The House, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort - Adults Only

This was our first time in Barbados and at The House. We've done the Maldives a few times and thought it would be good to try somewhere else. We chose The House because it was a small adults only hotel and we thought it was lovely. The staff were really friendly and Pat who makes the omelettes etc at breakfast always greeted us with a big smile. The food was really good with a good amount of choices for lunch and evening meal and always presented nicely. The room (Garden View Suite) was spacious and had all we needed. There was entertainment on most nights from about 7pm to 9pm. Everyone who performed was really good, from duets, to solo singers and delivered a nice chilled out vibe for a restful Caribbean evening, without being too intrusive / noisy at all. There are plenty of sunbeds, but sadly as is always the case (and which the hotel can't really do much about) some guests were out about 6.30am putting towels on sunbeds, but, you can always find a spot. Fresh towels for the sunbeds are available everyday and drinks / lollies / fruit is delivered to you as you undergo the hard work of sunbathing & relaxing. All-in-all we had a lovely time and would recommend The House.

If I could rate this place 10 out of 10, I would! Service is impeccable. The grounds are gorgeous and the service couldn’t be more Caribbean friendly! Rico, Agnes and Fiona have treated us like family.

LOCATION The adults-only, ~36 room Elegant by Marriott is a boutique hotel on the southwest side of Barbados thus calmer water. There are several other Elegant hotels by Marriott on Barbados. A couple are under renovation. Colony Club with 90+ rooms is very nice; we stayed there before. Treasure Beach and Waves are nearby, but we preferred the atmosphere and food at The House. The hotel is about 30-45 minutes from the airport depending on your route and day/time. A rental car is about $550 for the week with Go Rentals, an efficient no-wait company. ENTRANCE Across from the Roti Den, there is a security house and about 5 parking spaces due to the beach bar construction. Designed with hibiscus and palm trees, the entrance is very pretty and nicely lit at night. TIP - Beware of the LARGE hole in the grate when driving and exiting the property. CHECK IN Anthony and Kaitlyn made the process effortless with a refreshing ginger drink and cool towel. Housekeeping works efficiently to get the check outs cleaned for the check ins to avoid a wait to get in the room. TIP - Ask for the wifi password ROOM Positives: beautiful second and third floor room views of ocean, spacious bedroom, balcony: table, 2 chairs, sofa, comfortable seating and bed, large, pivotable ~20-channel flat screen TV, consistent A/C, storage: 7 drawers, many closet hangars, robes, slippers, safe, umbrella (pop-up rains here), iron/board, turndown almost every night, 95% clean, coffee, tea kettle upon request, stocked fridge with water, beer and beverages. For your electronics, there are 2 USB-A and 2 USB-C charging ports and 110 outlets. Otherwise, bring and adaptor. TIP - If you have a standard schedule, consider arranging a daily room-service time with housekeeping. TIP - Wedge the Service/Privacy sign in the exterior door jamb as it tends to fly off with the winds BATHROOM Positives: water pressure, water temperature, shower and wand, automatic night light for motion, large mirror, smaller make up mirror, hairdryer, amenities: Apotheke shampoo, conditioner, and body wash Know: There was quite a bit of mold in the shower edges and corners. The Apotheke product line has an undesirable smell. RESTAURANT/BAR Positives: Andrew, Nadia, Chantal, and Devere were among the staff members who made our stay most enjoyable. Their conversations and personal touch to service and attention to detail were delightful. The bar is well-stocked and has 8 stools. The staff does recommend that you set a dinner reservation for each night even if you decide to dine elsewhere on occasion. The restaurant offers a daily breakfast buffet with a made-to-order egg station. The lunch and dinner menus provide varied fish, beef, and poultry preparations every day. We loved every meal. Our favorites: rib eye, tuna poke, and marlin. We did miss the weekly Thursday Caribbean buffet. Know: Despite the staff's efforts, there can be black flies in the morning. And check the chairs before sitting, many have stains and need cleaning. TIP - Bug lotion and After Bite came in handy at times. TIP - Sister hotel recommendation: Colony Club is very good for food; however, Colony Club meals are NOT included in The Hotel's all-inclusive program. Yet, there is a 30% discount off menu and bar items at the Colony Club. Nearby Waves and Treasure Beach sister hotels ARE included with the all-inclusive program. The food selections do not compare to The Hotel. PUBLIC AREAS - POOL & BEACH The areas are cozy, well-manicured. There are courtyard gardens and a coy pond. As for the pool and beach, this would be the reason that we would NOT return to this hotel. With ~30 pool lounge chairs, the pool area is usually 'towel-reserved' by guests by 7 am. Many chairs sit empty and remain vacant for hours despite the management's 30-minute towel removal policy/notice. The pool staff does not enforce this policy. However, we were able to find chairs near the two small round attached pools on 2 of our 7 day stay here. If all else fails, there are several chairs on the beach. The beach has about 20 beach lounge chairs. The chairs are on a strange slope. These chairs ALSO fill up quickly. There will probably be more chairs once the beach bar is complete. The beach is short with coral and a drop off upon entering. We did not feel comfortable entering the water based on the coral and rock. The walk along the beach is quite quick as well. TIP - Take the free northbound water taxi from The Hotel's beach and go to the sister hotel Colony Club. The water taxi goes between the sister hotels most of the day. The beach is longer, has less of a drop off, less coral, good snorkeling and a picturesque pool are with MANY unreserved lounge chairs. SPA Closed Sundays, the spa appears to have 2 employees: Stacy and Shakiria. The spa offers a free 30-minute jet-lag massage. Nice facials, relaxing massages, and energizing body scrubs TIP - Reserve EARLY with the front desk concierge during your stay in order to get time slots

