Allamanda Beach Hotel, Barbados
Question:
My wife and I just returned from a TNT (Trans National Travel) packaged vacation to Barbados, staying at the Allamanda Beach Hotel. I thought I would post our impressions in case anyone else might consider this island or hotel and wants to know how it was. The Allamanda Beach Hotel The hotel is rated as 3 stars, which is about right, but it’s a very well run, very pleasant 3 stars. The rooms are arranged around a central courtyard and garden with a small pool. Although the courtyard is small, as plant fanciers, we found the garden very interesting with some beautiful tropical plants. Our room was fairly large and had a nice kitchen with full size refrigerator sink, and electric stove. The cabinets had enough plates, cups, bowls, glasses, etc. four people, and quite adequate pots and pans. The room had a television with about a dozen or so cable channels, including CNN, BBC World, PBS, Lifetime, A&E and a few others. There is a minimally adequate airconditioner that kept the room quite cool at night but, when set at 22C could not get down to that temperature in the daytime. Still, we found it adequate. Buffet breakfast was included in our package. There is no restaurant _per se_. The guests eat at an outdoor pavillion by the sea. Breakfast offered scrambled eggs, potatos cereal, yogurt, overly sweetened juice, bacon or sausage, sometimes beans, sometimes fried bananas, sometimes other things, plus toast, tea, coffee, and some fresh fruit. The hours were good and the buffet offered all you could eat. Dinners were also available, but we didn’t try them. There are a dozen or more restaurants within easy walking distance, and we had the kitchen too. There is no nightlife at the hotel, which was fine with us, and there is just a small and not noisy outdoor bar. The biggest noises that we heard at night were the sounds of the remarkably loud whistling insects, and the drum of the surf breaking on the shore. Although the hotel is right on the ocean, there is no sandy beach there. There is a stairway through the coral rocks down to the water where you can get in and out, and you can walk or ride to nearby beaches, including the sister Amaryllis Hotel, where beach facilities, snorkel gear, kayaks, and beach chairs are all free to Allamanda guests. The staff was very good – efficient, hospitable, and kept the whole place very clean. Barbados We really liked this island. Everybody we met was unfailingly friendly, helpful, and courteous. We encountered none of the anti-tourist hostility that one meets with on some other islands where people are poor and resent what they see as rich white foreigners coming in to enjoy a lifestyle that they themselves cannot afford. Perhaps we were foolish, but we felt no discomfort at all walking at night or going to distant parts of the island. Everywhere we went, people were happy to help us with directions and suggestions. When we rented a car and got lost numerous times, people would try to help us and then go get other people who knew more than they knew to show us the way. Some even told us to follow them, and we suspect they went out of their way sometimes to guide us where we wanted to go. The swimming was as good as anything we’ve encountered anywhere. The water on the Caribbean side is as warm as a bathtub and the waves were gentle and easy to take. We visited the Marine Reserve and saw a beautiful live reef. Snorkeling was excellent in many places. Prices seemed high to us. Typical restaurant meals near our hotel seemed to be $19-$35 US per person for dinner. Cheaper dining is available further away from the tourist haunts. We liked the swimming and snorkeling a lot. We also walked around Bridgetown and rented a sort of car (a 4 wheel 0 door "Moke") to tour the island. The Atlantic coast had some beautiful scenery. Oddly, many of the Bajans (as they call themselves) that we met did not know how to swim. Here they are in a swimmer’s paradise, and they never went in the water. TNT TNT packaged the vacation with Allamanda and American Airlines. They handled the business end adequately well. The TNT representative at our hotel was very good. She made phone calls for us and gave us good advice. One thing we would do differently is to NOT buy the airport to hotel transfers. They turned out to cost a bit more than a taxi ride would have cost for two people, and were significantly less convenient as you had to crowd into a a van full of people and luggage, waiting for everyone to get loaded and on board. Coming home, we were packed off in an 11 am van to board a plane that took off around 2:30 pm. We’d much rather have spent the time at the hotel or the beach and left for the airport at 12:30. Alan
Response:
