Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados

We have just spent 10 days at the Raddison Aquatica.

I wanted to give a review that felt honest but also fair as when I read them ahead of us staying here I was anxious as they all felt quite negative.

The hotel is fine. It’s not 5 star luxury but it definitely isn’t as bad as it has been painted in some reviews in my opinion.
I would say it’s a 3 star hotel that could do with some updating but has some good plus points.

The location on pebble beach is lovely I’ve been to Barbados 4 times and it’s a lovely beach within walking distance of Carlisle Bay as well which is the beach where most people snorkel and swim with the turtles.
The race horses visit most mornings and it is lovely to watch them in the water.
The beach chairs can get taken quite quickly but we only had one day of not getting one when we wanted.

The people are very friendly but customer service isn’t at the forefront. We had a baby with us and had requested a cot, I even emailed the week before to confirm and when we arrived they said they had run out and would get us one tomorrow. Obviously this wasn’t going to work, we did eventually get it sorted but it was just not seen as a big deal to the staff.

The rooms were cleaned well, one day we had a smell in our room but it was only once.
Wasn’t sure what it was but it wasn’t constant thankfully. The rooms are a bit dated and the shower can be temperamental but I always had a hot shower every day.

The breakfast was a buffet style with an omelette station. Breakfast isn’t cheap but nothing is in Barbados, there is quite a lot of choice though and we did always find something to eat on the 3 or 4 times we had breakfast at the hotel.

Alternatively you have a lot of places locally, like Bean n Bagel, Blush café, Art Splash.
There is also a lady on the beach each morning who does coffee’s and banana bread which is delicious.

Overall this hotel is fine, it’s not the best, it’s not the worst! I heard people say “see you next year” to staff! Would I return, probably not but do I regret booking this hotel, no!

Best thing is the fantastic staff- very friendly and helpful.
Negative aspect-
Poor water pressure! We had no water for more than 11 hours.
Poor cell reception
Weird restaurant-bar set up. Poor signage, like where’s the restaurant and what are the times? No posted menu, no greeters; how come I don’t see people eating in there not counting breakfast? Now the beach: it’s extremely narrow on the Radisson beach side-this is very odd- you can’t walk north to the rest of the beach unless you go out of the hotel, walk all around to the very busy main road, then walk about a 1/2 mile to beach access. When you get to the beach, it’s fabulous. Last plus: There is a very nice pool if you have kids.

Handy pre-cruise hotel. Large room with 2 balconies. 2 double beds, fridge and free water. lovely beach with pool and loungers plus umbrellas. Sandy and safe to swim. Pier now a bit worse for wear. Restaurant open sided to encourage birds which we liked but others didnt. Surrounding area a bit sparse with eateries but a nearby convenience store for Deputy beers! Didnt see any swimming horses as they arrive very early.

Just stayed 9 nights room only at the Radisson we had a room overlooking Carlisle bay that was very spacious & comfortable clean linen every day, the only let down was we didn’t get any sun on the balcony all day. The staff are very friendly especially Shaun the beach attendant he couldn’t do enough for us (unlike his colleague Darius who we found rude). Great location, great beach had a wonderful time.

Everything in this place needs repair. Toilet wouldn't flush day two, we complained and they said no one was able to fix it until the next day. The next day they "forgot" we needed a repair. We used lobby restrooms which were way nicer than the room. The tub was cracked and gross. Pool was filthy and beach just ok. Skippers next door was very cute bar and restaurant. Ac worked but was extremely loud.

One of the harder reviews I’ve written as trying to balance the price point to the property and experience. Most of the reviews here are pretty accurate, both positive and negative. You cannot compare to a Hilton down the beach at double the price. Barbados is need of something in this pricing. As you know, the building is degrading further every year, not just being “tired” but concrete chunks fallen out, balconies rusted right through the supports etc. Clearly, it has been decided no money is being put into it, owners will run it into the ground and then cash in on the land value, which some conglomerate will buy and bulldoze it. My biggest disappointment was that the simple daily maintenance that costs little wasn’t even being done. They could replace the molded caulking in the showers, install toilet paper holders that are not broken, fix tub stoppers so they aren’t pulled out and sitting on the bathtub, flickering lights, fix broken sliding doors which seem plenty and so on. Anyways, our experience as follows:

Front desk - staff are pleasant enough, try to explain in detail how they process payment. Lots of taxes and surcharges hike up the nightly rate by almost 30%. Do not appreciate the 10% surcharge on top of VAT, hotel levies…. Always able to assist with taxis etc.

