Crystal Cove Hotel All Inclusive - Barbados

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I was disappointed. Visited: May 2009 Posted by rehm2000 The weather was beautiful. The water was gorgeous. The hotel staff needed some attitude adjustments. I did not feel welcomed here. The food was horrible. However, the worst was if you didn't make dinner reservations, you were asked to get up from the table and leave (which was embarrassing). I have never been so embarrassed in my life. I couldn't even get a cup of coffee in the morning. Also, I had on a brand new pair of shorts and sat on chair and got bleach on it. What if i was dressed up? I mentioned it to the desk, and no one even appologized for it. You had to get dressed up to eat every night, but I was afraid to put on anything good for fear it would get destroyed. It was a big waste of money for me. I'm very easy to please, and I thought it was horrible. Don't waste your money. 9 users found this review helpful. 5 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was the best holiday ever. Visited: February 2009 Posted by rikkepar92 We had a wonderful holiday with our three young children (ages six, five and one). We can`t wait to go back next year. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? the Crystal Cove offers superb service and cuisine. Visited: October 2007 Posted by newhipdad01@ From the front desk to the kitchen, everyone was wonderfully cordial. Am I allowed to give names? Well, I must name the front desk associates, Jillian and Latoya. And Christy Anne, in the dining room, was very helpful. I was in Barbados to trace my family roots, and the staff here were very helpful. I intend to return next year. 9 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was an excellent all around hotel. Visited: October 2006 Posted by stevecotoole This was an excellent hotel. It was our second visit. The rooms and communal areas were very clean, the staff was great, and the grounds were beautiful. They also had a great beach, and food was second to none. 22 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Very poor hotel, no more than a two star rating. Visited: March 2005 Posted by mikesmit We booked this hotel as it looked like it would cater well for our children and sounded really good in the various brochures we read. The reality was completely different and we moved out after four days. The kids club is very basic and was only open 10:30 to 7:30, not 9-9 as advertised. There were no activities outside the kids club in the time we were there, (Easter). The accomodation with children is very cramped, the sofa bed was broken and our son had to sleep on a rusty old camper bed. The pool is a joke, totally uninviting and dirtly looking. The swim up bar, which no one used whilst we were there, looks very grimmly with stalictites hanging down where the lime scale has gathered. If you have small children you basically have to walk past this pool to get to the beach or resturant and therefore you are having to keep them by your side all the time. The food was generally poor and the service was the same. There was no effort to control the birds getting into the resturant and they where eating directly off of the buffet as well as your table when ever you got up from it. Messed on twice over lunch!, lovely. We had serious hygiene concerns about this resturant. The Drifters bar was even worse for food quality and service. The tiny beach is scattered with rocks and rubble and burried discarded umbrella stands and there is little effort to clean up the toxic fruit that constantly fall from a very large tree at the end of the beach. We had to listen to the sports guys argueing with the staff about something on the beach, this went on for about 30 minutes and the air was blue with every swear word there is. if our children had not have been in the kids club we would have to had intervined to stop it, just what you want on holiday. Nobody else looked like they were enjoying themselves and there was no holiday type of atmosphere at all. After we went to another hotel the rest of the holiday was great and the Bajans were probably the friendliest of the Carribean Islands that we have visited so far, (4). So much so that we will be going back next Easter, but not to Crystal Cove or any of its sister hotels. We paid a lot of money for this holiday and expected to get a good standard of hotel, Instead we got ripped off. We were offered alternative accomodation but we simply didnt want to risk it with this hotel chain again. 23 users found this review helpful. 15 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had a fantastic wedding. Visited: November 2004 Posted by cadle I wanted to write a review as I was so suprised at the negative reviews this hotel has received. We had the most fantastic wedding here - everything was perfect. We had 26 friends and family with us. We married four days after arriving, and everything was calm and efficient. The staff treated me (the bride) like royalty. There were about four members of staff who were a bit off, but when we gave them the time of day and took the time to speak to them, they were all really friendly. The kids club held a party for my son's 10th birthday while we were here, with a massive chocolate cake at no extra charge to us. They always seemed to go that extra mile. The birds were always there at breakfast. But hey, it's the Caribbean. Enjoy it, and if you really don't like the birds, room service is free of charge. We (all 26 of us ) found the food to be very good. Only on a couple of nights did I not like my meal. But if I were to tell them, they would replace it with something else without a grumble. We stayed at this hotel before in 2001, and then again for our wedding. We would rebook again without hesitation. 