Arrival We visited the Casuarina for two weeks June 13-27. I would like to start by saying we had problems right from the start. We got Crawley ( Almond ) to email twice & also a friend stayed the week prior and spoke to the hotel about my wife who has a back problem so could we please have either a ground or 1st floor room close to the amenities to reduce her walking as much as possible. On arrival we were informed our room was not quite ready, would be about ? hour & were offered cooling Rum Punches while we waited. This wait turned out to be 2 hours before we were shown to our room block 5 floor 3. This was a non starter & I asked for another room. We were then offered block 4 floor 2 which we reluctantly accepted for the night, but I did say we were not unpacking & we would need to change again tomorrow. The duty manager Joanne Kelman really helped the next day & we were moved to block 3 1st floor, the room was great, close to everything for my wife Restaurants The hotel has 3 to choose from. Waves, Dover Grill & Enid’s ( Thursday to Sunday) Again small things let them down. You are asked for you room number & then seated but by doing this even at breakfast the queues get longer & longer & increase waiting time & frustration. I did suggest just to take the room number & let people sit where they liked, this fell on deaf ears, the other alternative is to give everyone ID armbands. Believe it or not you get offered the same menu two nights running, silly or what. Swimming Pool. The main pool we were told will be adults only ( just waiting for the signs ), the downside here due to the wind every day at least 2 parasols got broken quickly resulting in not enough shade around the pool. When we first arrived we would claim our pool beds about 9.30 and at the end it was close to 6.00 am. Beach Good & fun with serious waves, don’t go out of your depth, but too strong for young children. Service at Bars & restaurants was very slow but this was without the new block opening with about 300 more people to look after. Where are these people going to eat, sunbathe or get to the bar I really don’t know. Would I return, yes to Barbados, a definite no to the Casuarina. We will be going for our 11th time to The Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana Dom Rep in December, now this is a fantastic hotel in our opinion, cant wait, and probably around half the price.

We have just returned from 11 nights at the Almond Casuarina 23rdJune-05July - myself, husband and two teenagers of 18 years of age. Having read some mixed reports of the hotel before arrival, we need not have worried. After a short while we were shown to our two rooms up on the 4th floor (top floor) of Block 4 - this is definitely the best block to be in if you like peace and quiet. No lifts though so if you are a little older you may prefer to request a room not so high up. For us it was perfect - tucked away at the end of the block and the rooms beautifully furnished with very comfortable new beds and Plasma TV. This block is in lovely mature grounds and we even had the company of a green parrot on one occasion. The beach is stunning with a cooling breeze, plenty of new sun loungers and loads of shade. The beach lunchtime buffet is great - you can eat in comfort under the trees. There are currently 3 restaurants - you need to book Waves and the Dover Grill but Enid's is first come, first served. The food is excellent, service can be slow but the staff are extremely courteous and willing to help. There are 4 bars, one of which is a Pool bar and you can have a drink until 2am if you wish in the Piano Bar after the bar in the entertainment area closes at 11pm - it would be better if this Bar opened earlier as there is not a quiet area for an after dinner drink as the entertainment is in full swing until 11pm. The Bar staff are fantastic and work extremely hard to give you just what you want. From the teenager point of view facilities are limited - the gym was not open but the boys were able to use the one at Turtle Beach next door and it is very good. The spa is now open. Due to the ocean being at times quite rough water sports are limited but one has the option of going to the Almond Beach Village on the shuttle bus where there is a wide choice available along with a small 9 hole golf course. Our boys had a fantastic time as they had easy access (you can walk - 10mins) to St Lawrence Gap where there are numerous bars/clubs. The famous Harbour Lights is only a short taxi ride away and a great night out. The hotel location is a definite plus and our boys did not want to leave as they had made some great friends. Try to visit the Graeham Hall Nature Sanctuary just up the road - it is lovely. We have had several holidays in Barbados but this was one of the best - yes, there are still things that need completing at the hotel and I think they may struggle when the resort is fully booked. A 4th restaurant may be needed and a separate swimming area for adults would also be nice. The hotel is improving daily under the guidance of Melissa the Guest Relations Manager - she is great. We definitely plan to return as I am confident this will be a great place to stay.

We have just returned for a 7 night stay at Almond Casuarina, When we arrived we were checked in very quickly and shown to our room in block 3, a good size but lacking the extra bed we had called the previous week to order. This was sorted out the following day by Joanna from guest services who was very pleasant and helpful. The food quality was very good and I can honestly say I enjoyed every meal although I found the buffet lunch quite repetitive there was always something to eat. The reastaurant and bar staff vary quite a lot.. Some are clearly new but very helpful and we recognised a few who had moved from ABV.. Never used the kids club as our son loved the pool and boogie boarding but got a warm welcome from Juliette who we know again form ABV. All staff seemed very enthusiastic about the hotel which is good. The head chef is also from ABV which probably explains why the food is good as we have never had any complaints there either. My only thought is how are they going to cope when the hotel is full? The pool areas although lovely are not very spacious and the restaurants are not very big..I look forward to hearing for people who go in the summer holidays! All in all a great holiday, great hotel, great staff, but loads of not so great mossies. Still would not put me off returning!

We stayed here one week from 26/6. Most of the other reviews say it all. So here is my summary; Rooms are fine, but several missing bits, no bath plug (replaced after 6 days), hair dryer u/s and curtain rail fell off the ceiling. Restaurants OK, not enough staff, so slow starts and service even with buffets. Staff very helpful but stretched. Lovely beach, but NO watersports, unless you count 7 boogie boards with more paperwork than a hip joint op.I spoke with THE hotel manager who 'promised' to get the hobies in the water.By the time this happened, I was packed and leaving. Bars- in theory 4, often only 1 or 2 open, not enough barmen for an A-Inc resort. As of 3/7, one accom block is still being refurbished, and the new block only partly occupied. I do not think the food/drink facilities will cope. On the last morning there was a VERY long queue for breakfast which started late as usual. My advice; If any problems are not quickly resolved, go to the top manager or nothing will happen. On the first night, you are pre-booked into Enid's restaurant. This is a contradiction, there are NO bookings in this place.You will have to wait a long time, so ask for a timed seating in the other restaurants. Overall a nice place, good value at the cheap intro rate, but not good as prices rise.Should be fine, but maybe in six months.