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petergen14
Last reviewed
Dec 09, 2010
I need a lodge for my daughter and her boyfriend for Xmas vacation trip.
please do contact me on : petergen14@yahoo.com
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petergen14
Last reviewed
Dec 09, 2010
I need a lodge for my daughter and her boyfriend for Xmas vacation trip.
please do contact me on : petergen14@yahoo.com
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Denese Welch
Last reviewed
Jul 10, 2003
We stayed at the ABV for 2 weeks - arriving back home on 7th June 2003. We had read a number of mixed reviews on this resort and we were therefore very anxious - right up until the moment of arrival! Upon arrival we were greeted by a steel band playing and friendly staff bearing welcoming rum punches. Our accommodation and indeed the resort itself did show some signs of wear and tear if you looked for them but there was also plenty of evidence that these were being redressed through a continual maintenance programme within the resort. There are various examples that I could give to illustrate how helpful and friendly the staff were eg complimentary cake provided for our friend's little girl's birthday and consistently providing dining facilities for our party of 8 when every holiday brochure stated that the maximum dining party was for 6 persons. Additionally, when our friends complained to guest services that their shower was not very powerful and that it was intermittently hot and cold, the shower had been completely replaced by that evening. The food served at all of the restaurants was to a very high standard, the Horizon being our personal favourite. The service provided at the Horizon, the bajan style restaurant and the Italian restaurant was excellent - the service at the Reef was not great - there definitely seemed to be a problem with the staff at this restaurant as they just didn't seem as happy, or as helpful, as the staff in the other restaurants. For daytime snacks & lunch there is also the BBQ by the main adult only pool which provides very nice food in even nicer surroundings. The area provided for the self service of soft drinks and ice cream could be improved ie cleaner and replenished more frequently. All in all we had a fantastic time at this resort and we will definitely be rebooking for next year!
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Denise
Last reviewed
Feb 20, 2003
Overall, ABV is good. It's great for some things, not so great for others. The reviews are all correct for the most part. Some people complain about the rooms, food and employees. We had a beachfront 1 bedroom suite, which had a king size bed in the bedroom, a sleeper sofa and rollaway (perfect for my 2 kids - they said they slept great), 2 TV's, a bathroom and a powder room and plenty of drawer/closet space. The a/c was a little noisy but it was a constant blowing noise, which didn't really bother us at all. The beds are a bit hard, but that's not the end of the world either. So we basically were pleased with the room. There was also a small deck area to sit out at night and read, or eat room service food if you wanted. As far as the food goes - they seem to cater to English likings (or maybe it was just the availability of island food) - plenty of fish, lamb, duckling - some chicken - not much beef. They did have burgers, pizza and hotdogs available from noon to 8 PM. Menus at the restaurants were limited - a choice of 3 or 4 entrees, 2 soups, 3 appetizers and 3-5 desserts (always including ice cream). The menus weren't always to my liking, but I managed to find something to choose. Our favorite restaurant was the Italian one - La Smarita, I think was its name. It offered the best menu for my kids, too but kids under 16 are not permitted (although it did seem like some of the kids there were closer to 13 than 16). So, my kids (ages 12 and 14) did not get to enjoy the best food at the resort. The chef came around to make sure we enjoyed our meals, which was a nice touch. Enid's was okay - the pork was quite fatty, though, but the chicken was good. The Reef Restaurant was okay too - again, just not my taste with their selections. Horizons was the other restaurant and they have the only consistently changing menu - there are 10 menus listed in the information book in your room. Each night, room service uses one of those menus and it is the same menu available at Horizons. Some offer better choices than others and it follows in numerical order. There are nights when some restaurants are closed. Every other day you get a schedule of activities, updates, etc. It also tells you which restaurants are open that night and the following. You can make reservations for the current night and following night, but there is limited seating, so you need to call early (8 AM). We returned home on a Wed., so we missed the beach party which looked like a lot of fun. We did enjoy the courtyard dinner buffet on Sat. night, where vendors were available to sell their wares. There were some nice island items available and prices seemed pre-set, so no negotiating was going on. Night time entertainment was primarily bands playing although one night was a talent show, and one night was a bit of a cabaret show. We were pretty tired after dinner and therefore did not review any of the nighttime entertainment. The employees varied as far as their friendliness. Some were extremely helpful and most, if you struck up a conversation, were