The Crane Resort

We stayed with our two young children for a week in late March. This was our first time to Barbados. I had read a number of reviews before arriving so I knew that the seaweed was going to be a problem during our stay. Fortunately our kids are young enough that it didn't really detract them from playing at the beach. The waves though were quite rough. The east side of the island, where The Crane is located, is more quiet/peaceful/less crowded but the water is known for being a lot rougher. We took a dinner cruise (called Cool Runnings - highly recommend) to the west side of the island (the "Platinum Coast") where the water was extremely calm. But that is also a very populated area with tons of tourists and I believe overall more expensive, so it's just a matter of what you are looking for. The resort is really beautiful and the weather was superb during our stay. A few notes: 1) We had wonderful experiences with Lana in the General Store - so incredibly kind to our kids. Also Marquita, one of the people who works as a concierge there. And most of all Stefanie, who is basically similar to an Uber driver and you can hire out from the resort. Our daughter got an ear infection while we were there and I can't tell you how Stefanie went above and beyond to get us around the island and get the help she needed. We ended up hiring her a few more times throughout our stay to drive us and she was amazing. 2) Rooms were lovely and we had no issues with housekeeping not coming as some other reviews have stated 3) Something very bizarre to me as someone who has traveled extensively...the placement of the main pool at this resort is terrible. It sits too low and you cannot see the ocean from the pool/pool chairs. Everywhere else I have stayed in my life has taken maximum advantage of the ocean view and this place did the opposite. There are some smaller pools with better views of the ocean but the main pool really misses on this. 4) As far as food, we have mostly good things to report. But I do have to say we had an absolutely miserable experience with Bar 1887. Over an hour for a cheeseburger, we went up 2x to ask about status and the staff there were so incredible rude I don't have the words to describe it. One of them literally put her hand in my husband's face and did the motion to "shoo" him away the second time he asked about it. Also a male that was working behind the counter who was very rude. We had eaten there for light bites earlier in the week and the service was not particularly good then, either, so we should have learned our lesson. I do have to say that the Director of Food and Beverage got involved and we didn't end up paying for the cheeseburger. Service was really slow at the Grove (near the beach) as well - we waited over an hour for lunch and the fries still came out raw. Otherwise, we had pleasant experiences on site and also went to La Shack across the street from the resort (great food!)

I've had a great time hanging out at this resort. The food is remarkable and the people who work here are down to earth and very professional. It's been a great vacation for my family. I have met some great staff and one of my favorites has been Shakenya. She has been a great source for local travel and always checks in to make sure our vacation is going well. High marks for Zen and Azure!

What an ambassador for your resort. Donna’s smile is the first thing you see upon arriving after a long travel day. She makes you feel like coming home for a visit and very welcoming. She set a high bar for all that followed her after you check in. Throughout the week she was always there to make you feel at home and comfortable, she went out of her way to ensure our needs and request were met We will be back in large part because of Donna. Give that beautiful lady a raise.

I love love the Crane. Second time here and yea its truly hard to stay anywhere else on the island. From check in and all throughout stay...IMPRESSIVE. Shout out to Dale the supervisor/manager at the bar...he is amazing and love how he takes care of not only guest but his employees. Thank you Crane for exceeding all my expectations.

We are experienced travelers who always balance our expectations of a restaurant or hotel with the price charged and the marketing hype of the establishment. The location, infrastructure, rooms and amenities were all satisfactory or above. Unfortunately, the price and hype far exceeded the level of service we received. Charging a 5 star price should get you 5 star service, at best we got 2 star. The major complaints were the front desk and transport staff and the 1887 bar and grill. Front Desk - we told an agent we were considering returning in Nov for a week with another couple and asked if we could see a 2 bedroom unit. After much conversation on the phone with someone, we were told none were available then, but to come back late afternoon. When we returned, no one knew about our request and a young man said he would arrange it and to come back later, when we did, once again, no one knew anything. Also, we arranged transport to the cruise port though the hotel, we were told to wait in the lobby and someone would contact us when the driver arrived. Of course, no one contacted us. The Crane can certainly not expect us in the Fall. 1887 Bar and Grill - Horrible service from the staff combined with no communication by them with the kitchen. We were the first customers to order lunch, burger, fries and salad. After repeated requests for our food, a COLD burger, room temp fries and a salad were delivered after 35 minutes. We sent the burger and fries back and asked for fresh, hot ones, 25 minutes later we got the same burger, warm, burnt and totally dry and fresh fries. FYI - read the review dated March 18 by GirlLikesTravel - she provides a similar and more specific review which I totally agree with. Too bad, they have a huge investment which is ruined by poor people and process management.