lily83

aNY ONE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THE CRANE (I HEARD THEY ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW BUT STILL OPEN), ALMOND BEACH CLUB, LITTLE ARCHES, VILLA NOVA?
THANKYOU!

bgans

I would avoid any resort, even The Crane, that has ongoing construction work, regardless of what they say.

Pass on Almond Beach - I stayed there last year with my husband and daughter and was not impressed. The food was so-so and the beach was crowded.

I considered Villa Nova for my honeymood, but because it is well inland we passed.

I don't know anything about Little Arches.

ctkathy

My husband and I stayed at Little Arches last February and highly recommend it. The restaurant is very good and the rooms are quite nice. It is across the road from Macaroni Beach which is one of the best beaches we have been on in a long time (including Anguilla). There are no hastling beach vendors here and some of the beach is calm and part has waves.

caribdreamn

My best friend lives in bbdos in fact around the corner (Caribbean corners) from Crane...we had dinner there one evening and it is up and running for business however, yes still construction. I would highly recommend this location as it is breath taking and Crane beach is incredible. The restuarant is perched over the edge of the cliff and to die for...plus it is in areally posh area - as in the CEO / Owner of Biovail etc...lives across the cliff from the resort...lovely!! Almond Beach is generic I gather...but Little Arches has my favorite restaurant on the island - Little Good Harbour and a fantastic location in terms of beach - proximtiy to nightlife without all the hustle and bustle which is getting out of control on the island esp. West Coast...and if you rent a car you are in a great spot to drive away from hustle adn bustle west coast toward the beauty of the North and East - ie: Bath and Bathsheba...

Let us know what you chose and how much fun you have!!! please.

Lois

Hi Lily,

Just wanted you to know that Villa Nova closed last year and is in receivership (trying to be sold). It was a great property although it was inland.

Little Arches is across from Miami Beach (not Macaroni Beach as someone posted). It's in a residential area not far from the airport. Depends which room you get if it's quiet or not.

Almond Beach Club is about midway on the West Coast. It's all inclusive, though, so you'd miss out on some fabulous restaurants on the island.

Have you considered Coral Reef Club -- a fabulous property. Also if you can afford it, the rooms at Sandy Lane are fantastic.

A new option now is the brand new Hilton (south coast near Bridgetown). It just opened in June and is fantastic. The pool areas are gorgeous and they have a protected swimming area. But if you do not care for that beach, Carlisle Bay (Browne's Beach) is a short walk away.

Good luck in making your selection.

Lois
The Crane is in a gorgeous setting and the rooms are nice (in the new buildings), but air conditioning is variable. In the old historic hotel no a/c. Although you get breezes it still gets quite hot in Barbados and air conditioning helps. We were just there last week. There is a lot of construction going on. Also, with all of the timeshare there now, it gets quite crowded at the pool and beach.

The beach there, while absolutely gorgeous, is on the Atlantic and has a very strong undertow there making swimming impossible. You can body surf there.

TobieT

We stayed at Almond Beach and were not impressed.

Friends absolutely loved Litte Arches for a quiet romantic getaway. They did find it a little out of the way for going to restaurants on the West Coast so opted to stay at or near the hotel most evenings but would stay there again in a heartbeat.