I think the experience sits somewhere between the two extremes of reviews. The hotel certainly isn't as advertised and it doesn't have 5* service. Watersports and gym etc didn't exist. There was 1 yoga session and 1 pilates session a week and the beach isn't long enough for a proper walk, so if you love exercise it's not the best. Certainly didn't have paddle boards. The water taxi was patchy at best. The food was average too and we ended up eating out a lot... I suspect there may have been a change in chef as earlier reviews are great. Some staff are amazing... some outright rude. There was a great little espresso machine in the room - but no pods for the whole stay. The rooms however were big and stunning and the location is excellent. We met some brilliant people but there was a feeling amongst all guests that the hotel didn't live up to its promise. Saying all this I would stay again if they just lifted standards.

Having just returned from our long awaited, retirement present to ourselves, a holiday, we feel that we must place on record our dissatisfaction of The House. We booked The House, in Barbados, (all inclusive), advertised by BA Holidays as a 4.5 star with many benefits such as 24-hour ambassador service, complimentary jet lag massage, afternoon tea, fitness centre, rain fall showers, yoga, pilates etc. None of these were available nor have been for many months, in some cases never, according to the management who we complained to. This is not a 5 star resort, in fact it is advertised as a 4.5 star, in our opinion its struggling at 4 star at best. Even the senior managers, at the resort confirmed to us that it’s not a 4.5 star but a premium resort hotel, ie 4 star. The food at the hotel was average at best, we ended up eating out on several occasions as the choice and quality of The House food was poor including undercooked chicken on barbeque for lunch, and a special Thanksgiving meal that no Americans would have enjoyed! On the positive side, the rooms were clean and comfortable as was the bed. We did in fact have 1 very good evening meal during the week, and several of the staff really did go out of their way to serve, but not the majority. The manager, Bob, was approachable, listened and took the feedback and thanked us for sharing before we left the hotel. Over promised, under delivered and at a great cost. There are better alternatives on the island We paid for an upgraded ocean view room, no rainfall showers, no 24 hour ambassador service, the jet lag massage was only available 2 days from departure, (and not upon arrival), no afternoon teas served, no cushioned sun loungers, fitness centre is another hotel 10 mins walk away. There was no notice of what was on where, including the yoga / pilates class, so maybe a suggestion that the group of hotels in the Autograph collection should all get their heads together and start getting smarter for updating their guests? As The House is part of the Marriott chain we were able to use facilities at other nearby resorts which proved good, although our only comment here was that some of the resorts were complimentary as they treated us as part of the all inclusive package as we were at The House but others charged us, minus a 30% discount, confusing and unnecessary in our opinion.

