Cobblers Cove

Cobblers Cove is a 45 minute drive from the airport and sits on the north west coast. The hotels along the coast sit on the main noisy road and are usually on small areas of land with little beach. We were warmly welcomed in the small reception area and given a welcome drink in the bar. Our room was entry level and we had no complaints at all. Housekeeping came in twice a day and the hotel was kept very clean. We had a small kitchen area just for making drinks, a patio with comfortable chairs, a small shower room with one sink (prefer two) and a comfortable bedroom with excellent air con throughout. The garden is a delight and we often saw green tailed monkeys playing. The main old house which houses the sitting room, bar and restaurant is very attractive and well kept. When we arrived we were given specific written instructions not to reserve sunbeds and for the first few days this worked well. However as the hotel became busier we soon realised that unless we put our towels and books on a bed before 6am there was no sunbed for us until after lunch and with no beach at all at the hotel the only place to sit was our patio at our room. I will liken the sun beds as being spilt into three main areas similar to a plane, first class - with large umbrellas by the pool overlooking the sea, business - with large umbrellas in pairs around the pool and the majority in economy sardined together in three rows with tiny umbrellas in an area to the side of the pool. Each bed was wonderfully comfortable with a thick mattress but the towelling cover was not washed daily as at other hotels where we have stayed and with many grubby and stained all guests needed two pool towels to cover them- which makes a nonsense of saving on laundry if this is why it is done.Throughout our stay the same lady got up just after 5am and reserved all the first class sunbeds for her friends. The hotel did nothing to stop this. One regular played an electric piano late morning next to the pool. When it was soft classical music for 20 mins it was a delight but an hour or more of loud west end musical pieces, often on repeat, drove several guests away. It was impossible to read a book and although both reception and management were asked that they ask him to have more consideration for guests who would prefer to listen to the birds and waves, the bar staff continued to clap after each piece and encourage him. The bar and restaurant were the major let down of the hotel. Aperol spritz tasted mainly of soda and the gin and tonics were weak. For the first couple of evenings we were offered some lovely canapés in the bar before dinner, but these disappeared the rest of our stay. The bar staff never smiled and if you tried to make a conversation you were cut short. All week we remarked how fortunate we were to have booked B&B. Breakfast was a chaotic affair. You had to queue to be shown a table by one particular member of staff who would also take an order before coming back to deal with the queue. Tea and coffee took at least 30 mins to arrive after being seated. In the meantime there is cereals, pastries, yogurt and melon/pineapple. On several days there was no greek yogurt -only vegan coconut 'yogurt', no mushrooms, no muffins and so on, Lunch at the hotel was restricted to a handful of salads, heavy main meals or sandwiches with chips or salad. Evening meals were better but like lunches often arrived without a key ingredient as offered on the menu eg curry had no roti, beef burger had no lettuce nor cheese, the Caesar salad over the week was reduced to lettuce, chicken and a bit of dressing.One lunchtime we waited an hour for our food with three tables occupied. We often saw plates returned to the kitchen. The restaurant is expensive by UK and Barbados standards and with meals an integral part of enjoying a hotel break, this was a real letdown. We ate out at the top local restaurants in the evening and what a revelation they were. Often cheaper than the hotel they were full and everyone was happy and talking, lovely atmosphere and excellent food, wine and service. Taxis are easily arranged by reception, prompt and friendly if a bit pricey. A return to Local & co being a set 30 USD return -takes about 5minutes. We loved Local & Co the Fishpot, the Sea Shed, and Lone Star. We tried Baia one lunchtime when the hotel only organised its BBQ but although the food was good the restaurant is a little bare and uninspiring. Cobblers Cove appears on several sites as adults only, which we prefer. During our stay there were several under 5s staying and we were woken very early each morning by two in the room adjoining our kitchen. As grandparents we didn't really mind this, it got us up early to try and secure a business class sunbed - but if you are keen on adults only I would suggest you clarify policy with the hotel. My husband throughly enjoyed a couple of the complimentary trips out on the boat and the skipper was a lovely man who showed him all the local sites along the coast. I understand this year several of the west coast hotels have been unable to put sunbeds on the little beach left after the summer storms. Cobblers Cove has no beach at all, except for a tiny area which is dangerous for swimming as it is used to launch the boats and jet skis are often to be seen. In over 30 years of visiting the carribean we had never seen such large waves and with the large rocks assembled along the front of the hotel it would have been too dangerous to swim on most days. The week was unseasonably wet which didn't worry us too much but it was very humid. The manager's cocktail party was a strange affair. We have been to dozens of these and usually management welcome guests in and everyone stands around chatting. It is a great time to meet other guests with whom you can exchange a cheery greeting and a few words throughout the rest of your stay. Not here, we arrived half way through to everyone seated at separate tables and no visible management. The only time we saw the GM was when she spoke to us at check out. The vast majority of the staff were lovely, if solemn and it is evident that the restaurant staff need more training and the hotel as a whole a better management overview. We left missing the wide white sands of Grand Anse beach in Grenada and our daily dip in the calm clear sea there. We have enjoyed several breaks in Barbados over the years - to the Sandpiper in particular, but it has lost it's local carribean flavour and future we will be sticking to St Lucia and Grenada.

