Crystal Cove by Elegant Hotels - All-Inclusive

I don't write reviews very often but thought I would share our experience as there are so many differing opinions of Crystal Cove. Arrival : we arrived mid-afternoon, welcomed with drinks and a smile, advised that we had a dinner slot booked for 7.30 that evening and that we could get food at the café beforehand if we were hungry, very quick process and in our room within 10 minutes of arrival. Room : we booked a sea view room on two levels, it had an excellent view of the beach and sea, plenty of space, it was dated with a few minor issues but nothing next years refurbishment wont resolve. The room was exceptionally clean on arrival, it was cleaned daily to a high standard. A mini-bar with drinks was re-stocked daily.The air conditioning was excellent. Food & Drink : there was plenty of food whenever you wanted it, having to book an evening dinner slot was a good idea, this was booked at breakfast for that evening, if you were late risers (like we were) times got limited and we ended up eating at 8.30pm which was a little late. Dinner was varied each night between a-la-carte and buffet as well as between the two restaurants, Reflections & Drifters. the quality of the a-la-carte food was exceptional, (they allowed us to choose away from the main menu as neither of us eat fish). The buffet food was good, quite a nice choice but not too varied each day. Breakfast had pretty much everything you would need buffet style. I would recommend fridge units to keep certain items cooler. The café offered snacks and sandwiches pretty much all day. All in all the food was very good. The cocktails were very good and plenty of alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks available throughout the day. Resort : what a fantastic location, right on the sea front with plenty of beds around the pools and on the beach. The sea was very inviting and for those younger guests a great variety of all included water sports. The beach has beautiful golden sand, however as you entered the sea it was quite 'rocky', there was only one small area that was free from stones and rocks, I would recommend they dredge a larger area to remove the rocks. The 3 swimming pools were okay, not your standard hotel pools but had character, quite quaint & rustic, but good for cooling down after sunbathing. the ice lollies and drink service to the beach was a nice touch. The site is in need of the refurbishment but it was very clean and tidy, with the design and layout of the resort you can imagine it will be something spectacular after the upgrade. Staff : I would say the staff were very friendly and helpful (once asked), they seemed quite laid back and didn't offer advise or support until asked, I would suggest they could be more forthcoming with advise. There were plenty of staff (too many sometimes) and were available at all times. In summary we had a fantastic, relaxing week at Crystal Cove. I would have given 5 stars had it not been for the need of refurbishment that I believe is due to be do

The resort, atmosphere, ALL was so beautiful & exactly what we were hoping for, when making these vacation plans. Richard*, Lisa*, Kathy, Terrance, Dana, Celina, Crystal, Michael, Kevin, Curtis, KerryAnn, & many others were brilliant! Thank you all, SO MUCH!-SJ, SW, & GM!

I am really perplexed by the very negative reviews. We have just returned from Crystal cove (18th April-25th April). There were 10 of us and we had the best time. On arrival we were offered welcome drinks, check in was friendly and efficient. Location amazing! What a beach! The facilities were excellent. Very impressed with water sports activities and all inclusive offer. The food was above average for all inclusive and plenty of choice. Out only suggestion for improvement would be during the refurb to consider air con in the main dining room. The rooms whilst dated were better than we had expected. We were aware before arriving that the hotel was due a refurb (planned) so we’re not put off by the dates bathrooms.Cleanliness was no issue at all we had great maid service and everything was spotless. The best asset to this hotel are the staff. Friendly and welcoming. As previously said we were a large group and our needs were always met and catered for. Will definitely return

