The House by Elegant Hotels

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.