We stayed at the Crystal Cove for a week on the 23 rd May. We spent one night in a suite and were then suppose to be staying in a sea view room. When I saw the room we were suppose to be moving to I complained to reception as it had no view of the sea just a really good view of the beach bar parasols. They intially told me that there were no available rooms to move to but after a bit of persistence the manager moved us to a really nice room.

I love to snorkel and I found that the best time is first thing in the morning when it was quite and there were no jet skis. The jet skis are dangerous and travel at high speeds really close to the beach. Although there is a designated swim area it is really small. There is a really good snorkel area in the nature reserve further down the coast which is all buoyed off and there is loads to see.

I did find the beach vendors annoying, most of them are polite but when I want to relax I simply cant be bothered to keep saying no thank you all the time. We also got offered drugs by Cat who works for the turtle trip bloke. This wasn’t a problem we said no thank you and thought that was the end of it. However the next day I was approached by him again in a confrontational way wanting to know why I had mentioned it to the hotel water sports bloke as it could ruin his image!! ( I didnt realise it was a secret as every evening he openly smokes cannabis on the Jetty!!)This really annoyed be and made me feel uncomfortable every time we had to walk passed him.

The food was really good. I am a vegetarian and found out that they have a seperate veggie menu so if you don’t fancy anything from the day’s menu you can pre order something else. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have any fresh fruit juices as they were all made from concentrate, but that’s just me being picky.

I thought the entertainment was a bit dull, some of the singers were really rubbish but I didn’t really go away for the entertainment so it didn’t bother me. If however you want an early night and are staying near the bandstand you will definitely need earplugs.

The water sports were brilliant, I am pregnant so couldn’t do the more exciting ones but my husband did loads of water-skiing and wake boarding and loved it. You just need to get your name down the day before if you want to guarantee a few slots.

We hired a car for three days which I don’t think was worth it as you can explore the island in a full day and use the buses which are cheap.

I spent so long on trip advisor reading other peoples reviews looking at photos and worrying that I had chose the wrong place to stay I don’t think I was impressed by this hotel as I should have been. It is in a beautiful location and I would say that it deserves its 4 star rating.

We stayed here for the second week of our honeymoon in August 2006. We had booked into a pool/garden view room but ended up in a first floor room with a lovely view of the ocean.

On arrival checkin was swift, and though we pitched up much earlier than expected, there was no problem and they suggested we head off for a drink and lunch whilst things were sorted.

The room was a fair size with a super-large bed and a seperate dressing room area. The furniture was white wicker and everything was well maintained and very clean. It had white linen, which I always appreciate. The bathroom was quite dated, but was perfectly clean and useable. There was a small balcony, with chairs and a chair hammock. Usual amenities of in-room safe, fridge, iron etc were all provided.

The hotel operates on an all-inclusive basis, and this was the first time we had ever gone all-inclusive. I have heard horror stories in the past, and am aware of some negative reviews on Trip Advisor regarding this hotel. Make no mistake, the food was superb for the duration. There are two restaurants and two bars.

Reflections restaurant is undercover but open sided and has lovely views of the sea and the swimming pools (the pools are cut out of the rock, and when lit at night are very pretty). There is netting at the sides, which is very unobtrusive and I believe designed to keep birds out. Some people have complained about the birds. I feel this is a little over the top - it's not as though it's a Hitchcock remake - we're talking one or two who sneak in and peck at crumbs on tables where people have literally just left. They are actually quite cute and are no nuisance at all.

The food in Reflections is a la carte for lunch and dinner, and there was always a good choice. One night there was a buffet which was very good. Breakfast is a buffet of cooked and cold items, with eggs made to order. The restaurant is casual attire for breakfast and lunch, and in the evening they require you to wear sleeves (short sleeved shirt is fine for men, and a nice vest top is still acceptable for ladies) and long trousers. The food is excellent - always very well presented and very tasty.

