Almond Beach Village - Barbados
 

Just back from ABV and Barbados and will answer any questions/concerns you may have...

A group of about 30 are thinking about going to this resort. What was the beach like, food, activities? How was the staff? Were the rooms nice? Not looking for luxurious but clean. Thanks for any info you can give me.

Hi Linda: <BR> <BR>At first we were not at all impressed. I think it was a combination of things...we were still in high gear and not used to the Barbados pace and we happened to run into a few employees who seemed less than impressed about anything we asked for. However, after a couple of days things started looking up. <BR> <BR>You really need to plan your evening meals. Book ahead, book for the whole week; it is much easier to cancel a reservation if need be. <BR> <BR>The beach is not terrific, but not too bad. However there are several things you can do...The beach area right outside the adult pool is not too bad, but if you're looking for any shade you really need to get there early (@9:00 a.m.) to get an umbrella. If you get that you're all set. There is a lot of reef area there so snorkelling was actually not too bad. (They seemed to allow us to use the snorkel gear for an hour at a time...however we had most of our own gear). There is also a nice beach BBQ everyday for lunch and the bar right there. The staff at the bar seemed to be the friendliest. You can also go on the shuttle (which is free) to the Almond Beach Club and then walk south along the beach towards Sandy Lane there is a great sandy beach area as well as fairly good snorkelling area. <BR> <BR>The food in our opinion was fabulous! There was fresh fish everyday for lunch and dinner along with many other fabulous dishes at all the a-la-carte restaurants. The Saturday beach BBQ was great, so was the Caribean courtyard buffet night (a lot of fun!) Lunches were generally salads, pizza, fish, BBQ burgers, hotdogs or an a-la-carte at Horizons, although some days it was also a buffet. Breakfasts for us were generally toast, cereal and fresh fruit; however, there was pancakes, french toast, omlettes, bacon, sausages, etc. <BR> <BR>The rooms adequate. Not great, not overly clean, but O.K. <BR> <BR>As far as the activities went, it wasn't a problem. You just need to think ahead, even for meals, book times for whatever you think you might want to do and then cancel if it isn't going to work for you. <BR> <BR>Any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. <BR> <BR>Lori

Hi Lori, Thanks for all the information. Since this is a group trip am kind of concerned about ABV and if it is the kind of place you want to entertain people for a special trip. What did you think of ABC? I know you just visited it but overall how do think compared to ABV? Again thanks for any info you can give me. Linda

The ABV in my opinion would be better because the facilities are much bigger, pools are way better, and there are four restaurants on the premises as opposed to only two. We found that people staying at the ABC would shuttle up to the ABV to have dinner & entertainment. At the ABV the adult only pool area really is fabulous (we were there with our 10 & 12 year olds so we only passed through there but it looked like a lot of fun, large bar right there and a BBQ buffet style lunch right there as well as the water sports shack and probably the nicest beach area). <BR> <BR>If you are any one in your group are interested in touring around the island, we happened to luck into finding a highly recommended taxi driver, that is very knowledgable and very professional we can forward his name and number to you. <BR> <BR>I assume your group of 30 people are all adults??? <BR> <BR>Get back to me if you have any further questions. <BR> <BR>Sincerely, <BR>Lori <BR> <BR>

Really appreciate all the info you have given us. It is very difficult to plan a trip like this and make everyone happy and stay within a certain price range. There will be no children in the group so don't have to worry about that. Have to decide between ABV and Turtle Beach Club within the next couple of weeks. We are going in Feb. Again thanks and would appreciate the name of the taxi driver and any restaurants you may have tried and liked. Linda

There's a travel deal to go to ABC, however the mixed reviews are making me unsure about the resort. This is our honeymoon, and we want a luxurious resort - is ABC the place to go? The deal includes a beachfront, one suite room - is it worth it? We are not the type to make reservations for dinner, espcially for the whole week - will this present a problem if we go in early October? <BR> <BR>I went to the web-site Almond resorts, yet there are no pictures of the grounds, only close up snapshots, which worries me. Sandals always include full view pics, and the actual resort layout. <BR> <BR>Also - what are the water sports like? Long lines? Old equipment? <BR> <BR>Any advice on the resort would be much appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Erin

Erin - If you are comparing ABC/ABV to Sandals than I hope you are comparing it to Sandals Inn!! We weren't inpressed with either ABC/ABV at all. Sandals (besides the Inn) is far superior. If you can swing it go for any of the Sandals. We've only missed Sandals Antigua and that's planned for next spring....We haven't found another AI that measures up...

Hi. I am planning a family vacation with teens (13,17,18) and like the all-inclusive concept if it's the right resort. Would you say that ABV/ABC (the one that caters to families) would be a good choice? Is there stuff for teens to do at night? We were also considering Beaches T&C...any advise is greatly appreciated.