Fairmont Royal Pavilion

A wonderful stay for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. All the staff were brilliant and the facilities were great. Breakfast was delicious and generous and lunches/dinners in the restaurant by the pool were also very good. We used the gym and the cold face towels, water and fruit were an added bonus. Evening turn down was welcome with a bottle of fresh water, restock of coffee etc and a bedtime note! Having the taxi's to hand each evening to whisk us off to whichever restaurant was very convenient and the reception staff organised a car rental for us too. We would definitely return and recommend the hotel. Read less

Wow! What a fabulous experience! From being greeted by the front desk team, to Dawn thinking of every special detail for us to celebrate our friend’s birthday, we absolutely loved our time at Fairmont Royal Pavilion! Cons: - There is zero diversity in terms of guests and I’d say it’s more of a mature crowd. There were so many people surprised to see African American people at the resort, which I found odd and a little disappointing. - If you’re looking for entertainment in any way, this isn’t the resort for you. It rained pretty much the entire day one of the days we were there so we found ourselves stuck in our room. I would have loved to attend some sort of hotel hosted activity to keep us from cabin fever. - The rooms are super duper clean and a good amount of space, but could use a refresh. Furniture is outdated, but bc the room was so clean, I was ok with it. - The resort is in a town where there isn’t any local food. We were 45 mins away from Oistin’s which is where we had to drive for island food. - The pool is pretty small, but this also isn’t the audience that hangs at the pool all day. I believe I only saw 1 person in the pool the 5 days we were there. Pros: - Food and drinks are PERFECT! Although pricey, every single item we tried was delish! - Beach was very very clean and literally right outside of our room. It was amazing! - The service! Service in itself would have me coming back. I loved how the employees would stop and make conversation with us. They gave food and nearby entertainment recommendations and they checked in constantly to make sure we were ok! - Our room was cleaned and organized multiple times a day which was a surprise and appreciated! Overall, this is not a party or entertainment resort. It’s peaceful and relaxing. If you want to reconnect with a spouse or celebrate on a low key level, I’d def recommend this hotel. We will absolutely be back! Maybe for an anniversary. Thank you to the entire team for your hospitality! Read less

Just returned from our second visit to this beautiful hotel. The position of this hotel overlooking the beautiful uninterrupted view of the sea is absolutely second to none. All the staff go out of their way to make you feel at home and most after day one can remember your name . The rooms are so modern and clean makes you feel home from home. The only reason I’ve taken a star away is that last visit we had a fridge which in the heat is nice to drink cold water instead of room temperature water. Last visit also was a hot buffet breakfast including an egg station. The a la carte breakfast menu was really nice but I just preferred the original option. The two small niggles did not spoil my beautiful stay and I will most definitely return to The Fairmont but I just wanted to give my honest view. Thank you to everyone who made my stay wonderful. Read less

