Tamarind by Elegant Hotels

Barbados, Caribbean

Virgin rating

The hotel

Situated on an idyllic 750ft crescent of beach on the Platinum West Coast of Barbados, Elegant Hotels proudly re-introduce Tamarind. A fusion of Mediterranean warmth and Caribbean spirit coupled with serene outdoor spaces give it a distinctive personality. It is a perfect holiday destination for couples, honeymooners and families seeking a stylish retreat. There’s an array of complimentary water sports and activities for all ages, kids' club, family lounge, fitness centre, an intimate spa and relaxation pool (adults only) and access to acclaimed golfing nearby. Culinary experiences include the 'Taste of Asia', 246 Fridays and Caribbean buffet nights, and a series of chef-inspired à la carte menu options with live entertainment five days a week.

Amenities

  • Kids Club
  • Wheelchair access
  • Families
  • Honeymoon
  • Wedding
  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Spa

Where is it

At Paynes Bay, St James. 20-minutes to Bridgetown. Transfer time from airport: 35 minutes.

Hotel information

104 rooms on 3 floors with no lifts. All with balcony or patio, air-conditioning, flat-screen cable TV, tea/coffee-making facilities, radio with iPod docking station, fridge, complimentary WiFi access, safe, iron and ironing board, bathrobe, and hairdryer. 

Pool/Garden View Rooms have 1 king-size bed and a sleeper chair, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 1 child. All rooms are non-smoking.


All Inclusive of: breakfast, lunch, all-day dining options, afternoon tea and dinner. All beverages and cocktails (excluding champagne and fine wines). Room service is also available at a supplementary delivery charge. Complimentary motorised and non-motorised water sports, and fitness classes. Guests can enjoy access to the amenities and facilities at the hotel's sister properties (subject to availability, exclusions may apply).

Oceanfront Rooms have sea views and 1 king-size bed. This room type is not available as a twin, and sleeps maximum 2 adults. 

Oceanfront Rooms with Sleeper Chair, featuring 1 king-size bed and pull out sleeper chair. This room type is not available as a twin, and sleeps maximum 2 adults and 1 child.

Junior Suite Pool/Garden View featuring a living area with sofa bed, and either 1 king-size bed or twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 children.

Junior Suite Ocean View featuring a living area with sofa bed, and either 1 king-size bed or twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Wheelchair accessible Room with roll-in shower.

1-Bedroom Suite Pool/Garden View featuring a separate living room with sofa bed, and 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

1-Bedroom Suite Oceanfront featuring a separate living room with sofa bed, and 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Family Connected Oceanview Junior Suites are available and consist of 2 Junior Suite Oceanview Rooms, sleeping maximum 6 adults or 4 adults and 4 children. 

Sugar Cane Room — open-air restaurant serving full breakfast buffet, traditional breakfast choices as well as local Bajan delights. Rilaks Deck & Bar — South Beach Miami-inspired outdoor lounge serving light snacks and cocktails with music including R&B, jazz, Caribbean, and soul. The 246 Deck — oceanfront restaurant serving local and international dishes for lunch and dinner. Room service*. Taste of Elegance Dine Around Programme* at select sister properties (drink and meal supplements may apply, exclusions may apply).

Live entertainment 5 days a week, including live bands, solo artists, and steel pannists. Saturday special BBQ buffet nights.

3 freshwater pools including an adults-only relaxation pool. Boutique spa*. Fitness centre. Yoga, aqua aerobics, and fitness classes. Complimentary motorised and non-motorised water sports including water-skiing, tubing, stand up paddle boarding, snorkelling, Hobie cat sailing, and kayaking. Water trampoline. Flying Fish Kids Club. Tamarind Teens Den with outdoor activities, water sports and local educational activities.

Boutique. Jewellery store. Gift shop. Complimentary WiFi in rooms and throughout the property. Daytime water taxi service (subject to availability and weather conditions) stops at select West Coast Elegant Hotels. Beach and Pool Ambassador service.

A Tourism Fee will be charged per bedroom, per night and will be collected at check out. The rate is subject to change by the Government, and varies by hotel room. Fees currently range from 8.75 Barbadian dollar (approximately £3.90) to 35 Barbadian dollar (approximately £16.00) per bedroom, per night. 

Wheelchair adapted rooms with partially accessible amenities or facilities available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. To discover all the special assistance services we offer please see additional information below.

1 night between 5 Jan-21 Dec and 5 Jan-31 Oct.

7 nights between 22 Dec-2 Jan.

* Denotes local charge.

Special assistance

Please note: child ages from 2-12 years.

Dress code: elegantly casual in the evenings.

Please note: over Christmas and New Year, a dinner credit of $90 per adult and $45 per child will be given towards the cost of the gala dinners.

Please note: the Dine Around Programme is only available at select properties and may be subject to an additional cost. A complimentary water taxi to select west coast Elegant properties is available during daytime only and subject to availability and weather conditions.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (1010)
  • Very good (442)
  • Average (148)
  • Poor (37)
  • Terrible (54)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Outdated and Average

Jul 6, 2024 CathyR30

Rooms were not ready by check-in time of 3pm even though the hotel was practically a ghost town. We did get the opportunity to have lunch while we waited. We also received an upgraded room but it was dated. The restaurant staff was not as friendly and welcoming compared to the other islands we visited, they were more concerned with talking,… Read more
Rooms were not ready by check-in time of 3pm even though the hotel was practically a ghost town. We did get the opportunity to have lunch while we waited. We also received an upgraded room but it was dated. The restaurant staff was not as friendly and welcoming compared to the other islands we visited, they were more concerned with talking, laughing and taking shots amongst themselves that attending to guests at meal times. The best meal of the day was breakfast. Lunch and dinner options as described on their website and at check-in was totally different from what was available. When we inquired about the options at meal times they said that was an error and the document we received at check-in needed to be corrected. I wish I knew that before I booked as that's the main I choose an all inclusive option. The beach was nice the drinks were strong and I won't be return to this hotel. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Brilliant stay at Tamarind

