Tamarind Cove Hotel - Barbados

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I have found that guest inquiries go nowhere. Visited: May 2006 Posted by jo2er It seems that this hotel's web site is always down. I have also found it very hard to contact the hotel after numerous inquiry via e-mail. When calling the hotel, I got only a recording - which was never answered. I find it hard to imagine this is happening at this day and age. 3 users found this review helpful. 7 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was fantastic. Visited: March 2006 Posted by benitamo We have been to a number of different islands - all-inclusive. This was by far the best. The staff was excellent, and at no time did we feel that we were part of masses being catered to. The food was excellent . We cannot say more - other than we will definitely being going back next year as well. It was a terrific place. 5 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had a great vacation in this lovely hotel. Visited: December 2004 Posted by joclements We had a fantastic time here in December. The location was great, and we found the food to be very good (especially at Sassos). The rooms were adequate with fairly basic furnishings, but the sunset and views from our ocean view room were amazing. The beach was certainly much nicer than that at Crystal Cove (where we stayed the previous year). Do take the water taxi to Colony Club - they had a great Sunday buffet lunch with live entertainment. And take advantage of the dine around options. Also, take the opportunity to try the many west coast restaurants - we loved Carambola, Lone Star, Tides and The Cliff - all were worth the visit. Overall, although the hotel wasn't luxurious, we thought it got the balance right and offered excellent value for money. We enjoyed it so much so we are returning in December 2005 for two weeks. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A wonderful way to spend a five-day weekend! Visited: May 2002 Posted by kirkastle I strongly recommend the Tamarind Cove Hotel as an excellent choice of accommodation for a holiday stay in Barbados. My cousin, her friend and I just returned from our five-day stay at Tamarind Cove. It was very centrally located on the West Coast with a beautiful beach. Be careful of the rum punch drinks...they were delicious, addicting and will make you relax more than you had expected. Hiring a car, driven by Rodney, allowed easy access to inland Barbados and to the stunning West Coast. It was very quiet at this location. Things shut down in the hotel about 9:30 p.m., but there was plenty of nightlife on the island. Room service needed to be improved. There were lots of restaurants to choose from. We ate at Josef's and at Bridgetown's Waterfront (cafe), which offered a live trio band with seating both inside and outside. We ate breakfast at the Tamarind. However, the price was a little steep. We wanted to go to the restaurant David's, but it was closed on Monday nights and they wouldn't recommend another choice to us. On various days, we enjoyed a tour of all the parishes, took a catamaran ride, attended Gospelfest 2002 at the Gymnasium Concert Hall and had a great time. We intend to return and have no hesitation in recommending the Tamarind to others. The Tamarind and Barbados were wonderful places for food, folks and fun as well as friendship, fun, rest and relaxation. We can't wait to come back next year! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Nice hotel in need of a management change Visited: December 2001 Posted by slarkins1 We stayed at Tamarind for four nights at Christmas after an upgrade from Crystal Cove (Xmas being a peak occupancy time) and were very surprised at the awful Tangiers restaurant service and how poor service levels were in general at the hotel except at Sassos restaurant which is always excellent. We met someone staying there who told us that the service had slipped at Tarmarind after the hotel was recently expanded as the restaurants struggled to cope. By way of example, in Tangiers restaurant, butter consistently arrived on your table after you had finished breakfast, coffee wasn't refilled, staff were untrained and often lacked any kind of serving finesse. I was kept waiting 15 minutes for my bill after lunch on boxing day 'after a mix up with the table numbers'. Room Service was little better, desperately slow and inefficient. We returned to our suite on one occasion and found Housekeeping had left it unlocked with the door open all day which was very annoying. Many times they removed towels and didn't replenish them. When we called down to reception it took hours to get supplies to the room. The hot water was never hot during our stay - just luke warm. We asked maintenance to look into this and never heard back from them and neither was the problem resolved. The swimming pools had quite a bit of leaf and sand debris in them although the water appeared clean. Parking was difficult at times with our hire car. Now the plus points - this hotel has wonderful pool areas, a great beach and a beautiful setting. There's lots of space and room to unwind. The public areas are clean and well maintained. Maybe at lower occupancy times the whole experience of staying here would have been a lot better (judging by the other reviews). 