We are also going with TNT. — Dilly http://home.comcast.net/~itsdilly/ http://community.webshots.com/user/savalier People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My wife and I just returned from a TNT (Trans National Travel) > packaged vacation to Barbados, staying at the Allamanda Beach > Hotel. I thought I would post our impressions in case anyone > else might consider this island or hotel and wants to know how > it was. > The Allamanda Beach Hotel > The hotel is rated as 3 stars, which is about right, but it’s a > very well run, very pleasant 3 stars. > The rooms are arranged around a central courtyard and garden > with a small pool. Although the courtyard is small, as plant > fanciers, we found the garden very interesting with some > beautiful tropical plants. > Our room was fairly large and had a nice kitchen with full size > refrigerator sink, and electric stove. The cabinets had enough > plates, cups, bowls, glasses, etc. four people, and quite > adequate pots and pans. > The room had a television with about a dozen or so cable > channels, including CNN, BBC World, PBS, Lifetime, A&E and a few > others. There is a minimally adequate airconditioner that kept > the room quite cool at night but, when set at 22C could not get > down to that temperature in the daytime. Still, we found it > adequate. > Buffet breakfast was included in our package. There is no > restaurant _per se_. The guests eat at an outdoor pavillion by > the sea. Breakfast offered scrambled eggs, potatos cereal, > yogurt, overly sweetened juice, bacon or sausage, sometimes > beans, sometimes fried bananas, sometimes other things, plus > toast, tea, coffee, and some fresh fruit. The hours were good > and the buffet offered all you could eat. > Dinners were also available, but we didn’t try them. There are > a dozen or more restaurants within easy walking distance, and we > had the kitchen too. > There is no nightlife at the hotel, which was fine with us, and > there is just a small and not noisy outdoor bar. The biggest > noises that we heard at night were the sounds of the remarkably > loud whistling insects, and the drum of the surf breaking on the > shore. > Although the hotel is right on the ocean, there is no sandy > beach there. There is a stairway through the coral rocks down > to the water where you can get in and out, and you can walk or > ride to nearby beaches, including the sister Amaryllis Hotel, > where beach facilities, snorkel gear, kayaks, and beach chairs > are all free to Allamanda guests. > The staff was very good – efficient, hospitable, and kept the > whole place very clean. > Barbados > We really liked this island. Everybody we met was unfailingly > friendly, helpful, and courteous. We encountered none of the > anti-tourist hostility that one meets with on some other islands > where people are poor and resent what they see as rich white > foreigners coming in to enjoy a lifestyle that they themselves > cannot afford. Perhaps we were foolish, but we felt no > discomfort at all walking at night or going to distant parts of > the island. Everywhere we went, people were happy to help us > with directions and suggestions. When we rented a car and got > lost numerous times, people would try to help us and then go get > other people who knew more than they knew to show us the way. > Some even told us to follow them, and we suspect they went out > of their way sometimes to guide us where we wanted to go. > The swimming was as good as anything we’ve encountered anywhere. > The water on the Caribbean side is as warm as a bathtub and the > waves were gentle and easy to take. We visited the Marine > Reserve and saw a beautiful live reef. Snorkeling was excellent > in many places. > Prices seemed high to us. Typical restaurant meals near our > hotel seemed to be $19-$35 US per person for dinner. Cheaper > dining is available further away from the tourist haunts. > We liked the swimming and snorkeling a lot. We also walked > around Bridgetown and rented a sort of car (a 4 wheel 0 door > "Moke") to tour the island. The Atlantic coast had some > beautiful scenery. > Oddly, many of the Bajans (as they call themselves) that we met > did not know how to swim. Here they are in a swimmer’s > paradise, and they never went in the water. > TNT > TNT packaged the vacation with Allamanda and American Airlines. > They handled the business end adequately well. The TNT > representative at our hotel was very good. She made > phone calls for us and gave us good advice. > One thing we would do differently is to NOT buy the airport to > hotel transfers. They turned out to cost a bit more than a > taxi ride would have cost for two people, and were significantly > less convenient as you had to crowd into a a van full of people > and luggage, waiting for everyone to get loaded and on board. > Coming home, we were packed off in an 11 am van to board a plane > that took off around 2:30 pm. We’d much rather have spent the > time at the hotel or the beach and left for the airport at > 12:30. > Alan
Response:
I have never stayed at Allamandah, but been in there some few times. Those that has been to Barbados a while ago would know this hotel as Woodville. Since the days of Woodville, it has been taken over by a swedish man: Leif Brandel. Actually, it is Leif`s son that is the manager at the hotel, while Leif take care of Amaryllis. So both hotel is under swedish management, and works a little different from most other hotels in Barbados. I think Allamanda is a good place, but I would really miss a beach in front the hotel. But then again, it is just a 5 minutes walk to Accra Beach. And we also would miss some thing to happen in the evening and nights. Because we have a daughter that is 3 years old, we have to be at the hotel at night. So even if we have the opportunity to join the events at Amaryllis, that is not something we can do. But I can agree for sure that the place is nice, fresh, clean and proper. Good choice! Leif Arild Norway
Response:
Related Posts