After many stays on Caribbean Islands, my wife and I made our first trip to Barbados. The Coconut Court Beach Hotel was our lodging of choice and, as so many other travelers from Europe and Canada do now, we plan to return. The fact is, with low-rate carrier JetBlue Airlines newly adding Barbados as a destination, many more US travelers will be learning of this country's wondrous combination of cosmopolitan attractions and hidden, palm-tree lined, tropical beaches. Once they also learn of the fine value and intoxicating atmosphere of the Coconut Court Beach Hotel I believe they will begin arriving faster than one can say "Book 'em Danno."
Family Owned Business
Though the Coconut Court Beach Hotel is not as grandiose nor glamorous, as say the USVI St. Croix's Buccaneer Hotel it, like that multi-generation family owned complex, exudes that same personal touches and hands-on detail that my wife and I find important while staying at such properties.
What Coconut lacks in size, (120 rooms), this family owned business, more than gains in charm and laid back atmosphere that also blends well the country's deep British traditions.
We met Kathy and Scott who acted as our hosts and concierge being sure that our experience was much more than enjoying the accomodations of the resort which in itself makes for a pleasant holiday. Barbados has many destinations to be discovered and Kathy and Scott gave us an excellent itinerary to try and follow. We noticed them giving that same dedicated advice and wisdom to many of the hotels guests. I'll also note that even though timing didn't allow for us to take it, Ted's Tours, given directly from the hotel was a highlight of many of the people we talked to during our stay. This is a must tour if you are not renting a car.
First Impressions
The hotels roadside appeal isn't much to talk about. The country has continued the long time tradition of having entry doors close to the narrow roads. We were greeted in the lobby where our paper work was in order. We were soon escorted to our rooms by a young man who helped with our luggage.
Our room was large and rather stark in decor but warm in colour and cool in comfort. These rooms have the best air-conditioning systems I have ever encountered. It was an easy task to fine tune the temperatures for active time and sleep time in the rooms.
A small TV with limited cable stations (they did have the Olympics for us while we were there), an iron and board, small fridge, microwave, electronic safe and plenty of storage space met our basic needs. A clock of some sort would have been helpful. The king bed was extremely comfortable for me and my wife.
A small deck offered an "ocean view" that was more rooftop view than waters but most other rooms, that did cost a bit more, had glorious views of the pool and seas where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean meet.
The bathroom was adequate and the shower-only just fine for our needs. The towels were smallish and you won't be finding shampoos, rinses and other countertop amenities in this hotel. The hair dryer was useful to my wife.
All in all we were quite satisfied with our room and would probably look to book the same on our next stay. Prices, that vary between $130-$230 depending on room choice and season, can be found on their web site. These prices, that include breakfast, are of excellent value!
Each day we found our room clean, tidy and smelling fresh. Christine did fine by us.
Property Points of Interest
My wife, a traveler of discretion, rates properties with pools and beaches being #1 priority. The Coconut Court did well with both. No fancy Infinity pools here but the medium sized pool was extremely clean, always. Not a speck could be found in the waters aside from a petal or two from the surrounding flora. It looked to have been newly lined. They happened to paint the deck floors around the pool the days we were there.
The pool's one end is about four foot deep and quickly drops off to "over the head" depth making it more an adults pool only. Just a note. Though there were some families with children on site the youngin's were quiet well behaved and we never had that "Kiddie take over" feel.
We made good use of the Jacuzzi (rare to find others in it) almost daily and I was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere of the deck area. There was always a table and/or lounges to be found. We did have a chuckle or two noting which lights would be plugged in each night adding to the evenings romantic vibes. The deck's close proximity to the formal bar upstairs made for a pleasant place to spend time before or after dinner. Lunch on the pool deck was popular for some.
We were privy to enjoy live local entertainment on the deck three evenings during our one week+ stay that included the Tuesday night Manager's Rum Punch Party...and a good time was had by all.