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Superb, Sun, Sand and Sea. Visited: August 2001 Posted by louise_robertson For Paul it was a return trip to Barbados, for me a first, and Tamarind Cove Hotel was a lovely place to be. It served as a great backdrop for our first holiday together. We had an oceanview room, next to the Sasso Restaurant and one of the pools. The pools were clean and well appointed, the staff was friendly and helpful—particularly the concierge. As with other reports, the Sasso restaurant presented wonderful food, but we would recommend that visitors venture out. Our favorite was Carambola restaurant where you can enjoy the views food, plus Caesar’s stories (the bar man). The Cliff was only a stone’s throw away and a real treat—book early and ask for a lower table. The Tangiers restaurant was of good quality, but had an expensive buffet in comparison to outside eateries. Breakfast in the restaurant was $44—a bit steep; use room service. They bring a tablecloth and its lovely to eat overlooking the sea. (Also for some ridiculous reason its cheaper, $18 continental £20 full hot.) The Bamboo was nice for lunch, as were two bars within walking distance, La Bomba's to the left and The Coach House on the other side of road 200 yards away. I loved the wave runner jet ski, which we hired and sped along the coast. Tamarind Cove Hotel was lovely and we would like to go back sometime soon. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Accommodation basic, service and food good Visited: August 2001 Posted by Innherb This was the 8th time we visited Barbados, but the first time we stayed at Tamarind Cove or any Elegant Resort. We were disappointed with the standard of the accommodations. For the price, the hotel was surprisingly basic. The decor was austere. We have stayed in much cheaper self-catering properties where the accommodation is of a much higher standard. (Including the one we’re at now who provide free Internet access and therefore this report!) The plus points were the service (although there were lapses) and the food, but go for a meal plan as a hot breakfast alone will cost you $45B! An irritation was the stupid dress code that requires men to wear trousers after 6 pm in two of the restaurants and bars. This rule was inconsistently enforced (even more irritating) and should be reserved for the Sandy Lane, which this hotel ain't. The Tamarind Cove’s accommodations were 3-star at best. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Excellent location and service Visited: July 2001 Posted by klnewsguy We just returned from our weeklong honeymoon at Tamarind Cove. It’s very centrally located on the west coast with a beautiful beach and chair side service. The top restaurants, particularly Sasso, are outstanding. Cabstand outside hotel makes renting a car unnecessary. Definitely go with the oceanview rooms. It’s also a quiet property; things shut down in the hotel about 9:30pm, but there’s plenty of nightlife on the island. Don't do the all-inclusive, as there are too many world-class restaurants around to discover—particularly The Cliff and Lone Star, which are short cab rides away. The beach is great for kids. There’s lots of free watersports and many swimming pools. Enjoy. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Beautiful & clean, but food & service need improvement. Visited: July 2001 Posted by bozoeys Gorgeous property, well kept. Terrific reef & snorkeling right off the hotel beach. Friendly people, watersports employees very helpful. However be careful - some rooms have gorgeous ocean views, but back of room is right on the main shore road so traffic noise all day and night. Get a room as close to the ocean as possible, and you'll find this resort very peaceful and quiet. No blaring music at the pools, which is very unusual and refreshing these days. The service overall was disappointing. We were promised a room change at 10 am, and even told the room number. We were told we'd be called back multiple times by the front desk (who found us a great room by the way) but NEVER was our call returned until finally at 8 pm we requested to speak to the manager. THEN things happened. The Concierge desk was staffed sporadically - NEVER available for dinner reservations, rarely during the day. Restaurant service was appalling. Breakfast menu (Tangiers) limited, and flexibility non-existent. Requested 2 eggs, toast & coffee - waiter told us he'd "accommodate" us once, but said not to request this again. Tried to get bananas on cereal one morning - had to order an entire fruit plate for another $10 US. Dinner service at high-end Sassos was slow and non-responsive. Fish tasted spoiled. Chocolate Mousse dessert was clearly pre-frozen and not thawed. Would we go back? If we were convinced they'd fixed their service quality. It is a delightful property...just needs new management. