The only dilemma one is faced with at The Crane resort in Barbados is: ocean or pool?
The luxury hotel property—which, dating back to 1887, is the island’s first resort, and the oldest continuously operating hotel in all of the Caribbean—sits on a cliff that overlooks the perfection of Crane Beach. Both a staircase and elevator drop guests onto the impeccably soft pinkish sand of the beach, where loungers and umbrellas are ready for the taking (though so are the warm, crashing waves of the Atlantic). But at the same time, The Crane has a dizzying number of pristine swimming pools dotted around the property, perfect for cooling down after a morning spent reading in the sun. An adult-only pool with Grecian-style columns is serene and quiet, while the Cliff Pool Complex features a staggering 1.5 acres of splashing fun: a waterfall pool, a Jacuzzi, a children’s wading pool, and more. For the keenest of swimmers, there are also suites with private pools: corner plunge pools, ground floor pools that can be up to 28 inches long, and penthouse pools with rooftop gardens.
And so, it is easy to spend all of your time in one body of water or another (all of this is not even to mention the huge Jacuzzi-style bathtubs in-suite)—but there is even more to The Crane. Speaking of the suites, they are all generously sized, outfitted with dark wood four-poster beds and Gilchrist & Soames bath amenities.
There is a spa on property, of course, and a fitness centre, and little “village” with shops offering everything from Colombian emeralds, to paintings, to the very necessary sunscreen. Bar 1887 is where to grab a rum cocktail at the end of the day, and The Carriage House is great for a roti at lunch; there are a handful of other restaurants onsite, as well, from the Southern Italian food of D’Onofrio’s Trattoria, to the Japanese and Thai dishes of Zen, to the American and Bajan cuisine of L’Azure.
Island hospitality is a real thing, and it shines brightest in a happy-go-lucky concierge named Mel. He escorts you to your room, remembers your name, even takes the time to call and check up on you a few days into your stay to make sure everything is to your liking. As if it’s possible to be unsatisfied in a place like this.
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