Tamarind, Barbados, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort

Excellent stay at the Tamarind across 3 generations of my family. First to address some of the negative reviews I see here: 1. Barbados is a wealthier Carribean island, with a well developed infrastructure, easy to get around and feel safe while off the resort. You are naturally going to pay more to stay on this island than others. If price is a primary concern, you shouldn’t be coming to this island. 2. I’ve stayed on many other Carribean islands and this was by far the friendliest. To those who say staff here aren’t friendly…who are you comparing the staff too? Island values are different- do not compare this to 5 star hotels in Europe or North America. 3. Food- again, context matters. I thought the food was good, better than a lot of the other islands. Obviously not fair to compare to other areas of the world. The food is catered to Western appetites. If it was all local food some would rave and others would complain that they didn’t get “normal food.” Can never win on this topic. Now for my review: The good: 1. Again, excellent staff. Great suggestions on where to go (Boatyard in Bridgetown is a must if traveling with kids, and Cat and the Fiddle Catamaran for any age) and were very good dealing with rude guests. (I saw the same two British couples traveling together continually harass staff during our stay. Completely ridiculous.) Also very fast at dealing with issues that arose. Very kind to all of us, particularly my young daughter. 2. Being on the West side of island. There were some issues (see below) but generally water was calm and were able to see turtles in the water! 8 year old daughter was thrilled. 3. Drinks were very good, and very quick and easy to get them. Excellent bar and dining staff. 4. Again, I think the food was good. Don’t compare to back home. Never the same meal/buffet. Yes, things could be better but again what are you really expecting here? 5. The island. As mentioned above, lots of good things to do. A boat trip up the west coast is a must. 6. Rooms were generally quite tidy. No issues here. The less good: 1. The hotel does need work. They are closing in July 2024 for a year. Do not come here if you’re looking for a modern hotel. 2. The beach- while there were pros to the beach, it’s rocky. This is not unique to this hotel. If you are a beach goer, the reality is that climate change has wrecked havoc across the Carribean with soil erosion. Rocky in large parts of it, but there is a good section to bob and float about. This is not the hotels fault. Do not blame them. Also some weather lead to red flags on the beach the last few days. 3. The air conditioners do have condensation so water dripping is a concern. It’s also tough to cool a room with a single unit. If you need to sleep in cold rooms, go somewhere else! Overall great trip. It’s not cheap (relative to other islands) to come to Barbados, but if money isn’t a primary concern, a stay at Tamarind should be strongly considered!

On the beach

Bit tired

Please think carefully before staying at this hotel! I checked out the negative reviews before I went but there were so many positive ones I ignored the negative reviews and I shouldn’t have done so. The whole place needs shutting down and refurbishing from top to bottom. We were given cold food and replaced with the same meal barely heated through, I know it was the same plate of food as the bite I had taken out of the burger was still there and plain to see. Staff at the bar would stand chatting and seemed annoyed to be interrupted by having to serve us with a drink! The pillows were lumpy and hard and the room very out dated. The wooden stairs were worn and scuffed, there was peeling paint and chipped tiles everywhere, I could go on and on but would be here next week! Just avoid!

We have just returned from a week's holiday at the Tamarind, which we thoroughly enjoyed. What a fantastic place with super friendly staff, who went out of their way to give us a great holiday. We had a wonderful room which opened straight onto the beach. This was spacious, clean and well-equipped. The meals were of a very high standard, with plenty of choice and great Caribbean tastes. The bar area is particularly attractive with a tasty all-day menu. The free water sports and water taxi to other hotels in the group are great - it was just a pity the sea decided to be rough for our last few days! It was easy to jump on a local bus to get around in any case. We are very keen to return to the lovely Tamarind once it's had its refurb - we just hope the character is retained - it's a special place. Thank you for a wonderful holiday!

Hotel needs upgrade, no elevator and our suite was on the third floor, noticed some damage floor around the pool area, no ventilation in the bathroom, but the staff were wonderful and food was delicious!

We just got back from our holiday in Barbados the Tamarind hotel . When we got there we had to wait 2 hours for our room to be ready . The room was not good the the hair dryer was broken . Two days after we arrived our door broke twice this happened . Later in the holiday we had not hot water for 4 days had to boil a kettle to have a wash terrible. The staff were lovely and friendly and helpful .

I had read the reviews for the this hotel and was concerned as some were not favourable. However, our week was very enjoyable. We had a lovely room overlooking the main pool and able to enjoy beautiful sunsets. The staff were very accommodating, nothing was too much trouble. The breakfast was great with lots of choice and Ether making the omelettes was great fun! We always found something to eat, we are not fussy people. Entertainment at night was usually a lone singer and enjoyable. Loved it when the girls of the bar did their karaoke one Saturday afternoon. We would love to go back!

Overall 10 out of 10 for breakfast dining in general. Food and service was great.

Location

Old and Tired

The beach setting and close to a Holetown

Very tired, not all facilities open as described