Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados

I feel compelled to give a review of this hotel, and it's staff. I hope this reaches the highest of management, as my wife and I felt like family as soon as we arrived. We were only there for 4 days, but in that time, we were treated as lifelong friends. To name a few people, Ishona in concierge, Adrian in the restaurant, Victor, and Judy at the desk, and Keron who I saw all the time. Also there was Shane at the beach taking care of everyone, and also the cleaning staff who took great care of our room everyday. There are many more people we encountered, and all were amazing. I just don't remember everyone's name. Overall, it was an amazing experience, especially because of the people.

The Radisson saved us! The Island Inn across the street, that we booked and prepaid because they said beforehand they could accommodate my celiac disease for gluten free, basically bailed on me and said I had to eat from the buffet.
The staff at the Radisson, especially the very patient front desk manager and concierge Akila, were warm, efficient, sensitive to our situation and professional. The restaurant servers took my celiac disease very seriously and made me delicious meals. The beach and water were wonderful. I would happily return anytime.😃

This run down hotel needs serious maintenance. Fixtures tired and broken, water runs between scalding and cold, balcony doir damaged and hard, dirty grout in bathroom There's more.

I’ve been coming here since 2015 - whether staying at the Radisson or simply enjoying the beach - and every single time, the welcome has been nothing short of royal.

A heartfelt thank you to Shen, Mr. Trey and his team, and Miss Gisel at reception for their constant kindness and professionalism. You truly make every visit special.

Already looking forward to coming back again next year.

Thank you so much!

Oleg

Do not go her it’s slimy and tatty…..
A poor run down hotel just knock it down and start again….. Old, rusty and furniture from the 70s need a paint and a scrub…..
Beach amenities poor, beach chairs with old plastic twine
The bar is disgusting too…..
The Sunday lunch is a rip off with birds in and out the food area other eating establishments with better quality food and pricing…..
The owners need to get modern the place is battered and had its time

I was hesitant about staying here after reading some of the reviews but was very impressed throughout our stay. I was there with my three daughters for three weeks and the staff couldn’t have done more to help us. Reception staff were efficient, helpful and very friendly at all times. Housekeeping staff did an amazing job, were very flexible and kept us very well supplied with fresh towels, fresh bedding, water and toiletries. Beach team were friendly and helpful. Bar and waiting staff were great. The hotel is older and a bit run down in parts, but our two rooms were ideal - very clean, very comfortable beds, good sized fridge, AC, balcony. We had no problem staying here for three weeks. The location is great, on one of the nicest beaches on the island and close to Bridgetown and many restaurants and bars (although not too many in walking distance). It’s also excellent value for money compared to other hotels in Barbados. No hesitation in recommending.

Great location to Bridgetown and the main beach on Carlisle Bay. Friendly staff.

Not many restaurants nearby other than the hotel's restaurant and a burger place. The property is tired and needs a good painting and updating. The shower in 305 had low water pressure, the water wasn't very hot, the phone didn't work. Get up early if you want to get a chair on the beach because there won't be one waiting for you if you don't. But like I said, good location and great staff, so these other inconveniences didn't ruin a nice stay.

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.