Escape Hotel and Spa - Barbados

Went for two weeks in Barbados at the "Extra Virgin" hotel - Escape Hotel and Spa, and to be honest I am truly dissapointed in Virgin Holidays. Now don't get me wrong, the flights were great (upstairs)and the service onboard was excellent but at the airport, the hotel and the bajan roots n rythmns I was honestly upset by the standards.

At the airport, Virgin had promised Extra Virgin people a direct transfer rather than going around the houses. However, it took us 3 hours from getting off of the aircraft to getting into the hotel. Not impressed.
In the hotel, the place was dirty and shoddy, not 4 V's by any means. The welcome staff made us feel as welcome as the plague and the beach-front area was a mess with plastic cups everywhere and ashtrays full to the brim.
Our room was wonderful however, larger than any hotel room I have stayed in previously but there was no Virgin Towels as promised, instead there was bleached/green/yellow thread-bared towels that I wouldn't use to dry my dog.
The staff at the hotel were rude anf unfriendly on many occassions, this is just not acceptable for a 4 V hotel.
Anyway, apart from the drug dealers on the beach and the jet-ski touts, the Bajan Roots n rythmnsw as excellent apart form the 2" peice of metal in my cherry cake. I complained and nothing was done. [n]
We have written to Virgin, with many more points and we got a reply basically telling us that it was our opinion and they are sorry for that. Unfortunatly for them, we were not the only ones who found that the hotel was below standards and we will be writting to them again asking a British representitive to check out the hotel and see its true side.
[V] [V] [V] I hope from reading this, that anybody with any sense would reconsider booking at the Escape hotels, as we talked to people who stayed at Escape at the Gap, Tropical Escape and Escape Hotel and Spa and they were all very very dissapointed. Barbados is a wonderful island, but could do without Escape Hotels operation.

John

[preiffer]

For reference, here is the VH page with hotel details.

Ok well I'm booked at the escape in November. I think I will stick with the booking rather than change at this late stage. I was going to go to another virgin hotel , discovery Bay but was put off by "trip advisor" postings. Lets hope things have improved, watch this space if they haven't.[:o)]

We stayed there a couple of years ago and there was no problems. We were infact thinking of going back in January, Maybe some staff changes have occured since then.

regards

David

I agree with David.

Stayed at the Escape (Gap) 2 yrs ago and it was perfectly ok.
Loads of roadworks going on outside but it did not spoil anything.

Sorry to hear you had a lousy time

Iain

I've booked a week at Escape Prospect Bay (Virgin Extra Hotel) and have since read the reviews on Trip Advisor. I am changing my reservation to The Sandridge Beach (VH Extra again) as according to Trip Advisor guests it seems to be able to do no wrong by comparison.

Regards

John

Hmm

Well we've done Escape at Prospect Bay 7 times in last 5 years (all VH) and we're there again end of November for 12 days - you've got to set your expectations. This is not the UK/USA in terms of sterile 5* hotels. Its the Caribbean, caribbean style and caribbean time. And yes the birds invade breakfast and lunch. And yes the staff get grumpy at low pay.

Are you their for the rooms or the experience?? Hire a car - hit the island. Visit the Coach and Horses up the road on a yellow bus for live Premiership football - watching the snow fall as you sup an ice cold beer in Paradise.

Enjoy the beach, even turtles swam up last December.

Flights - ranged from poor to excellent - and this time UC (we got an upgrade to UC last time on way back - hooked!)

Chill out

Ken

Back in August I mentioned i was going to the escape despite some indifferent reports posted here and elsewhere (trip advisor) We arrived on VS029 our first glimpse of the island in heavy cloud and rain was from about 200ft above the rain. We arrived just before an AA flight and there was a bit of a wait for immigration checks. We then were bussed to the Escape & Spa sharing with those staying up the coast at Sandridge Beach. Arrived at the hotel about 2 and a hal hours after landing and overheard a few moans from guests at the hotel about the weather. Staff at the hotel were great, room as ordered with superb balcony view, room clean, well maintained including the plumbing, food at the hotel was good throughout our stay, we lunched and dined at both the seascape and the garden and at both locations the service was excellent. Ok sometimes the orders went missing or were delayed, but overall no problems. Drink plentiful and served well by the staff. Where do the complainers come from, if you are pleasant to people they will be pleasant back, we witnessed a couple of guests who were, quite frankly downright rude to the staff on more than one occasion, perhaps if we remembered that we are guests in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with some of the most laid back, charming and genuinely friendly people in the world then perhaps we would all enjoy it more.
one word of caution if you are going to hire a car, Virgin recommend "drive matic" we ended paying over the odds for a rather second hand vehicle that broke down in Bridgetown about 4 miles. it took 3 hours for them to attend. There are better offers around. On the subject of transport, if its thrills you are after then forget jet skis parasailing, waterskiing, just get on a yellow bus to Holetown, these guys personalise their bus's to inclode spoilers, aerelons and blown exhausts. Their driving style is one hand on the wheel the other on the mobile while carrying on a conversation with the person sat behind but with the cd player turned up full.
Big thankyou from us to Carla the very helpful VH rep. and the management and staff at the escape who made us feel so welcome and if anyone knows what Dionne had can they post it on the site.

