The Crane Resort

This was our second stay at The Crane. We truly love the resort—the property is beautiful, the beach is one of the best in Barbados, and the pools are fantastic. Zen is excellent, and Carriage House is quite good as well. That said, restaurant choices overall could be improved. The Italian restaurant, in particular, felt disappointing and would frankly be better off closed in its current form. Unfortunately, our positive impressions were overshadowed by what happened on the last day of our stay. While packing, we discovered that a brand-new women’s linen shirt from Banana Republic (never worn, purchased just before our trip, ~$100) was missing from the closet. Because it was hanging among several other shirts and dresses, we didn’t notice until we began packing. The far greater concern, however, was how the hotel staff handled the situation. The shift manager called security, but the head of security’s reaction was dismissive and unprofessional—he smirked when we explained the missing item, appeared annoyed that we had even raised the issue, and told us: “What do you expect me to do about it?” Beyond quickly checking the door lock record, no effort was made. No apology, no acknowledgment of our frustration, no offer of assistance or even basic courtesy. When we returned home, we carefully rechecked all of our belongings and confirmed the shirt was indeed missing. Based on how it disappeared—taken from the middle of other hanging clothes—it feels intentional rather than accidental, and raises real concerns that this may not be an isolated incident. While some might argue that the monetary value isn’t large, this kind of premeditated theft is serious because it erodes trust in the hotel and creates lasting damage to the guest experience. The lack of any meaningful response from your staff was even more troubling than the loss itself. We came back to The Crane because we enjoyed our first stay so much. Sadly, this experience has left us questioning whether we can recommend or return to the resort.

Barbados is a beautiful island with many resorts that are stunning from the outside; but we never see the inside of them because we can’t not go to the Crane- we love it so much. We have gone to Barbados for three consecutive years for a Ninja competition, and every year we consider staying at a different resort. The competition even gives discount promo codes for other resorts, but we still chose the Crane each year, and so do many other Ninjas. And we are never disappointed- always happy we stayed at the resort we love. It’s like luxury and home combined. And since it’s on the Atlantic side of the island, the beach has great waves! We visit the calmer beaches (all beaches are public and free in Barbados) but we enjoy the beautiful Atlantic beach that is unique to the Crane. Many of the public Atlantic beaches are too rocky, so the Crane is perfectly located in our opinion. It’s nice to come out of our suite and walk a few feet to a beautiful, crystal-clear Atlantic beach.

It is so hard to put into words how special this resort has been to my wife and I. We have been visiting every year (except 2021) since 2018. We are restaurant owners ourselves and I can honestly say this place is a 20/10 on any hospitality scale. Its beauty, cleanliness, attention to detail and service are at a level that is unmatched. A huge thank you goes to the entire staff that makes our visit feel like we are returning to our second home, year after year. Cheryl, who we first met at the front desk and now has moved into management, is always there to help with a question or request. Karen Oliver, the Director of Hotel Business Development, is someone my wife and I consider a dear friend and is so instrumental in what makes The Crane Resort the very special place that it is. Karen has made sure to make each one of our visits as memorable as the previous one. If you are reading these reviews and trying to decide where might be the right place to stay on your next vacation…..look no further!

The environment at Crane is stunning. The Spa was just what I needed for a hot day in Barbados. My masseuse Rhea was very warm and friendly and the massage was very relaxing.

Everything was excellent as usual. Breakfast was in the Carriage house as the usual breakfast restaurant was under renovation. The staff there were exceptional as usual.