Barbados hotel recommendations pre Seabourn cruise

[galeforce9]

Does anyone have recommendations please for a good but not exhorbitant pre cruise hotel in Barbados please?   Seabourn is using the Fairmont Royal Pavillion but the cost of this for one night and transfers each way is around £900 per couple!   

[Camillus112]

We cruised the Caribbean with Seabourn from Barbados in January 2018.  We independently booked the Barbados Hilton and were very pleased.  If I remember correctly it was somewhat less than $300 per night.  I recommend you search in TripAdvisor for your preferred type of hotel.

[princeton123211]

You could get it slightly cheaper by booking direct with Fairmont-- the rates tend to be more in the £660 range and just hire your own transportation to get there. Usually booking hotels directly with the cruise line isn't the least expensive option. We've stayed there a few times before and its quite nice. The other one thats even more over the top is Sandy Lane-- its slightly more expensive but if you're going to get hosed you might as well have a good time doing it!

 

There are though far less expensive places in Barbados to stay. I remember seeing a Hilton, Radisson, etc-- not as idyllic as some of the higher end ones but decent options nonetheless. 

[VegasDave]

We stayed at Fairmont Royal Pavillon.  Very nice.  Did not go through Seabourn.

The hotel was able to expedite us through immigration in Barbados.

 

 

[galeforce9]

Thanks for all the replies.  VegasDave - did this just work on the inward immigration?  I presume not after your cruise (although land based guests would benefit both ways). How did you get to the hotel and did you book direct?  Thanks 

[FlyingScotSailors]

Hi Eleanor & Neil,

 

We stayed at the Savannah Beach Hotel in Barbados before our Odyssey transatlantic in April 2018.  It was clean and nice and on the beach, not fancy or the Ritz, but prices now seem to be from about $163 US a night, with breakfast and a welcome drink!  It is half way between the airport and cruise post.  Taxis were perhaps $25 dollars.  If you are there on a Friday evening, you should go the Oistin's fish fry; we took the local jitney for $1 per person each way, an experience in itself. 😀

 

Ann & Peter

[IanL]

Which ever hotel you choose, and most are 4 star or so in Barbados, you can fast track through Viator and I would recommend this as arrivals at the airport behind three other arrivals will be a nightmare. For one or two nights I could recommend Mango Bay, good beach, not expensive, friendly and I would say three star plus although boasting the usual 4 stars.

[Fletcher]

I notice Seabourn has several advertisements in today's Daily Telegraph with knock-down prices for, inter alia, Odyssey cruises in the Caribbean, which seems to include the hotel and transfers on Barbados.  The price you have been quoted, galeforce, seems excessive.

 

I've stayed at the Royal Pavilion - a nice section of beach and not bad for a chain hotel.  Most recently I stayed, apres cruise, at Cobbler's Cove which is part of the Relais & Chateaux consortium - dated room, appallingly eroded beachfront but fabulous food.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Fletcher

[galeforce9]

Thanks Fletcher.  Very helpful 

[Host Dan]

I'm staying at the Hilton for 2 nights before my Odyssey crossing.

[Camillus112]

39 minutes ago, Host Dan said:

I'm staying at the Hilton for 2 nights before my Odyssey crossing.

 

We are planning practically the same Seabourn cruise we did in 2018 for January 2020 (we so much enjoyed it!) and will appreciate your comments on the Hilton...we would like to stay there again if quality is still good.  Thanks!

[Maui Bill]

I am at the Hilton for two nights before boarding the Quest 4/17.

[Daneite]

We like to stay at Beach View in St James, we usually stay 3 nights before joining the ship to adjust to time zone. They have just built new apartments that we should have tried this month but unfortunately had to cancel our cruise. It is beautiful and has great reviews on tripadvisor. 

 

[galeforce9]

1 hour ago, Daneite said:

We like to stay at Beach View in St James, we usually stay 3 nights before joining the ship to adjust to time zone. They have just built new apartments that we should have tried this month but unfortunately had to cancel our cruise. It is beautiful and has great reviews on tripadvisor. 

 

Danielle

 

This is the place I finally decided on. 2 days in a 2 bed new villa.  Can I ask if there is a nearby shop (apart from the on site hut) available for a few provisions and can you recommend anywhere for informal eats, including breakfast?   We’ll arrive about 4.30 and I think the hut will be shut by then.   Any other tips appreciated, such as taxi costs, nearby places to visit, tours etc. would be greatly  appreciated. 

[galeforce9]

On 3/30/2019 at 12:18 AM, FlyingScotSailors said:

Hi Eleanor & Neil,

 

We stayed at the Savannah Beach Hotel in Barbados before our Odyssey transatlantic in April 2018.  It was clean and nice and on the beach, not fancy or the Ritz, but prices now seem to be from about $163 US a night, with breakfast and a welcome drink!  It is half way between the airport and cruise post.  Taxis were perhaps $25 dollars.  If you are there on a Friday evening, you should go the Oistin's fish fry; we took the local jitney for $1 per person each way, an experience in itself. 😀

 

Ann & Peter

Hi Ann and Peter

 

I hope you are well.  Thanks for your comments.  We’re visitinv Shetland and Wales again after good experiences on the Quest this year and just back from two trips to Italy and a Northern Lights Cruise to Norway.  What are you up to? 

