Island Inn

Barbados, Caribbean

Virgin rating

Standard Courtyard Room
Standard Garden View Room
Boardwalk Restaurant
Superior Garden View Room
Junior Suite
Lounge
Standard Garden View Room
Superior Room
Superior Room
Superior Garden View
Superior Garden Room
Standard Courtyard Room
Standard Garden View Room
Boardwalk Restaurant
Superior Garden View Room
Junior Suite
Lounge
Standard Garden View Room
Superior Room
Superior Room
Superior Garden View
Superior Garden Room

The hotel

Island Inn is a quaint, 24-room, All Inclusive property situated less than a mile from the centre of Historic Bridgetown and within the Garrison Area — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hotel is footsteps away from the beach at the beautiful Carlisle Bay and Pebbles Beach where the horses come and bathe early morning, and is conveniently close to shops and restaurants. Island Inn will amaze you with its disarming simplicity and old world charm, it was originally built as the rum storage facility for the British regiment in Barbados in 1804! Take advantage of your free scuba diving demo in the pool before hitting the big blue, discovering an underwater world that’s just as beautiful as what lies above! The swimming pool makes a change from the beach and is a charming place to lounge beside, soaking up the sun or reading a good book. There’s also The Boardwalk Restaurant for eclectic dining, serving dishes regarded as very special by locals and guests alike. Evenings tend to be very low key although there is live music three times a week plus a weekly manager’s rum punch party to meet and mingle with fellow guests.

Amenities

  • Babysitting service
  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Laundry Service
  • Restaurant
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Swimming Pool
  • Close to Beach

Where is it

In the Garrison Historic area, just a 2-minute walk away from the beach at beautiful Carlisle Bay, less than a mile from Bridgetown. Local attractions include George Washington House, Brownes Beach and Barbados Parliament Buildings. Transfer time from airport: 30 minutes.

Hotel information

24 stylish rooms and suites on 1 level. All with air-conditioning, TV, telephone, alarm clock/radio, safe, tea/coffee-making facilities, hairdryer, iron and ironing board. Standard Rooms are located in the original historic building and have either garden or courtyard views, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 people.

All Inclusive of: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. All local brand drinks except for speciality wines/Champagne. All entertainment and activities above unless stated otherwise.

Superior Garden View Rooms are larger and located in either the original historic building or in the southern block of the hotel with views over the garden, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.

Superior Pool Side Rooms are located in the southern block of the hotel with easy access to the swimming pool, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.

Junior Suites have a separate sitting area and patio with garden and/or partial pool views, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

  • Booking Bonus: Book by 11 Feb '25 and save up to 30%. Valid for travel before 05 Jan '26. Terms and conditions apply.

The Boardwalk Restaurant (local and International dishes for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner). Bar (open 10am-11pm daily).

Live entertainment 3 nights per week. Weekly manager’s rum punch party.

Small swimming pool. Mini-gym/fitness centre. Free scuba-diving demo in pool (on request). Lounge with TV and board games.

Babysitting* (on request). Laundry/dry-cleaning service*. Complimentary WiFi access.

A Tourism Fee will be charged per bedroom, per night and will be collected at check out. The rate is subject to change by the Government, and varies by hotel room. Fees currently range from 8.75 Barbadian dollar (approximately £3.90) to 35 Barbadian dollar​ (approximately £16.00) per bedroom, per night. 

Good general access for guests who are able to walk short distances and can manage up to six steps. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

1 night between 1 Apr-22 Dec. 

5 nights between 6 Jan-31 Mar. 

7 nights between 23 Dec-5 Jan. 

* Denotes local charge.

Dress code: at the Boardwalk Restaurant (year-round) the evening dress code is smart casual which means that gentlemen may wear smart dress shorts and short sleeved shirts (polo shirts are allowed). Please note that no sports replica shirts or club branded merchandise are allowed at dinner.  Smart jeans are allowed. No flip flops or trainers are allowed in the evening in the restaurant.

Cover-ups are required in the restaurant for breakfast and lunch and footwear is required in the restaurant at all times.

Please note: although the dress code has been relaxed at this hotel, there may still be some occasions at the hotel and on the island where long trousers and shirt sleeves will be more appropriate or compulsory for gentlemen, so it is highly recommended to still pack some.

Please note: child ages up to and including 12 years.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (520)
  • Very good (244)
  • Average (86)
  • Poor (26)
  • Terrible (21)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Rustic and charming hotel