Palm Tree Shaded Beach with Protected Waters
The beach was perfect for us. This isn't a huge property but the few hundred yard beach-front was palm tree laden with plenty of shade and lounge chairs on most days. This is one of the best beaches we noted during our stay for comfort, shade, calm waters with a beach bar and facilities nearby.
An artificial reef was dropped in about one hundred feet from shore making a block of the ocean waves and providing calm waters. Inside the reefs lagoon like setting were "reef balls." These are three foot concrete formed balls with open holes allowing for fish to find protection. This made for an excellent place for beginner snorkelers to learn to appreciate the animals of the sea. My wife and I, avid snorkelers, took time to slowly observe the interaction of the different species of fish within that ecosystem. Low tide is the best time to do this.
Quick story...One morning we noticed yellow caution tape providing a ten foot circle near the beach edge. Later a worker started digging finding a collection of nearly 200 sea turtle eggs that were set in the sands by a mother turtle the night before. The Coconut Court people were careful to place them in a more secure area. It was an interesting process to watch and hopeful a few of those baby's will survive their walk to the ocean in some 50 days from now. It was good to see the hotels concern for the environment and the animals that live there.
The beach area was well maintained with a clean-up person there most every day raking palm tree a sea grape leaves and such.
The Sea Grape Bar And A Class Act In Antonio
When on a tropical vacation my wife and I love having an afternoon lunch with a few drinks with our toes in the sand. The Sea Grape Bar, not much more than a plywood frame shack with gingerbread trim and six bar stools is the domain of Antonio whose smile and grace captured the hearts of many, including my wife. It was his suggestion of bacon and pineapple on a blue cheese burger that captured the heart of this man through his stomach.
Drinks are reasonable with quick service. Be sure to listen for the ring of the bell opening and closing Happy Hours! A couple of round tables on a small deck and a handful of small brightly painted and shaded picnic tables allow for comfortable afternoon dining beach side.
Not Everything Is Perfect in Paradise
With our room price we were offered a hot meatless breakfast every morning. That was fine and bacon and more can be ordered for a price. Unfortunately the service in the morning left much to be desired. When we did order bacon it was arriving well after we were finished eating. A light evening snack ordered poolside came very cold. Apparently the kitchen was prompt but getting anything from that point to our table failed miserably. That same service, as noted earlier, was excellent at the beach bar.
It seemed that the morning crew just didn't have their act together. The popular beach-front tables were never, I mean never, attended to immediately after a party left. Every day we had to ask for someone to clear a table...and had to wait each time. Clearing the table and wiping it down at the same time was also, not the norm. Many a time we had to ask for the table to be cleaned after being cleared.
We did however have excellent results at the restaurant for their weekly Tuesday evening buffet offering Bajan fair after a Managers Rum Punch Party with plenty of live music to boot.
What was truly more troubling was the fact that some tables looked like the movie set of the Hitchcock film "The Birds." Any food left unattended on a plate was pecked at by some kind of black birds and pigeons that were perched in the rafters, power lines and trees waiting for their moment of attack. I quickly learned that first day that one must first bring any juices and coffee to the table before getting as plate of food. On that first day, when I returned to my table, food first coffee later, half my eggs and potatoes were gone! I stared down those fat birds for the next few days!!
Simply put, if the tables are quickly attended to, the birds never would get into the habit of getting a "free lunch" every morning. My wife and I have been to many, many open-aired water front restaurants, including our home town. No where else have we ever see this kind of infestation of birds. The bird problem did not seem to extend into lunch and dinner service. Perhaps it wasn't part of their meal plan.
Another fact that also put a dark cloud over our paradise one particular day was when an extremely heavy influx of cruise-ship day visitors using all the lounges, squeezing out the shaded areas, filling up the lunch time picnic tables, andmaking the beach front more a Carnival Ship festival rather than the laid back attitude usually found.
