Getting There: The taxi from the airport in the late hours is $30. It is $25 during normal time.
The question of this trip is not whether the Radisson Barbados is a nice hotel. The question is whether it is worth staying at a nice hotel or whether it is better to save those points and pay for day passes at a beach club. Before I get into that, let’s talk hotel.
Checking In
JetBlue’s redeye flight gets you into Barbados at 5AM. My hope was that the hotel would let me check in extra early. Sometimes that happens (see Sheraton Brooklyn), and sometimes it does not (see this post). Since the room was not ready, we took a beach towel and watched the sun go up and then fell asleep on the beach chair until noon.
Here are those photos of the sun rising on the homeless couple:
The Facilities
The pool was a joke but who comes to Barbados to swim in the pool? The gym was well-equipped but why lift in a gym when you can run on the beach?
The Beach
The beach is pristine. The waters are clear. There is no such thing as a private beach in Barbados. The government rightfully allows access to all beaches for all people.
The Location
The Radisson overlooks Carlisle’s Bay, a beautiful strip of oceanfront property that was probably more beautiful before Radisson built an ugly add-on that divided it. The hotel is a short taxi or bus ride to Bridgetown, but we did not make it that far. There were plenty of restaurants and bars within walking distances of the hotel. There was also Harbour Lights nightclub for those that want to boogie and eat burgers while in Barbados.
The Room
We were upgraded to a room with a direct view of the ocean and two balconies. It was amazing to wake up each morning and see the ocean from my bed. It was also great to sit on the balcony, drink rum, and watch the sun go down each night.
The Service
The only negative about the hotel was the service. The staff was not rude but they were clueless about where to eat, where to drink, and how to coordinate any tours. We received all our information from the Barbados Cruising Club.
Beach Club Or Resort?
So let’s get back to the question posed earlier. Which is better : a good hotel or a proper beach club? The answer is to do both. Although the hotel’s facilities were nothing special, the room made it worth spending the points. Since the Radisson was right next door to the Cruising Club, I had the best of both worlds.
Overall
I recommend the Radisson Barbados as the jumping off spot for a fun holiday on this beautiful island.
Well, at least you got your choice of beach chairs by getting there early. No Tommy Bahama rum, eh?
true!
Was breakfast included, and if not, how much was it?
no it wasn’t and i didn’t ask, anti breakfast haa
I know you’re normally against breakfast, but I figured after being up all night, some food may have been the way to go. Also, how were prices locally? Your post reminds me that I’m way past due to go back.
pretty expensive place. the bills for a big lunch of drinks and food were $75-$80.
That restaurant on the pier took away good part of the beach charm..
How was the food and variety, expenses etc?
didn’t eat at the hotel, went for street food and the cruising club next door.