The Club Barbados Resort & Spa

Had a wonderful, relaxing experience at the Club Barbados Resort and Spa. The staff were so friendly and attentive . We would like to give a special thank you to Mellisa, the head chef, who was kind enough to give us her time to go over the menu and give suggestions to fit in with my husband’s gluten free diet. Mellisa was so kind and is a real asset to the business. Read less

Whilst we didn't expect 5*, we didn't expect rude, unprofessional and chaotic. We arrived early after our cruise so didn't expect to be able to check in immediately. The first person we spoke to said we may be able to check in from 1 pm (check in is, nominally 3). This was fine except that she tried to tell us that we would be in a different room from that which we had booked. We booked garden view, lower floor if possible and were told we were in a loft room which we specially didn't book as they don't have balconies. When we queried this, her first response was 'take it up with your agent!' When we showed her the reservation details she 'went to check' and on her return confirmed that we'd have the room we'd booked. Not a good start. We picked up some towels and found a spot to sit. At 1 pm I returned to reception to check on progress. The receptionist laughed at me, stating that 3 pm was check in time and that it may be later! Eventually, we were escorted to our room which was exactly as requested; ground floor, huge, big bed, nice terrace - perfect. Things were looking up. Our main problem with this hotel is the chaotic meal service. Although dinner is usually buffet, you have to reserve a time, the day before. We were initially told we had 8.30 which is too late. We moved it to 7.30. At the appointed time, you are expected to queue to get into the dining room, queue again to be seated then barked at with instructions about where to go. This is not a pleasant experience and is so inefficient - too many people involved in the whole check in/seating process and way too much standing in a queue for a reserved time. We were also told that on another night the only available time was 8.30. When I said this was too late, the woman shrugged and said it was that or not eat! We made an appointment to speak to the manager who listened attentively, thanked us for our time and made changes. We had a bottle of bubbles next to our table that night for our meal at Enid's, the a la carte restaurant. Staff smiled! We weren't barked at! Food was good. Progress indeed. After that, the manager was much more visible and I heard younger staff being reminded to smile and be friendly by older waitresses. That said, the food in the buffet is not good. It was often cold, greasy and poor quality. She also waived part of our resort fee and ensured we had an extra hour in the room on check out day. After the first set of towels in our room were replaced, we had missing hand towels and grey, threadbare bath towels. There clearly needs to be some investment here. On towels and sunloungers, there is a rule that they cannot be reserved with towels before 8am. On day 3 I decided that if I couldn't beat 'em, I'd join 'em (having failed to get a poolside lounger previously) so got up at 7.45 to be ready with towels at 8. Not a single sun lounger was free of towels by the pool! There is a garden area away from the pool where it was often possible to get loungers but drinks service didn't often get this far and it wasn't quite so easy to dip into the pool or socialize from here. There is no beach in front of the hotel, which we knew on booking. I had anticipated doing some watersports but, because of rough seas, this wasn't possible during our 5 night stay. We did manage to play some pickleball, however. There are good nets and reasonable quality paddles and balls to borrow. There was definitely a different attitude between the genders of staff we encountered, which we shared with the manager. Without exception, the male staff were smiley, chatty, helpful and engaging. The female staff seemed unhappy, unhelpful, dour and unwilling. In summary, we would not return to this hotel. It doesn't matter what star rating a hotel has. All staff should be trained to be helpful, with a smile, and a 'can do' attitude. This is certainly not the case with the female staff at The Club. Read less

Just returned from a 10 night stay here. Felt very welcomed from the moment we checked in and were sipping a rum punch welcome drink! The staff here are lovely and they made our stay so enjoyable! We chatted to lots of guests who were enjoying their experience too. We had a superior room in the first floor overlooking the pool which was ideal for us. It was very spacious with a large balcony and large bathroom with walk in shower. It was spotless throughout and the housekeeping staff did a great job keeping us supplied with clean bedding & towels etc.. the evening meals were a mix of a la carte and buffet service, both of which were excellent with a good choice of food. Buffet breakfast and lunch had plenty of choice and was of a good standard too. The system of booking a time slot for the evening meal seemed to work well and enabled them to be more efficient with their service. We enjoyed all the food on offer and the staff worked tirelessly keeping all the guests topped up with drinks too! We particularly liked the seafront area with sun beds under the trees overlooking the sea. When the tide went out there was a small area of sand accessed by steps and the sea was beautiful and clear! There was entertainment every evening in the sunset lounge area and also from 10.30pm there was a small piano bar with Lyndon tinkling the keys with an array of tunes! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Club Barbados. I have to say, I’m shocked at some of the reviews on here stating that the staff are rude as we found them brilliant and they work so hard to make our holidays memorable! Thank you to all the staff and management for your great service, it was really appreciated! Read less

I recently stayed at The Club Barbados Resort & Spa and, overall, had a mixed experience. The location is excellent, with easy walking access into Holetown and several nearby restaurants. We received wonderful service at the Sunset Bar from Sylvia and Kareene, who were both friendly and attentive. The food in the restaurant was very good, and we were particularly impressed with the service from Carmela and Tatyana. Trevon, who managed the pool area, was consistently helpful and friendly throughout our stay. In addition, most of the housekeeping staff were pleasant and accommodating. However, there were several disappointing aspects. The beach at the hotel is virtually non-existent, which was frustrating. The rooms feel dated and could benefit from refurbishment. Unfortunately, water sports were unavailable for the entire two weeks of our stay due to rough sea conditions, which was very disappointing. We also found that the majority of the pool bar staff were rude and unhelpful, often making us feel as though serving us was an inconvenience. During the second week of our stay, we were assigned a different housekeeper whose attitude was extremely disappointing. We repeatedly had to request basic items such as tea, coffee, and fresh towels, and after three days the bathroom had still not been cleaned. When we raised this politely and showed that the bathroom had not been serviced, the response was defensive and unprofessional. Additionally, the staff member who was female that was responsible for cleaning the ladies’ toilets in the main pool and seating area was consistently unfriendly, unapproachable and very aggressive, which majorly detracted from the overall atmosphere. Sadly, the negative experiences of our holiday at The Club Barbados Resort & Spa overshadowed the positive elements of our stay. As a result, we will not be returning. Read less