Mango Bay

I read many reviews before booking mango bay so I was pretty realistic in what I was getting. I wanted west coast for location. I wanted not a large resort. People read all inclusive and think of what they get in Mexico or DR but that’s it what this little gem is. I kept warning my husband “it’s all inclusive but it’s smaller scale.” This was our first trip to Barbados. We’ve been to about 6 Caribbean islands and each island usually surprises us in its own way. The staff here definitely made us feel like Barbados is a friendly island. Upon arriving in our rental car we were kind of nervous wrecks. Other-side of the road driving wasn’t really on our radar and not the funnest thing to deal with after landing. Julian directed us and gave us the easiest spot to leave the car. He welcomed us in and got us a rum punch! Now we are talking:) We sat to check in and were informed that our room was still being cleaned ( totally fine we were an hour early) we were being upgraded. I did notify them ahead of time it was our 20 year wedding anniversary. I know I paid for an ocean view room but you know how that goes sometimes it’s a partial view and not too amazing. We got an amazing room -311. Couldn’t have asked for better in the whole place. We really appreciated that because it was a real treat. Room also had added touches for our anniversary. Lovely. Isabelle checked in with us while we were getting a bite to eat while room was being finished up. Eating times to keep in mind Breakfast was 8-10 buffet ( very British) Lunch was 12-2 not always a buffet Dinner 6-8 Pool menu was from 2-4 ( limited but pretty good options) Tea sandwiches and scones served around 4:30 near the beach. The bar gets a little busy at times because this is an all inclusive and people intend to get their drink on. But, overall this seemed to be a family resort so the bar was frequently overwhelmed by making frozen virgin drinks or milkshakes for kids. I’ve seen this at so many all inclusives and it’s annoying no matter where you go. I did hear the bartender warning the kids that there would be no milkshakes after 6 pm but adults were still insisting on milkshakes past 6 pm. I get it. My kids loved their frozen drinks on vacation but maybe they had like two a day. Big shout out to DAMIEN who I read reviews about and he didn’t disappoint. Energetic and fast service. Loved him. Missed him when he had his days off. Food was pretty good. I knew the choices would be limited but overall I thought it was very tasty. Delicious soups everyday. I had delicious curry chicken. My husband enjoyed lots of fresh fish. They had vegetarian options each meal. Smaller portions but you could ask for as much as you wanted. Waitresses were nice (not falling over themselves) but polite. Julissa was a great waitress we had very friendly. One waitress at dinner dances and sings during the singing and she was a really good time. One hostess wasn’t my favorite. But… there’s always one. One day at lunch we ate on the later end of the eating window and it took about an hour to get the lunch after a small starter and soup. Not really sure what the hold up was because the food is pretty simple. Other tables who came after us got their stuff before us and I was being impatient but as soon as I got up to inquire it was of course being served. There are a handful of other restaurants in the area to try. We enjoyed The Bearded Rose and Nishi ( very close by). The price of this all inclusive is very reasonable. So for what we paid each day we definitely got our monies worth with just breakfast, lunch and drinks. We knew we wanted to explore local eateries and not eat every meal inside our hotel. Each day the resort offers something a little fun. Pilates, yoga, but the best thing is the catamaran sail on Wednesdays! So if you are going to be there on a Wednesday get in on that! Email ahead of time. There are only like 20 spots. Beach loungers are all taken up by 7:30am. One person coming down and holding 4 chairs. Regular sort of stuff at these places. But basically only one day was I able to get a beach lounger. We usually lounged near the pool and just walked the 70 feet to the beach. Hard life! I know 🤣 But, in some ways it would be nice if it was watched a little closer so people felt some sort of pressure to not hold so many chairs. I did hear people complaining that they wanted more chairs set up around 8 am. There is something to there being enough loungers but I also hate places where the loungers are so packed in you are on top of people. The water was lovely! Very clear. The snorkel reef right off the beach had many beautiful fish. Be careful on the rocks. Snorkels are in the beach hut. We really loved this little spot. There were also paddle boards and kayaks to take out all free of charge. Many catamaran boats came in each afternoon and anchored right off our hotel to look for turtles. Sunsets were great here. Everynight there was live music. Different singers each night. Our favorite was Leah on Monday. What a voice. We will say we laughed each night because there was so much Phil Collins being sung. We never heard reggae songs until our last night so that was a little disappointing. We love feeling like we are getting a bit of the authentic vibe in the carribean not just a place that’s hot and filled with British people. Overall, we really had a great anniversary trip. We’d love to return again and mango bay hit the nail on the head for us. People who wrote negative reviews on this place need to just stick to big generic all Inclusives in DR and Mexico. Read less

