Coral Reef Club

This was our first stay here for a total of eight nights in garden view king rooms. Having walked by the resort on many prior trips and reading the reviews etc we had high expectations. On our first night we dined at Sandpiper and had our worst dinner of our three weeks. The lobster was inedible and the staff there was indifferent. We dined once at Coral Reef and had a good experience along with good breakfasts and a few lunches. Shelly made the best crepes! The smoking tables are right beside the nice dining tables which is bothersome to us nonsmokers. Overall service at the beach, dining and with housekeeping is very good. Most of our calls to the front desk were never followed up on. As an American sports fan I was delighted that a TV could be brought to our room for the NFL playoffs. Matthew in particular made sure it had the right channels. Sadly though despite a few reminders on the 2nd part of our stay noone knew how to do this. Sigh. We learned most guests rebook every year and stay in the same rooms. There is much to like here but compared to some of our other resort stays it left us with a mixed opinion.

We had a delightful and lovely stay at the Coral Reef Club, from the time that we arrived until the time that we left. the caliber of service was amazing! Everyone is so friendly and attentive. We were so surprised when we checked in. Our flight was later in the day, and it was about 11:15pm when we arrived. We were greeted with, "We thought you might be hungry and left refreshments in your room." We were and were so appreciative of the delicious sandwiches! When we left, one of the breakfast servers said, "I know this is your favorite table and reserved it for you!" How extraordinary thoughtful! Our stay included breakfast, which was wonderful every morning. In addition to the buffet with eggs, sausage, bacon, croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc., it includes a made-to-order station of fresh omelets, waffles, and French toast. The morning standard coffee is French-press Lavazza! Unlike other resorts that we have stayed at, there was plenty of seating and we could choose where we sat. Because the resort is located on the west coast, the sunsets from the lounge were stunning and it was a great place to relax at the end of the day. The resort does not have many ocean view rooms; however, the entire property is a stunning tropical garden. Our room had a huge balcony with a beautiful view of the grounds. The room was comfortable. The hotel has an excellent location. After touring the island, we found that Holetown is one of the best places to stay with excellent restaurants and shopping. The hotel is located two properties away along the coast from Folkstone Marine Park which has one of the best reefs on the island. Guests at the resort are very friendly and delightful. Given that Barbados is part of the British Commonwealth, most of the guests are British. Many have stayed at the resort previously multiple times and even together year-after-year. But of course, why would one consider staying elsewhere when you can stay here? We would love to stay here again on a return trip to Barbados.

Coral Reef Club was recommended to us by British Airways and it did not disappoint. The setting is beautiful with immaculately maintained gardens, well presented and comfortable accommodation end excellent dining. The team of staff were friendly, attentive and always on hand to respond to our needs. A special thanks goes to Sheldon and Carlos who greeted us every morning with a welcoming smile at the beach. In addition, Prince, Serena and Deborah ensured we were served great cocktails, superb breakfasts and dinner throughout our 9 night stay. Thank you! We completely understand why guests return year after year. We will be planning our return fin 2026 having arrived back in UK this morning. The visibility of the O’Hara family day on day, clearly demonstrates their commitment to maintaining high standards and ensuring all guests feel welcomed and enjoy their stay. Fully appreciate the time taken to greet, chat and bid farewell to guests hence the reason this Coral Reef out shines other clubs. Amazing holiday, thank you all.

Our second visit. Staff friendly and efficient. Beach front area rearranged and improved. The beach is sandy and uncrowded. All bedrooms are large and, I think, have generous balconies. Rooms are in buildings dotted around gardens full of tropical plants. Lots of choice with the food, which was well cooked and served. Restaurant and bar well placed for cooling breezes and views of the sea. I did not think the evening singers and bands were as good as they usually are in the Caribbean.

Although I have been visiting Barbados since January 1979 this has been my first ever stay at Coral Reef Club. It might not be a club in the true sense of the word however if one of the great traditional gentleman's clubs (ladies usually allowed these days) were to open a Caribbean outpost, this would be it. While certainly not shabby it is all very traditional and certainly reminds me very much of my own club in London which was founded early in the 19th century. I love tradition and also the fact that so many of the ladies and gentlemen of the hotel have worked here for so long...which speaks volumes. The co-founder, a lady now in her 90s deserves an OBE for her life's work. Not only is there no hotel anything like this in Barbados ( and I should know... Aesthetic quite a few before settling on Sandy Lane for 15 years), I would be hard pushed to think of anywhere remotely similar, elsewhere in the Caribbean. There are some great hotels around such as the Rosewood in Saint Barths (which I'm looking forward to visiting later in the year)... but if what is on offer at Coral Reef is something you might appreciate, I can almost guarantee you will become a returning guest. This is an oasis of calm with a high standard of guests... Looked after by warm, friendly, attentive and professional staff. My family and I spent around 15 years staying regularly at Sandy Lane ...because our children loved it. So many of their school friends used to go there. During this period, our friends, John and Rain Chandler (they used to own an operate Barbados's legendary Fisherpond Great House and now provide their world beating Sunday lunches at Lancaster Great House) recommended Coral Reef to my wife many years ago but we were committed to Sandy Lane in those days. What I like particularly about this hotel is that you are highly unlikely to encounter guests playing music out loud on their iPhones at breakfast with their feet up on the table and making a lot of noise to say nothing of their other habits. Fortunately premiership footballers prefer flashier hotels to see and be seen (as do the sort of Russians who walk into the sea in their y-fronts smoking a cigar from their suite) and I don't see it. I've seen it all elsewhere and I don't want to experience it again. There is absolutely no way anything remotely similar to this type of behaviour would ever at Coral Reef club. This hotel excels at hospitality. There is a unique feel created by considerate guests, caring staff and excellent owners. While I am writing this on my last day from their Warleigh suite, I have had a good look around and I'm in no doubt that all of the accommodation is delightful. This hotel offers extremely good value and provides one of the most relaxing atmospheres that I have encountered for quite some time. None of the other guests have been annoying, I feel quite at home and I'm writing this only a few hours before my departure. Excellent housekeeping and wonderful freshly made ca

For the second year in succession we happily returned to Coral reef to a different plantation suite , the codrington , all these suites are similiar in design With its large open terrace large lounge and bedroom and very large bathroom , truly a special base from which to enjoy the hotel and Barbados . As I have said you can walk quite a way to the right and left of the hotel along the beach ,easily to their sister hotel , the Sandpiper . Once again we were impressed by the beautiful lounge and bar area by the restaurant which is unlike any other Barbados hotel , the food again was really good both at lunch where we dined casually on a table near the sea And of course on the enjoyable evenings with good entertainment from various entertainers , both service and food is better than most Barbados hotels . After the meal you can relax after the meal with a drink in the lovely lounge We always commenced our meal with a glass of champagne in the small outdoor space just off the lounge , a habit we look forward to continuing in the future. There really is almost no need to go out of the hotel to the many restaurants Other than just for a change , but when we did we were always pleased to return to Coral . The staff are very friendly and humorous making the holiday particularly enjoyable , I was amused by one trip critic who said older people returned to the hotel year after staying in the same rooms as though doing so is somehow annoying , of course they do ! As a couple enjoying many of the top hotels in the world we rate this one very highly and will return next year , with confidence .