Where to stay in Barbados

When we were planning our trip to Barbados, I knew it had to be a resort. I really was not planning to go there for adventures. We knew it was to relax and pack in a few sightseeing activities too. My research led me to Wyndham Grand. For where to stay in Barbados, this review will cover our experience at Wyndham Grand Barbados Hotel and Spa.

Related Post: Travel Guide to Barbados

Wyndham is a new-ish hotel located in the parish of Saint Philip and most locals just refer to it as Sam Lord’s castle. This piece of Bajan history is located at the hotel just off the beach. It is on the east side of Barbados and sits on the Atlantic Ocean. The history behind the castle is tied to the colonial era when Mr Lord sailed onto the island and built his castle. It was to represent the city even though Barbados already had its own city. Now, it is just a monument and we were told that it is currently being refurbished.

Getting to Wyndham Grand Barbados from Grantley Adams International Airport

The drive from airport to Wyndham Grand is about 15 mins. We booked a transfer with the hotel when we arrived. However, we got a taxi from the hotel to the airport when we were departing. This cost us 28 USD/ 56 BBD.

We arrived at night so we did not see much of the hotel immediately. Check in was quick and while we completed the forms, we were served champagne (juice for our toddler). We paid 50 USD as tourist tax. Once all the admin was out of the way, we were shown our room. Enroute, we got a brief summary of where things were located and given a map. At this point, I was so tired, I just needed dinner and bed.

Our room at Wyndham Grand Barbados

We stayed in a sea view deluxe room with 2 double beds. It was a really big room with plenty of floor space for Adanna to play around. The balcony was big as well and we watched a lot of sunrises from it since we were on the east side of the island. It opened to the view of the sea and we also had the family friendly pool just beneath. Our first morning was a treat thanks to jet lag. Adanna woke up at 5am and since I was already turning in bed, we went to watch the sunrise on the balcony. It was a lovely view to wake up to every day. 

The bathroom was huge as well. It had a shower with rainfall head and a huge bath. The toilet was separated with a door for privacy. I liked the layout of the room.

Dining in Wyndham Grand

There are 3 major restaurants in the resort and I made sure to try all 3.

Mediterranean Restaurant

This is the buffet restaurant of the hotel and the biggest of the 3. It is where everyone meets for breakfast daily. Lunch and dinner are served here as well; all buffet style. Our favourite meal was breakfast which had a variety of British, American and Continental offerings. It was lovely to see some Caribbean staples added as well like fried plantains and fried fish balls etc. I was obsessed with the fresh juice station and drinks bar where mimosas were served for breakfast.

Sam Lord’s Grill

This was the bar that sat next to the family friendly pool so we ate there a lot as well. It opened for lunch and dinner with no need for reservations. There was a kids friendly menu so we always had something for Adanna on the menu. Our highlight was the bar. There was no cocktail that I did not try lol. This space was alfresco which made it my favourite place to eat on the resort. It was casual and most of all, great food.

Castle View restaurant

Now, this is the formal restaurant in the hotel and the one that had to be reserved. Having learnt my lesson from previous resort stays, I booked it on the first night for our last night. Castle view restaurant is more formal and even had a dress code. The great thing is that kids are allowed up until 8pm so we booked the 6.30pm dinner slot. I enjoyed a surf & turf while mr E had the salmon. Adanna had chicken from the children’s menu. The food is really good and I’m glad it was saved for our final night.

The Kid’s Club at Wyndham Grand Barbados – Kid’s Place

Kid’s Place is their kids club which is open all day between 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm. It admits kids from 4 years old; however, our almost 3 year old Adanna was allowed to stay since she is potty trained. It’s a lovely and welcoming medium sized room. For the 1st 2 days that Adanna was there, she was always the only one there and looked after by a lovely lady, Donika. It was an interesting experience for us and Adanna wanted to go every day. She’s a nursery child so she loves a class setting with lots of activities to keep her busy.

We are still not totally comfortable leaving our toddler in Kid’s clubs so it was nice that they had a seating area just in front of the room. We’d drop her inside and just sit in the chill area. Maybe I will feel more comfortable one day, dropping her off and going out or something but I doubt I ever will. 

