The House by Elegant Hotels

Barbados, Caribbean

Virgin rating

The hotel

Set on a pristine stretch of white sand on Barbados’ West Coast, The House is an all-inclusive, adults only, beachside version of a hip downtown hotel. On the design front, the combination of smooth lines of teak, crisp white love seats, and ambient torchlights set a mood that is suitably exotic. Yet it’s a beautifully intimate place with plenty of privacy for romantic dining. Let your Hotel Ambassador organise your complimentary jet-lag massage, a round of golf at nearby Royal West Moreland Course, spa treatments in a beachside cabana, or try your hand at the complimentary motorised and non-motorised water sports. The service extends down to the beach and The Deck, with complimentary afternoon tea and evening canapés. Why not take advantage of the new Romance Concierge programme, where a dedicated Romance Ambassador is on hand to customise a surprise romantic event you vision if you are celebrating a birthday, proposal, honeymoon, or, just because.

Amenities

  • Golf
  • Kayaking
  • Sailing
  • Scuba Diving
  • Snorkelling
  • Tennis
  • Windsurfing
  • Honeymoon
  • Wedding
  • Bar
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Spa

Where is it

Beachfront location at Paynes Bay in St James. Bridgetown is a 20-minute drive. Transfer time from airport: 35 minutes.

Hotel information

All 34 rooms and suites with custom-made wooden furniture, French doors, a private patio, graciously appointed baths that feature exquisite rain showers and body jets. All rooms have 1 king-size bed, air-conditioning, complimentary WiFi access, flat-screen satellite TV, iPod docking station, coffee/tea making facilities, safe, iron and ironing board, aromatherapy candles, bathrobes, hairdryer and luxury linens. 

Garden View Junior Suites have a private patio with views of the gardens or pool area.

All-Inclusive: includes champagne breakfast, lunch, all-day dining options, afternoon tea and dinner daily, along with all premium beverages, cocktails and premium select wine by the glass. Guests will have a choice between theme nights, à la carte meals and dining experiences at the adjacent Tamarind and Treasure Beach Hotels. As part of the All Inclusive plan, you can participate in the dine around programme at select sister properties (meal and drink supplements apply at Colony Club only) providing access to over 15 restaurants and bars. 24-hour room service* (supplementary delivery charge applies). 24-hour ambassador service. Complimentary 30-minute Jet Lag massage upon arrival. Complimentary motorised and non-motorised water sports, and all daily activities unless otherwise specified.

Please note: complimentary champagne will be provided during breakfast only, outside of breakfast hours, champagne will be available for purchase from the bar menu. Select wines and sparkling wine by the glass are available throughout the day as part of the all-inclusive offering.

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Ocean View Rooms offer beautiful views from a balcony, as well as a comfortable living area. 

Luxury Garden View 1-Bedroom Suites have separate living area with TV and DVD player, two spacious balconies with views of the tropical gardens and/or the pool area. Some suites have a plunge pool (plunge pools can't be guaranteed).

Ocean View Junior Suites featuring a comfortable living area, and a private balcony or patio with a beachfront view.

Ocean View 1-Bedroom Suites are spacious with two spacious balconies, separate living area with TV and DVD player, 2 bathrooms and stunning Caribbean ocean views.

Please note: all Ocean View Junior Suites and Ocean View 1-Bedroom Suites include an extended jet lag massage of 1 hour per person, per stay.

Daytime water taxi service (subject to availability and weather conditions) to select sister properties on the West Coast. Complimentary self-parking. Shuttle to Oistens Fish Fry every Friday evening.

All-day dining is available on The Deck and includes champagne breakfast, lunch, a ‘Grab and Go Station', afternoon tea, a la carte themed nights in the evening such as ‘Coastal Mediterranean’ and ‘Barefoot Sunsets’, as well as evening canapés daily. 1703 Mount Gay Rum Bar (open for lunch and dinner). Lobby Lounge. There is a Dine Around Programme* at sister properties (meal and drink supplements apply at Colony Club only). 24-hour room service* (supplementary delivery charge applies).