Drifters is an outdoor bar & restaurant. They server lunch and dinner and it's either bufffet or menu based. The food is more casual, but still very nice. I don't believe there was a dress code at Drifters.

Both restaurants require a booking for the evening meal, which is made with reception daily. Again, there have been complaints about this, but at the end of the day, if you were not in an all inclusive hotel, you would have to make a reservation for dinner anyway. We were always able to eat in the restaurant of our choice.

There is a poolside bar called the Cave Bar, which serves all types of alcoholic and soft drinks, including cocktails. You can swim up to this bar, or walk in. It is quite warm inside, as others have noted in their reviews. Also, dark -but then it is a *cave* bar so this is to be expected!

Nightly there is some entertainment provided, local singer / band etc, and these were generally quite good and unobtrusive. It isn't a 'party' hotel, but it doens't market itself as one, and we had a wonderfully relaxing time here.

The beach is beautiful, with nice white sand and plenty of loungers. We were always able to get one, and towels are provided daily in your room for the beach/pool. All non-motorised watersports (kayak, windsurfing, snorkeling, sailing, Hobbycat, banana boat, rings etc) are provided free. They also give you free trials of waterski-ing, and I believe a free trial of scuba-diving in the pool.

There are some beach vendors selling rides on the jetskis, and local crafts but these are well policed and no trouble.

All in all, we had a fabulous time here, and will be going back this summer. Highly recommended to all!

We have just returned from a week all-inclusive at the Crystal Cove. Like others after reading some of the reviews I was a little concerned however there was really no need to worry.

We had a Beach View Room on the 2nd floor with a small balcony. I would describe the hotel as fairly typical for the Caribbean, showing it’s age in a couple of places in comparison to some of the new locations on the travel map in the Middle East etc but never the less we had no complaints at all with the standard of the accommodation.

Every guest at the hotel was on an all-inclusive package so you do not have any signing of receipts during your stay it really is help your self territory. Also all of the water sports were included within the all-inclusive package (apart from the Jet Ski’s), the only comment I will make is it is worth speaking to the attendants on the beach to book the activity as some were disappointed.

The beach itself was lovely with plenty of room, also benefited from regular refreshments from the staff during the course of the day.

You have a selection of two restaurants both of which we found to be good. The standard of the food was very good with no complaints and the quality of the house wines were good enough to allow you not to drift into the wine list. It again is well worth remembering to book your table at either restaurant on a daily basis. The service was good but typically Caribbean in that the pace of life is slow and relaxed and you have to expect that to be reflected sometimes in the service but all did what they could for you in a pleasant manner.

I must recommend that you take the catamaran excursion, as it really was a wonderful day spent on the boat. You stop for 2 snorkelling sessions, one with turtles and the other over a coral reef with a small shipwreck, both wonderful. Followed by some lunch on the boat and a swim just off the coast before meandering back to boat. It cost in the region of $ 200 USD each but worth every penny.

We also hired a car but I think in hindsight we would not bother if we returned, the roads were very busy in places with a number of roadwork’s taking place. You can get a taxi or a bus into Bridgetown the Capital to undertake some shopping and have a look around. Also you can travel easily up to Holetown about 5 minutes up the road from the hotel.

In my view if you a thinking about going to the Caribbean you can do much worse than staying at Crystal Cove.

The Crystal Cove is a nice hotel for the price. Very nice option of 3 pools to choose from which are rarely full. The food is limited and is repeated quite often. The room is average for a tropical resort. Went to the Colony Club (sister hotel) for dinner and loved it there. Actually stayed there the last night after our flight home from Air Jamaica was canceled. That place is amazing. Back to Crystal Cove. Staff at the front desk was nice but the waiters and waitresses were not helpful at all. Second part of this review is about Air Jamaica. DO NOT use them. As I said before, my first flight was canceled after being in the airport for 8 hours. The staff did not inform anyone until an hour after we were scheduled to take off. They offered low quality motels to stay at and the next day our flight at 6:30pm was delayed until 11pm. Stay away and use Carri bean Airlines instead.