quite nice, even funny. There were, of course, those who weren't helpful at all, primarily at the water sports area. We recieved a lot of one word answers, especially from the woman working there. They are supposed to be open at 8:30, however, that was their arrival time. You were lucky to be able to get beach towels by that time (one day, we couldn't even get them by 9:45 when we needed to catch a bus to visit another beach). Nothing was set up before 9:30 (sunfish, etc.) and twice when we inquired about banana boating, it didn't start until 2:40. They close at 4:00 - not much time for the "free" watersports. We didn't check into water skiing, but I think you needed to reserve a day ahead. There were only 2 sunfish available and a hobie cat, but you could only use the hobie cat if an employee took you out. My husband was disappointed in that - he enjoys sailing them himself. There are also jet skis, boats that pull you around in inflatable rafts and other vessels not employed by ABV. They sometimes got too close to the snorkeling area, which worried me a bit. The snorkeling from the beach was great and one of the water sport employees directed us to a spot north of them that had a nice artificial reef. They frequently ran out of towels late in the day - the kids club area had some as well so you can always check there. We tried to save some towels each day so we'd have them first thing in the morning. ABV also offers free hair braiding if you sign up the day before. The tours they offer from the hotel are expensive - you're better off checking into other tours such as "Glory Tours" and schedule a catamaran tour as well! We went on "Cool Runnings" and it was the best day of our vacations. Great snorkeling with turtles, a shipwreck snorkel and good lunch along with a fun crew.Check in and check out went very smoothly at ABV, although we spoke with some folks who flew in from England on Sat. and they said they waited 2 hours to get their room. I guess it depends on the number of parties that arrive together - we arrived alone on a Thurs. afternoon and our room was ready by the time we finished our rum punches! One other thing - on the day of departure, we left shortly after 1 PM and were checked in and left waiting in the airport waiting area by 2:15. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:25 (we ended up having almost an hour delay) and we therefore sat in the terminal for a whopping 3+ hours. They say you're to be at the airport 2 and 1/2 hours before departure, but I don't see why. There are a few shops there, nothing to do and no good food to buy. We wish we had stayed longer at ABV and taken a taxi. I really feel an hour and a half is long enough to wait for your flight and check in went very smoothly.
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MNSINGH
Last reviewed
Jan 16, 2003
We stayed at the Almond Beach Village for one week in late Nov 2002. It was great. The resort is huge and the staff was very friendly. The first night was a little rough since the air conditioner in our room was malfunctioning and water was pooling on the floor. We complained and was bumped to a superior room the next day. From then on, the experience was fabulous. There are about 4 restaurants on this resort, The Horizon is a buffet restaurant that has theme nights, The Italian Restaurant which was very elegant and the food was great, maybe a tad too rich, the seafood restaurant by the beach was the best! You have to try barbados flying fish plus the marlin. Most of the food is prepared in a healthy way but there are also some types of fast food, like burgers, pizza etc. The barbadian restaurant, Enids is great. There you can sample the local cuisine, which is very delicious. The Ice Cream bar is opened all day long so kids have alot of fun there. The beach was great too, eventhough the water was a little cool. The grounds are well kept and very, very clean. This resort is located right next to one of the most upscale residential complexes, called Port St. Charles which are condos worth more than $1.9 million US. We didn't try the Almond Beach Club since there was only one restaurant there but if you want to use the spa, that is where you need to go. Most of the people from the club often came over to the village to dine or enjoy the beach. The water is drinkable, but we still used bottled water. The locals claim they have the 3rd best water behind Alaska and Canada. The bars were great, try the Rum Punch, but be warned, it is lethal. The mixture is 50% alcohol and 50% juices. Also try the coconut Malibu Rum and Pineapple juice. It is delicious. If you are craving fast food, try the Chefette restaurant. It is similar to Popeye's or Kentucky. We found it to be better than both. For coconut water, you need to do a little hunting. We found a stand located just outside the resort, close to the bus terminal. There you can get a coconut for $1.25 bd. Add some rum or scotch to the coconut and it is delicious. This is the place to go for a restful vacation. If you want to party, the disco is open until 2 am. The best thing about barbados is that you can walk off the resort without having to worry about people bothering you or without being scared. We went into all the little towns and also to Bridgetown to shop. It was wonderful!I will definitely be going back to the Almond Beach Village within the next year. We found it to be a wonderful place.You won't regret spending the money because it is worth it.