15 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We take guests comments seriously Visited: November 2004 Posted by mpoynter As a famous business leader once wrote "feedback is the breakast of champions" so that being said, we at Elegant Hotels take our guests comments (both positive and not so positive)very seriously. As Chief Operating Officer for The Elegant Hotel Group who owns and operates Crystal Cove Hotels, I personally meet with each individual General Manager to review guest comments and to ensure that service deficiences are eliminted and corrective action taken. We have a great reputation to maintain as our goal is to ensure that each of our guests has a memorable vacation If we fail please let me know. Thank you 7 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Crystal Cove was a clean hotel. Visited: September 2004 Posted by kadekgirl the hotel was clean and tidy. but we did not find the staff very helfull, they were sometimes rude and ignorant. but we went for a wedding which was wonderfull would recomend the crystal cove for a wedding and the wedding codanator fay was wonderfull. but overall we would not go back again. 3 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We found it to be a very unfriendly place. Visited: September 2004 Posted by eileenrudd We were at the Crystal Cove recently for my son's wedding (which, thanks to Fay, the wedding coordinator, was wonderful). But we found the entire staff to be rude and bad mannered (apart from about three of them). There did not seem to be enough staff anywere. If we asked for anything, we got a grunt (if we were lucky). Usually, we just got ignored. We thought the food was terrible in both restarants. They were trying to cook English food, but it turned out very badly. There was no Caribbean food anywhere. We had to go to the supermarket and buy edible food. Also, the Reflections restaurant should be netted off from the birds. They were all over the glasses and tables. We are a well traveled family, and there were 21 of us in all, and we all agreed it was no more than a two-star hotel. And as for Hurricane Ivan - it hit while we were here. If it had hit full on. We were given tape to put on the sea view windows (which the fan blew off). No guest windows were boarded up - only a skabby shop on the same front we were on insulting as it was. Also, the hotel's place for us was the gym with a wall off mirrowed glass and all equipment left in it. We had to put mattresses at the windows ourselves. In our opinion, this place should be closed until the staff receives proper training. We read all the reviews about Crystal Cove before, and we thought it was just people whining. We don't recommend a trip to Barbados. 10 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? There were a few rough edges, but it was good overall. Visited: August 2004 Posted by a_maxwell My wife and I stayed at Crystal Cove for two weeks. We were rather reluctant to come here, having been rebooked from the sister hotel, Coconut Creek, when it was closed. We had visited Crystal Cove one evening during a previous stay in Barbados, and we had got the picture of a noisy, busy place, with lots of young children running round - not the kind of holiday that we were looking for at all. In fact, the hotel was a lot better than we expected. Although there were certainly quite a few families with children around, the hotel was still quiet, and a good place to relax and chill out. The rooms were comfortable, and kept very clean. Maintenance also seemed to be up to scratch - a plumbing problem in our room at 11 pm on our first night was fixed in 10 minutes. The beach area was a bit small, but well maintained. Sunbeds could be hard to come by if you didn't 'book' early. The attendants would put out more if needed, but there weren't always enough umbrellas to go around. The swimming area was again rather small, but sheltered by a breakwater, and safe for novice swimmers and children. Experience in the restaurants was a mixed bag. We didn't eat in the Drifters beach bar very often, partly because we didn't care for the food, and partly because it was only intermittently open. The Reflections restaurant food was good when there was an a la carte menu, which was most of the time. The buffets were not so good, and could become tedious - we had three in one weekend once. I would have to say that there were some problems with service in Reflections. Sometimes it was good, or very good, and sometimes it was dreadful. This erratic service was in some ways even more annoying, since you had no idea what it was going to be like when you sat down. The issue wasn't with the individual staff, who were mostly friendly and helpful, but rather with the number on duty. Sometimes, there simply weren't enough to provide a decent service. We also had the bad luck to be staying when Hurricane Ivan passed by Barbados. The staff coped well with this situation. They stayed upbeat and positive, and even managed to rustle up three hot meals on the day Ivan passed by, despite a nine-hour power cut. One comment I would make is that the hotel was nowhere near full for most of our stay. When it became busy, towards the end of our time, the hotel took on a rather different character, becoming a more 'bustling' and noisy place than it had been. This does leave us wondering whether the hotel would be the right place to 'chill out' when it is full to capacity. Overall, however, we enjoyed our stay at Crystal Cove, and would certainly consider going back there. 