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I arrived in Barbados for a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. I had booked a different hotel, but it was a dump and I didn't stay. At midnight I was calling around trying to find another room, and fortunately I called The Crane. They were extremely gracious - apologized to me for the bad experience I had had at the other hotel, gave me a discounted rate - and a very nice garden view room. The next day they upgraded me to an oceanfront 1 bedroom suite - much more than I needed, but absolutely gorgeous! With the high four poster bed, a huge balcony overlooking the ocean (with a dining table 4 chairs and 2 lounge chairs!), marble floors, a full kitchen, a huge bath, I felt like a queen! I went to sleep each evening listening to the waves crashing against the rocks below. I expected the resort to be crowded - as it was a US holiday, but rarely saw very many people. The resort is spread out with a lot of different pool areas - so you can pick a spot you like. It is a bit out of town a ways, so I ate in each of the restaurants several times - and while Zen (Sushi/Thai) was my favorite, the view from L'Azure is breath-taking! and the Carriage House (bar/snacks) has very good service, food and wine - as well as friendly bartenders. There is some construction going on at the resort, which the travel sites mentioned in advance, and yes, you do hear some noice at each of the pool areas, but it still was worth it. Yes, the temporary 'reception' is in a little hut, but you only check in there - other "lobby services' are in the main permanent reception area. My next to last day I wanted to venture out to a sailboat snorkeling trip which the hotel concierge handled effortlessly at the last minute - and it was fantastic. I highly recommend this hotel - and I'll be back! Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published December 2007
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Well - I don't know how to begin - but simply to say you must must must stay at The Crane - it is amazing....!
We booked it the day before as we had to leave Guyana due to terrible weather conditions. We were told on the website that there is construction work - which there is - but you really wouldn't know it when you arrive. There is some building work - but it really doesn't interfere with the whole amazing ambience of the place.
We booked a room in the historic building - which i have to say was incredible. it had a 2 sided balcony - one side overlooked the ocean - while the other overlooked a beautiful pool - it was paradise.
The staff at The Crane are the nicest I've encountered in a long time. We were here for Christmas day and I have to admit I cried at Breakfast as it was one of the most beautiful views ever. Father Christmas even came to our table!!
I honestly can't tell you how wonderful this place this! We are thinking of buying somewhere as it just blew us away. Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published December 2007
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My boyfriend and I spent two weeks at theCrane from 3rd November 2007. I will keep this review short and simple and can sum up the Crane in one word. Supercalafragalisticexpealedocious. Not sure thats how its spelt but the Crane and Barbados is the perfect location. There are no down sides only ups. Anyone who appreciates quality of life and quality surroundings and service must put this place on their list of things to do before they die Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published November 2007
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The entire staff were extremely hospitable and accommodating. The cleaning services deserve some king of award, they were amazing, and the room was fantastic. Excerpt from Expedia, published August 2007
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My girlfriend and i did a couple of months research before booking our trip to Barbados. We read all the positive and negative reviews on this site before eventually deciding to give The Crane a chance.
The Reception
When we arrived we were met with free rum punch in the makeshift temporary lobby. That was nice. Unfortunately, they couldn't find our reservations in the computer. We spent about an hour waiting to get our room. Although this was a bit of a pain we had only flown in from North Carolina so it was that big of a deal and the lady that helped us was very nice and we were sorted out eventually. I think the rum punch helped keep my patience level too.
The Room
Okay, so we got one of the cheaper rooms in building 5. We thought the room was awesome. I don't know where some of these other people were staying but our room had very nice furniture. A very comfy four post king size bed. Two couches. A lovely bathroom with a garden tub with jacuzzi jets and a large glass shower stall. The kitchenette was well equipped and proved very handy. We also had a large tv with about 30 channels. The veranda had plenty of chairs and a couple of loungers. The view however was pretty bad. We overlooked a construction site. It didn't really bother us that much.