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paul
Last reviewed
Dec 29, 2002
We just returned from one week at Almond Beach Village. We enjoyed our holiday but felt that we paid premium price for a very good but not premium resort. The service was mixed and many staff exhibited serious attitude. I think the hostess during breadfast purposely worked slower as the line got longer. The watersports were very good and this kept our kids very busy. Our main complaint was the food, it was not very good. This was the general concensus from everyone we encountered. One lady commented that this was a great resort to lose weight becasue the food was so bad. It is a shame because this resort really could be a premium spot.
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Emma Phillips
Last reviewed
Dec 09, 2002
We visited Almond Beach Village in early October and had a fantastic holiday (October was an excellent time to visit Barbados contrary to one other review!). The weather was superb and the hotel was lovely. The beach at the hotel is long so never really gets crowded. The sand is white and the sea was beautifully clear - we really enjoyed snorkelling as there were plenty of brightly coloured fish to see. We also went on the turtle feeding trip and would highly recommend this. The small boat leaves from the hotel and takes you a short distance where you can swim with the turtles whilst they are being fed. The grounds and pools were well maintained. We had a small pool directly outside our patio which was really nice. The food was really good and overall the staff were polite. People need to remember that the Almond Beach Vilage is four star hotel not a five star super hotel like Sandy Lane so service won't always be top class. However the facilities, food and beach are all excellent. We would higly recommend Almond Beach Village.
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Thomas Jackson
Last reviewed
Dec 03, 2002
This resort is fantastic! We have just returned, and I must say I was overwhelmed by how good this place was. The facilities are excellent, the food is amazing, the views are unbeatable, and the staff are very very friendly. It is often difficult to leave a bar, because as soon as the drink in your glass gets towards the bottom, there is another drink waiting for you on the counter! I cannot recommend this place enough. Go there, you will not be disappointed!
