Barbados Travel Diary (Cobblers Cove hotel review)

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that at the start of the month, Oliver and I packed our bags and headed for the Caribbean for our first long-haul holiday in two years. We’d been planning this trip for what felt like forever, and a niggling worry in the back of my mind was that Covid would prevent it from happening, which would be pretty heartbreaking after the hours of admin and research that we’d dedicated to planning. But two negative PCR tests later, and we found ourselves boarding our flight to Bridgetown - my first time ever visiting the Caribbean! Read below for my hotel review of where we stayed, and other tips for what to do in Barbados…

First impressions: 3/5

Our hotel, Cobblers Cove, was located in Speightstown, on the west side of the island (where the best beaches are). A former plantation house, the property sticks out from the coast in signature candy floss pink, featuring classic, colonial-style architecture, and welcoming, delicate interiors: rattan chairs, soft furnishings in patterned prints, and pastel shades of blue, green, and pink (of course!) run throughout the property. Around the pool, sun loungers are shaded by scalloped parasols in striped pink and white, reminiscent of candy canes, and matching the beach towels and bathrobes you’ll find in your bedrooms.

Other than the two largest bedrooms in the main house, the rest of the suites are scattered across the property, and range between Garden Suites (these are located in the lush gardens that are lovingly tended every day, and make up the majority of bedrooms at the hotel), to Ocean View Suites, and Ocean Front Suites that directly face the sea. Bedrooms follow a similar style to the rest of the property, with furnishings in pale printed pastels, and rattan wicker furniture; all bedrooms are fairly unfussy although very pretty on the eye, and feature separate living area spaces and balconies or patios to relax outside.

Unfortunately our first impressions upon checking in were not the best thanks to a mixup with our room booking. We’d originally booked two nights in an Ocean Front Suite, followed by three nights in a Garden Suite, as we wanted to experience two different room types. The Ocean Front Suites also enjoy the best views of the sea, and we were looking forward to experiencing this for a couple of nights. Despite already paying our 50% deposit for this room rate, the hotel had somehow gotten mixed up and placed us in an Ocean View Suite (the room tier below, that doesn’t enjoy the same view) for the first nights of our stay - and unless I had noticed this and flagged it immediately with the team, we would have been overcharged with a higher room rate than we should have been paying.

Given that the hotel was fully booked, we weren’t able to stay in the Ocean Front Suite after all; instead, we simply opted to stay in the Garden Suite for the duration of our stay. Of course, our balance was adjusted accordingly based on the 50% deposit we’d already paid, but this was definitely a mixup that shouldn’t have happened, and made us quite frustrated given how much we’d been looking forward to our stay and how long in advance it had been booked. Thankfully, this didn’t affect us enjoying the rest of the holiday (and we were perfectly comfortable in the Garden Suite) but this is definitely something you should be aware of if planning a visit.

To do: 4/5

Given that Cobblers is a boutique luxury hotel, it’s not a huge seaside resort where you can expect an infinite number of activities - but this is what makes it so charming. The hub of the hotel is really the poolside bar area, where you’ll find a cluster of sun loungers positioned around the pool and facing the ocean - the loungers aren’t actually on the sand itself, as the deck is raised above the beach, but the ocean is merely a few steps away. The beach stretches out in either direction, and every morning, we would start our day with a refreshing dip in the sea.

The hotel also has a water sports hub where you can book activities each day. Most of the activities are complimentary to hotel guests, and included in your room rate: paddle-boarding, snorkelling, kayaking, boat trips and even swimming with turtles can simply be booked on the day (motorised water sports such as jet skiing and banana boating come with an extra cost). Swimming with turtles was an incredible experience, and definitely one of the highlights of our stay - although it’s worth noting that these sessions are only for 15-20 minutes given that they are complimentary.

The majority of our days were spent dipping in and out of the sea, and sunbathing lazily in the hours in-between; we barely ventured out of the hotel during the day to explore, which might seem a little unadventurous of us, but we had limited time on the island and really just wanted a relaxing holiday. This was definitely one of the bonuses at Cobblers: thanks to its boutique size, it never felt particularly busy or bustling. You can really kick back here and relax without being disturbed (there are loungers in more quiet locations around the property if you prefer to be further from the pool area), but even around the pool, it was never loud or crowded, which is what we really liked about the property.