Dec 22, 2024 985avrilm

The description from fellow guests of the hotel was rustic/ quirky. It's a small, intimate hotel that adds to its charm. Staff are so lovely, and those waiting on deserve a special shout out. Elsie, Sharon, Tia, Jeanette, Ann, Doris, to name a few. Sharon on reception was very warm. Terry working in the bar does a lot of extra jobs especially we… Read more
The description from fellow guests of the hotel was rustic/ quirky. It's a small, intimate hotel that adds to its charm. Staff are so lovely, and those waiting on deserve a special shout out. Elsie, Sharon, Tia, Jeanette, Ann, Doris, to name a few. Sharon on reception was very warm. Terry working in the bar does a lot of extra jobs especially we observed a few days they could have done with more staff in the restuarant. Food is very tasty and nicely presented. We were in room 2, which, when we first arrived, i thought it was quite basic, but after a couple of days, I was satisfied and comfortable having gotten used to it. Towels are changed daily if required. Bed was comfortable and everywhere was clean. The location is perfect right next to Pebbles Beach and a 10 minute stroll to Brown's beach/Carlyle Bay. Both these beaches are great for swimming/snorkelling and seeing turtles, especially Pebbles. We tried the reggae bus twice, which was fun and cheap. We did a tour of the island with Teds tours, which was very good. The use of the sister hotels is a great idea and a different way to spend some time. They, too, were welcoming, supply you with a beach towel, and you are free to make use of their facilities for the day, drinks, lunch, beach beds, etc. Island Inn needs some updates to the rooms, yes, but we still had a lovely relaxing holiday. I forgot to add that the charm of the hotel is the small bar area where we mixed with a lot of other guests immediately, which definitely added to a great 10 days there. We will be back! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Friendly hotel with a real old world charm

Dec 15, 2024 samh66 London, United Kingdom

This small boutique, oldy worldly hotel is just a few minutes walk from Pebbles beach. Rooms are clean and functional and as others have said old fashioned. We had a junior suite poolside. It was big. Easily fit a family of 4. Bathroom had a large walk in shower, bath with shower over but bath had no taps just the shower head! Small bar… Read more
This small boutique, oldy worldly hotel is just a few minutes walk from Pebbles beach. Rooms are clean and functional and as others have said old fashioned. We had a junior suite poolside. It was big. Easily fit a family of 4. Bathroom had a large walk in shower, bath with shower over but bath had no taps just the shower head! Small bar area with a really friendly vibe, restaurant and reception area with comfortable seating. Food was a mix of menu each day or buffet. Breakfast was always buffet. Pool area is small but mostly people head to the beach so it’s not a problem, Whilst we were there some works to the restaurant were needed. This in itself was inconvenient as it meant the seating for the restaurant was crammed into one small area. However the annoying part was we were not advised of the works until the end of day 2! We did raise this with management and hope they will take on board our comments should they need to do this again in the future. The staff are the real hero’s of this hotel. If you make the effort to get to know them, and most guests do, they will do all they can for you. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Enjoyable stay fir our diamond wedding hotel decorated room

Dec 13, 2024 tricia s Bournemouth, United Kingdom

We found that it was very friendly and all the holiday makers were friendly because only about 40 in hotel some of the staff not very informative but it a very good location for the beach don’t bother to go into Bridgetown absolute rubbish no decent shops I think they stock Chinese throw outs
Image of the Tripadvisor rating The Island should be better.

Dec 10, 2024 B815QFgrahamh Middlewich, United Kingdom

This is a very good hotel and could easily be 4 rather 3 The staff are fantastic especially Terry who does so many different duties it's amazing. The rooms are very good and although some reviews mention they require updating not for ne as this would spoil the ambience. I independence day Nov 30th the hotel put on a lavish meal for lunch as… Read more
This is a very good hotel and could easily be 4 rather 3 The staff are fantastic especially Terry who does so many different duties it's amazing. The rooms are very good and although some reviews mention they require updating not for ne as this would spoil the ambience. I independence day Nov 30th the hotel put on a lavish meal for lunch as well as extra entertainment. The hotel has to daily menus week 1 and week2. The week 2 menu was far more superior to week 1 biggest downfall being hot dogs twice for lunch. That week we had lunch only 3 times at the hotel. There was a problem with mosquitoes in the courtyard which should be addressed. Overall pleasant but not great. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Island Inn - hit and miss

Dec 3, 2024 Eleanor W Wallasey, United Kingdom

The positives first: - Sharon is an absolute asset to this hotel. Friendly, knowledgeable and couldn’t do enough for us - Same for most of the housekeeping and kitchen staff - Air conditioning was excellent - TV allowed streaming including Netflix/Amazon - The bed was really comfortable - The entertainment was lots of fun - Being able to visit… Read more
The positives first: - Sharon is an absolute asset to this hotel. Friendly, knowledgeable and couldn’t do enough for us - Same for most of the housekeeping and kitchen staff - Air conditioning was excellent - TV allowed streaming including Netflix/Amazon - The bed was really comfortable - The entertainment was lots of fun - Being able to visit the Sister hotels was a real luxury! - The location was fabulous for what we wanted to do and see The not so good: - Terry and Tre were the most unapproachable bar staff. We either caught them on a terrible 10 days, or they prioritised people who tipped better. So much so we ended up buying wine/alcohol from elsewhere rather than go anywhere near the bar - The bathroom needs some real TLC. The shower spun around when trying to use it, and the service hatch on the side was shoddy to name a couple of issues - The hotel in general needs a good upgrade - Some delicious food some days, some not so good others - Cliquey! Returning guests seemed to get priority treatment - The pool area was smaller than the photos, and the loungers could do with some upgrading I get people love this hotel because of its “charm” but when you compare Mango Bay to Island Inn it’s like a different company and it shouldn’t be as it’s the same group. The staff, the food, the experience - had we had longer to stay we would’ve asked to move hotels as Mango Bay was something else. It shouldn’t be good, but unfortunately our experience wasn’t what we expected from the reviews we’d read. Read less