Freshwater swimming pool. On-site brand new boutique spa* offering a variety of treatments, massages and facials. Fitness centre. Tennis (at sister properties). Complimentary water sports offered next door at Tamarind including water-skiing, paddle boarding, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, tube riding, and snorkelling. Nearby, there are scuba lessons*, parasailing*, boat cruises* and deep-sea fishing*. Daily activities schedule. Weekly yoga and pilates classes. Complimentary meditation, digital detox and farm to fork market tour. Golf is available nearby at Royal Westmoreland Golf Course*.

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24-hour ambassador service, which includes:

  • Champagne breakfast daily
  • 24-hour Service Ambassador to cater to guests every need
  • Complimentary jet-lag massage
  • Afternoon tea and evening canapés
  • Complimentary water sports snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and complimentary motorised water sports
  • Beach and pool Ambassador service providing scented cold towels, refreshments and sorbets throughout the day
  • Personalised, boutique-style service and attention to detail
  • Complimentary WiFi in-rooms and throughout properties
  • Complimentary fitness centre and classes
  • Complimentary pillow menu offering alternative pillow choices
  • Enhanced turndown service including a selection of infused teas and light bedtime bites menu*.

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. Garden View Junior Suites are located on the ground floor. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

5 nights between 1–29 Feb and 21 Dec-2 Jan.

* Denotes local charge.

Dress code: smart casual after 6:30pm (no shorts, T-shirts or flip-flops please).

Please note: this is an adults-only hotel, guest under 18 years old are not permitted.

Please note: a complimentary water taxi to select sister properties is available during daytime only and subject to availability and weather conditions.


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 (723)
  • Very good (110)
  • Average (47)
  • Poor (19)
  • Terrible (16)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating A perfect boutique hotel with a personal touch

Jul 2, 2024 Culture54882343074 Nuneaton, United Kingdom

From the moment we arrived we knew we were going to have an amazing holiday. We absolutely loved everything about The House! The Staff are amazing and can’t do enough for you. Big shout out to Aggie, Wade, Andrew, Dennis, Kobia, Jada, and honestly ALL other staff that looked after us! You guys are the heart of this hotel! Rooms are huge, mini bar… Read more
From the moment we arrived we knew we were going to have an amazing holiday. We absolutely loved everything about The House! The Staff are amazing and can’t do enough for you. Big shout out to Aggie, Wade, Andrew, Dennis, Kobia, Jada, and honestly ALL other staff that looked after us! You guys are the heart of this hotel! Rooms are huge, mini bar plentiful, plenty of sunbeds, lovely breakfasts (big shout out to Pat!!!) The lovely ambassadors sorted out any reservations we wanted to make at restaurants on the island, arranged taxis for us and came round every morning to see if we needed any help with anything at breakfast. We celebrated our 50th and 60th birthdays while there and it was the best holiday we could have had. Food was plentiful and very good with ala carte lunches most days… they will even make a picnic up for you if you go out in a car for the day! Thank you so much for making our holiday amazing to all staff at The House! I even cried on the way to the airport 🥲 The only slight worry is after the refurb you may price us out and we won’t be able to visit…that really would be a shame. Keep it real Marriot! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Amazing staff are the jewel in the crown

Jun 26, 2024 45kathc Cardiff, United Kingdom

I am not going to comment on the structure, fabric and aesthetics of this hotel, as it is due to be refurbished soon and, hopefully, this will improve its tired appearance. I hope, however, that any improvements that are made, will not be to the detriment of this amazingly friendly,yet intimate hotel. The food at many all inclusive resorts… Read more
I am not going to comment on the structure, fabric and aesthetics of this hotel, as it is due to be refurbished soon and, hopefully, this will improve its tired appearance. I hope, however, that any improvements that are made, will not be to the detriment of this amazingly friendly,yet intimate hotel. The food at many all inclusive resorts leaves a lot to be desired, but the menus here are varied and of a very good standard. Only the occasional buffet and barbecue were a little . disappointing, with limited choice. There were a small number of premium spirits not included, but nevertheless,the standard of cocktails was excellent. Situated right on the beach, water sports are included,as is a water taxi to take you to sister hotels where all inclusive applies for facilities and dining. This is a small hotel with a big heart. Please don’t change too much, especially your staff who all went above and beyond to make our stay very special. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Terrible Experience - Disappointed and Frustrated