The swimming pools at Wyndham Grand Barbados

There were 3 large swimming pools in Wyndham Grand; all categorised differently. 1 was a family friendly pool which had 2 sides to it: a much shallow side and a side for games (teenagers loved this area). The 2nd pool was for adult activities; I’m not sure what exactly these activities were but the pool was reserved for adults. The 3rd was a quiet pool; it was on the other end of the hotel for people who wanted peace and quiet. Certainly, no crying babies were allowed there lol.

We spent most of our lazy pool days in the Family friendly pool which was the fun one anyway. The beach bar, Sam Lord’s grill was close by so we had our fill of cocktails and bites while Adanna swam to her heart’s fill. It is always nice to see a family friendly pool where kids are free to just be without disapproving looks.

What I quite liked about the hotel was that it never looked busy. It was not one of those hotels that at 6am, all the poolside chairs and cabanas would be filled with idle towels. We would stroll there after breakfast and there were lots of available spots to spend your pool time. 

The beach at Wyndham Grand Barbados

Wyndham Grand Resort sits on its own beach which is quite cool. It is probably not as beautiful as Carlisle Bay beach (the one everyone tells you that you have to visit) but it’s a beach and does what it should.

Since Wyndham Grand resort is on the east side of Barbados, it means the winds are quite strong. Therefore, we were strongly advised not to swim on the beach. I did see people jump in and ride the waves but I always listen to instructions so I enjoyed the waves from the comfort of my beach blanket. Also there was so much seaweed so I was not interested in going into the water at all.

We had one beach day and it was enough to remind myself that we are not really beach people. Sand was everywhere, including Adanna’s hair so that was the end of any beach days for the trip lol.

The staff at Wyndham Grand Barbados

We found the staff really helpful when we had any questions. The team at Guest services were particularly great especially when we could not make up our mind what activity to do. We also found the teams who worked during meal times to be very efficient. 

Where to stay in Barbados: Things we loved about the resort

1. The drinks did not taste like they had been watered down. I’m sure you know what I mean lol. There is always that annoying all inclusive resort that waters down alcoholic drinks. I had pina colada, rum punch, mudslide and strawberry daiquiri. I had to even ask the bartender to reduce the alcohol in the next pina colada I ordered. 
2. There was a lot to eat during the day while lazying around. Wyndham had snacks everywhere. From the bar area at the reception which had a tea/coffee extension to the pool side bars. There just seemed to be something you could eat at every point. 
3. The massive family friendly pool. I absolutely loved the size of the pool that kids could splash around in. The fact that it was divided into sections made the pool feel even bigger than it was. 
4. Different cute corners. Wyndham Grand Resort is so big that walking around the whole place can be so tiring. I liked that there were a lot of corners around the resort where you could sit and just chill out. All these corners were never too far from one of the many bars serving drinks.
5. Free shuttle service. There were free shuttles that went to Carlisle Bay on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Monday, free shuttles to Bridgetown and on Friday night, free shuttles to and fro Oistins. If you were there for a week, you could visit Carlisle Bay, Oistins and Bridgetown for free. This is pretty generous considering that taxis are quite expensive in Barbados.

Is there anything we did not particularly like?

There was not a lot of variety of hot food options to choose from at the dinner buffet. Having stayed at a lot of resorts and seen dinner buffet spreads, I thought Wyndham Grand was lacking. This is considering that at night, only 3 restaurants offered dinner and 1 had to be booked. So, ideally, 2 restaurants were walk in: the general buffet one and the pool bar/restaurant. I mean, it was not bad but it could be much better. 

Also, the swim up bar was not open during our stay. That would have been a nice touch considering it was next to the family friendly pool. I asked the team and they said it was due for maintenance so the good news is that it might not be permanently out of service. 

Is Wyndham Grand child friendly?

Now, this is where I will give the resort 10/10. I have shared all the things that we enjoyed as a family. From the family friendly pools to the kids menus to kid’s club etc. All restaurants had a high chair for kids and the paths around the resort were built to accommodate strollers. Cots were available in the rooms (we did not request this); and rooms had potential to be adjoining for families who needed more than 1 room.

My review of where to stay in Barbados

Barbados has so many incredible places to stay. From super luxury resorts to budget friendly ones, there is something for every type of traveller. For where to stay in Barbados, Wyndham Grand is a great family friendly option for an all inclusive package. It is for families who want a quiet stay but still want to enjoy the luxuries of an all inclusive hotel. In comparison to a lot of the other all inclusive family friendly resorts I looked at, this one had the best value for money. 

Bisous, Bugo x