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Great for just doing nothing and unwinding Visited: May 2001 Posted by keithcope This was our fifth visit to the Caribbean and on this occasion it followed a great cruise on Enchantment of the Seas. We enjoyed our stay as it gave us time to unwind from the shore excursions and get over the seemingly non-stop eating that cruising seems to be all about. The best thing for us about the Tamarind was the ability to snorkel in just a few feet of water immediately in front of the hotel. The water, (as you'd expect) was warm and crystal clear. The small rocky and coral area where the fish congregate was alive with many varieties including some large and colorful parrotfish, pencil fish, sea slugs, and we even saw some tuna chasing smaller fish. We encountered some sea snakes but were told the brown and white ones were safe. However, on the last morning my wife saw the resident moray eel that 'lives' just outside the roped swimming area. I'm not sure we would have snorkeled so much if we had seen him earlier in the week. Along the beach are plenty more places for snorkeling including the reef, shipwreck and the area where the turtles go. The latter can be reached by the hotel’s boat for a charge of around $20 US. As for the hotel, our basic room was fine and the pools looked inviting, although we did not try them. We really enjoyed the Sasso restaurant, and dined there on four nights. We would recommend taking the full board option with the $25 US per day drink allowance, as meals are pretty expensive - especially Sasso. The people at the hotel were very friendly, even the hawkers on the beach (and they didn't pester). Friendliness seems to be a trait of Barbados, which unfortunately cannot be said about some other Caribbean islands. On the whole it was a great place to unwind, laze about and enjoy the sun, beach and sea. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A wonderful way to spend a week! Visited: March 2001 Posted by gvn8r My husband and I recently returned from our third visit to Barbados and Tamarind Cove. We continue to be pleased with the hotel and find everyone on the staff to be friendly and responsive. The grounds are immaculate and the rooms are very nice. Consider spending the extra money for the ocean view—it is worth it! We love eating lunch at the oceanside Bamboo Bar each day. There are plenty of water activities and snorkeling right in front of the hotel. The clientele is largely British and Canadian, but I noticed more Americans this year. The Manager's Cocktail Party on Monday evenings is a nice way to mingle and meet other guests. The only negative I can think of is that due to the fact that all beaches in Barbados are public, visitors from cruise ships sometimes use the beach in front of the hotel and also use facilities, chairs, umbrellas etc., which are meant for hotel guests. It would be nice if the hotel screened this use a bit more. However, we had a marvelous time and look forward to returning next year. A tip for anyone who goes: have a rum punch on the beach and watch the sunset in the evenings; it is like nothing else you have ever seen. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A wonderful place to relax Visited: December 2000 Posted by paweissman If there's a more enjoyable and effective way to let stress drain out of you than a week at the Tamarind Cove, my wife and I have yet to discover it. The hotel was lovely, with a beautiful beach, a lot of attractive greenery, and different size swimming pools artistically scattered around. The staff were both competent and, in our experience, particularly outgoing and eager to please. Room service orders, for example, actually arrived when they were supposed to, no matter what the time of day or night. The three restaurants were all good to excellent. The one to have lunch in, a reasonably priced open-air place called the Bamboo Bar which was just off the beach, served the best salade nicoise we have ever tasted. There was a lot of good live music at the restaurants and occasional special musical events on the grounds. Another plus was the free water taxi on which you can take a ride to any of the four other Elegant Group hotels on Barbados, where there were still more pools and beaches to lounge at, other restaurants to eat in (still charging it to your room), and other events going on. We found the general atmosphere of the hotel suited us perfectly. Though it was very friendly and informal, it was also (perhaps because so many of the guests were British) rather cosmopolitan and sophisticated. We felt at home in the place as soon as we got here, were sorry to go when we left, and now would only love to go back. