NJUPINTHEAIR

You may not be getting breakfast if you don't select it. I know many hotels assume that you selected that and if you did not you still may get it based on that assumption.

However, I was on an award stay and received breakfast at the Excelsior Palermo specifically because I selected breakfast as my option and I was told this by the front desk.

cactuspete

Bump - - this is the thread with the best information on the present resort (the other thread related to the old resort that was demolished and replaced).

drron

Here in Barbados at present.Seem to be a few changes.Mrsdrron(she is HH diamond) booked basic room and we got 8th floor in Lighthouse block.So far so good.
EL.At night you have to order the snacks.Not being pushy we only got asked once.Honour bar sucks.Cheap Australian Chardonnay at $US10.50 a glass.Tip-go down to the poolside bar between 3-6pm and get half price drinks(limited range but basically what EL offers) with all the non status guests.
Breakfast in EL-only hot item at present is"wheatmeal".

The Grille-way overpriced for average food with hit and miss service.You get better cooked seafood at Red Lobster for less.
Water's Edge seafood Fry on Mondays-$US37.50 with a choice of Mahi Mahi or Tuna.Rest of buffet very ordinary.Booked a table through EL-no booking there but a table was set up for us by F&B manager-mrsdrron had had a talk to him after our experiences at the Grille.Plus dropping the fact that she is HH diamond and I am SPG plat.We were right next to the lectern they had for seating-many who thought they had a reserved table found it non existent.

Sure staff are friendly but efficiency is not a word recognised here.Bajan time is much slower than even Bula time.

AnthonyF1227

I'm thinking about going to Barbados in March. I figure it will be a good time to use my two free weekend nights (as long as they consider these rooms as standard). Has anyone gone there recently as a gold? Based on older posts I'm seeing, people have been getting upgrades as gold. I was wondering if that's still the case.

EDIT: Beh, 1-800-HHONORS tells me I need to call the actual hotel to use the certificates, of course that means long distance phone call unless they can transfer me for free.

yyzgigi

At the resort now. The lounge evening offer has declined considerably. No self serve food. They take your order and give you one small plate with your choice of three foods (today was crudités, sushi and quiche), and definitely no offer from seconds.

First trip had good food offers and free drinks.
Second had good food and honour bar.
Third has very limited food and honour bar.
Not sure i want to see what they take next.

acysb87

Yikes!!!! I was at Barbados for 11 days ,just returned home Wednesday.
We stayed at Fairmont and now feel vindicated by reading about the changes for the worse.Had considered Hilton,really too bad

AnthonyF1227

IF I can somehow convince my gf to go to this place when I'm there. Do they have MSG so I can watch the Rangers?

So far I got

mrredskin

how'd you like the fairmont? we're doing 4 nights here on AXON and then the final two at fairmont with free night certs from chase.

that's a shame about the lounge. what a crock for the oatmeal crap for breakfast being the only hot item, plus the new scheme in the evenings.

dajoip

Deleted

AnthonyF1227

Just got back from our stay at Hilton Barbados. Hotel was very nice, as a Gold I got upgraded to an executive level floor with a nice view of the beach. The room was nice and clean as well. The staff was very nice as with the rest of the Island. The beach was great and not too crowded with a pool/bar area that served some food and such if you wanted. Servers would come and take your order if you didn't feel like walking over. You could easily walk a short distance off the main beach and find a bit more of a secluded area. I honestly had very few complaints about the hotel at all. Really only two.

1. Exec lounge breakfast was not that good. Continental breakfast with just cereal, muffins, a couple cold cuts, bagels, fruit, and things of that nature. Very easy to get bored of it. During the day they had some snacks and stuff, I think the cheese cake that they had made me sick. We never really went up there at night. I think we went up sometime in the early evening and it just looked like they had a few bottled drinks set up to be bought, nothing special going on.

2. Prices for drinks were high (around $10 USD) especially since they just use Mount Gay Rum (very cheap since it's made locally) and some drink mixes. I was at least hoping for some fresh fruit in my drinks, but there was nothing but mixes. They good and would get you drunk if you wanted, but I was expecting a bit more. The only time that the prices were decent was during the 5-6 pm happy hour (half off). Food was also priced quite high ($17.50 USD burger?), although I expected that. The 17.5% VAT is killer.