Room - nice size, ours had two balconies but only furniture for one. Balcony furniture was newer which was a nice surprise, tv works well with a lot of channels, fridge works nicely keeping drinks cold. Bathroom as stated above. Bed was broken a little , a bit hard but otherwise fine. Always two bottle of normal size water bottles provided every day. Were without water for a long period one day. Little acknowledgement from the hotel. Shower water pressure is low, but enough. Water is lukewarm warm to warm.

Housekeeping - best department in the hotel, nothing but positive to say about them.

Beach - small , rocks in some areas but plenty areas of sand in the water. One beach attendant great, the other very rude. Area could be kept a little cleaner. Towels provided.

Pool - very small, not the cleanest, only frequented occasionally by families with small children.

Other - elevators(2) work well. Make sure to check out horses on the beach at 5:30am. Did not try the restaurant. An overwater pavilion wasted as closed down and in neglect.

Overall IMO, this hotel works well as a 3/4 night quick getaway when other hotels are either sold-out or priced high. Not a lot of restaurants in the area, a good burger bar nearby and some expensive mediocre beach ones nearby, it is very safe to walk about but be careful especially at night where sidewalks tend to disappear or get thinner. We did walk into town one day.

We had a lovely time. Staff and locals very kind and helpful! Pool was small and perfect for laps. Calm beach. Judy very helpful at front desk. Towel/pool attendant always helpful and attentive. Selwyn very kind to the children

The hotel itself is tired and the building itself is falling apart but although dated the room we had was lovely and views breathtaking. Staff all polite and helpful the beach boys lovely guys. Breakfast was as you would expect choice of fried, cereal, toast, fresh fruit coffee and tea. This Radisson is not part of the Radisson group so I don’t know if the owner will commence repairs. It’s in a beautiful location totally breathtaking.

Do you want me to say that this is a perfect hotel? Well too bad. It’s definitely not. But if you’re coming to Barbados to sit around in the hotel, then you’re just not the kind of person that I am writing for, or honestly, the kind of person that I even want to know!

The hotel sits right next to Carlisle Bay. That should be enough to tell you why you need to come here. I can’t go into a whole long description of this, so please look up Carlisle Bay if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Cuz’s is a two - minute walk. And then, there are the horses…

The things people complain about: sporadic hot water, a certain dinginess, overpriced and not incredibly exciting food, etc. They are not wrong. Well, The Crane is waiting for you, at $600 minimum a night! Knock yourself out, in Your Own Private Aruba!

For those of us plebes who actually come to Barbados for its very particular and special vibes, in order to Chill and (forgive me for using this word!) Lime, this very imperfect hotel is perfect.

I’m a returning guest of many years and when I arrived there seemed to be a bit of confusion over my room. Victor stepped in and went above and beyond to sort it, check my room and ensure I was comfortable. He went out of his way to make sure something was sorted for me on his day off and continued to check on me throughout my stay. He really did give more than a five star service and for that I am very appreciative.

Thanks Victor you're a star and I'm grateful for how you looked after me- everything you did for me on arrival really made my holiday.

Old hotel in poor condition and the pictures and description very deceiving. Small area of beach for sunbeds but nowhere near enough for the number of guests wanting to use them. There were only 6 sunbeds next to the pool and they don't have any parasols available for that area, so nothing like what is shown in the pictures. The one mile of white sand beach is the entire bay and not referring to the hotel.
Upon arrival we went to the bar to get a drink but there were no bar stools or any other seating to sit and relax. It appeared to be used mainly for staff to get drinks during meal times. The 'UNESCO listed Victorian Pier' did not appear to be in use and it would have been nice to have seating and use this for sitting with a drink.We asked for glasses of wine - didn't have any, asked for whisky and cola - had no whisky only bourbon. Most unsatisfactory for a so called 4* hotel.
The cost of breakfast was £25 each and the quality of food pretty dire. The lids of the food dishes were left open by staff so food was also cold and as the restaurant was open there were birds flying in landing on tables and on the food dishes.
There was nowhere else to go on Christmas Day so we really had no choice other than eat in the restaurant in the evening at a cost of £154 for the two of us and the quality, choice and temperature of the food was not good and it was a waste of money as we hardly ate anything. There were a number of people that had ordered room service but it did not arrive and when they went to complain they were told their orders had not been received!!
The room was a good size but could have done with a deep clean and the shower pressure was awful. The lifts smelt of sewage.#
This hotel was not our choice but part of a package, not a good start to our holiday mand we couldn't wait to leave. When our taxi came to pick us up the driver asked how we liked the hotel and when we told him he laughed and said he had never picked anyone up yet that had liked it. Suggest you go somewhere else.

Hotel is awful dated and has a musky smell
Honestly its the worst hotel I've ever stayed in
Its horrendous.
Wouldn't stay here of you paid me

Food good. Staff very helpful, pleasant always smiling. The beach is brilliant. The hotel is on the beach.
Rooms are a bit tired, bathroom needs attention.