[Daneite]

33 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

Danielle

 

This is the place I finally decided on. 2 days in a 2 bed new villa.  Can I ask if there is a nearby shop (apart from the on site hut) available for a few provisions and can you recommend anywhere for informal eats, including breakfast?   We’ll arrive about 4.30 and I think the hut will be shut by then.   Any other tips appreciated, such as taxi costs, nearby places to visit, tours etc. would be greatly  appreciated. 

There is a petrol station nearby with a shop where you can get essentials, Beach View usually put a couple of bagels in your room and there is a coffee maker with coffee so a light breakfast is catered for. We usually pay for a grocery pack $40 I think you get eggs, jam, bread, butter, milk. Since the new villas have opened there is a new place to eat onsite which is open until late serving food, there is also a pizza place virtually next door, which is very easy especially the first evening! 

We usually take a bus $1 each up to Holetown, the bus stop is opposite the hotel, it drops you at the supermarket in Holetown where you can get everything you may need. There are lots of places around to eat, too many to mention!!

The whole team at Beach View are friendly and will point you in the right direction for whatever you want to do. We usually just chill, getting over the jet lag so that we are fresh for our cruise:-)

 

[Fletcher]

Renting a car in Barbados is a good idea - we've done it two or three times and always head for the dramatic east coast where the Atlantic comes crashing in.  Almost devoid of hotels, this side of the island is utterly unlike the bling central of the west side.  

[italycruiser]

I am also staying at the Hilton for two nights before the Odyssey crossing on April 6.  Haven't stayed there before but got good recommendations from others who are familiar with the property.    Also had advice to buy the Viator expedited assistance through customs and immigration at BGI and did so - will see how that goes.

[VegasDave]

When we stayed at Fairmont Royal Pavillon we booked our airport pickup 

from the hotel.  There was a driver waiting for us at the airport and he was 

able to expedite us through immigration.  Wherever you stay, contact the

concierge and see if they will do this for you.

[jenidallas]

For our last two Seabourn departures/arrivals we've stayed at both the Hilton and the Courtyard by Marriott.  Hilton has pretty views but we actually preferred the Courtyard for the ease of restaurants within walking distance.

 

We've had issues with checking in at the Hilton before 2 pm whereas the Marriott has always pushed to get our rooms ready quickly (and that's with status with both chains).

[labates629]

I also stayed at the Courtyard and enjoyed the easy, safe walk to restaurants ('Tapas' particularly from memory!).  Also has a small beach you can walk across the road too.  Not fancy, but very clean and convenient with a decent breakfast buffet.  We actually used one of the Marriot free night certificates as well.   

[FlyingScotSailors]

On 3/31/2019 at 5:42 AM, galeforce9 said:

Hi Ann and Peter

 

I hope you are well.  Thanks for your comments.  We’re visiting Shetland and Wales again after good experiences on the Quest this year and just back from two trips to Italy and a Northern Lights Cruise to Norway.  What are you up to? 

 

Hi Eleanor & Neil,

 

We are  fine.  After the Quest with you, we were back on the Quest from Montreal to Miami, and the the Encore around New Zealand, (our first Encore class cruise; we posted a review).  Next up are land-based tours to Ireland and then Greece.  We have two itinerary-driven Silversea cruises, first to the Galapagos in December 2019, and then Ushuaia to Capetown, in February 2021!  That cruise has two days scheduled in the Falklands and five in South Georgia.  It also visits several islands only Fletcher has heard of. 🤔  We also have a Quest transatlantic in April 2020.

 

We sent your fantastic Northern Lights photo to a friend, but he did not believe we took it in our backyard! 🤥

 

Since this is your thread, we are not worried about hijacking it.

 

Hope we will sail together again.

 

Ann & Peter

 

[Fletcher]

12 minutes ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

 

We have two itinerary-driven Silversea cruises, first to the Galapagos in December 2019, and then Ushuaia to Capetown, in February 2021!  That cruise has two days scheduled in the Falklands and five in South Georgia.  It also visits several islands only Fletcher has heard of. 🤔  We also have a Quest transatlantic in April 2020.

 

 

 

 

FlyingScotSailors - My wife and I went on the Silver Galapagos two months ago.  I wrote about it here -

 

[FlyingScotSailors]

Thanks Fletcher.  We starting exploring the Silver Galapagos cruises after seeing the cruise in your signature last year.

[lynn-in-nc]

We waited til the last minute to book our pre-cruise hotel in Barbados and the pickings were very limited.  We wanted to be able to walk to restaurants and chose the St. Lawrence Gap area.  We ended up at the Yellow Bird hotel which was clean and perfectly fine but not very luxurious, but the location was perfect.  Driving around the island we noticed that most of the hotels were pretty isolated even though they were on the main road, with nothing around them, so it was nice to have this location where you could walk to dinner and afterwards.