I have just returned from a 10 night stay at this hotel. We received a warm welcome upon arrival and shown to our suite. This was spacious, very attractive, plenty of wardrobespace with a large double bed. The kitchen area was useful and always good to be able to have access to a fridge and tea/coffee. The down side for us was this room was very close to the main road and the traffic noise started at 5.30am each morning - try and avoid if you can. The hotel has very beautiful and well maintained gardens. The pool area is small and you can struggle to get a sun bed. I was told towels were hogging some sunbeds from 5.30am! However once you get your sunbed you really are very close to the sea. There is access each side to the beach but no sunbeds on beach. The public spaces of bar, lounge and restaurant are situated by the pool area. Afternoon tea which is a lovely touch happens between 4 and 5pm daily in the lounge area. The bar was great early evening with happy hour and fellow guests were very sociable while we were there. Breakfast was a small buffet, fruit available was mainly different melon - and possibly either papaya or pineapple. There is also a cooked breakfast menu but a number of dishes would be off the menu each day. The most frustrating thing was the hit or miss service, we would regulary be waiting 20-30 minutes for teas/coffee along with cooked food. On a few occasions we tried the lunches and dinner. Sadly once again the service was inconsistant and the food was not good/unappetising and very expensive. A Ceasar salad consisted of shredded lettuce, a few acnchovies and sliced chicken. t Many guests agreed that the F&B department was the weakest part of the hotel and needs attention. Very often the there could be 3-4 staff beind the bar chatting ignoring guests waiing for service. The hotel is well maintained and very clean throughout.

Just spent 8 nights at this beautiful hotel, mostly everything was great, room was spotless and well equipped, nice to have so many coat hangers, bed was super comfy. Plenty of comfortable sun loungers. Just a couple of niggles, breakfast was a challenge, poor selection on buffet, menu was ok but not everything available and service not great, states on website no shorts for men in evening but even though I asked on bbq nite and reception still said long trousers only, most gents were in shorts so is it a rule or not?? Also says Adult only apart from festive season but a couple of babies there although they weren’t a problem but not the point really. Overall a lovely stay and would return .

This was our 5th trip to Barbados, in a different hotel each time, and it was as if Cobblers Cove had taken the best bits of all the others and created the perfect hotel. The staff were all very friendly, efficient and helpful and we felt at home from the minute we arrived. Our beautiful and spacious room was apparently the cheapest level and located towards the rear of the gardens, but actually this was great for us as all the rooms had glass in the windows (rather than shutters in the living area) and full air conditioning. It was away from any noise from the bar and was extremely spacious (a suite rather than just a room) and we loved it. The bed was comfortable and the suite was kept immaculately clean. Breakfast was delicious and the views were just perfect. We didn't eat in the restaurant as we had a hire car and were often out with friends, but we had a couple of bar meals which were very tasty. The pool area and gardens were beautiful and the sunbeds were nicely situated and very comfortable. The only thing you might want to consider before booking this hotel is that access to the beach and sea can be a little tricky at times, and there are no sunbeds actually on the beach, but if this doesn't worry you then I would highly recommend this hotel. We came home relaxed and looking forward to our next trip to Barbados.

We had a two week family (age 10 & two older teenagers) holiday at Cobblers Cove and couldn't recommend it more highly. Everything from our greeting upon arrival, (including correspondence prior to arrival), clean beautiful bedrooms, lovely food, great location, exceptionally beautiful gardens and most importantly ALL the staff are friendly and helpful. All the facilities are great and everything is in good condition and well maintained. We arranged a sailing cruise and deep sea fishing trip with reception which was quick and easy. My husband and son caught a huge King Fish and tentatively took it to the kitchen asking if the chef could cook it. Oh my goodness, he put in so much effort, marinading it all afternoon and preparing an amazing meal for us. The usual watersports are available and I was impressed with the guys working there, very attentive and professional and actually keeping their eye on people out on the water. It's a lovely cosy hotel, not too big not too small, felt very luxurious and relaxing but enough for the kids to entertain themselves with, although to be honest being able to swim with so many fish and turtles right on the beach was enough. The best place we have stayed in Barbados so far so conflicted as don't want it to get too difficult for me to book again!!!! So go somewhere else everyone please :-)