Barbados?

[Deleted User]

Anyone ever been? Would love reviews especially of Crystal Cove or The House (both are part of Elegant Resorts).

Giaspo

We went for 10 days last October. Stayed at the Crane. It was gorgeous but not in the best location. We heard good things about all of the Elegant properties. My friends stayed at Turtle Beach and said it was very nice. I'm sorry I can't offer much more, other than Barbados was amazing! We are foodies and ate our way through the island (which is why we didn't stay at an all inclusive). Everyone was very nice and friendly. The island is very expensive, and we rented a car for a few days to see the island.

direy25

We spent 9 days in Barbados in May for our 1 year anniversary and absolutely loved the island.  Unfortunately I don't have any reviews of the resorts you've listed, we spent three nights at the Crane and six nights at Ocean Two, loved both resorts. 

Like Giaspo said, lots of great restaurants, friendly people and a beautiful island.  I definitely wouldn't recommend an all inclusive.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_barbados-10?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:bd8a5ab5-e92b-4460-bf74-49d6bef77dfdPost:8167f772-3ed6-4356-b4df-5cd8cdb871e5">Barbados?</a>:
[QUOTE]Anyone ever been? Would love reviews especially of Crystal Cove or <strong>The House</strong> (both are part of Elegant Resorts).
Posted by Pnutbutr[/QUOTE]

It's been years and years but my best friend and I stayed at The House for a quick girlfriend getaway.   I'd say that it depends on what sorts of things you like when you travel, but in terms of luxury, the only place that beats the house is Sandy Lane, think a larger ritz-carlton.  In terms of personalized service and very nice accommodations, it was hard for me to find anything wrong with The House.  I wrote about it on trip advisor:

<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147265-d239274-r23979125-The_House-Saint_James_Barbados.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147265-d239274-r23979125-The_House-Saint_James_Barbados.html</a>

[Deleted User]

Thank you ladies! Finding a great HM spot is overwhelming!

JennLax

We stayed at Turtle Beach in November 2011 (where we got engaged!) and enjoyed it, but it's not a place for people who love to swim.  The water was too rough and most days we weren't allowed in (or only on boogie boards in a small designated area).   The food was amazing, the beach was pretty, and the rooms were spacious.  Excellent service from the staff, but we got a bit bored a few days because the planned activities (sports, bartending demo) did not occur when scheduled.

We spent one day at Crystal Cove (since it is a sister resort) and had an amazing time.  The food was incredible, the drinks were soo delicious (way better than Turtle Beach) and we got to go out and do some water sports: catamaran, seadoo, kayak.  The beach and the resort are very small and intimate, so if you are fine with that then I think it could be a good option. The pools were fabulous as well, we had fun at the swim up cave bar.

There is a large public beach that you can walk down if you enjoy doing that, but it gets pretty busy from what we saw.

You are very close to the sea turtles, which is a fun excursion. PM me if you want more details about things to do on the island. 

TaraMc728

My h and i just got back from there a week ago from our HM and we loved it!!  We stayed at Crystal Cove and it is beautiful.  The food is good, well worth getting up for breakfast (and I am not a morning person).  Excellent drinks.  the beach is beautiful!  We done a couple of the water sports and they are fun.  they have a swim up bar which you got to go under a waterfall to get to it.  We did some sight seeing, and Barbados is a beautiful island.  i did not want to leave.  Feel free to PM if you need anymore info.

JennLax

Tara - OMG... did you have any of their suggested drinks?  I don't know if they're still the same, but I still dream about the Caribbean Sunset.  It was the greatest drink I've ever had.  We've tried to make them here, but it never tastes the same    Turtle beach had different drinks, so we took a picture of Crystal Cove's menu and brought it back for our bartenders to make LoL

TaraMc728

Jenn,

We did have thier RUm Punch, two of them and it knocked me out, lol.  We also took a picture of the drink menu, now I just need to get my pictures printed.  i do not remember the Carribbean sunset, but they may still have it.  I was drinking thier signature drink, Crystalgia, very good:)

blubuilding

I stayed at The Crane too. The rooms were beautiful and quite a bargain. Reception was able to coordinate our days' activities -- snorkeling with turtles, rum tasting, boating .... The food on Barbados is excellent. Great place for a foodie.