Crystal Cove reviews
2593 TripAdvisor reviews
Not what it was!
Buzz K (Cardiff, United Kingdom) on Mar 22, 2024
Staff are outstanding but this resort is most definitely not what it was. It’s worth mentioning that I rarely post a review and I’ve been to Crystal Cove on five occasions. Let get the obvious out the way, the resort is tired and needs a serious upgrade, but I believe that is in hand and I did not come to the Caribbean to sit in a room. My main concern is the quality of the food being served. Choice is very limited and unlike before when both restaurants were open every evening (almost), they now rotate between the two, it’s rare both are open on the same evening if at all. Evening meals are a hit or miss, we had some good ones and a few more not so good! Lunch is a non event, the choice is burger, hot dog or grilled fish from the BBQ or either pork, chicken or lamb done in a “red wine BBQ sauce” from the hot plate and that is every day! I’ve seen a significant drop off in the quality of the food being served over the last 7 years, that is such a shame. I feel for the staff, I genuinely believe they are doing the best but this resort is not worth what it is now charging and I’m afraid I’ve seen enough now to deter me from coming back. There is better value elsewhere on the island, we’ve seen that for ourselves.
Don’t believe all the negatives as the positives far outweigh them!
SteveAD (Cheltenham, United Kingdom) on Mar 14, 2024
We were a bit concerned after making this booking to stay at Crystal Cove as quite a few of the reviews were negative. However, our concerns were unfounded as we are having a wonderful holiday and the hotel accommodation, the food and location are excellent. Yes the hotel is dated and the management are addressing this but it doesn’t spoil your holiday and our room has a comfortable king size bed, lashings of hot water, a powerful shower, great AC and a huge tv. The wifi signal is great anywhere in the hotel grounds, including the beach and the food has been exceptional. OK so at busy times you have to wait for a table to become available in the restaurant- big deal - it’s not an issue and the food choices and variety have been excellent.The vast majority of the staff are charming and friendly and whilst a few - very few - may come across as a bit miserable they are few and far between and no different to any other hotel we’ve stayed in. The good staff are truly excellent and can’t do enough to help you. Each evening we have had some wonderful singers entertain us as we have an after dinner drink - of which there is enough to sink a battleship. There’s always enough sun beds and the refreshing beach drink and ice creams service is always welcome. So, don’t take too much notice of the negative reviews as the positives outweigh them and we will be sad to depart on Saturday. Would we return - definitely!
Enjoyable experience though not perfect
K3742CHangelaw on Mar 13, 2024
We really enjoyed staying on this property! The beach was large and spread out that we didn’t have to worry about reserving chairs early, and had three nice pools. Although some items in the room were a bit weathered, like the dresser drawers, that wasn’t a big deal (you’re on the beach!). The food at both restaurants was good but buffet style most of the time. It was nice having the Cave Bar open throughout the day. Their website indicated there was beach ambassador service but the only thing we saw was a nice gentleman coming around a couple times a day offering popsicles. We expected drink service so maybe it was just a misunderstanding on our end. The water taxi to sister properties was nice and while we only went to Waves, we found Crystal Cove’s facilities and beach much better! Overall we really enjoyed our stay and would go back. While the staff could have been friendlier (most of the time they seemed annoyed with us at dinner or the bar), Sasha and Tanya really stood out!!
Inconsistent customer service in a tired hotel!
Jenny P on Mar 13, 2024
Hotel situation is super in a beautiful cove. The hotel itself is quite quirky in a good way but very tired We were upgraded to a suite after a very difficult start to the holiday when our booked room was not available and we spent 1 night in a very poor room. The food was excellent throughout the holiday. Interestingly the staff were either excellent or had a major attitude problem including some of the management team. Kathy and Sasha in the restaurant were fabulous consistently. Richard the customer liaison Manager was brillant and ensured our holiday went smoothly after a tricky start! Without him this review would be very different!
Fantastic resort, lovely staff and great food.
909debsw (Coventry, United Kingdom) on Mar 13, 2024
We have just returned from a 1 week stay at Crystal Cove as a family of adults and had a fantastic time. The staff were lovely, always helpful. Special thanks to Lisa, Kathy, Dolores, Hazel Kerri Ann and Richard. The food was excellent with a wide choice and the a la carte evenings were superb. The swim up bar is fun and the cocktails ( both alcoholic and non alcoholic) were great.There was a choice of sitting by the lovely pools or on the beach. The gym was well equipped with a good range of equipment. The watersports were excellent- we went kayaking , had a trip on the banana boat and went snorkelling. The water taxi is worth trying, either for a drink or meal at one of the other hotels , or simply for a boat ride up the coast. Yes, the decor is a bit tired - but it is typically Caribbean and we already knew about the planned refurbishment. However, the rooms were large enough, perfectly well equipped and clean (and to be honest, who goes on holiday to sit in a hotel room!). We will definitely return. Thank you Crystal Cove for a lovely holiday.