Good_Will

Has anyone stayed at or visited this hotel/resort ? How does the Barbados Hilton rate as a place to stay for 6 days in the second week of July ?
It seems that a number of properties like the Coral Reef Club and Little Arches are closing for holidays and / or refurbishment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

xkenx

The Hilton is a Hilton. It is also at the edge of the big harbor area in Bridgetown, with the area not particularly scenic. If Coral Reed Club is closed, try their sister hotel (same family ownership) the Sandpiper. Similar lovely west coast setting. Another small (only 29 or so suites) boutique hotel is Treasure Beach--very upscale on one end of Paynes Bay Beach, on of the best. see www.sandpiperbarbados.com and www.treasurebeachhotel.com

Good_Will

Thank you for your comment xkenx.

I understand that a Hilton is a Hilton, but I thought this Hilton looked pretty good by comparison to many and just a little reminiscent of the Old Kahala Hilton. For about USD 260 it is possible to obtain a spacious executive floor room with balcony and breakfast etc.

Off season rates for 2 people at Sandpiper start at USD 420 for a garden room and USD 550 for a one bedroom suite - certainly expensive for off season in my view, unless someone has suggestions on negotiating the rate down ! A 28 day cancellation policy in winter is not representative of current times either.

There appears to be a better deal on Garden and Pool Suites in summer at Treasure Beach. that appears pretty good value for what is on offer.

I guess, as this is our first trip to Barbados and The Carribean generally, we are going to be very active over 6 days exploring the island and there are a lot of beaches and places to visit.

This is not a "sit by the pool and read novels type visit" - we do that at home. Hence the type of accomodation for us is more the issue.

Maybe two days in a resort like Sandpiper or Treasure Beach and the balance of four days at somewhere convenient to travel in and out of like the Hilton ?? I think I need to read more, as I come from a land of beaches and dont see this as a Fiji or Bali type of holiday. Thanks again.

Knowing

We have stayed at the Hilton Barbados twice and found it to be a prime location. The grounds are on a peninsula at Needham’s Point. It's just five minutes to Bridgetown, and 20 minutes from the airport. We did the executive floor, had a corner room, so we had two balconies - one in the bedoom and one in the living room. There is a breakfast on a designated floor. My husband prefers a huge big breakfast so we were able to do that for an additional $10.00. We loved having the two bathrooms that you get on the executive floor, so that we could both get ready for our day in the morning without waiting "our turn".
There are a ton of things to do/see and we recommend that you get out and experience the island. Enjoy!

xkenx

At Treasure Beach the taxes will increase your rate, and you should avoid "garden view" as you will pick up traffic noise from the road behind. Treasure Beach is all suites, Sandpiper has more grounds, with all taxes included in the rates. There are likely discounts to be negotiated. US rep for both Coral Reef and Sandpiper is Ralph Locke Islands, www.caribisles.com 800.223.1108 PDT They may help with deals.

Good_Will

Thank you xkenx - I will take a look.

In following the theme of spending some time on the beach lazying around and the rest of the time elsewhere, does anyone know if there are any interesting accomodation options up in the hills and interior of Barbados ? Out of the way locations up in the hills looking down over the sea in the distance ?

Good_Will

I just panned in on the Hilton from above on latest Google earth. I am not sure if I understand your comment xkenx about the implied detraction of the Hilton being on the edge of the big harbour area in Bridgetown. It seems to me that the views are toward the south in the opposite direction to built up Bridgetown. It seems to stand alone. A large carpark appears at the rear. I would have thought this to be a very quiet location with good access into Bridgetown and on to the road system. With a hire car for 3-4 days it would also seem like an advantaged location. Tell me please if I am wrong in assuming that this may be a good base for 3-4 of our six days. Thanks again.

xkenx

Hi Good Will. My comment re the Hilton is that it is in a built up commercial/industrial area, not the lush surroundings of the west coast hotels. Rte 7, which runs close to the Hilton, is one of the most congested roads on the island and close only to Bridgetown itself. The road which zips along is Errol Barrow Hwy. For getting around in general, it can actually be quicker from the west coast. We've always stayed beachfront because you don't have to go anywhere to enjoy the beach, but staying inland means having to drive and park for both sightseeing and beaching. I always thought it is special to roll out of bed in the morning and onto the beach for walking or snorkeling, even on days when the day was planned for sightseeing.

Knowing

Good_Will,
I am going to jump in here and say that the Google Earth gave you a very clear idea about the Hilton Barbados. There is a car park for people renting vehicles as well as some taxi cabs that the Hilton calls up to take visitors where they might want to go. The Hilton has great access to the Gap which has many restaurants as well as a 5 minutes drive to Bridgetown. The downside MAY be that if you want restauranst within walking distance, Brown Sugar is the only one that you don't need a vehicle for. Our first time there was in 2007 and they were getting ready for the cricket tournament - a BIG deal for them - and the traffic was a little on the heavier side. However, we didn't find it that way in 2008. We do not live in a big city, so if traffic was really bad we would say so. We loved the beachfront at the Hilton, although it doesn't sound like it's a issue for you. We do live on the water here, but still do enjoy seeing it in the morning.

Good_Will

I guess we all have different needs based on circumstances. We are adventurers and explorers and always want to see everything. We are not looking for what we would describe as a typical Fiji or Bali holiday.

With an interest in food, cricket, rum and culture, I think we will book the Hilton for the first three nights then, with a rental car, move up the west or into the island to find a different experience for the next three days.

