- Private, personalized atmosphere
- Clean, moderately-sized rooms with private patios or balconies
- Tasteful landscaping integrates native flora with hotel property
- Complimentary non-motorized watersports and tennis (including equipment)
- Shared services with three other Elegant Hotels properties
- May be too quiet for some
- Laguna Restaurant is overpriced
- Children might find themselves bored in the sleepy setting
- Address: Porters, St. James, Barbados, West Indies
- Phone: 246-422-2335
- Rates for 2009: $281 - $1,243
- Dining: 2 restaurants and 2 bars (1 seasonal)
- Other Amenities: Pools, beach, tennis, gym, jacuzzi, water sports, free wireless Internet, shops, salon, spa services.
- Rooms: 96 guestrooms and suites
- Website: Colony Club Hotel
The Colony Club reflects its setting on Barbados' placid west side, but a stay here isn't just about lounging by the sea: one of the most attractive features of the resort is its complimentary non-motorized watersports (including sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing and water-skiing). Taking the free water taxi to Elegant Resorts' other west coast hotels, Tamarind Cove and Crystal Cove, provides a very pleasant tour and a great way to break away from the rum punch for an hour in the afternoon. The third shared Elegant Resorts property, Turtle Beach, is on the livelier south side of Barbados.
Unfortunately, the Colony Club's main restaurant, the Laguna, proved less than the equal of its surroundings (the complimentary breakfast in the morning, however, was fine). For dinner, the food, while passable, was overpriced at $25-40 an entree. The asparagus soup ($9) was salty. The crusted barracuda was well-cooked but blandly seasoned. Service was acceptable, but premium prices without premium quality? The savvy traveler is better off dining elsewhere.
Overall, however, the Colony Club acquits itself well. The rooms are clean Caribbean chic and stocked with modern amenities, and the ambiance is refined. Room rates will give the budget-conscious pause, but for couples young and old looking to spend a few special days in Caribbean idyll, the Colony Club fits the bill.