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was more like a 4.5-star resort. Visited: July 2004 Posted by randykent We have been going to the Caribbean for 15 years and found Crystal Cove to be the best all around resort we have stayed at. What set it apart from other resorts was the high staff ratio to guests, and the great attitude of the staff. Rooms were fine, nothing fancy, but the ocean view rooms above the south beach were the best. Food was always good, better than other all-inclusives we have visited. The resort was compact, which we liked, and it was nicely laid out. They also had a good watersports selection, and we liked the wave runner guys, they were not pushy, and generous with the time allowed on the runners. The water taxi to Colony Club was a nice option, as was the free speedboat rides to snorkel with the turtles. We loved Barbados and thought Crystal Cove was the best overall bargain on the island. 5 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I can't wait to go back! Visited: July 2004 Posted by emilinovich I was a little anxious after reading some reviews, but this resort totally exceeded all of my expectations! The facilities and service were both exceptional! This was our first trip to the Caribbean, and we'll definitely return...especially to the Crystal Cove! 6 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was comfy, well maintained, with good food, but not elegant. Visited: March 2004 Posted by jacob We visited Crystal Cove in March 2004 for ten days. We visited with grandparents and our seven-year-old daughter. We rented two one-bedroom suites on the ocean. The rooms were very comfy, well maintained and diligently cleaned daily. Our view from oceanfront balconies was spectacular, especially at sunset. A la carte menu at Reflections restaurant was usually very good, well prepared and well served. The buffet left a lot to be desired. Buffet for breakfast and lunch was adequate. The beachfront restaurant was never open during our stay. The bar was dingy and smelled of stale alcohol. We were not impressed with the Kids' Club! The staff was less than enthusiastic. Most toys were broken, and the video games did not work. There were no organized programs, either. We previously stayed at the sister property (Turtle Beach) where the kids' club was fabulous. This was a major disappointment and our daughter did not want to go back. The beach was small, but well maintained. We found staff to be friendly and they walked around handing out cold, wet towels; drinks; and fruit during the day. We found chairs and unbrellas to be available. Water sports were generally available if booked 24 hours in advance. Entrance into the water could be improved. It was very rocky and somewhat difficult to enter, especially for seniors. Evening entertainment was nice. They brought in dinner music, duets, etc. - nothing too loud. Overall, all of us had a great time. We have been to five different properties in Barbados and would recommend this one. Don't expect an overly elegant hotel, though. 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? An excellent hotel with a warm and relaxing atmosphere. Visited: January 2004 Posted by stephenlaycock This may not be the most luxurious hotel in the West Indies, but possibly the friendliest, with the warmest atmoshphere. We also received excellent food and service. Sandy Lane may be "the best" in Barbados, but we will return to Crystal Cove every time. 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was a friendly, relaxing hotel for a low-stress holiday. Visited: November 2003 Posted by slarkins1 We stayed at the Crystal Cove for a second time recently and I have to say we could see the improvements the new manager has made. However, the prices were up this year and we felt that the place is getting expensive for a family to visit in peak season. What's changed from before - The food was the first, most obvious, improvement. It seemed to meet the needs of all but the most discerning palates and offered reasonable variety and choice, too. The a La Carte menu food was on the whole very good and well presented. Food exceptions were Saturday and Monday evening's buffet and Bar-B-Q nights where the gristly beef and lamb left a lot to be desired. The staff and service levels were excellent with only minor exceptions (see my negative comments about lunch service at the main Reflections restaurant). The beach was much cleaner than when we visited before, being swept daily. The sand was immaculate. The pools were clean and a refreshing relief from the high levels of heat and humidity in November. So what are the bad points - lunch service was certainly one of them. The staff was desperately slow and inefficient; often forgetting any special requests made for our two-year-old daughter. Our tip - go to the beach bar for lunch if you don't want lunch to take an hour and a half off each day's relaxation time! The gym was a reasonable size, but not that well maintained. We never saw a single member of staff set foot in the place in two weeks. Some equipment could not be adjusted as the mechanisms had corroded. When we visited, the property was at quite high occupancy levels and we did find, annoyingly and as before, that the sunbeds all had towels on them by 7:30 am as is usually the case wherever you go these days. My tip is get up early if you want somehwere to sit! The frustrating thing was this situation meant that we had to adopt a daily schedule of getting up early - something many people come to Barbados to avoid! Management please take note. Our Junior Suite was a lot bigger than the normal room we went for last time. It had a lot more floor space and was in a nice quiet location away from the entertainment area - near the gym. The really nice thing about this hotel was that everything was laid out for the guests and you could genuinely unwind. Room service worked great, and our wine glass rarely went empty. I would recommend Crystal Cove. It's great if you have kids, even though ours was too young to go in the kids club unsupervised (minimum age - three years). The hotel was also near some great west coast restaurants, too - if you have the money. 