I’ve stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, and this was by far the most disappointing. Nearly everything advertised on the website was either unavailable or simply untrue. Do not waste your vacation money! I have many complaints but here are the highlights of why you should not stay here! What they claim: An intimate and exclusive escape in a chic resort hideaway with room service, hot tub, minibar, fitness center with “top fitness machines” and yoga/Pilates classes, daily activities, night club, couples spa treatments, 24-hour ambassador service to “tend to your every wish and desire”, off-site excursion planning, and an afternoon tea with clotted cream, pastries, and scones. Reality: None of this existed. Food: No room service, small portions, dinner (with exactly one roll) takes 2 hours in the heat (no indoor dining options), afternoon tea never happened, no snacks were offered outside of the three meals other than an on request “all-day menu” which is just a burger or club. Breakfast is a standard hotel continental setup other than an omelette bar. We asked for minbar chips multiple times and never got them. We bought snacks from a gas station across the street to not stay hungry. Service: 24-hour ambassador service was nonexistent. A few pleasant employees with more blatantly rude employees. We had to request coffee pods daily and still didn’t get them 3 of 5 days. Our minibar was never restocked despite four requests. Spa only has one person so there are no couples treatments. The welcome massage was a one-handed back rub (other hand on her phone). Amenities: No fitness center. No classes. No wellness. Only 2 bath towels per room and no toiletry restocking without a request. Lots of rocks and glass on the beach (water shoes required), and no fresh-water rinse…just a communal bowl of standing fungus water to be avoided. Beach/Pool: Pool chairs never available. Beach is short, steep, and uncomfortable. This resort is NOT AT ALL what it advertises and absolutely not worth your points or hard earned money! We save all year for vacation and this was a costly bait-and-switch. Save yourself the frustration and disappointment and choose another property!

This was our second visit. As you will see on all the reviews the food is good, and the staff are excellent. Great location and hotel very clean. your are served proper champagne (not sparkling wine) from 7am to mid day, without restrictions. It did take us until mid way through our second visit to find out that if you don't like the menu displayed each morning, you can make a special request for something you do like. Simple improvements can be made, such as advertising what's going on in the other associated hotels, and their menus. We kept asking with little success. Breakfast would have been nicer if smoked salmon or even eggs benedict were available, although you can make this request the day before. On a few occasions the restaurant was short staffed and therefore the service was very slow. Finally, this is Barbados which should aways have a great vibe, this is missing in The House, on the odd occasion (i think only once per week) whilst the music was nice, you could have been at home as it was just like being in a piano bar - where's the Caribbean music or even steel drums when they have their barbeques (gas?). I do agree with a previous review, the very basic buffets do need addressing and modernising with some creativity. We will return hoping these very small, and easily resolved things will be addressed. It will then be the perfect hotel, no children, only 40 rooms, and the best staff!!

A boutique adult only resort that was not full so it was not overcrowded and the space really worked. Loads of loungers and access to the short strip of sandy beach.The water taxi was lovely taking us up and down the coast - a lovely morning. He was such a lovely man. Breakfast and lunch front of house were lovely, the evening staff were a little more formal. Shout out to Pat on eggs, Ksembi who was a delight around the pool and Roman on bar service. If you wanted it, all day champagne. Kitchen staff and waiting/ bar staff friendly and polite and gave good service. We didn’t get the room we had booked but the one we had was clean with a sea view. Nice touch with the rum punch. Amenities were good for the standard of hotel. It was in a good location , bus stop nearly outside and easy to walk around and explore. Would I go back if returning f to Barbados - Yes The hotel website needs updating as it is not all as it seems. The jet lag massage sounds like you get it when you get there but ours was 48 hours later. There were no beach facilities so it was the spa or the spa. We were not offered the unpacking service. The service on the 1st night was soooooo slow, taking well over an hour to receive the food. The buffet on the Thursday night was appalling - school dinners at best and pretty inedible. The treats in the afternoon only happened x 2 and we never saw afternoon tea being served.. There was a hair on the cistern when we arrived which was a bit off putting. Activities programme is oversold. No cooking classes, 1 yoga class and that was it. Overall, just a few things to up your game would be amazing. The beach is quite rocky and getting in and out is a challenge - we ended up with grazes on our toes for rocks rolling over them.

