Sea breeze hotel, Oistens, Barbados
Written: Jun 28 '06 (Updated Aug 15 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lovely sea and sand. Good food
Cons: Disappointing overall. Don't expect 4* unless the new changes have radically altered it.
The Bottom Line: Barbados is fine but I have been to much much better.
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| castaway2006's Full Review: Barbados |
We stayed here for 1 week in Jan 2004. It was 4* Allocation on arrival holiday with Airtours (as was before they disappeared). The chances were we could be allocated Almond beach, which looked great and we hoped we wouldn't get stuck with the 'Sea Breeze' hotel as it didn't look as plush as the others listed.
It isn't.
After quite varied worldwide travel, I must say not only was I disappointed with the hotel but the island as a whole. For the money I would much rather visit Thailand, the Philippines or even Mexico. The beaches were ok but not as fabulous as Thailand's islands. However, if you are travelling from the USA and not the UK/Europe like me, then it would be worth your while as it is a shorter trip. 9 hours flight time made me wish I'd travelled to the East instead of West.
The hotel is fine, not great but not awful. You should expect to receive a good 3* though, as it definitely was not 4*. The rooms are typically Barbadian, garishly bright and outdated, although clean with good air con. They are basic, do not expect any 4* frills. The rooms are set in 2 (or 3) storey blocks. We were put in the top and received good views. The blocks are very close to the water and every night we were put to sleep with the sound of the waves, very relaxing.
The beach is small, but nice. Plastic sun loungers (I always believe if it's 4-5* it should have wooden ones, or at least mats to make them more comfortable.) The water was nice, although a bit rougher than I'd like for snorkelling. One good thing about the resort was the food. It was fabulous. Compared to many other hotels I've stayed in, the food was top class. Lamb cutlets, fresh fish etc...
However, I have never in my life met such rude and clearly 'irritated to serve' staff. They never smiled and practically threw your plates at you. I thought it was just us, but then other customers started to make comments. I resisted for fear of behind closed door, food retaliation. Do not expect the assumed 'chilled, friendly' Barbadian people you have been led to believe exist here. They were unfriendly and unhelpful. This I'm sure is a generalisation but they really made a negative impact on our stay at this particular hotel.
There were several trips to do outside the resort, nights out, boat trips etc. We took the car into the capital and had a wander around. It was very colonial and pretty in many places.
We also took a boat trip to swim with turtles- and they came and swam with us! It was excellent. We booked this outside the resort, but there were trips organised through your tour operators. We just didn't want to be shepherded about and travel on a bus.
It is a good idea to rent a car and travel around a bit, because, although I am a sun worshipper, I got bored at this resort as there was nothing to do and we frequently had poor weather. We travelled to the very northern tip of the island, where 2 seas meet (Pacific and Atlantic?). It is quite a sight. The rocks are volcanic and very jagged, so be careful.
Another trip was the underground caves, seeing all the stalagmites/ stalactites. I'm not usually one for these kinds of trips, but my partner studied geography and persuaded me to go - plus it was raining. I must say, it was well worth the trip and has provided great memories and pictures. You go many meters underground on a little train and get the chance to roam around, and learn a little bit too.
Overall, I was generally disappointed. I had such high hopes of Barbados; it is after all where a lot of celebrities go, although of course they go to 'Sandy Lane' hotel. However, it did not live up to my expectations. I thought it might just be our hotel, so we travelled around the entire island and stopped at various beaches. None of the beaches are private in Barbados, you have access to them all, and so we had a good stroll through Sandy Lane beach to see if we could spot any celebs. There was a large yacht, but that was it. The beach was nothing special, especially compared to Mexico and Far Eastern countries. We had a venture up to Almond beach resort, which was a much higher standard than Sea Breeze, although the beach was rubbish here.
In all, if you are going to spend 800 pounds+ (sterling) on 1 week in Barbados, I'd recommend going to the Maldives, (list of resorts in Maldives, website) http://www.maldivesresorts.com/Resorts/alpha.asp?letter=V , Mexico, the Philippines or Thailand as they have better service, beaches and sea life. The people are friendlier and the views are more spectacular. If you have already booked, make sure you travel around and see some of the island, it does have more to offer than this basic hotel.
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Restaurants to go to:
La Mer: Port St Charles
The Cliff, St James (voted 46 out of the top 50 restaurants in the world!!! http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2090.cfm)
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From reviews I've read from tripadvisor recently(the link is below) it appears the hotel has changed hands and is undergoing some positive changes. Fingers crossed.
"http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147266-d147699-
Reviews-Sea_Breeze_Beach_Hotel-Christ_Church_Barbados.html"
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
castaway2006
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Member: Danielle
Location: Stourbridge, UK
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
"Perpetual sun worshipper, lover of the East, castaway dreamer"
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