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Dissappointing Visited: June 2003 Posted by kimpyett Having been to the Caribbean a few times before, we were looking forward to visiting Barbados. The hotel was clean, neat and tidy. Most of the staff was friendly. Unfortunately, the hotel advertised two restaurants, but these were never open at the same time during my stay. We ate in the main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Only six times during a two-week stay did the beach restaurant open. Also the beach bar never had any ingredients to make the cocktails listed, and regularly ran out of beer and coke. The beach was small and the swim area was coned off for swimming. We had a nice time, but probably wouldn't return to Crystal Cove again. It was expensive for what you got. 0 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? not the culinary experience we expected Visited: May 2003 Posted by jnnbrcly Room was fine with a good view.The watersports team were really helpful in particulary a great chap called charlie who bent over backwards to accomodate us. Having read some of the other reviews and agreeing with the majority the hotel was once im sure, a shiny new place to stay however on our visit there was none of the mentioned fruit/cold towels on the beach...why not?The reflections resteraunt and the drifters bar were both inconsistant to the point of pouring our own wine!The food did become a standing joke although having said that we are not starving.The differance in the quality of the food was evident when we had lunch at tamarind cove .This is alleged to be a sister hotel (PERHAPS A 2ND COUSIN REMOVED).The quality and range of food was far superior. I know money is an issue but surely its also the lack of ideas in the kitchen that makes this hotel "just not quite there". All that said the staff were very pleasant.In some cases INDIVIDUALS worked and carried other members. It needs a refurbishment! 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A poor quality resort. Visited: March 2003 Posted by plant If you are looking for a luxury resort with high-class accommodations then don't consider Crystal Cove. We stayed for 2 weeks in March of 2003 and had a great time in spite of the low quality hotel and unhelpful management and staff. The hotel is very rough around the edges and is in need of a refurb, there are bare electrical wires in the gardens and restaurant areas, which were a cause for concern as we were staying there with my young son (3-years old). There was rubbish everywhere in the gardens and on the beach, the beach was not cleaned properly at the end of the day and there was even broken glass on the beach, when requesting to the staff and eventually the management that the place should be cleaned up it was apparent that we were a nuisance and that nothing would be done. In fact everything was too much trouble for the unwilling management and staff at the hotel. We were very disappointed with the service and quality of the resort and thought that it was vastly overpriced. I would not recommend that anybody consider spending time at this resort. I think there are many other resorts on Barbados that offer better accommodation and more friendly service for a more realistic price. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A friendly atmosphere in luscious surroundings. Visited: March 2003 Posted by nicola_young My husband and I stayed at Crystal Cove for the second time (we first stayed in 2000) during the run up to our wedding. The complex feels cozy due to the rambling nature of the hotel design - e.g. it's not a block. The staff could not be friendlier or more polite. They can be slow, but that is the Barbados culture - enjoy it! When you are on the beach, the staff come around regularly with cold towels, drinks and fruit. The views from the ocean rooms are stunning. I can recommend the junior suites for a couple, as you get the advantage of a lounge area. The showers are a bit underpowered, but it's not a huge deal. The food is of a relatively good consistent standard, although I feel the portion sizes have shrunk since our first visit (not a bad thing if you're watching your weight). I would not hesitate to return - it's so relaxing. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A perfect place if you have children; couples only - stay away. Visited: December 2002 Posted by diepquan You will love this hotel if you have children as there is plenty for them to do. You will hate it if you are looking for a quiet holiday. Maybe because we were here at the height of the season (Christmas 2002), the place felt over crowded, with noisy children everywhere. We did not have one moment of peace. This hotel opened in 1994. I'm sure then, with everything sparkling new, it would have been breathtaking. For us, the place felt tired. The furnishings looked tired. The staff seemed tired, anytime we asked for anything, they give you a look like - "Do you really need that?". Every request was too much work for them. I must be honest, not all the staff were like that. However, the members of staff who seemed to know the meaning of service were few and far between. When we arrived, our shower wasn't working. Though that did get fixed quite quickly. The Cave Bar that is so famous was dark and dingy, and smelt of stale alcohol. The place lacked a proper lounge and bar where you can go and have a quiet drink. The main restaurant had the air of a cafe with tablecloths. The service was the same to match. This was the same restaurant used for breakfast and lunch. It was definitely not fine dining as it was advertised on the websites. We might consider returning out of season, when all the kids are at school. Or we'll definitely make sure we have at least 3 squabbling kids with us, to really get our money's worth. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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