Now the question is where to ? Close to a beach or up on a hill in the interior looking toward the coast ?? Thank you for your comments.

dove

We stayed at the Hilton the weekend after Thanksgiving. Two things of which you should be aware: first, we were never able to enter the water there. the beach is largely behind a rock jetty. the waves were big the whole 4 days we were there and it was unsafe to even stand near the water as the waves crashed into the rocks.

Second, beware of the cruise ship passengers. Several cruise ships homeport out of Bridgetown in the winter. The passengers seem to congregate at the Hilton before and after the cruises, not staying there but waiting at the bar, etc. for their flights home. We could not find a seat for lunch or a place on the beach either Friday or Saturday during our stay. We have stayed at Coral Sands and at Little Arches. I would return to Coral Sands before I would stay at the Hilton again.

Good_Will

I guess while visiting a new place like the Carribean and in particular Barbados I think we would get very restless staying in one place for 6 nights in any case.

We have many beach alternatives in Australia and have visited places like Fiji and Bali to lie on a beach or sit by a pool. Our lifestyle is such that we mix cocktails (often using Mount Gay aged rum) and sit by the pool from time to time, so the novelty of beach resorts may not be as great for us.

From what I understand, Bridgetown is worth a visit and the location of the Hilton is also well placed to The Gap. At USD 250-300 per night it represents comparatively good value compared to most properties around St James and Holetown where comparative rooms (although a comparison is difficult given the different styles) are more than twice the price even in the low summer season. We will be there 2nd week of July.

So I am now focused on starting with 2-3 nights at the Hilton and then somewhere different for 3-4 nights. I would definately go to the Coral Reef Club for those nights but it will be closed for renovations. Little Arches will also be closed. I took a look at Discovery Bay and a few others but felt that they didnt quite make it for me. We dont like all inclusive deals where we are captured to dine with them every night and where there appears no bed and breakfast type option. I guess we are different and respect those who feel secure and pampered by a resort.

Thank you dove for your recommendation of Coral Sands. It appears to me that this may be a good option for the second part of our trip. I like the location and access to other beaches and POIs. I will now do my homework.

Good_Will

There appear to be two Coral Sands properties. The one I was focused on was Coral Sands at Sugar Hill on 50 hectares 2 miles north of Holetown.

dove

Don't confuse Coral Sands with Coral Reef. Coral Sands is located near the Gap on the South Coast. Beach is Worthing Beach. it is a relatively small, intimate hotel with a lovely pool and right on the beach. Rooms all have mini-kitchens, which are fine for breakfast but not really suited for more housekeeping.

All rooms have balconies facing the beach. Lots of Brits who come for 3 or 4 weeks. Very pleasant.

Good_Will

We have booked 3 nights at the Hilton Barbados - then we are looking at Beach View in Paynes Bay St James for the next three nights. I have opened a new thread to seek comments about Beach View there. Thanks again for your comments.

char318

just checking, what did you think of the Hilton? were you able to swim in their beach? Can you compare the Hilton to Paynes Bay? thanks!

Good_Will

Sorry for late reply - have not been around lately. We thought the Hilton was well worth visiting - we stayed for 2 nights and were upgraded to a suite overlooking Pebble Beach in the foreground and the bay facing Bridgetown and the harbour. At first we thought that would not be as good as facing the beach and ocean, but in reality it is a much better view at night and with the lights of Bridgetown. During the day it is also interesting in that there is always something happening along the stretch of beach into Bridgetown. The beach in front of the Hilton is very good also, but we preferred swimming at Pebble Beach just outside the carpark of the Hilton where the friendly locals swim. There are 2-3 small playful sea turtles that live around there. Generally the Hilton is clean and tidy and the staff are top class, friendly and well trained. The executive club was a bit run down and needs a revamp in our opinion. The Hilton is a great base for moving around bewtween Bridgetown and the south coast. We enjoyed the local inexpensive minibus rides with great music pounding away and fun people.

Paynes Bay is quite a contrast - a very different place - it is beautiful - the beaches and water are very inviting. We found most of the establishments along Paynes Bay a little bit "stuck up and pretentious". The restaurants are grossly overpriced and do not align to the great photography of cuisine in the local travel brochures. It is a difficult subject for the Barbadians. There is little produce sourced from within Barbados and the Government also needs to source money from tourism to fund welfare and infrastructure needs. Therefore things like wine have high price tags as one would expect. The Extra Old Mt Gay Rum of course makes up for any deficiencies experienced by wine deprivation. Out of London we understand the tourist office of Barbados offers discount cards for restaurants and accomodation.

We had 4 nights at Beach View - three exceptionally well built apartment blocks in a very nice environment with large pool. There we had a large apartment for around USD 180 compared with over USD 300 at the Hilton. We thoroughly recommend Beach View and understand it rates #1 on Tripadvisor also. The only crticism we could have was that they were having some teething problems with the breakfast arrangements as the breakfast room was franchised to a local catering business. I think this will have been resolved and in any case the apartments have facilities for breakfast and there is a good supermarket closeby. Beach View is not right on the beach but across the road and the road is below the edge of the property alignment at the front so you feel as though you are siting above the beach to some degree and it is only a walk across the road onto the beach. The owners of Beach View also have a weekly cocktail party off site - they are the most hospitable, friendly and helpful people.

We can also recommend the catamaran visits along the west coast including Paynes Bay by Cool Runnings. They seem to carry better provisions and fewer people than the competition.