Personally, I don't mind visitors and we did have pleasant conversation with many cruise people over the week ( we enjoy cruising too) but, many of the people who visited that day were boorish. That coming from this easy going guy who likes to have fun as well as the next fella.
One other thing that was different...We usually expect a clean towel a day for pool/beach use. One had to hold that one towel for days otherwise there is a charge for a clean towel daily. Also one day when we returned to our lounge chair after a dunk in the pool we found our towel gone. Another guest told us the help took the towel stating it was the wrong colour of the day! We never did follow up on that but I would hope that the help would exchange the wrong coloured towel with the proper colour rather than leaving us dripping wet and wondering what's up?.
Location, Location, Location
As with judging many properties, location is so important. The Coconut Court Beach Hotel excels in location! It is just a twenty minute ride from the airport. I believe the a good place to stay when flying in with JetBlue Air to Barbados. It's just two minutes (not in rush hour) to the main port town of Bridgeport too. The Coconut Court happens to be in the heart of a historic Garrison area too.
Two well known destinations for fine dining along with other food and fun destinations, the "Gap" and "Oistons" are just fifteen and twenty minutes away. There are many local eateries just across the street and down the road a piece so there's plenty of diversity in food choices.
Because I rented a car I was pleased that there is relatively quick access to the ABC highway that connects to most of the country's main highways. We also used the bus system that has stops right in front of the hotel. The night time security guard was helpful to us our first nights out.
Summing It Up
My wife and I felt the Coconut Court Beach hotel grew on us everyday. It's not perfect and can use some improvement in a couple of areas but my wife and I would return in a heart beat. The mature flora around the property added a regal touch while most of the resort exuded an easy going, laid back style. Those rum punches served at the Coconut Court Beach Hotel are delicious and can hit ya like a freight train. The small, on property, gift shop made for convenience and the book-share cabinet in the lobby made for good reading.
The combination of dedicated, hard working, people like Kathy and Scott along with a perfect location makes this a popular stop for many return callers. It was also a pleasure to have daily conversations with so many different people from Europe, Canada and other US states. We were able to compare notes and share experiences most of which were planned by the hotel staff.
Yup, we were quite pleased with the Coconut Court Beach Hotel and can't wait to return.
Family Owned Business
Though the Coconut Court Beach Hotel is not as grandiose nor glamorous, as say the USVI St. Croix's Buccaneer Hotel it, like that multi-generation family owned complex, exudes that same personal touches and hands-on detail that my wife and I find important while staying at such properties.
What Coconut lacks in size, (120 rooms), this family owned business, more than gains in charm and laid back atmosphere that also blends well the country's deep British traditions.
We met Kathy and Scott who acted as our hosts and concierge being sure that our experience was much more than enjoying the accomodations of the resort which in itself makes for a pleasant holiday. Barbados has many destinations to be discovered and Kathy and Scott gave us an excellent itinerary to try and follow. We noticed them giving that same dedicated advice and wisdom to many of the hotels guests. I'll also note that even though timing didn't allow for us to take it, Ted's Tours, given directly from the hotel was a highlight of many of the people we talked to during our stay. This is a must tour if you are not renting a car.
First Impressions
The hotels roadside appeal isn't much to talk about. The country has continued the long time tradition of having entry doors close to the narrow roads. We were greeted in the lobby where our paper work was in order. We were soon escorted to our rooms by a young man who helped with our luggage.
Our room was large and rather stark in decor but warm in colour and cool in comfort. These rooms have the best air-conditioning systems I have ever encountered. It was an easy task to fine tune the temperatures for active time and sleep time in the rooms.
A small TV with limited cable stations (they did have the Olympics for us while we were there), an iron and board, small fridge, microwave, electronic safe and plenty of storage space met our basic needs. A clock of some sort would have been helpful. The king bed was extremely comfortable for me and my wife.
A small deck offered an "ocean view" that was more rooftop view than waters but most other rooms, that did cost a bit more, had glorious views of the pool and seas where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean meet.