Crystal Cove is a scam! The resort is old , run down, and no security. Arrived on 4/4 there was no food available or alcohol, for a resort that advertises as an "all inclusive"! My husband and I knew immediately that this wasn't a 4 or 5 Star hotel! Our ocean front room over looked old beach furniture and a guy about to cook on this broken down grill. The room was so small that I could barley open my suitcase and have enough room to get to the bathroom! Nothing is updated, bathroom old and moldy, and we heard everything going on in the room next door, the walls are super thin. Also for the AC they have loud wall inserts, not central air. We left after about 30 mins of checking in once we saw the condition of the room and that there's not food at all times. They had given us and 7pm dinner time so no food would be out till dinner and we arrived at 5:30ish after a 5 hour flight. I didn't know "all inclusive gave dinner times except if you book a specialty restaurant"! There's no bar except in the very small outdated pool. Since there was no food out we were instructed that we could go to the coffee café a get sandwich "until dinner time". The café gave us 3 sandwiches each had one piece of meat, and they didn't even have mayo or mustard so we didn't even eat them! Who wants a dry sandwich? We went to the front desk told them this place isn't expectable and we are going to another resort and want a refund so that we don't ruin our stay in Barbados, and they basically said well there's the door. So after only spending 30 minutes there, no food, no drinks, didn't sleep there. The Hotel is refusing to refund us our $3000.00. We booked this resort because it's a Marriot property so I figure we couldn't go wrong, but this place is a Motel 8 level at best. So long story short we got taken for 3k and had to spend another $4400.00 to stay at Sandals which is AN EXCELLENCT RESORT THAT DELIVERS WHAT THEY ADVERTISE. Do your self a favor and don't stay there, book at another property!

From the moment we walked in until we left, this hotel will be very memorable, but unfortunately not in a good way. Staff weren't friendly, our room was filthy, there was a rug by the side of the bed that looked like it hadn't been cleaned for thirty years. Sunbeds and parasols dirty and broken. Tiles missing off various steps around the gardens. A horrid smell of sewage around the gardens in the area where we were staying. Food wasn't what you would expect from a 4* all-inclusive hotel. This hotel needs some serious attention. It's far too expensive for what it offers. We love Barbados but it's put us off going back.

We went for a holiday of a lifetime! Not at all!! we arrived with no welcome drinks, took 1 and half hours to book us in and take us to our rooms, when we got there it was a dump! old bathroom, dirty bedding and curtains , wardrobe door fell off and just very tired though out, balcony door not secure at all. The grounds we very tired and broken sunbeds, cracked steps. Staff could not be bothered with us at all very rood that's most of them the odd one were ok. Food was ok! not for a holiday that cost £25,000 for 5 people, very repetitive, i expected fresh sea food and something special not pasta and stews. This hotel is having a referb next year, it certainly needs it!! People shouldn't be going and paying this sort of money.

This is a favourite hotel for us, having first visited 24 years ago and have returned many times over the years. The staff welcome is like seeing old friends, Dolores,Kathy, Michael, Hazel, Kerri-Ann and so many others it is an absolute pleasure to be in your company. We love the food, plenty of choice available, loved the lunchtime vegetable roti, salt fish for breakfast and fried plantain. The rooms are tired but comfortable. Thank you to the watersports guys for looking after us. We love the charm of this hotel and the staff and hope Marriott do not turn Crystal Cove into a boring corporate brand.

We decided to return to Crystal Cove 5 years after our first trip. The reason we decided to return is purely down to the small village style hotel but most importantly the staff. Credit to all of the staff who make the stay so much more than it already is. We were so happy to see some familiar faces when we returned and couldn’t wait to greet them again. Jensel you are the best -amazing! Then we have Lisa, Sharean (cocktail queen) Allison, Hazel, Raheem, Toni (always smiling), Michael, Kevin, Darren (great omelette maker) and Richard-all cannot do enough for you. But other than th staff….. the hotel is small, quaint - is in need of a refurb but this is planned next year. Currently offer a dine around service with sister hotels, daily water taxi to these hotels. Food is excellent with 2 restaurants on site. Choice is always very good. Over the 2 weeks we probably had about 6 nights of entertainment but we did our own thing some nights and went out of the hotel. Water sports at the hotel ae limited to water-skiing, banana and rings and a hobie cat. We booked onto some of the hotels own trips which were very good. Beach is right in front of the hotel. We did find some better beaches with great snorkelling in nearby Holetown. Turtles, stingrays and hundreds of beautiful fish. The yellow buses are a fabulous experience and pass the hotel about every 3 mins. Holetown has a designer shopping centre and a beautiful chattel village with some lovely souvenir shopping and food. We saw a show one night in Bridgetown at Harbour Lights which was brilliant- good food and Caribbean entertainment and dancing. Oistins Friday fish fry is another great night out. Overall we had another fantastic holiday at Crystal Cove. Staff are a credit to them. Hope to see you all again after the refurb.