Well, having stayed at the Escape at Prospect Bay "by Virgin Holidays" very recently I think I'll add my tuppence worth.

We were conveyed to the hotel in a bus that was bursting at the seams with the 20 or so passengers it was designed to carry.
Our room was in the "adults only" Spa section of the hotel which is across the (sometimes busy) main road. The decor and facities in the room were fine and housekeeping was excellent.

Food is served in either the Seascape or Garden restaurants with both quality and variety being good. The Garden is available to book for two nights of a seven night stay with bookings being taken at 1630 every day at reception for that evening. Strange thing was when we attempted to book for our second visit at 1630 one day we found that it was fully booked. We also noticed that some guests were eating there EVERY night of their stay.

There are 14 rooms in the Spa section of the hotel which, in my opinion equates to 28 guests. Why then are there only 26 loungers available? I would say 22 of them useable due to them either being broken, in an area impossible to sunbathe in or just plain filthy black? The ones that were useable had to be within about 12 inces of each other due to the small decking area around the pool.

The main building area was undergoing some renovation (we were advised of this 3 weeks before departure - too late to change hotels due to the others being fully booked). I found the public areas to be shabby and the cocktails to be watery. The beer was Ok but the bar and restaurant service was indifferent (and I ALWAYS respect my servers).

The loungers on the small beach and on the terrace area were again lacking and some were filthy. I have never seen loungers crawling with flies, covered in bird **** and with a strange black staining ANYWHERE before.

The Virgin rep was very helpful but the Drive-a-Matic car hire was very expensive - £139 for a jeep for 48 hours.

This hotel depressed us and most people we spoke to ended up coming up with the same line - "what do you think of this place? - If this is Virgin's Flagship then they can forget it!"

It's all about managing peoples expectations... This was billed as a 4V plus Virgin Extra Hotel - I would love to know how they arrived at this rating?

Our relationship with Virgin Holidays is over - I did not intend to write in public again about them due to my lambasting of our last holiday - I don't want to be seen as some over the top moaner who has unrealistic expectations. I wil not be back. I have £400 worth of vouchers from VH as a gesture for my previous problems - I don't think I'll be using them somehow.

What on earth is going on? [n]

Regards

John

Well promised feedback on Escape at Prospect Bay (November 25 to December 7)..

So visit number 8 in 5 years - guess that says something[y]

First visit in 2001 (before Spa was built - they'd just started) and when a deluxe room was a deluxe room etc etc.

I agree - never been a 4 star - or flagship - but what has made it for us is the guys who look after us. We were going before they built the Rum Shack on the beach. Prior to Rum Shack? Well Wendell took your orders and came down with a huge tray and drinks - chances of getting the drink you ordered - pretty slim! And 2 or 3 occassions he tripped - we enjoyed that[ii].

Regularity means the holiday starts straight away - we never travel on the Virgin bus - get a taxi - $20 (U.S) - I know its extra but you're there in just less than an hour after landing (but do tell the Virgin reps first!! - or they'll keep the bus until all accounted for...)

Always agreat reception off Sandra, a drink (pre-poured as I approach the bar) off either Ronnie or Kenny. A smile off Wendell, superb cooking of eggs (any way you want) off Linda and smiles off the cleaning ladies (whose names sadly fail me) as they shout - you wre here last year.

Yup the birds are annoying, some of the staff are grumpy and not everything works first time. You're on holiday for chr*st's sake - enjoy the beach, the sun, the yellow buses, Bridgetown, the island, the pubs. Don't go to the Caribbean to enjoy a sterile air conditioned room and restaurant. (I do that every 8 weeks to the JW Marriott in Mumbai at £200 a night and its like being looked after by robots!!)

I enjoy Escape[8D]

I agree - never been a 4 star - or flagship - but what has made it for us is the guys who look after us.

The staff were mainly good, the food was mainly good and our housekeeper's name was "Alaska" and she was a gem but, and this is my main issue with VH - my expectations were of something completely different - so the hotel did not live up to my expectations.

You feel at home and relaxed there because you know what to expect and, no doubt how much it's worth paying to be there. I felt short changed and dissapointed.

Regards

John

Never been to the Escape at prospect bay, but did stay in its sister hotel Escape at the gap. Despite the never ending roadworks in this part of town, it was a good basic all inclusive. I think it was rated 3*+,. Nothing fancy but great beach and food was ok. We did think about the one up the road, glad we did not choose it by the sounds of things.

Iain

it was a good basic all inclusive. I think it was rated 3*+,. Nothing fancy but great beach and food was ok.

Exactly Iain. This place was the same minus the great beach and perhaps some plus points for the Garden restaurant.

It was NOT a 4V+ "Flagship" - and that's what we were expecting.

Regards

John