The bathroom was adequate and the shower-only just fine for our needs. The towels were smallish and you won't be finding shampoos, rinses and other countertop amenities in this hotel. The hair dryer was useful to my wife.
All in all we were quite satisfied with our room and would probably look to book the same on our next stay. Prices, that vary between $130-$230 depending on room choice and season, can be found on their web site. These prices, that include breakfast, are of excellent value!
Each day we found our room clean, tidy and smelling fresh. Christine did fine by us.
Property Points of Interest
My wife, a traveler of discretion, rates properties with pools and beaches being #1 priority. The Coconut Court did well with both. No fancy Infinity pools here but the medium sized pool was extremely clean, always. Not a speck could be found in the waters aside from a petal or two from the surrounding flora. It looked to have been newly lined. They happened to paint the deck floors around the pool the days we were there.
The pool's one end is about four foot deep and quickly drops off to "over the head" depth making it more an adults pool only. Just a note. Though there were some families with children on site the youngin's were quiet well behaved and we never had that "Kiddie take over" feel.
We made good use of the Jacuzzi (rare to find others in it) almost daily and I was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere of the deck area. There was always a table and/or lounges to be found. We did have a chuckle or two noting which lights would be plugged in each night adding to the evenings romantic vibes. The deck's close proximity to the formal bar upstairs made for a pleasant place to spend time before or after dinner. Lunch on the pool deck was popular for some.
We were privy to enjoy live local entertainment on the deck three evenings during our one week+ stay that included the Tuesday night Manager's Rum Punch Party...and a good time was had by all.
Palm Tree Shaded Beach with Protected Waters
The beach was perfect for us. This isn't a huge property but the few hundred yard beach-front was palm tree laden with plenty of shade and lounge chairs on most days. This is one of the best beaches we noted during our stay for comfort, shade, calm waters with a beach bar and facilities nearby.
An artificial reef was dropped in about one hundred feet from shore making a block of the ocean waves and providing calm waters. Inside the reefs lagoon like setting were "reef balls." These are three foot concrete formed balls with open holes allowing for fish to find protection. This made for an excellent place for beginner snorkelers to learn to appreciate the animals of the sea. My wife and I, avid snorkelers, took time to slowly observe the interaction of the different species of fish within that ecosystem. Low tide is the best time to do this.
Quick story...One morning we noticed yellow caution tape providing a ten foot circle near the beach edge. Later a worker started digging finding a collection of nearly 200 sea turtle eggs that were set in the sands by a mother turtle the night before. The Coconut Court people were careful to place them in a more secure area. It was an interesting process to watch and hopeful a few of those baby's will survive their walk to the ocean in some 50 days from now. It was good to see the hotels concern for the environment and the animals that live there.
The beach area was well maintained with a clean-up person there most every day raking palm tree a sea grape leaves and such.
The Sea Grape Bar And A Class Act In Antonio
When on a tropical vacation my wife and I love having an afternoon lunch with a few drinks with our toes in the sand. The Sea Grape Bar, not much more than a plywood frame shack with gingerbread trim and six bar stools is the domain of Antonio whose smile and grace captured the hearts of many, including my wife. It was his suggestion of bacon and pineapple on a blue cheese burger that captured the heart of this man through his stomach.
Drinks are reasonable with quick service. Be sure to listen for the ring of the bell opening and closing Happy Hours! A couple of round tables on a small deck and a handful of small brightly painted and shaded picnic tables allow for comfortable afternoon dining beach side.
Not Everything Is Perfect in Paradise
With our room price we were offered a hot meatless breakfast every morning. That was fine and bacon and more can be ordered for a price. Unfortunately the service in the morning left much to be desired. When we did order bacon it was arriving well after we were finished eating. A light evening snack ordered poolside came very cold. Apparently the kitchen was prompt but getting anything from that point to our table failed miserably. That same service, as noted earlier, was excellent at the beach bar.