Catherine and I just concluded a wonderful week at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Holetown, Barbados. We had a wonderful experience, as detailed in this review, and we enthusiastically recommend it! The hotel is located in Holetown, one of four towns on the island, and it is approximately 45 minutes from the airport. The Fairmont provided transportation to and from airport under the terms of our reservation, and we were met as we exited plane by a hotel employee, Duran, who whisked us through immigration, bypassing the large line of tourists waiting to be processed – it was great! It wasn’t the Fairmont’s fault, but waiting an hour for our baggage wasn’t so great. No one was surprised at the lengthy wait, so I guess it was just par for the course, as they say. The Fairmont is not a large resort – it consists of 75 rooms: 72 on the beach in 2 3- story buildings with 12 units per floor, plus a villa, but it is located on 11 beautiful oceanfront acres. There is a very spacious feel – the hotel was 80% occupied, we were told - and it seemed expansive and open. We really enjoyed the openness and lack of a ‘crowd’ feel. We chose a Beachfront King Suite – one of the 24 that are available – which was on the ground level. You exited the sliding glass door to a deck area that was located on a seawall about 5 feet high, with steps down to the beach. Our room (Room 122) had an overhead roof which provided additional sun protection, which we appreciated. Not all the rooms have a roof – it is a design feature of the building. There were two lounge chairs and a small table and 2 chairs on the deck. The room was spacious, with a bathroom with a glass enclosed shower as well as a separate bathtub, and two sinks. The suite was divisible by a curtain, which separated the bed/sleeping area from the sitting area. There was a king sized bed, which was very comfortable, and excellent pillows. A large TV faced the bed, above the desk/makeup station. There was a couch and several chairs and a table in the sitting area. We were provided butler service by a team of three, who worked in tandem, led by their supervisor, Peter Maynard. Peter is a consummate professional, and he enhanced our stay with his knowledge, insights and charm. He is a credit to the Fairmont, and he was one of a number of truly outstanding Fairmont team members we were fortunate to encounter. The butlers serve a concierge function – arranging restaurant reservations, suggesting and booking excursions, offering island insight, and providing an afternoon tea, if requested. They also offer packng and unpacking service, which we did not utilize. We had some interaction with Rolston, who was very helpful in arranging restaurant reservations for us, and is a friendly, gregarious and professional butler. You have the choice to relax on the white sand beach, or sit at the pool. There was lots of room on the beach, and at the pool. There were always chairs available at the pool, which is unusual, but very welcome, in my experience. There is one pool, located between the two buildings housing the rooms. There is no children’s pool, and the facility didn’t seem to cater to young families, although there were infants present. We were there during the school term, and didn’t expect to see many children. The Taboras bar/restaurant is also located there. We received outstanding service and treatment from the pool team, led by Simon. Deserving special recognition are Ryan & Nathan, who worked the pool/beach area and were fabulous – attentive, friendly, personable and professional; and Richard, who was a waiter at Taboras Restaurant who worked the poolside drinks & dining. He was an absolute gem, and he is a credit to the Fairmont. There were 3 dining venues available to us: the Palm Terrace, Taboras Restaurant and The Beach Club. We experienced all three. The Palm Terrace was only open for breakfast during our stay. It is a lovely open area on the ground floor of the main building, with lovely ocean views. All seating is under cover. Breakfast was included in our package, and the breakfast offerings had just changed. There is a cold buffet, and a la carte menu, and the buffet is included in the breakfast. You are able to order a hot breakfast from the menu, and also enjoy the buffet, which included a yogurt station, fresh fruits, cereals and oatmeal, pastries, bagels, English muffins, wheat bread, slicing loafs of bread, smoked salmon, capers, cream cheese; cheeses, and selection of fruit juices. The menu offers pancakes, eggs Benedict, avocado toast, build your own omelet, Traditional English breakfast; eggs any style with potatoes and your choice of protein (bacon, sausage, ham). It was abundant, and delicious! Taboras Restaurant, which included the open area bar, offered lunch and dinner, The menu itself is eclectic, offering Starters, Salads, Larger Plates and Wood Stove Pizzas. The Starters included Pan Bread, Crab Cakes, Pumpkin Gnocchi, Ceviche, Prawns, Tuna Tartare and a daily soup option. Salads include Roasted Squash salad, Caesar salad, and Panzanella salad. Larger Plates were Local Catch (Mahi-Mahi), Salmon, Skirt steak, and several pizzas: Margherita, Supreme (3 meats), Bajan Pride (smoked ham, peppers, onions,corn) and BBQ Chicken. (See my separate TA review of Taboras Restaurant.) There is also a lunch menu, offering a variety of wraps, burgers, tacos and assorted appetizers, that is also the pool menu. The Beach Club is located a bit away from the main area, and offered casual dining and a full bar. Notable dishes included a quesadilla, chicken wings, and wraps. It was casual, and only open during lunch while we were on the property. This is a first class property, and it is manned by a host of friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff, who seem to enjoy their job, and it is apparent in their actions and demeanor. We had the opportunity to meet the General Manager, J.C. Martinez, when he stopped by our table to invite us to his General Manager’s Cocktail Party on Wednesday. He was a pleasant, highly professional gentleman, who deserves great credit for his management of an efficient operation. We had a wonderful stay at Fairmont Royal Pavilion, and highly recommend the facility if you are traveling to Barbados. We look forward to returning there next year! Read less