organisation would make a big difference to the overall appearance. Adults-only pool bar We also found that the pool bar staff rarely served guests from the poolside. Instead, you generally had to get out of the pool and walk around to the bar yourself, which somewhat defeats the purpose of having a pool bar! Overall Verdict Overall, we did enjoy our 11-night stay and there were certainly some wonderful aspects to the hotel. The spectacular room, ocean views, beachfront location, housekeeping and evening entertainment all contributed to a lovely holiday. However, there are areas where management really needs to look at improving the guest experience, particularly the initial welcome, enforcement of the sunbed policy, maintenance of the facilities and better use of the adults-only spaces. Would we recommend the hotel? Yes, we would. Would we return? Probably not, but this isn’t necessarily a reflection on the hotel itself. Having experienced Barbados for the first time, we’d simply like to explore another side of this beautiful island on our next visit. A lovely holiday overall, with some fantastic memories, but also a few missed opportunities that could have made the experience even better. Read less

Another Fantastic Stay at O2 Beach Club & Spa. This was our second visit and once again, we had an absolutely wonderful Holiday. We stayed for 10 nights in a Luxury Room on the adults-only side of the resort. Check-in was perfect, with all the reception staff being so friendly and welcoming. Our room was lovely, with great air conditioning, and housekeeping did a brilliant job every single day. Fresh towels, clean bedding and everything kept beautifully clean. We did occasionally notice a slight smell from the drains, but this is the Caribbean and something we understand can happen. The food was excellent throughout our stay. ORO was especially wonderful and whilst I do not usually eat buffet food the BBQ and Asian was really good. Lunch was also fantastic we loved the new Tiki Hut on the beach which wasn’t there our last visit. I don’t eat spicy food, but the staff were always happy to accommodate this and make sure there was something suitable for me. Elements is now an Italian evenings, I must admit I preferred it when the à la carte changed each night to French, Asian etc but that’s just my input. The service in all the restaurants was fantastic, and we really couldn’t fault it. Robin, Javon, CarolAnne, the guy beginning with K at the beach hut and I wish I recalled the name of the young lady in Oro who was probably the youngest server but most attentive. The bar evenings was good, chilled live singers and nice to chat to fellow guest. Shanquil looked after us most nights and was entertaining. Wesu the singer fantastic in Oro. DJ at the adult pool played great tunes. Other activities were minimal, it would say for example on the board Bajan bites, rum cocktails and popcorn at 12-2pm but it would never happen which could be disappointing as something different to do and if asked no one would know anything about it but it didn’t ruin our trip was just odd to advertise and not happen. Brisa and top pool is lovely but no one ever up there, it’s really under utilised but I heard from staff this was changing to something new so can’t wait to see. As it was my birthday while we were there, the hotel made it extra special by upgrading us to a top floor oceanfront room when we arrived and also a cake balloons etc. What a lovely surprise and something we really appreciated! It made an already special holiday even more memorable. We were also incredibly grateful for the late checkout. As our flight wasn’t until the evening, being able to keep our room until 5pm made such a difference and meant we could enjoy our last day without having to rush around. Thank you for arranging that. We love the location, the beach with the nice breeze makes the super hot days bearable and evenings if we wanted to go out to local bars it’s 5 minutes stroll up the road. The biggest highlight of O2 has to be the staff. They really are what makes this resort so special. A special mention to Shontelle, the Duty Manager, who always took the time to come around and check that everything was okay whenever she was on duty and would go above and beyond. Nothing ever seemed too much trouble. Jason the GM led by great example. All the staff across the restaurants and bars deserve a huge thank you. There are simply too many wonderful people to mention individually, but please know that you all make a difference. We did miss Dwayne, the barman, who unfortunately was on holiday during our stay! However, we were lucky enough to catch up with him outside the resort which shows how lovely the staff are. We have come away with some fantastic memories, having enjoyed another brilliant 10 nights at O2. The atmosphere, the food, the service and, above all, the people make this resort somewhere very special. Thank you to everyone at O2 Beach Club & Spa for making our second visit just as memorable as our first, and for making my birthday so special. Read less

I can certainly recommend this hotel, great setting on a small but lovely beach. You can walk around the bend to the longer Dover beach, it's a really nice walk there and back, or a 5 minute walk from the front of the hotel along the road. We stayed in a luxury 1 bedroom ocean front suite, very spacious and very comfortable, the bed was so comfortable, I was asleep most nights as soon as my head hit the pillow!! There well a stacked American style fridge freezer with beer, wine, water and soft drinks, re-stocked every day, the room service was very efficient and well done every day. The staff were amazing, nothing was too much trouble for them, they looked after us from the start of our holiday, right to the end. Jill on reception was so helpful, as was Joy, Sharmer and Kevin in the restaurants, there were so many others, I just can't remember all of the names! The food in all the restaurants had so much choice, and we didn't have a problem booking any of the a la carte nights, we booked them day by day. Not once did we have a problem finding sun loungers, I'm an early riser anyway, but beds were available most of the day, both around the pools and on the beach, the guys on the beach were always around t put up umbrellas and move sun beds around. Drinks were great too, hardly ever waited longer than a couple of minutes for drinks, cocktails were made up too, and the drinks service around the pool and on the beach was quite regular, highlight of the afternoon was the frozen fruit the girls brought round. We can't recommend this hotel high enough, we really did have a wonderful time, and we shall certainly return here. Read less