It seemed that the morning crew just didn't have their act together. The popular beach-front tables were never, I mean never, attended to immediately after a party left. Every day we had to ask for someone to clear a table...and had to wait each time. Clearing the table and wiping it down at the same time was also, not the norm. Many a time we had to ask for the table to be cleaned after being cleared.
We did however have excellent results at the restaurant for their weekly Tuesday evening buffet offering Bajan fair after a Managers Rum Punch Party with plenty of live music to boot.
What was truly more troubling was the fact that some tables looked like the movie set of the Hitchcock film "The Birds." Any food left unattended on a plate was pecked at by some kind of black birds and pigeons that were perched in the rafters, power lines and trees waiting for their moment of attack. I quickly learned that first day that one must first bring any juices and coffee to the table before getting as plate of food. On that first day, when I returned to my table, food first coffee later, half my eggs and potatoes were gone! I stared down those fat birds for the next few days!!
Simply put, if the tables are quickly attended to, the birds never would get into the habit of getting a "free lunch" every morning. My wife and I have been to many, many open-aired water front restaurants, including our home town. No where else have we ever see this kind of infestation of birds. The bird problem did not seem to extend into lunch and dinner service. Perhaps it wasn't part of their meal plan.
Another fact that also put a dark cloud over our paradise one particular day was when an extremely heavy influx of cruise-ship day visitors using all the lounges, squeezing out the shaded areas, filling up the lunch time picnic tables, andmaking the beach front more a Carnival Ship festival rather than the laid back attitude usually found.
Personally, I don't mind visitors and we did have pleasant conversation with many cruise people over the week ( we enjoy cruising too) but, many of the people who visited that day were boorish. That coming from this easy going guy who likes to have fun as well as the next fella.
One other thing that was different...We usually expect a clean towel a day for pool/beach use. One had to hold that one towel for days otherwise there is a charge for a clean towel daily. Also one day when we returned to our lounge chair after a dunk in the pool we found our towel gone. Another guest told us the help took the towel stating it was the wrong colour of the day! We never did follow up on that but I would hope that the help would exchange the wrong coloured towel with the proper colour rather than leaving us dripping wet and wondering what's up?.
Location, Location, Location
As with judging many properties, location is so important. The Coconut Court Beach Hotel excels in location! It is just a twenty minute ride from the airport. I believe the a good place to stay when flying in with JetBlue Air to Barbados. It's just two minutes (not in rush hour) to the main port town of Bridgeport too. The Coconut Court happens to be in the heart of a historic Garrison area too.
Two well known destinations for fine dining along with other food and fun destinations, the "Gap" and "Oistons" are just fifteen and twenty minutes away. There are many local eateries just across the street and down the road a piece so there's plenty of diversity in food choices.
Because I rented a car I was pleased that there is relatively quick access to the ABC highway that connects to most of the country's main highways. We also used the bus system that has stops right in front of the hotel. The night time security guard was helpful to us our first nights out.
Summing It Up
My wife and I felt the Coconut Court Beach hotel grew on us everyday. It's not perfect and can use some improvement in a couple of areas but my wife and I would return in a heart beat. The mature flora around the property added a regal touch while most of the resort exuded an easy going, laid back style. Those rum punches served at the Coconut Court Beach Hotel are delicious and can hit ya like a freight train. The small, on property, gift shop made for convenience and the book-share cabinet in the lobby made for good reading.
The combination of dedicated, hard working, people like Kathy and Scott along with a perfect location makes this a popular stop for many return callers. It was also a pleasure to have daily conversations with so many different people from Europe, Canada and other US states. We were able to compare notes and share experiences most of which were planned by the hotel staff.
Yup, we were quite pleased with the Coconut Court Beach Hotel and can't wait to return.
The Internet is your best friend as nowadays, there are many online portals specializing in last minute travel bookings.
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