Luckily we went to view it in person before booking it. What a dive needs a total refurb and such a dissapointment im so glad we didnt waste our time booking this. The beach was dirty chairs broken and pool was like a concrete hole. Truly awful

Disappointing stay – well below expectations
I’ve travelled to Barbados many times and stayed in a wide range of accommodation, from luxury to very basic. Unfortunately, this was my worst experience overall at Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados.
The beach area is poorly managed with nowhere near enough loungers, and the staff were generally rude or argumentative. The only exceptions were Jeanette and Shane, who genuinely tried to help and are the main reason this isn’t a one-star review.
The facilities are very tired and clearly in desperate need of refurbishment. Food options are extremely limited and nowhere near worth the prices being charged. Ironically, a nearby food truck despite having very poor visual hygiene served better food at far better value, which is not what you expect from a Radisson-branded hotel.
Before this trip, I had spoken very highly of Barbados and convinced a good friend to travel with his family. That unfortunately ended in embarrassment due to a complete failure in delivering basic hospitality from day one. A clear example: my friend ordered a margarita pizza and was given a vegetarian pizza. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, the staff member tried to argue that in “Bajan culture” a vegetarian pizza is considered a margarita. This is absolute nonsense and felt insulting to our intelligence.
To be fair, the hotel managers were apologetic and did attempt to make things right, but in reality very little changed. As a side note, a dead pigeon was left on the roof of the restaurant, clearly visible, for almost my entire stay even after I personally mentioned it to the general manager four days in.
I would not recommend this hotel at all until there are serious improvements to staff attitude and a full refurbishment of the property.

⭐⭐ Radisson Barbados – Disappointing 10-Night Stay
We stayed at the Radisson Barbados for 10 nights and unfortunately the experience was very disappointing.
The breakfast buffet was extremely basic and felt more like a budget hotel than a Radisson. Every day it was largely the same: deep-fried bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, beans, fish cakes, plantain, a few tiny pastries, melon, grapes, kiwi, and a couple of other fruits. There was a basic omelette station. After a long stay, the lack of variety became very frustrating. One member of staff in the breakfast area, Jeanette, really stood out as friendly and helpful — sadly she was the exception.
Housekeeping was very poor. My sons were actually told off by cleaners for their room not being tidy — they are on holiday. Towels were not replaced, water was not restocked, and we were left without toilet roll on more than one occasion.
The pool is extremely small, with no towels provided and not enough loungers. The beach area also lacked sufficient loungers. Most of the beach staff were rude and argumentative. One staff member named Shane stood out positively; the rest made interactions uncomfortable rather than welcoming.
We also had a frustrating experience with food service at the beach. We ordered three pizzas to our sun loungers. There was confusion over the order, and we were told that “in their culture” a margherita is considered a vegetable pizza, despite our friends clearly ordering margherita, pepperoni, and vegetable. The staff member made a mistake but refused to acknowledge it or resolve the issue, which again came across as argumentative rather than customer-focused.
The rooms are very basic, the beds are very small, and overall the rooms feel tired and outdated. To make matters worse, security accused my husband of lying about which room we were staying in, which was completely unacceptable and embarrassing.
This hotel could be amazing, as the location is good and we hired cars to get around easily. However, the hotel needs a full refresh, and the staff urgently need proper training in all areas of hospitality.
Overall, this was not the standard expected from the Radisson brand, and we would not return unless significant improvements are made

Just got back from a wonderful 10 days at the Radisson Aquatica Resort in Barbados. There have been past reviews criticizing this property saying it was run down and needing renovation. Perhaps so in spots but glad it is still there with wonderful staff and location. Special mention to Victor at Front Desk and Sophia, Britney, and Kimberley who went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable.

The washroom in the room was really run down. The room itself is worn but very clean. Balcony is nice. Location is perfect. Staff is great. Beach is right there!!! Pool is nice. Food is good. Price/value is unbeatable.

Absolutely loved this place. So ok it doesn’t have all the mod cons but it has the basics even down to coffee machine and iron and ironing board in your room. The staff are super helpful and friendly. We were greeted with a rum punch on arrival which was delicious. The rooms are spacious with a nice size balcony, mostly with views of the ocean. The beach is the best in Barbados we were told by someone who moved to Barbados from the UK and I’m not surprised. It’s a beautiful stretch of beach with a number of places to eat. For a small price of 25 BBD you can get a taxi to Hastings where on the Boardwalk are many bars and a fantastic restaurant called Tapas.

The condition of this hotel is appalling! The location is great as are the people who work there but the rooms are terrible.