The hotel also has an intimate spa, where we enjoyed a relaxing couple’s massage. The spa is simply one treatment room, where a variety of Tata Harper facials, scrubs, and massages are offered. Oliver and I agreed that our massage here was one of the best that either of us had ever enjoyed: both of the therapists were extremely welcoming and attentive, and the pressure was just perfect and really helped us both loosen up and relax. There’s also a small gym and boutique shop on the property.

Food and drink: 3.5/5

Breakfast at Cobblers Cove is rather lovely, and was definitely a highlight of our stay. Like the rest of the hotel, everything about the setting is pretty: guests sit at tables decked out in patterned pink and green tablecloths, with a view of the ocean lapping against the rocks below. Start off with spiced Caribbean cocoa tea, fresh smoothies and juice shots (watermelon and mint, or pineapple and ginger) before moving onto homemade granola, and freshly baked banana and coconut bread - so good that we almost always asked for more, which the staff were happy to oblige us with. Then come the mains: fresh fish of the day served with poached eggs, and eggs Benedict with spinach and salty flying fish were some of our favourites, and we always followed this with the delicious French toast, topped with banana, island honey and candied walnuts.

Lunch and dinner are served in the same al fresco restaurant area, which spills into the poolside bar, with live music taking place in the evenings from jazz, to sultry pop bands and even a steel drum trio, setting a lovely relaxed ambience. At dinner time, guests can choose between a two or three course menu featuring tasty (although not exceptional) dishes such as chicken skewers, sweet potato fries and stuffed bell peppers, followed by dulche de leche soufflé. At lunchtimes, a simpler, more casual menu is served poolside - we tried this once, but generally found that we didn’t require lunch after a late and big breakfast. An extra perk at the hotel is the complimentary afternoon tea served every day: all guests are offered a small selection of sandwiches, coconut macaroons and homemade cake to nibble on from 4-5pm - and the staff are very obliging if you ask for extra servings of cake.

It’s not 100% smooth sailing at Cobblers (the waiter might take a while to take your order, your toast might come a little charred in the morning, and unless you specify directly, your eggs Benedict might quite oddly be served on the same plate as your pancakes), but overall, the breakfast at Cobblers is very enjoyable, and the dinner menu, although not outstanding, is reliable (personally, I would recommend trying the variety of restaurants on the island rather than staying at the hotel each evening). The afternoon tea is a great perk of the property as well.

Comfort and service:  3.5/5

We visited at peak season, so the hotel was running at full capacity with all 40 of the hotel’s suites being occupied, but it never felt overwhelmingly busy (peak season runs from mid-December to mid-April, and February is one of the best months to visit weather-wise). The majority of clientele here are all British (if not, American), and mostly of an older generation (for the first couple of days, Oliver and I were probably the only couple under the age of 50); a lot of the clientele were returning hotel guests who clearly revisit the property every year.

Other than the problem we’d encountered with our bedroom upon checking in, we did very much enjoy the rest of our stay here, and settled into our Garden Suite for the entirety of the stay. Service around the property was on the whole friendly, although this did sometimes vary quite surprisingly. There were certain members of staff who would look out for us every day and were lovely to chat to, including the gardeners, the poolside staff, and the spa therapists. On the flip side, we found other members of staff less friendly - even bordering on curt - which was a little odd. We thought that this might partly be down to age (the majority of unfriendly staff were definitely older), as we noticed that they changed their attitude entirely when speaking to older guests. This was also noticed at reception: when arriving at the property, the welcome was neither particularly friendly nor unfriendly, just neutral, which we also found a bit surprising.

There were however, little touches throughout our stay that were very thoughtful: fresh fruit and homemade sorbet are handed out to guests during the day, and at turndown service, you’ll find homemade cookies in your bedroom. These are the kind of surprises that you’d expect at a luxury yet boutique hotel, and was exactly why we picked Cobblers: we wanted that intimate experience when staying on the island rather than choosing one of the many large resorts available.

Overall, would I return to Cobblers? Yes, I would certainly consider staying here again next time I visit Barbados. It’s such a beautifully designed hotel, which is important to me whenever I stay somewhere. I did a lot of research before visiting Barbados, as I wanted to make sure that I stayed in a hotel where the design aligned with my personal taste (always something that’s important to me!) and unless a new and incredibly chic boutique luxury hotel were to open on the island, I would probably return here on my next visit. The breakfast is also great, and included in the room rate - and I would simply eat other meals elsewhere given the number of restaurants to discover on the island. I do, however, think that the rooms are overpriced for what you get. If I were to directly compare the price we were paying here with what you’d get when staying at other hotels in the world for the same cost, I’d definitely expect to be staying in a more luxurious bedroom, and to encounter exceptional service throughout the property. However, when directly compared with other properties in Barbados, the prices are similar: what we discovered during our stay is that Barbados is simply an expensive island to visit, since properties can expect a steady flurry of tourists every year, regardless of whatever price they charge.