Sunbed wars every morning - which is the main thing that let’s the place down, there aren’t enough beds so people actually get up at 6am when the beach guys are putting them out - it’s totally ridiculous- if you’ve not claimed you’re bed by 7am then you’re not having one! The location of the hotel is excellent, the food most days is really good, the rooms are getting tired & could have done with a re-fit about 3 years ago but they are very clean & the staff are really nice, to be honest it’s not expensive to stay here for Barbados but the subbed issue really needs addressing- there should be some sort of a system where beds are allocated to the rooms then rotated each day so some days you’re front row & some days you’re 2nd row - quite easy really & it would stop all this nonsense. Read less

Visited as a day visitor so only reviewing as a day guest from sister hotel, not actually staying at Mango Bay. Visiting Mango Bay was in our list to do as heard great things about Mango Bay and wanting to see for a possible stay next time as staying at a sister hotel. First impression, WOW, the entrance was stunning, greeting from staff great. Couldnt fault this part. Arrived around 10am and made way to the beach as you do. Was told no sunbeds available and no towels either, not a great start. Provided a slightly damaged sunbed to place items on so we could go snorkelling, this was fine, and returned to towels left for us, thank you. Must of been nearly 10 to 15 sunbeds reserved and not being used. We were snorkelling in and out of the sea for around 2 to 3 hours and these sunbeds never being used. Was told by other guest that you need to be early for sunbeds as some reserved from 6.30am and not used until mid-afternoon. Other guests showed their anger with this to staff which got shrugged off. Snorkelling was great, low waves, no tide or currents, saw many large tarpon and 2 big stingrays, EXCELLENT! Toilets located to side of restaurant. Management, please sort these out, there is no reason for dirty smelly toilets, quite disgusting. Went to lunch, buffet style, lovely. Service was very poor. Waitress took drinks order of just 3 pepsi, but never returned after 30 minutes. Spoke to male waiter who was polite and grabbed these drinks for us. Food was different to other sister hotel and slightly better quality. Afternoon tea / sandwiches seemed a disaster. Brought out scones which had no butter, no cream and no jam. Small sandwiches which were around 10 to 12 basic sandwiches which guests would take them all leading to another guest not being happy and waiting for another platter and then taking the whole platter. Bar area lovely but not to be over critical of the bar staff but did not engage when talking, just a nod and a grunt. Spirits used seemed to be top shelf brands rather than local brands. Asked about 2 bedroom rooms onsite but told all rooms are 1 bed with option of a single bed to be put out which was not ideal for us. As titled, we wanted to love Mango bay and had every intention of booking for next time, but from the day experience, lack of service from restaurant and no 2 bedroom rooms, we will look elsewhere. Mango bay may be great for those looking for a single room. We feel service could of been better. We may have just been unlucky and hope others had a great experience. Read less

Family if 4 with two teens, spent 3 days here. We loved the vibe here. Nice refreshing fresh water pool with floats, volleyball net and steps to sit on. The beach is just gorgeous. Beautiful calm water, reefs to snorkel and water skiing and catamaran trip included. Sunsets that are just magical. We found the food mainly good with a good choice and separate vegan menu. The restaurant was lovely with good seats and service. Pool bar was great and they made great cocktails here with a smile, We loved the presence of the manager who was kind and lovely and wanted to ensure guests were having a great time. We will definitely be back but for longer next time.. Read less

We’re just back after a wonderful 11 night stay at Mangobay! This is our 3rd trip to Barbados in this location 2 years, but our first at Mangobay and we’ll definitely be back. The location is amazing, right on the beach but also close to great bars, restaurants and shops. My 3yr old son also need to go to the Dr which is walking distance and there’s plenty of pharmacies on your doorstep. The staff were wonderful and so attentive, especially with our 3yr old son Arran. They really did go above and beyond, this made such a difference. In particular we would like to thank gelissa, Damien, Rayden, Faith, Maria, Rayden and Shemar. The reception staff and Nikolai were also fabulous and so friendly. The rooms were comfortable and kept really clean, again the maids were so friendly!! The food and drinks were also good, but my only complaint was that there’s no hot food choices between 4-6:30pm and that’s when my son wanted to eat so we ended up getting food for him outwith the hotel. Overall this is a brilliant hotel which is great value for money and in my opinion in the best location in Barbados. We’ll definitely be back. Thank you Mangobay!! Read less