I very much wanted to love this hotel as we’d seen it a few years before whilst out on a sailing trip and had fallen in love with the location. However, we were disappointed on several fronts: The food is mediocre at best, we tried all 4 restaurants We had to ask on 4 separate occasions on the same day for the mini bar to be restocked and it was finally done the following day - we were not on the all inclusive package so a opportunity missed for the hotel Our room was not serviced at all on one occasion, so full bins, unmade bed and damp towels were the order of the day, despite advising the front desk of the issue I realise these are ‘first world’ problems but you choose to stay at a hotel for these luxuries and pay handsomely for the privilege and they really are basic asks for any hotel However, the biggest issue for us was the behaviour of the children on this resort and there were lots of them. They ran unchecked through the main restaurant and a simple rule set by the hotel could have avoided this, namely, children should remain seated in the restaurant for the comfort of All guests. It’s a common rule in most households so I’m sure parents would be on board with this courteous request It is a very family focused hotel so couples should be cautious before booking as the pool is filled with kids with inflatables and the associated noise is less than relaxing. Don’t misunderstand me, I love kids, I have 4 of my own but some parents allow theirs to become feral where normal standards of behaviour fly out the door! The management team, whilst very charming at the meet and greet drinks have clearly not got a handle on running this hotel as expected of a five star resort and it needs much improvement. We wouldn’t stay again as at this pricepoint, there are much better options, especially if travelling without children. Vaughan on the beach and Winston at the front lobby were the stand out staff members, professional, friendly and efficient. Other staff could be surly.

Gorgeous, well-maintained property with ideal pool and beach access within steps of each other. The natural beauty was really breathtaking. Food was fresh and great, and the restaurants were very accommodating of our dietary/allergy restrictions. The staff was especially welcoming and friendly to our small kids at every interaction. The rooms were clean, very spacious, comfortable, well appointed, and elegantly decorated. They need more/any attendants/wait staff at the pool and beach. This is a missed opportunity to level up the customer service, but also upsell food, drinks, etc. The tiles around the pool and the tiles in the rooms are super slippery when wet, which was a challenge with small kids coming out of the pool or off the beach. A coat of no-slip sealant would remedy that. I sent the following message to the hotel after our stay, and have not received a response after several weeks. I think Carlisle Bay has the potential to be a AAA 5 Diamond-level property if they make a few adjustments. “To the general manager, My family had a lovely experience at Carlisle Bay that ended on a sour note. I share it with you in hopes that it can be an opportunity for training. Before booking our stay, we identified that we wanted two suites with the all inclusive package, plus one suite with the breakfast package. We not only verified through our travel agent that arrangement was permitted, but we also called the hotel directly to further verify. Our rooms were not ready upon arrival, so we were encouraged to have lunch while we waited. We didn’t have room numbers yet, but provided our names, and were informed that our bill would be updated accordingly. While checking out, I pointed out that we were charged for the entirety of that lunch, while the meal should have been included for two of the three suites. The agent we were speaking to became visibly agitated and proceeded to tell us that we should not have booked two suites with the all inclusive package and one suite without the all inclusive package because we are one family. I replied that we verified that was permitted before booking to which she angrily responded, “Well it should never be permitted! It should never be permitted! It defeats the purpose. That should never be permitted.” I then further clarified that at every meal, we identified to the staff that we should be charged for the one suite without the all inclusive package, and signed separate bills to ensure fair payment. Moreover, we came to the front desk partway through the stay to make sure that we were, in fact, being charged for those meals. If the agent feels the hotel’s policy to permit guests in separate suites reserving the package that best suits their needs, or feels that the restaurant staff did not appropriately charge us, that could have been an appropriate conversation for her to initiate with her manager, not with a guest. The agent’s response was unprofessional in its tone and content, particularly in front of my children. It was also incredibly insulting, and in our case completely unfounded, to insinuate we were in some way cheating or trying not to pay. This was an unfortunate way to end an otherwise positive experience.”