The Amenities
The pools were incredible. The photo's on the website don't give the hotel the justice that it deserves when it comes to the overall beauty. The infinity pools were spectacular and a couple of the pools were slightly salted which was quite a nice touch.
As some advisers have mentioned beach is not private and anyone can get to it but it is secluded and you
The Restaurants
Yes, they are pricey. We got a free breakfast with the package we got. We never had to wait very long like some people have mentioned. We usually ate pretty well in the morning since it was free. We ate lunch at L'Azure one time. We both had a pretty decent meal. The rest of the time we used our kitchen. The Crane offers a free minibus to the local grocery store to get everything you need to last you a week. You will save so much $ doing this.
The Construction
You see it and you hear it. But as far as it bothering us it isn't really worth mentioning. It never woke us up. I guess there may be some rooms much closer to than others but seriously it wasn't that bad.
The Air Conditioning
It's all true! The room does have a thermostat but even if you set it to the lowest setting it will not get cooler than 78 or so. But really it's pretty comfortable. We didn't have a ocean view so couldn't benefit from the ocean breeze.
Overall
If you aren't too fussy and picky and can accept a little slower pace of life give The Crane a chance. The beach is awesome and the pools will blow you away.
We saw some other resorts when picking up people for the tours we did and we even saw some of our other options and I think overall we are very pleased we chose the Crane.
Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published August 2007
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This was by far the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. Barbados is Paradise and The Crane is it’s most luxurious hotel. I rented a one-bedroom ocean view private residence. We made use all the room had to offer. The shower and jacuzzi in the larger of the two bathrooms, the safe, the full kitchen, pull-out couch, two tv’s with dvd players, and much more. This room was all that we expected and more. I recommend The Crane to anyone wishing to relax and get away from it all. It is most certainly worth the price and I will be returning.Excerpt from Expedia, published July 2007
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Couldn’t have found a better honeymoon hotel.. large room with 4 poster bed, jacuzzi tub, and balcony overlooking Atlantic Ocean and hotel pools. Both restaurants were romantic and excellent. The Crane Beach was one of the loveliest and the area was not in the middle of the tourist section, which I prefered. Would love to go back for our anniversary! Excerpt from Expedia, published July 2007
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We stayed at the Crane between May 17-24 . The Crane was a fabulously
luxurious pick!
Guest room:
Our room was a 1 bedroom suite, so it had one enormous bedroom (with his own bathroom attached), a living room that must have been 30 feet
long by 20 feet wide, a large kitchen with all the utensils you could
ever use, a second bathroom off the kitchen, a balcony that ran the length of the living room and the bedroom with table and chairs, and our own private infinity pool with lounge chairs. The view off the pool was over the property’s 5-6 pools which sit on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. A constant breeze coming off the ocean was more than enough to cool the rooms. There was air conditioning in the
rooms, though we did not feel that we needed air conditioning during our stay. The pictures on The Crane’s official website truly reflect how the property looks.
Resort:
The resort itself is very beautiful - new pools are amazing and the view can't be beat. The beach is breathtaking: I suggest you to go there in the early morning since the sunset is around 5pm in the summer. As a caution, the waves are quite strong. Construction is visible and do you hear it when you get closer to the main reception area, but you don’t hear a thing from your room (at least if they have an ocean or pool view), the pool or the beach. We found the staff to be very helpful and friendly. Everyone speaks when they walk by.
Dining at the Crane:
Breakfast was free (can't complain for free) and we found it exceptionally good. The drawback is that is way too slow (you will spend around one hour to have your breakfast done). We ate at the Zen and it was much better. The quality is excellent, the service faster and the menu gives you much more choices. You need a reservation for the Zen.
Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published July 2007
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The Crane is completley breathtaking from every aspect, the pools, beach, pink sand, staff and of course the (1) Bedroom suite. We stayed in building #2 - room 223 to be exact. It was perfect , we faced the new pools and the ocean. OK, the AC does not work great but luckly it wasn't too hot. and it was manageable. My boyfriend is a big guy and really loves AC, he sucked it up - you are in Barbados, nothing should matter. I will say the island is very expensive, taxis are $25 each way to get awywhere from The Crane b/c it's on the other side of the island. We were prepared for it to be pricey. Drinks and Food are expensive everywhere on the island too. The beach is incredible, pink sand and fun waves everyday - what could be better !! The constuction did not affect us at all, it's really all in front of Building #9 and they are in the process of building an elevator down to the beach, in the meantime you do need to go up and down a long flight of stairs, it was fun for us - tiring at times but we really didn't care. All in All The Crane is AMAZING and true paradise for a great price right now - mark my words in another 1 to 2 years it will be a 5 star luxury property over $1000 a night year round.
Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published June 2007
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We returned to the Crane for the third straight year in April. It was better than ever. The new pools are fabulous and we spent a lot of time there. You can have an entire pool to yourself on most days. Yes, there is still a lot of construction, but the key is to stay in the right building. Buildings 3, 4 and 5 are the best, no construction noise, and the views are great.
We love the location of the Crane, even though it means paying for taxis to go out to dinner or other activities. There is a free shuttle to the grocery store twice and week, and it costs about $25 US round trip to take a taxi there. You can walk to Cutters, which is a very nice deli just beyond the Crane. It has a lot of staples, and prepared foods.
Overall, the Crane management keeps making the same mistake, opening a building before it is complete, and giving the wrong impression about the entire resort.
If you want to vacation in a beautiful uncrowded location, with a breathtaking beach, fabulous pools and huge well appointed suites, this is the place. Be prepared to spend money to eat out or travel around to other parts of the island.
I can't wait until we spend two weeks there next year.Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published June 2007
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My husband and I just got married at the Crane Resort (May 5th, 2007). It was absolutely perfect.
When I heard about the Crane, I fell in love with the website. The photos on the site are a perfect representation of what it is really like. The rooms ARE that gorgeous and the grounds are also stunning!! The beach is breathtaking as well.
The first thing I did was contact the hotel about a group reservation. I was in touch with Sophia Gunning and she was amazing. We all appreciated that.
We got upgraded (as some of our guests did) to a one bedroom apt. We had a full fonctionning kitchen, washer and dryer and 2 bathrooms! I felt like a queen. The views were stunning and rooms were very clean.
We were not bothered by the construction, but those who were - were taken care of. The staff was extremely friendly and accomodating.
Teresa was our wedding planner and on top of our event from beginning to end.
We wanted the ease of working with a wedding coordinator and a stunning location, and that is exactly what we got. It was so simple, all we did was book the day and Teresa took care of the rest.
Teresa also managed a few outings for our group. I was worried about coordinating 30 people on my own, but she jumped in and saved the day. I don't think I could have ever imagined my wedding being so relaxed and under control.
I can't think of a bad thing to say. We have wonderful memories of meeting great people and falling in love with the island and the resort. The service was outstanding and the resort itself was perfect. We plan to go back every year for our anniversary and are even thinking about looking into owning some time share!
I would highly recommend a stay at the Crane, and a destination wedding with Teresa! It was everything I had hoped for and more...
Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published June 2007
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We stayed at the The Crane Resort for a week May25- June 1 and LOVED it. The physical beauty of the resort is amazing. The staff at the Crane were very helpful and efficient. They handled all problems quickly and even sent us flowers to our room for our 25th anniversary. You do not see that kind of attention to detail at most large resorts.
We were not affected by the construction staying in building 4. We could hear it in the background but it did not affect our relaxing by the pools. The new pool complex with the two large jacuzzi's were a daily stop and the Carriage house pool bar the perfect place to get a cold Banks beer to watch the sunset. Although it was quite hot we had a constant breeze blowing through our room that kept us quite comfortable sleeping at night with our windows and doors wide up. The cocktail party offered by the Crane is a great way to meet other travelers and get suggestions for tours and trips to try. The free drinks didn't hurt either.