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Excellent service, great location, spacious accommodations. Visited: November 2000 Posted by Alec_Howat My wife and I arrived at the Tamarind Cove after four incredible days in St Lucia. I was therefore expecting our five days in Barbados to be a little disappointing. Not at all; the hotel was nicely spread-out and does not feel crowded. The beach and beach facilities were superb. Hiring a car for a few days allowed easy access to inland Barbados with its tropical centre, and to the stunning West Coast with crashing seas at Bathsheba. The staff at Tamarind Cove were attentive and helpful. Our air-conditioner broke down one night; as soon as we reported that fact in the morning, it was quickly and efficiently repaired. We dined at Sasso one night and on the last night took advantage of the reciprocal dining arrangements made with other Elegant Resort hotels by spending the evening at the Orchid Room in the Colony Club. This was also excellent, with a standard of service that has been long forgotten in the UK. The complementary water taxi was enjoyable, allowing the chance to visit other Elegant Resorts during the day. I can warmly recommend the Tamarind Cove as an excellent choice of accommodation for a holiday stay in Barbados. 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Tamarind Cove saved my holiday! Visited: October 2000 Posted by medhurst We transferred to the Tamarind Cove (TC) from a nearby resort and encountered a friendly staff, cool rooms and excellent facilities. It wasn't cheap, but having spent the first part of the week in another sub-standard hotel, the TC helped us to end up having a wonderful holiday. The positive points were the several swimming pools, the resort was spotlessly clean, the staff were helpful, friendly and tolerant of our two children (5-year-old and 5 months), and the beach and three restaurants were easily accessible. The negative points were that the top-end restaurant (of the three) was only open on three nights (Sat., Sun. and Wed.). When not dining at this restaurant, the US$75 per adult per day meal option deal (including breakfast and dinner) was not a good value for the money. It’s best to pay per meal and try some local restaurants. The Bamboo Restaurant for dinner was poor on the occasion we dined there. It had a great location overlooking the sea, but it was lunchtime burger and chips type food. I also wish that the restaurant, Tangiers, could open a little earlier so we could have fed our 5 year-old before 7:30 pm. Babysitting was available for the price of 15 BDS (20 BDS for 2 kids) per hour, which ends up costing about £5/hr. (or £7). Since TC doesn’t take a cut, it made me wonder if I was overpaying. We had a wonderful five-hour boat trip including scuba diving with turtles and an onboard BBQ through a company called HeatWave in Bridgetown (130 BDS/adult or $65 US). Don't be tempted by the 50 BDS price for the hour tour offered by the bloke on the beach near the hotel—do it in style! 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A lovely resort for a relaxing holiday. Visited: July 2000 Posted by bululu We spent a very nice week at the Tamarind Cove. It was low season for Barbados, so we had the chance to stay on all-inclusive basis, which was very convenient, considering how expensive it can become to dine here. The beach was really nice, sandy and clean and there were also many small swimming pools scattered around the resort. Water sport activities were not always available during the day as the hotel shared the same ski boat with its sister hotels. There were three restaurants, the Bamboo, Tangier and the Sasso, open alternatively. The Bamboo offered a nice continental breakfast and lunch; it was just off of the beach and quite informal, although you always needed to wear cover-ups on your swimming suit. It was reasonably priced, but for dinner it did not offer a great choice. The Tangier was very nice, elegant and offered international cuisine. It had a lovely buffet with local cuisine. The Sasso (mostly, but not limited to Italian cuisine) was the best of the three restaurants. It was pricey, but worth trying at least once. The food was superb, high-class cuisine with an extremely attentive and polite staff. The rooms were spacious and clean. The oceanfront ones had a nice terrace where you could enjoy a cocktail at the sunset in the privacy of your room. The Tamarind Cove was certainly one of the best hotels in Barbados and the nicest within the Elegant Hotels chain. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Fantastic Holiday Visited: June 2000 Posted by ATraveler Tamarind Cove was excellent. The hotel was very spread out and never felt busy, even though it was full. The staff were lovely and the manager cames around to inspect every day and speak to the guests. The beach was clean and quiet with security all day - clean towels and watersports equipment were always available. Take your smart clothes for the evenings though - the hotel has quite a strict dress code for the restaurants and bars after 6 pm (except Bamboo Beach Bar). I would go back tomorrow. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Fantastic way to spend a fortnight Visited: June 2000 Posted by sclark We have just returned from 2 weeks in this fantastic hotel resort. First impressions were a well maintained and managed hotel with attractive gardens and relaxing beachfront location. Rooms were attractively furnished and spotlessly clean. As the hotel was only 50% occupied they even upgraded our room and, as it was our 3rd wedding anniversary, champagne was on ice as we walked into our room. (Compliments of the management.) All restaurants served fantastic high quality cuisine presented in 5-star fashion. Sasso's is a must but be prepared to wait! Although out of season and only half full, it made a great way to relax and meet up with a great crowd of new friends. Tamarind Cove, in our opinion, was a perfect retreat for a relaxing holiday - fantastic food, beach, accommodations, service (could be improved by certain members of staff), and all within easy reach of Holetown and Bridgetown. A new addition to our family is now imminent, so we unfortunately will not be returning next year, but we will be back! 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We shall return. Visited: May 2000 Posted by bstock1620 The hotel was in an excellent location, about a quarter of a mile south of the Sandy Lane Hotel. You would never guess that it was on a busy road, once you passed through the reception you were in another world. Because the hotel was linear i.e. runs along a large stretch of beach, neither the hotel, or beach, ever seem overcrowded. We thought it was only about half full and were surprised to hear that it was running at 90% capacity. The hotel had three restaurants and a bar. The Tangier Restaurant was excellent and offered an impressive four course menu every night. The Sasso Restaurant (formerly Neptune’s) was an experience to savour in more ways than one. The service was marvelous and the food historic. You must dine in the Sasso at least once during your stay. For a casual lunch or dinner try the Bamboo Beach Bar, right on the beach with a menu ranging from pizza to New Zealand green mussels. The beach was excellent with plenty of shade provided by trees and large straw parasols. The gardens, which separate the hotel from the beach, were immaculate and included a wide range of plants. What really impressed me was the fact that both the executive chef and general manager toured the establishment at least three times a day. It was obvious they took a great deal of pride in their work. Mr. Venner, the general manager, tried to speak to all guests personally at least once during the week. The only downside was the service in the Oasis Bar and Bamboo Beach Restaurant. Be prepared to wait up to 20 minutes for a drink or half hour for your starter. I intend to return and have no hesitation in recommending the Tamarind to others. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Quiet paradise found in ocean view room Visited: April 2000 Posted by ATraveler Just returned from a wonderful vacation here. The ocean view room was peaceful with beautiful sunsets. The accommodations were very good but not lavish, some painting needed to be done on the premises also. The water here was calm and it was an easy bus ride to the high waves of the south coast Accra beach if needed. I suggest water shoes as there were lots of coral bits entering the waters at the Tamarind Cove beach and some coral rocks in the water. Several free water sports were offered here. Grounds were well kept and almost like being within botanical gardens. Staff were eager to help and very pleasant. I was by myself, as my husband recently passed away, and I was treated respectfully. I did not feel awkward eating alone. The food at the Tangiers was exquisite. The breakfast buffet delicious. Gourmet vegetarian food was offered, however not the high protein of tofu or tempeh. The Tamarind and Barbados were wonderful places for fun, rest and relaxation. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Heaven on earth Visited: December 1969 Posted by ATraveler We have visited Tamarind Cove six times since 1992 and to us it is as near as we shall get to heaven while resident here on earth. The atmosphere is so relaxing and everyone is so friendly but not intrusive. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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