Carlisle Bay is a very good resort for a family vacation, with the potential to be elite. The pricing right now is a bit aggressive for what it is, so if you go, I would just set expectations accordingly and focus on the good stuff, of which there is plenty at this property. The key highlight for us was the phenomenal location. The resort feels secluded down at the southern end of the island, and claims one of the prettiest beaches I’ve seen. The water is quite calm, there was almost no seaweed and the sand was lovely. The staff we encountered and the service was very welcoming and friendly. I wouldn’t say it is at the tippity top one can experience at this price point, but it was very good. Some things which didn’t quite go according to plan included it taking forever on arrival day to have our bags delivered, and other minor things like not having the waters replaced every night in the room nor certain minibar items. On the other hand there were plenty of activities the staff planned each day, which we took advantage of, including an Easter Egg hunt our daughter enjoyed and a beach BBQ with a bunch of activities for the kids afterwards. Staff there was very friendly and good with all the kids. There are three dining options on property although not all are open each night, so plan accordingly. Indigo is a beautiful space and setting for dinner right on the beach. Truly one of the more memorable dining spots we’ve enjoyed at a Caribbean resort. Get there in time to watch sunset. Overall, we thought the food at the resort was good, if not amazing. As others have noted the rooms and some of the common areas are dated and could use a facelift if not a complete overhaul in order to compete at the top level. These rooms probably looked mint in the 1990s or early 2000s, but no longer. We have a few maintenance snafus that were fixed, such as a sink not draining and another leaking. There is a very nice, automated coffee machine in the room which we loved and used each morning. The pool was decent but in keeping with the preceding comments, it's a bit dated as well. I would think that something bigger and more modern, maybe infinity edged, would be more expected at a resort like this. The gym was a decent spot to get a workout in. We didn’t use the spa so can’t comment there. We don’t play tennis but the tennis facilities looked nice and we saw other guests using them daily. Couple random bonus observations on small things I liked - while at the pool the smell of the nearby pizza oven was incredible. The bar in the lobby - the height of the bar seats is fantastic in relation to the height of the bar - you feel like you're not struggling to reach the bar. All in all we had a great family trip to Carlisle Bay and enjoyed the resort. If the rooms were modernized as I’ve heard others mention may be in the works, we would consider visiting again sometime in the future.

As somebody who has been lucky enough to stay at some amazing hotels in The Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, I have to say that Carlisle is up there with the best, as soon as you arrive you can tell that you are in real luxury. The rooms are fantastic, extremely spacious and very comfortable, with excellent views of what is a stunning stretch of beach. The dining options were also great too, East was a personal favourite with a wide variety of meats and seafoods to enjoy. A big thank you to Sabrina and the rest of the team here who made our stay extra special, we loved it and certainly hope to be back.

It’s interesting to read the mixed bag of other reviews here. We were here for 11 nights and overall were satisfied with our stay but I would say that compared to the international competition, at this price point there is a lot of room for improvement. Breaking it down: Pros - The beach and setting are amazing - 30 mins from the airport - Decent sized pool, nice temperature if you need to get in and out all the time with kids - Food we enjoyed. Good mix of restaurants given a relatively small resort. - Kids club had some good activities and the screening room for kids movie night was a nice novelty - Rooms are very spacious - Sea was warm and nice to swim in. Some nice little “pods” moored you could swim out to and sit in Cons - Generally in need of a renovation and the upkeep was not that great. For example: the door to our room was starting to rot at the bottom, on the outside of the room there was exposed wiring near the a/c unit, curtains were frayed, pool had cracked grouting/tiles around the side etc. As another reviewer pointed out, the pastry cabinet at breakfast does indeed look like it was retrieved from a skip, chairs and seat covers have all seen better days. The lobby is adorned with leather chairs in the style of the seats from a 1976 Triumph estate car - really dated and makes for a bad first impression on arrival. Some of these things one could perhaps overlook but at the same price point, other hotels do much better. - Beach loungers were generally in good supply but the parasols were not really big enough or abundant enough to allow full shelter throughout the day. As other reviewers have pointed out, the cushions are all a bit tired and left out overnight so generally pretty grubby. - Many other reviewers rave about the staff and their friendliness. Generally we found them a little “sultry” compared to the competition and whilst service was quite fast in the restaurants we found it sub par in terms of friendliness and attention to detail compared to international competition. Simple things: no need to top the water glass up up 101% every 5 mins, diverge from the script a bit, and after 11 nights, proactively suggest the same coffee ordered as the previous 10 breakfasts. - I was positively surprised prior to the stay to get an email and onboarding experience where you could upload passport details, give newspaper preferences, etc. All things that slow down checkin and which are annoying after a long flight. So I did all of this, but then was disappointed to find on arrival that all the same details had to be provided again, so it was a total waste of time doing it in advance. And the newspaper never turned up anyway. Sadly a bit like many other places in the Caribbean, the Carlisle Bay feels a little bit like it has had its day and needs to up its game to compete with other offerings. It wouldn’t take much really - revamp the rooms and restaurants, really motivate the staff, and tidy up the communal areas. With that, we would be back as the proposition would be good. Otherwise sadly at the same price point there is better to be had elsewhere at present. I hope the feedback is useful as there is lots of potential.