We spend 7 nights here and wanted more. 39 suites - boutique hotel. All-inclusive and the food is excellent. The employees are next level - Wade and Shontelle in particular stood out for us, but everyone is great. Wade is clearly high-end and trained to do everything from make drinks, to serve food, to pool service and everything in-between and he simply is on-top of everything when it comes to service! His personality is fabulous and makes you instantly comfortable. Shontelle, on our first few minutes after we checked in, saw me looking around (it was between lunch and dinner service) and asked me what I needed and I said we were hungry after traveling and within seconds an all/day menu was presented and in minutes, a delicious Caesar salad with grilled fresh fish was served while we waited for our room. They anticipate what you need before you need it. The ladies who run the front desk are lovely and efficient as well, assisting with taxis and questions and tours effortlessly. All the wait staff and bartenders are wonderful too (Ricardo, Dennis) and Kwest gave us great service at the pool with drinks and afternoon popsicles. Champagne breakfast each morning with Piper-Heidsieck is a treat and the two ladies who alternate days and make the eggs cooked-to-order are both funny and fabulous (I was the one who wanted my eggs “killed” overcooked and burnt, nothing runny - and they complied everyday with laughter!) We loved the cool-down towels at lunch which were much needed during the mid-day heat. The complimentary 30-minute massage included with your room rate is a lovely bonus! The beach and water in front of the resort are beautiful but do bring water shoes - entry is rocky. Always enough sun loungers - this is not a mega resort where you need to get up early and reserve your loungers at 6 am. The water taxi is an added bonus and we took it to Waves for lunch, and the change of scenery was nice, but we much preferred The House. The guy who drives the water taxi plays the best music for your ride and you can tell he loves his job. Our room, 376, was great. We had the top floor garden room with an open air terrace with sun beds, a separate living room area that opened onto a lovely bedroom. The ac worked perfectly, there was always a steaming hot shower available, the beds were comfortable. I do wish they would upgrade their towels, though and their toilet paper, though, but I’m probably being a bit picky. I would look to book room 276, right below us, next time with the garden plunge pool. That looked amazing. There is construction next door at the Tamarind hotel which can be loud during the day. Only complaint here and that’s not their fault and beyond their control. Once that construction is complete, we will definitely return. A jewel of a hotel. Thank you to the staff of The House, a job well-done. Classy without being stuffy and pretentious is not easy to achieve and you do it perfectly. And, oh - those sunsets with perfectly-crafted drinks and canapés before dinner were the best. See you next year!

Lovely hotel. Located in the St James area. Close to sandy lane hotel. Its sister hotel the Treasure beach is next door. I was in room 374, beautiful spacious room with large balcony sea view. Mini bar is filled with drinks all complimentary. Bottle of sparkling wine, fruit plate and macaroons for arrival in room. Food overall was very good. Entertainment very nice. Staff were lovely. Shout out to Chantelle, Shontelle, Dennis, Mark. They were lovely. Enjoyed the water sports, paddle boarding, water skiing, kayaking, sailing. Ambiance of this hotel is great. No kids present during my stay, mostly over 50’s which I preferred as the atmosphere is perfect. All the couples we encountered were so friendly. We had the complementary 30 minute arrival massage a few days in, that was lovely. 1- At reception they have a bar code to scan for hotel activities. I think it would be better to have a leaflet detailing the daily activities. Either pick up from reception or in the room. 1 Would very much recommend this hotel. Peaceful luxury.