Whoa we're going to Barbados...

We flew Business class return on a nonstop flight with British Airways which took approximately 9hrs flying time.

Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation. It’s a relatively small island at only 166 sq. miles. Around the island are beaches, botanical gardens, the Harrison’s Cave formation, and 17th-century plantation houses like St. Nicholas Abbey. Local traditions include afternoon tea and cricket, the national sport.

We chose to stay at the newly refurbished 4* ‘Waves Hotel & Spa’ on the West Coast (where you really do get the best sunsets). On arrival, you’re greeted with a beautiful vista of the Caribbean Sea in the distance. The hotel is modern & uses light driftwood & pastel coloured glass in its decor using a pallet of sandy creams & beige mixed with blues & greens of the sea – it’s a very relaxing combination.

The main part of the hotel with reception, accommodations, the main restaurant, coffee shop & bar are on the ocean side of the street and another part of the hotel with spa rooms, the SPA itself & the a la carte restaurant is situated across the road.

We chose to stay in a SPA room as we like peace & quiet and this area of the hotel is also ‘Adult only’ - We weren’t disappointed. Our room was bright & airy with a comfy bed & large shower (big enough for 6 but don’t hold me to that). On our first morning, we had breakfast and had no problem at 9.30am finding a sunbed by the spa pool. Our room rate also included 2x 30min spa treatment which was very good & I upgraded one of mine to an hour for a small additional cost.

The hotel only offers All Inclusive and has a choice of 2 restaurants – main restaurant ‘Seascape’ & the Asian fusion a la carte ‘Shiso’. The hotels also have a lovely coffee shop open for light lunches & afternoon tea offering specialty coffees & teas and yummy cup cakes (all included in the AI package). There is one main bar next to ‘Seascape’ that serves a selection of branded drinks as well as local and another bar in the Shiso Restaurant. There is nightly entertainment aimed at adults, such as saxophonist, singers & live bands.

There was another lap pool & day beds next to reception but most people used the sunbeds on the beach so the beach was always quite busy. The hotel offers complimentary water sports including water ski and tube riding which my husband & I did and we’ve never laughed so hard for so long. Who knew being towed behind a speedboat in a blown up inner tube could be so much fun! Mick also had a go at paddle boarding but sadly didn’t even get off his knees!

The hotels offer a ‘dine around’ program whereby you can dine at other Elegant Resorts in the company portfolio and they do offer a complimentary boat shuttle to Tamarind, Colony Beach & Crystal Cove. However, you do need to make a dinner reservation if you plan to dine at any of the other hotels and if you are dining at one that doesn’t offer the AII Inclusive meal basis you will be required to pay a supplement.

The hotel is a great new addition to Barbados and will appeal to those that prefer a smaller, boutique style property with personal service. It is predominantly British clientele and most of the guests appeared to be in their mid 30’s-60’s. I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to clients ensuring the right room type is matched to their requirements.