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Brendan
Last reviewed
Oct 29, 2002
I'd give Almond Zero Stars if it were not for the wonderful food.The food at the Almond Beach Village is unmatched at any other All-Inclusive Resort that we have vacationed at. The superior quality of the food however does NOT make up for the poor quality of service that we consistently experienced at both the Beach Village and the Beach Club & Spa.I found the staff at both resorts to be only perfunctorily polite, inflexible, unresponsive and unhelpful. Requests for anything out of the ordinary such as coffee with dessert not after, turn down the AC (everybody in the restaraunt was freezing) were soundly rejected. I couldn't believe it. We requested an airport transfer (part of the All inclusive package). We were told to be ready for the Noon transfer. When we asked if there was a later shuttle (1pm) as our flight was scheduled to depart at 4:30pm we were told take the noon shuttle or take a taxi and hung up on. On further inquiry we were told by Almond Guest Services that our flight had been rescheduled to 3:30 and so we agreed that the noon shuttle was the best option. When we go to the airport we found the check-in desk not even open yet and that our flight had not been rescheduled. We were mad as hell !!!By the way never go in October (not sure about early November)
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Jill O'Brien
Last reviewed
Jun 05, 2002
I have just returned from 2 weeks of sheer bliss at ABV. I can honestly say that the resort caters for everyone. There are great restaurants, a lovely rum shop called Tommy's!!! Kids club, hair braiding, tennis, volleyball, golf even a night club. Rooms are comfortable with daily maid service. No need to take beach towels as these are also provided and can be changed daily(great, as more room in the case for those extra outfits!!)The resort is only a few minutes walk from Speightstown which is nice for a wander round. The ABV also put on a coach several days a week to take you into Brigetown which is also free.We spent a morning there, plenty of duty free shops.The ABV is situated on a beautiful stretch of beach. I will definetley be recommending ABV to my friend and family.JillLancashire, England
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Angela Weeks
Last reviewed
Jun 01, 2002
Amazing!! That is how we would discribe Almond Beach Village. We went there on our Honeymoon and loved it!. The resort was very clean and the staff very friendly. There was so much for us to do and see. The resturants serve great food, and if you love fish there is plenty. We would love to go back again soon!Highly recomended we are telling all of our friends and family they must go!Angela WeeksTimmins, OntarioCanada
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John McCormick
Last reviewed
Mar 10, 2002
My family and I just retuned from ABV 2 days ago. Although the property was nice we found the facility to be over priced for the amenities and service received. The views of the ocean were beautiful and it's location, directly on a wide patch of beach, was great as well. However, the service we found throughout the property to be much less than we would expect for what we were paying. Since it's an all-inclusive my wife and I figured the waiters & bartenders in particular had no incentive do provide even good service, let alone exceptional service. This was probably our biggest criticism of the property and as a result, our meals were less than memorable.
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D Jennings Family
Last reviewed
Nov 15, 2001
We visited Almond Beach Village in February 2001. Can't say enough nice things about this place!!! Particularly if you're travelling with children, they'll be in heaven. Several pools to choose from, beautiful beach, MANY kids activities running from 9 am to 10 pm. Teen disco for older kids nearly every night. I have to laugh when people in previous reviews deem the cuisine "too fancy"...it was absolutely utterly fantastic. I am generally a picky eater and I loved every single dish I tried. Flying fish is delicious, prepared several different ways, do try it. The resort staff were very friendly. Who could ask for more, you arrive after a long flight to the cheerful greetings of O'Neal in guest services saying "I know you're all tired, here, sit down and have some rum punch..." Just a couple of caveats about the local wildlife: at the rocky, reefy south end of the beach where the snorkelling is best, there are jellyfish. They're hard to see, they sting, and they hurt! A! lso: amongst the locals strolling the beach area regularly there's a guy with a lovely blond pet monkey on a leash. DON'T approach this critter, it bites little kids' legs! We thought it was just our kid had an unlucky encounter til we spotted a bite mark on another girl in our charter group. Same monkey! All in all I'd say Almond Beach is by far the best family holiday we've had. can't wait to go back.(Review originally submitted on April 1, 2001)
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Amanda Jackson
Last reviewed
Oct 15, 2001
Just returned from the Almond Beach Village and wish we were still there! Travelling with a 3 year old we were concerned that a relaxing holiday for parents (and grandparents!) could not be on the agenda - WRONG! The Almond Beach Village superbly catered for all our needs and was without doubt, the best family holiday we have experienced. The food was, on the whole, excellent - relaxed and friendly staff made for enjoyable meal times. Excellent kids menus and the wonderful creche/nursery meant that we all had time to make use of the fantastic pools.
The rooms are basic but clean, quiet (apart from the air conditioning) but no complaints from us. The hotel itself is well laid out, seems quiet and relaxed even when busy and the evening entertainment was excellent.
All in all, we cannot complain about anything - a great resort and well worth a visit....we will be returning!!