What we ended up doing for lunch was going to Cuz's Fish Shack down the street from the hotel (less than 5 minute walk) for a fish sandwich. The fish is so good and fresh it became like an addiction. It would be about $4 USD (a little more if you want egg too) for a sandwich, definitely worth it.

dajoip

My wife and I just booked this for 6 nights/5 days at the end of November/beginning of December. Have quite a few questions that I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge being willing to answer (I've read through the last 10 pages of this thread, but on some of these, I'm just looking for more recent info):

• We're arriving at 10:30 PM on a Friday night - is the $20-25 USD still a reasonable figure for the taxi ride to the hotel? Also, with such a late arrival, are we potentially risking getting a "bad" room (or at least, not a high-floor, ocean-view upgraded room)? Also, what kind of weather can we expect around the first week of December?

• My wife has Hilton Gold status, so I'm curious what are reasonable expectations for this if she doesn't reach Diamond before we arrive (room upgrades/requests, executive lounge, wifi, etc); also, how much of this is possible to inquire about via email before our trip?

• We've never visited Barbados before and we'd definitely like to explore the island and see what it has to offer, but at the same time it's nice to kick back and relax on vacation so we'll probably spend some time at the hotel/beach/pools as well. Would a car rental for the entire time be worth it, or should we only rent it for a few of the days? Also, I've read a lot about Stoutes in this thread - is this still the most recommended car rental option?

• We have Verizon cell phone service in the US - how do cell phones/GPS work in Barbados?

• I've read many differing opinions on the beach/swimming conditions - just curious what the actual water conditions/temperature and sand are like (we honeymooned in Riviera Maya last year and were quite underwhelmed at the condition of the beach/swimming).

• How often are credit cards (Visa/MC/Amex) accepted, and would carrying cash be prudent throughout the week?

• What are some of the most highly recommended tours/sights that are "can't miss"? I've read several places that swimming/snorkeling w/ turtles is amazing...is this worth it? Also, Bathsheba Beach and Bottom Bay both sound like great beaches - any other beaches that just have to be seen?

• Finally, does anyone have any fairly recent photo albums that they'd be willing to share? We're excited to see the area in more detail...

Thanks in advance for any help you're able to provide - we're already excited for our visit!

dajoip

Bump - curious about my inquiries in the previous post...

srwal

Being Barbadian, let me see if I can answer your a few of your questions:-

1. Just call or email them and let them know of your late arrival, and your room should be in good order.... the $25 US to the hotel is ok, but there is a rate board at the airport that tells you how much your fare is going to be....tipping is encouraged, but not expected.

2. If you're Gold, you will be treated well....

3. A rental car is the better option.... Can't speak to which rental car company is the best thought... Plus you'd have more fun doing self-exportation... please note...we drive on the LHS of the road..

4. Roaming charges can be costly, so its better to get a local SIM card. It will cost you about $2.50 US.

5. Rated as having some of the best beaches in the world, you wont be disappointed!

6. Credit cards are accepted, VISA/MC definitely, but AMEX only a few select places.

7. The things to definitely see are Harrison's cave, swimming with the turtles, Bathsheba Beach and Bottom Bay. You can also try Island Safari and the Seway Tours

Hope that answers your questions....

fozziedoggie

Don't know what elite HHonors level you are, but if you're able to take advantage of the on-line check-in prior to arrival, here's some tips from TA users; try to pre-select one of these rooms:

“6th floor Executive Floor in the Lighthouse Tower rooms 621 through 631 will give you an unobstructed view of the ocean and the cove where most guests swim. The sun rises to the left side of your room and sets to the right, of course, so there is no direct sunlight coming into the room to deal with.” (Caribbeanlover2263)

"I stayed on the 4th floor in the high numbers - 450's, this is important cause rooms below 50's have a different view, your room opens out to a a glass corridor that is visible from the car park etc.” (DF766)

“for suites in the west wing go for floor 5 or 6 to (577 and 579) stay above the a/c noise. In the south wing floors 6 and 7 (637 and 639) will get you above the trees for a great beach view.” (redwhitetj)

Pencegeri

If this is deemed that it does not belong here, or a good deal, mods please move.

I reserved a 9 night stay with an Ocean View (double bed) at 34,900. There were a few 9 night stays at this rate in Jan, I tried ten and it jumps to 69k+ a night. Anyway with taxes it becomes more than 1 cent per point. With the devaluation and other hotel redemption I see this as a good value.

And either way, if this does not belong here, this is my first reward stay and flight as well. If it weren't for you guys I never would have been able to do this. I started getting FF cards before I came here, but you guys showed me how to really make use of them, and I thank you guys.