Jun 26, 2024 clouds111 Wallington, United Kingdom

Stayed for a week at Tamarind and had a fantastic stay. Our room was upgraded on check in and we had a lovely view of the pool and ocean. Staff are very helpful and the welcome rum punch was a hit. The room itself was very spacious, big comfy bed, tea/coffee, dressing robes and all the essentials. Yes the rooms are a little dated but it was no… Read more
Stayed for a week at Tamarind and had a fantastic stay. Our room was upgraded on check in and we had a lovely view of the pool and ocean. Staff are very helpful and the welcome rum punch was a hit. The room itself was very spacious, big comfy bed, tea/coffee, dressing robes and all the essentials. Yes the rooms are a little dated but it was no issue for us. Our door lock stopped working one afternoon and the maintenance guy fixed it within 30mins. They are closing for a refurb at the end of the summer, but I hope it can retain some of its old character and charm. The ladies servicing the room did a great job and replenished everything we needed and even left the balcony alone as there were two fledgling birds taking shelter there. The location is out of this world. The views and beach are beautiful. The beach was pristine. There are 3 pools to choose from and plenty of beds. The hotel was very quiet the first few days we were there but we preferred it that way. There is a bus stop right outside that will take you up the west coast or down to Bridgetown for just a few dollars. Not a great deal of bars or food places in the immediate area if you are looking for a change but Holetown is a 10 min bus ride. The food at the hotel was great, although the lunch time/ bar snack menu was a bit repetitive. We ate at Positano twice and that was lovely. There are some water sport included in the package such as SUPs, kayaking, snorkelling (there’s a reef right off the shoreline), water skiing and more. The guys are on the beach every day and they are knowledgeable and really helpful. There’s a water taxi to Waves and Crystal Cove which we used once but we preferred Tamarind overall. Hotel staff and the reception team are friendly and polite. The bar drinks and cocktails are also really good and they showed the T20 World Cup cricket in the bar each game which my partner appreciated. I loved our stay here and look forward to seeing what they do with the hotel after the refurb. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Nasty rooms, run down property, needs renovations! DO NOT STAY HERE in Barbados!

Jun 7, 2024 Sherima R

Do NOT BOOK! Property is falling apart. Front desk greeted me terribly. I got Alana to step in and check us in. Got to our room and it was mold/mildew in bathrooms, toilets running and wouldn’t stop, floors dirty, hair in the tub, ripped bedsheets, tore up furniture, it looked like a nightmare. I’m still waiting for a manager to change our room.… Read more
Do NOT BOOK! Property is falling apart. Front desk greeted me terribly. I got Alana to step in and check us in. Got to our room and it was mold/mildew in bathrooms, toilets running and wouldn’t stop, floors dirty, hair in the tub, ripped bedsheets, tore up furniture, it looked like a nightmare. I’m still waiting for a manager to change our room. THIS PROPERTY MADE ME SO SAD IT RUINED MY BARBADOS VACATION! My family stayed 3 nights at the Little Good Harbour and it was amazing! Newly renovated 2 bedrooms villas for half the cost and the staff went above and beyond for my family. Our last 2 days we decided to stay at the Tamarind All Inclusive, paid more and it is just run down and disgusting. The employees I can tell is embarrassed how run down this place is and they don’t know what to do. Management please renovate! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Warm, welcoming Hotel.

Jun 2, 2024 JoannaBurr London, United Kingdom

There are lots of positive things to say about our stay with the Tamarind Hotel. The staff here are extremely friendly and polite. Our special thanks would go to Ether who made our breakfast every day (she gives good cooking tips)! Christopher who was our server for most meals. (Always seemed to be on duty whatever the hour) and Marica, our maid… Read more
There are lots of positive things to say about our stay with the Tamarind Hotel. The staff here are extremely friendly and polite. Our special thanks would go to Ether who made our breakfast every day (she gives good cooking tips)! Christopher who was our server for most meals. (Always seemed to be on duty whatever the hour) and Marica, our maid who took care of us and went over and above to make sure we had everything we needed when one of our party was unwell. We noticed the extra bottles of water and your patience in accessing our room. Thank you! The food here is really good and especially enjoyed the Positano restaurant we visited next door on three occasions. The staff here were also excellent as was the food. We visited just before the hotel was about to undergo a major refurb so no need to harp on about bits and bobs being a bit tired, it will soon be shiny and new. The beach here is picture postcard beautiful with the hotel being right on the beach means lots of lovely walks and direct access to the Caribbean Sea. There were never any problems finding a sun bed, either at the beach or pool. The only negative I have is that it was very quiet in the evenings with entertainment only on three nights of our stay, finishing at 9pm. As we were travelling with two young people (19 and 22) we and they would have welcomed a bit more to do in the evening. Thank you again to the team and I hope to see you all again in the future. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating A really bad holiday.

May 23, 2024 raylZ1358FN

We arrived after a long flight and were told the room was not ready having been booked months before after 2 hours it was ready, not what you would expect. A few days later the lock broke and we couldn’t get in the room, this was fixed and shortly after the safe had the same problem and had to be replaced then the door lock broke again. The hole… Read more
We arrived after a long flight and were told the room was not ready having been booked months before after 2 hours it was ready, not what you would expect. A few days later the lock broke and we couldn’t get in the room, this was fixed and shortly after the safe had the same problem and had to be replaced then the door lock broke again. The hole place was falling apart to top it all we had no hot water for 4 days I believe we should be compensated for this but nothing! Read less