The kitchen in the one bedroom had everything we needed to cook dinner in. We have stayed at several time-shares and this was the best equipped kitchen ever. The phones were not working the last two days we stayed so checking -in with our airline and handling the last minute details were accomplished by using their lobby internet and the staffs personal cell phones. While these were noticed it did not affect our enjoyment and we would go back in a minute. I agree with the other reviews. Go to the Crane now, as once they finish their construction, I know we will not be able to afford to stay there. It will be a 5 star resort with the prices to match.Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published June 2007
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My husband & I just returned from an 8 day stay at The Crane. Breathtaking views from our fabulous suite. Perfect weather the entire week.
Service and accommodations at The Crane were excellent. Both Zen & L'Azure overlook crane beach and well worth the experience. Sunday Gospel breakfast was nice.
The new cascading pool complex & historic pool are situated on top of a cliff w/ panoramic views of the ocean. Crane Beach is beautiful, pink sand, great waves & crystal clear water. (95 steps to the beach was not a problem for us) An elevator is in progress.
Reasonable cab fares to anywhere on the island.
No need to purchase bottled water. Barbados tap water is safe to drink and is considered by some, one of the purest in the world.
Ongoing construction was not an issue for us. We knew in advance and it did not affect our stay.
The Crane is not for everyone. It's not for party animals, penny pinchers or people who need entertainment. It's luxurious, relaxing and the perfect place to escape reality.
Loved The Crane...A Unique Experience...I Would Go Back In A HeartbeatExcerpt from TripAdvisor, published June 2007
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My wife and I stayed at the Crane from May 7th - May 13th. Likes: The beach is stunningly beautiful, the grounds are developing and in the future will be absolutely fantastic. Also try the adjacent beaches to the Crane...very beautiful and quiet. Everywhere you walked you experienced a new and gorgeous panorama. The food is pretty good at both Crane restaurants. The pools were gorgeous and thoughtfully laid out. The staff was mostly friendly. Under construction is a small resort square that will house restaurants, shopping and entertainment. When completed, you will probably never have to leave the resort. The east coast of Barbados is beautiful, the west coast is crowded and hectic. Bridgetown is a wasted trip. Many fine restaurants on the west coast...we recommend Wispers. Rent a car and explore...you'll have a blast. We found the island to be very safe. Dislikes: The historic pool bar opens at 3:30 pm...unbelievable! As others have stated...no place to buy a quick snack, sandwich etc. If you required a pool towel, put on your walking shoes. Only the old stable bar near Bldg 5 issued towels! You literally had to walk all over the grounds to get a towel. Inexcusable. At times the construction was noticeable. The beach is very rough. Don't think you're simply going to walk in and float. Overall: Beautiful scenery, stunning beaches, good food, friendly people, a developing resort. Very good, but not yet great. Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published May 2007
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How lucky I would be for choosing the Crane Resort as my vacation spot. The resort was beautiful... the beach was amazing. The hotel itself is under construction, but did not affect our stay. We had the most awesome room.... with a veranda and private plunge pool. Our view was the ocean.... and a few palms...... swaying in the wind. The rooms were more than plush. We didn't want to leave...... it was so great, I even proposed on the cliffs of the resort. We will be back.... and many more times at that Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published May 2007
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This hotel is perfect if you seek a private, mellow getaway. Currently there are only 2 restaurants on the premises (only one of them open for lunch), and the hotel is 20 minutes away by cab ride from other venues, so it is best if you plan on cooking in your private kitchenette. However the hotel is currently under construction, and probably plans to add more facilities which will make it easier to stay within the premises. The beach is terrific, especially if you don’t mind the choppier water and like the constant wind and sound of crashing waves.Excerpt from Expedia, published March 2007
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The Crane Beach Resort is the most magnificent place to vacation in Barbados. With its lush pools and calming beach, it is the place to be. If you are considering a vacation in Barbados, consider The Crane Beach Resort first. You won't be sorry. Excerpt from TripAdvisor, published March 2007
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