Coral Reef Club

We just returned from a wonderfully relaxed vacation at the Coral Reef Club. It met and supassed all of our expectations: 1. The general ambience is quintessential British understated elegance. 2. Staff are extremely helpful without being intrusive or obsequious. (Also great to see how relaxed and happy they were in the presence of the owners (see below)). 3. The location is magnificent - on the beach with beautiful gardens and a short walk to Holetown. 4. The food was outstanding - particualrly afternoon tea with scones and cucumber/ egg/ smoked salmon sandwiches. The breakfast buffet had a vast range of options from "full english" to tropical fruits and pastries. Plenty of healthy options for lunch (poke bowls, salads etc) as well as more filling options such as an excellent club sandwich. Dinner was top notch with outstanding food and entertaunment every night. (This was our first visit to Barbados so we tried a variety of local restaurants - but concluded that the Coral Reef dinner was the best for food, ambience and entertainment). 5. The guests were mainly English with some Americans (so as Anglo-Americans we felt very much at home)! All were friendly but low-key - no loud voices, garish attire or towels on sunloungers before dawn! 6. Lots of great golf courses within 10-15 minutes drive. We played Royal Westmoreland and Apes Hill - both very picturesque and challenging (but with reasonably generous fairways). 7. No television sets (unless specifically requested) - bliss! We missed watching the Masters but the hotel would doubtless have set it up had we asked. 8. We had a garden room - lots of space and a huge balcony - immaculately clean. 9. Paddle boards, kayaks etc all available free of charge and wonderful to swim in the crystal clear, warm water of the Caribbean Sea. 10. And saving the best for last, the owners invited guests to cocktails on Monday evening (our last night). Three generations of the family greeted us and were the perfect hosts - friendly, engaging and very modest/ humble. Thank you O'Hara family and all the staff at the Coral Reef Club!

As always, we had a fabulous time here!! We LOVE staying here, we always feel like we are so well looked after and valued as customers. The stretch of beach around the hotel is beautiful, its great for swimming and snorkeling, we saw turtles, sting rays and so many different fish...if you are a keen snorkeler like me its the best place to stay. We love our morning walks up and down the beach before it gets too hot! Hole town in on your door step and has everything you need, so if you don't want to venture too far this is the place for you. The food here is absolutely superb, we always eat in the restaurant, breakfast is great, there not much you cant get, lunch also ( the salad specials were fab) but our favorite is dinner, we always have the steak and the catch of the day and although it may seem like a simple choice, its consistently great. A special mention about the the tuna and scallop starters we had, they were out of this world good and the roasted Pear dessert was the best dessert I've ever eaten. All in all, we look forward to eating there every time and not having to leave the hotel for anything as we get everything we need there. Please pass on to the chefs that the consistent great food is half the reason we return, it really is amazing. The staff are superb and look after the guests on a level I've not experienced elsewhere. All the beach butlers, particularly Carlos and Sheldon continue to look after us on the beach/pool all day, bringing us everything we need and being there before we even need to ask, they really are brilliant and deserve to be told so. In addition, Prince seems to always be there when you need him, helping out wherever he can with pleasure, its always great to see him, he totally deserves his promotion!! Not forgetting Andrea, we love seeing her as she always has time to check in with us and remembers what we are up to, these little touches really make make the holiday and and without a doubt are a huge part of the reason we always come back. Thanks also to the ladies on the front desk who are always welcoming and look after us while we are there All in all, a wonderful time as always, we have already planned our next stay which will be booked in the coming weeks, we very much look forward to seeing you all again soon.

we had stayed at coral a few years ago in April and it rained and rained somehow we didn’t return as foolishly we just associated it with that bad experience -not it’s fault of course ! But this year having had two very good meals in the restaurant last year when staying elsewhere we returned staying in their premier suite the plantation with a wrap around terrace - a lovely room with a small plunge pool and a bar - terrific views of the sea and the grounds The room itself - a suite - was just perfect lovely lounge , large bathroom with an armchair excellent large shower room and bath of course 2 basins plenty of storage space just off the bedroom for our clothes truly a dream of a location with those lovely views that we always enjoyed every morning Nice beach , lovely large gardens , the hotel unlike sandy lane has large lounge areas with a central bar , the food both at lunch and dinner was excellent a feat not as common as one would wish . Breakfast was a feast a lady cooking just what what you wanted , boiled eggs , fried , omelettes, whatever you want lovely display of fruit , cereals all you could wish Staff are lovejy , service with a smile , we usually started our evening with a drink on the little outdoor terrace just off the main bar/lounge area . It is truly a civilised place that makes their nice repeat guests very happy A big plus is you can actually walk in both directions on the beach outside the hotel - most other hotels simply do not have this facility . We will certainly return next year we heard people booking a return as they left - not surprised!