Travel Tips

This was my first time visiting Barbados, and I definitely felt a little overwhelmed researching everything from scratch, so here are some key things that are good to know:

• Getting there: we flew direct with British Airways from London Heathrow to Bridgetown. This is a regularly programmed flight, and if you book in advance or during the BA sale, you can get quite good discounts on seats.

• At the time of writing, proof of a negative PCR test is required upon arrival in Barbados - along with your immigration form, and proof of vaccination status (the rules will be different for un-vaccinated travellers…please research before you visit!). In all restaurants and public places, people wear masks and take Covid precautions very seriously.

• We withdrew some cash at the airport for tips and to pay our taxi driver, but other than that, we paid by card everywhere, and had no problems doing so. Prices are either in USD or Bajan dollars

• If you’re visiting in peak season, make sure to book restaurants in advance. I started to make reservations three weeks before we left, and there was already limited availability at some of the restaurants we wanted to go to. During peak season, you’ll find a LOT of British and American tourists visiting the island, and everyone tends to visit the same places as each other.

• Don’t forget your mosquito repellent! We brought ours but still got bitten…

• Getting around: we hired a private taxi driver (we got the contact from Oliver’s parents) who was able to drive us around the island for mealtimes. Other than venturing out for dinner, we didn’t explore the island that much this time round. It’s likely that your hotel will be able to help arrange taxis for you, but given that we were visiting during peak season, we wanted the reassurance of a taxi driver that was trusted, and would be available to take us around during our stay

Restaurants

Before heading to Barbados, I did a lot of research on where we should eat; for me, mealtimes can really dictate my entire holiday, and other than one night at the hotel restaurant, we wanted to try places all over the island. So many of the guidebooks, articles, and recommendations I received online gave the same recommendations, and you’ll find a lot of the popular restaurants are mostly frequented by tourists rather than locals. A lot of these restaurants have Westernised menus, and while these are perfectly fine, I tend to prefer the restaurants that highlight local flavours and dishes - I found that these were harder to stumble across, and probably required a local’s knowledge.

• La Cabane: one of our favourite restaurants in Barbados, this beachside club and restaurant has a very relaxed and chic vibe - as soon as we walked in, we felt that this place was very ‘Tulum’; you’ll dine with your toes in the sand listening to live music (from jazz to DJ sets) every evening as the waves lap across the beach mere metres away from you. Prices are definitely not cheap (the majority of clientele here are also tourists), but the menu incorporates delicious local flavours and produce, which is why we liked it here so much: breadfruit chips with mahi mahi ceviche, and flying fish tacos were our favourite dishes. The staff here are also super friendly.

• Local & Co: another one of our favourites, this place is a must-visit. Having opened during the pandemic, it doesn’t yet have the same established reputation among tourists, which is refreshing and means that it’s not (yet) packed out every evening or too difficult to get a reservation here. Similar to La Cabane, the use of local flavours is what we loved about it. Our favourites included the daily-changing ceviche served with plantain chips, the salmon sashimi breadfruit tacos, and the cassava fried chicken, followed by the most exquisite rum caramel tart for dessert. The space is also beautifully designed, and includes a glistening bar and concept store.

• Lone Star: a Barbados classic, this beachside restaurant is a firm favourite among British and American tourists. The space is reminiscent of a chic country club that you might see in American movies: everything is white, bright, and faces onto the sea - there’s a wonderful stretch of beach here that guests can enjoy as well. The entire menu is Western, serving pizzas, salads etc that are tasty and well cooked, albeit not the most adventurous.

• Tides: one of the fanciest restaurants on the island, the atmosphere here is really quite special; high ceilings and soaring arches while the waves crash onto the rocks below. The menu here is mostly Westernised with a few Caribbean touches here and there, and while the food is not outstanding, it is always beautifully presented, and tasty enough. The service is really immaculate, and what makes the restaurant truly memorable. There is no shortage of staff, and they are all incredibly polite, efficient, and welcoming - they also treated us to a special dessert and made us feel really looked after as we told them it was our anniversary.