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Sandi
Last reviewed
Nov 15, 2000
My husband and I were married at the Almond Beach Village on November 6 with 22 guests. I would like to start by saying that I was a bit worried about going to the Village after some of the not-too-great things listed about it on other message boards. But, after arriving at the resort I was pleasantly surprised. A little bit of paint was probably needed here and there, but overall, it was a wonderful resort. Everyone was very nice, the rooms were comfortable (and comfortably air conditioned) and they had so much to do.I really have to applaud the wedding coordinator, Sharron. If you are even slightly thinking of getting married there, I would definitely recommend her. She was so helpful and really took care of everything.Since we had 22 people join us, we ran into a few complaints (I guess you never can please everyone). These were the major ones:1. The food is a bit fancy. Although it was fine with me, a few of my pickier friends had a hard time finding things they wanted to eat every night. By the end of the trip, though, we had figured out that those pickier people can eat at the Kid's Dinner with pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and hamburgers right before dinner and then just try bits and pieces of the main dinners. As a side note, my favorite restaurants were Enid's (fried chicken was amazing and even the picky people liked it) and the Reef for great seafood.2. There isn't a pool bar open in the evening. Once 6pm hits, you're stuck going into the restaurant bars. Part of the fun at a resort is having an evening tiki bar. Unfortunately, they don't have any.3. No evening snacks. The place where you can get the pizza and other kids food is only open from about noon to 8 pm. It would have been better if this finger-food place was open until 1 am or maybe even later. Once dinner is over, you can't get any food in the resort - kind of bad if you eat dinner early and are out dancing late.Other than that, the trip was great. I can't think of any other complaints. My hints - make sure you drink a lot of water during the day, put a hat on, go on the banana boat at least once and make sure you bounce up and down, pay to go on the turtle trip, and order your dacquiris with Malibu Rum (they add a lot of rum to every drink, so substituting with Malibu rum helps make the rum blend with the drink more).One more bit of advise - if given the choice, pick the Village over the Club. We originally wanted to go to the Club because it's adults only, but unless you are in the section set aside for families, you will barely see any kids. Our whole group was put in the "adult" section with a pool for no one under 16 and we barely saw anyone younger than that. The Club has a lot less amenities, only 1-2 restaurants and pools, isn't as nicely decorated and the beach at the Village is far better. Do go to the Club to do some off-site shopping, though (a lot of little shops right outside the grounds). Oh, and our shopping trip into Bridgetown was a complete waste of time. I wished we had just gone to the shops outside the Club instead of wasting half a day in town.If you have any questions about the resort or weddings, please feel free to post them or e-mail me directly. I'm more than happy to answer any questions.
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Last reviewed
Apr 05, 2000
We visited Almond Beach Village during the week of March 12th. We had a very relaxing holiday and overall we were pleased with our trip. There were some areas thought that we felt weren't that great.Service is slow...and yes I know that is the Caribbean...but we had a broken air-conditioner in our room that would wake us up in the middle of the night making these horribly loud squeals. You'd think someone was dying. Scared us half to death. So we called and it did it while I was speaking with the person on the phone even ... they couldn't hear me! Yet no one arrived. Visited the office twice that evening. Nothing. Next morning called again. Someone came to look at it and then it wouldn't work period. So I finally called our Air Canada rep and someone arrived in 15 minutes and voila the problem was fixed.
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Siobhan Johnston
Last reviewed
Feb 25, 2000
Wonderful friendly place to stay. resturants are all good especially Italian amd Bajan. Particularly impressed by the sports facilities where the resident sports staff weere extremely helpful anad encouraging.Rooms were very comfortable. Heaven!!
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Last reviewed
Jan 09, 2000
We spent 8 days in Barbados, of which 7 of them were at the Almond Beach Village. I can't say enough about it! Very clean, the food is white glove French cooking, with service to match. 4 restaurants, 5 bars, beautiful pools, with a seperate kids pool at the childrens village, a 9 hole golf course and a very large beach.