We have been to the Coral Reef Club on 2 occasions previously in 2004 and 2005. This was the first chance we had to return and we kept on saying to ourselves why we had left it so long !!! This place is absolutely amazing in every way. The service, food, facilities are all managed in a very professional manner. It is certainly helped by the fact that the management are always on hand to oversee the whole operation. This has been one of the best holidays that we ever had and we will return as soon as we can. A special mention to the ladies in the dining room for their great service and attention. Also the beach butlers were very attentive. Thank you to everyone at Coral Reef Club for giving us such a memorable holiday.

There is so much to like about the Coral Reef Club which is perhaps why we have been going for ten years. Location, comfort, food and staff all excellent. The hotel has a simple, easy to follow dress code which most guests appreciate, especially in the evening. If you want to dine in flip flops and beach shorts best look for an different hotel.

Back to The Coral Reef club for a second time and it did not disappoint. Loved our room - everything perfect - comfy bed - excellent housekeeping and delicious food in the restaurant. Food better than the year before I recon and we were looked after brilliantly by Jason the Sommelier. Everyone couldnt do enough for us. We hope to go back next year.

I can't imagine staying at a better resort - anywhere. When looking at reviews I noticed someone noted something like "if you want to be on the beach with older British people" go here. That's EXACTLY why I chose it over Sandpiper and a couple of resorts I looked at. We were on the young end of the spectrum at 60 - but I expected that and was happy with that - we're old souls. Every detail was attended to though occasionally service while dining was a bit slow - primarily because its a team model for service. That being said, the food was spectacular, with a menu that had daily specials for lunch and dinner. We ate at a couple of other highly rated places for dinner (Lone Star and Tides Inn) and found Coral Reef to be superior. They were able to accommodate my dairy and gluten sensitivities without a hiccup which was particularly delightful. A couple of meals that were standout included the club sandwich (with egg salad?!) at lunch, a salad with lobster and prawns, a lobster wrap appetizer (Asian flair), an appetizer with watermelon and shrimp (?), and the Bajun Buffet with exquisitely slow roasted meats. To top it all off we were served the most spectacular fruit sorbets on the beach each morning - I got so addicted to them that I am trying to replicate them at home. They were nothing like a purchased sorbet - they were fresh, bright, crisp, and not overly sweet. Boy what I wouldn't do to have that master recipe! The passion chili martini is also quite memorable. The resort is located within walking distance to town for an afternoon meander and one day a week the resort offers a delightful garden tour. Do be sure to sign up for the platinum service upon arrival at the airport.

Another great stay at Coral Reef.. split the holiday between Coral Reef & Sandy Lane. Both very different, but definitely adds to the holidays by changing venue as you get 2 holidays in 1 and it seems longer. Coral Reef is an incredible 5 star luxury & understated/ conservative holiday on the most beautiful beach with a family run ethos and Patrick a lovely and and fantastic GM at the helm. We’ll be back soon, view from Canefields is SPECIAL

This hotel is literally first class from start to finish oozing calm, understated luxury. Way beyond our expectations compared to other top rated hotels ant which we have stayed across the islands. Exceptional, professional and friendly staff at every turn from the wonderful smiling service given by all the restaurant staff especially from the lovely Sherylann, helpful and attentive service on the beach from Carlos and Sheldon. You can see how this hands on family owned and run hotel deserves its five star rating. The owners were in fact often seen around the hotel and were very charming and welcoming. Smiles every time we passed reception, truly beautiful and stylish decor throughout the hotel. Immaculate gardens full of flowers. We stayed in a luxury cottage with plunge pool which was kept sparkling clean throughout our stay. Even the hospitality room we were offered due to our late flight was very good. We honestly could not find fault with a single thing and this is reflected by the fact that they are almost full of repeat guests. We will certainly return next year - if we can get in!!