The House by Elegant Hotels

It was with a little trepidation that we headed to The House for a much-needed escape. Recent reviews had been quite negative, but there is a lot to love about the adults-only hotel. Our room -- third floor Ocean Front Junior Suite -- was modern, clean and with a stunning view. The bed was so comfy, and we enjoyed our peaceful oasis overlooking the ocean, with some incredible sunsets. We were really impressed by the food -- again, I wasn't expecting much as recent reviews had been quite damning -- but the lunch and dinner menus changed daily, and featured an interesting variety of options which were all fresh and delicious. There was a Caribbean buffet one night and a BBQ on the Saturday lunchtime we left -- all great! The breakfast buffet is also good. The real highlight -- as others have said -- is the staff. Honestly, I have never stayed anywhere else with such lovely people working there! All of them so warm and friendly. Our thanks go to each one for looking after us. They really made our holiday. There are a few niggles. General service seems to be a bit hit and miss -- some mornings we were asked if we'd like to book a table for dinner; other days we weren't asked; other guests were asked if they'd like to book tables for the whole week (this might sound unimportant, but the restaurant does fill up and one night we didn't get to eat until after 10pm). We did get our complimentary massage (with was fabulous!); other guests didn't. Apparently there are options for a la carte menus, picnics and afternoon tea, but that info is hidden on a shelf around a corner in the lobby which we didn't spot until the day before we left. There is zero information in the bedroom -- a pack with details on the spa facilities, meal times, water taxi info, the dine around scheme, water sports, etc, surely is a must. Also, I'm not sure to what extent the hotel was renovated, but there were several big blotches on our bedroom wall (we did mention this and an attempt was apparently made to paint them in, but we couldn't see any difference), as well as flaking ceilings on the walkway leading to the rooms, and badly chipped and flaking outside lounge furniture in the common areas -- unfortunately not reflective of a 5-star hotel. That said, though, we quickly eased into a relaxed way of being at The House, and had a great holiday.

We stayed at The House late January 2026. From arrival to departure we were made to feel incredibly welcome and comfortable. The room was lovely with a large bedroom, a sizeable bathroom with walk in shower and a bigger than usual balcony from which we had a gorgeous sea view. The food was always top class and my wife and I can honestly say that some of the meals rank amongst the best we've ever had. The sea food in particular was terrific and was always cooked to perfection. For a boutique hotel with only a small number of rooms (under 40 I think) we were surprised that it was all-inclusive - we've never been all-inclusive before as this tends to be something offered only in larger hotels which we don't really like. The hotel is right on the beach and I found the snorkelling - particularly to the right hand side of the beach to be really good. I saw dozens of different types fish including a disgruntled looking porcupine fish and shoals of blue tang. Even though by 9am a lot of the sun loungers had been taken (some people put towels out at 6:30 believe it or not) we never had a problem getting a couple overlooking the sea. My wife and I can honestly say that this was the nicest hotel we'd ever stayed at. We've stayed at swankier places but never felt so relaxed as we did at The House. To top it all we saw a humming bird darting around by the pool the day we arrived - WOW :o)

Our experience at this hotel was one of the best we have had. We have stayed at 5 star hotels throughout the world and have rarely had as wonderful service as we had at the house. The people were simply amazing. We were having a difficult time with missing luggage and the staff took complete care of of us. Patricia makes the most AMAZING BREAKFAST! If you like mushrooms, these are to DIE for. Andrew made us feel welcome every time we sat down. He made sure we had absolutely everything we needed. Including a hug when my luggage yet again did not arrive. The food overall was amazing. The rooms are expansive and comfortable. The ocean view is worth it to listen to the crashing waves and sit on the day bed on the balcony. The hotel is small and perfect. Reception helped us with everything from cabs to shopping to parting us have late checkout to take care of some last minute issues. The pool area is small but still we were able to get chairs. Really though, it’s about the amazing people. Everyone at the house was WONDERFUL. I can’t say enough things about this perfect little place and would highly recommend it if you are visiting Barbados!!

We last stayed at The House pre-covid and before arriving had some concerns about the Marriot takeover having read some of the previous reviews. We are just back from a 10 day stay at The House and I’m pleased to say that we had a delightful holiday. As with all hotel stays it is the staff that make or break it and the staff here make it. They are gracious, engaging, helpful and fun. It is important to note that this is a relaxed boutique beachfront hotel so if you want a formal, efficient as clockwork, hushed environment then this is not for you. If you want Michelin standard food go elsewhere. The rooms are recently refurbished, a good size and well appointed though lack a little Caribbean panache. All inclusive includes a good selection of cocktails, spirits, wines, Piper champagne with breakfast with French sparkling wine the rest of the time. The bar is in theory open until 2am though the latest we managed was 11.30pm. Breakfast is plentiful with lots of choice, lunch and supper are either off a menu or a grill/buffet and are simple, tasty and offer a good variety. The beach is not very wide but with the sunbeds around the pool and those on the beach there are plenty for everyone. One criticism – bar snacks like peanuts, crisps etc were not offered but were available if you asked and while lots of alcohol was included sparking water was an extra. This felt a little mean given the cost to stay here. The restaurant tables could also do with a bit of decoration, colourful flowers possibly? Thank you to everyone who made us feel so welcome. We had a great holiday and will be back next year.

We stayed at the House for 10 nights (two couples) and had the most amazing time. We all loved the small, intimate, peaceful hotel, made extra special by the wonderful, attentive staff. We simply cannot understand previous, less favourable reviews; we recognise none of those comments. The entire hotel was spotless, the rooms were so comfortable, and the food was outstanding. Huge variety of options for breakfast, which changed daily (Patricia at the egg station is amazing), Lunch and dinner were à la carte, apart from a few great BBQ lunches with numerous salads and sides. No dishes were repeated for the whole 10 days, and none of us ever had a meal that wasn’t delicious and beautifully presented. The pool and beach area is beautiful, and the bar service there was great. The beach is quiet and pretty, and a large area was clear of rocks/coral, making swimming in the sea so lovely. We also had great cocktails throughout our stay and several accompanied with stunning sunsets. The best part of the hotel is the staff. They are so friendly and helpful. Nothing was ever too much trouble. They constantly remembered little details about what the four of us liked in relation to food and drink, and glasses were never empty. We were very sad to leave The House, we had the most lovely, relaxing stay, and next time we are in Barbados we will definitely stay at The House again.