Jun 26, 2024 dhwanir9

I am incredibly disappointed with the management of chain ElegantHotels. We had a confirmed booking, but they changed our hotel last minute, offering us their sister property, The Coral, the house etc. This was extremely inconvenient and caused a lot of stress as we had planned everything around staying at The House. To make matters worse,… Read more
I am incredibly disappointed with the management of chain ElegantHotels. We had a confirmed booking, but they changed our hotel last minute, offering us their sister property, The Coral, the house etc. This was extremely inconvenient and caused a lot of stress as we had planned everything around staying at The House. To make matters worse, communication was dreadful. They took ages to reply to our emails, leaving us in the dark and anxious about our accommodation. This level of service is unacceptable, especially given the reputation and cost of staying at such an establishment. I sincerely hope our stay improves, but this has left a very bad taste in our mouths. Avoid if you want a hassle-free vacation. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Absolutely outstanding

Jun 19, 2024 TraceyS560 Daresbury, United Kingdom

We stayed here last year and 10 days wasn’t long enough. So this year we visited end of May for 14 days. Leaving was still a wrench!! The staff here are among the best we have ever experienced. The hotel is a perfect small oasis with impeccable and fun loving staff - Andrew/ Wade - too many to give a shout out. The champagne breakfasts are great-… Read more
We stayed here last year and 10 days wasn’t long enough. So this year we visited end of May for 14 days. Leaving was still a wrench!! The staff here are among the best we have ever experienced. The hotel is a perfect small oasis with impeccable and fun loving staff - Andrew/ Wade - too many to give a shout out. The champagne breakfasts are great- the ladies doing the fresh omelettes and eggs deserve a shout out too. The beach staff were so attentive water / drinks / cold flannels and ice lollipops. Jason the manager sorted out a few issues for us in a quiet and ultimate fun way. Looking forward to being back next year Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Homely and luxurious.

Jun 19, 2024 Suzanne M

We stayed at The House for 10 days in March this year as a couple. This is one of the best holidays we’ve been on and it was absolutely the staff and the homely nature of this hotel that made it for us. The rooms in the hotel are due to be refurbished so we’re a little tired, but this did not affect our stay at all! Comfiest bed I’ve ever slept… Read more
We stayed at The House for 10 days in March this year as a couple. This is one of the best holidays we’ve been on and it was absolutely the staff and the homely nature of this hotel that made it for us. The rooms in the hotel are due to be refurbished so we’re a little tired, but this did not affect our stay at all! Comfiest bed I’ve ever slept in! The breakfast was amazing every single day and the evening meals were well presented with good options. Most evenings were a la carte and we particularly enjoyed the fact the menu was displayed for each evening at the start of the day. We anticipated that we’d use the dine around programme with Elegant but ultimately the menus always looked so delicious at The House that we didn’t end up leaving, apart from the night when we enjoyed a lovely meal at Positanos next door. Cocktails were expertly prepared and ambassadors were always on hand by the pool and on the beach to bring drinks, ice lollies and cool towels as well as the occasionally pots of suncream! We noticed after a few days that ambassadors learnt what drinks we liked and had them ready for us before we asked, which was a wonderful touch. My partner doesn’t drink alcohol and they made some wonderful none alcoholic cocktails for him. One stand out experience of the resort was dressing for evening cocktails and canapés on the beachfront before a dinner in the open air of the in-house restaurant, which was particularly romantic. Absolute shout out to the wonderful chef/s both behind the scenes and in front of the barbecue. My partner eats meat and fish but I am vegetarian and there were always great options for me. There was usually only one veggie option on mains and starter each day but they were always delicious! The staff really make this place, they were attentive, on hand whenever you needed them and such a good laugh! The ambassadors, bar staff and extremely hard working manager always went a step above and beyond for guests, but most importantly they were approachable and friendly in a genuine way that made this hotel the most homely place we have ever stayed. It is not easy to get a balance of luxury and homely but The House impressively achieves this. We already can’t wait to come back again once the rooms are refurbished. It’s hard to single out staff as everyone was so wonderful but we wanted to do a big shout out to all the staff on the egg station at breakfast (especially to Pat who gave me directions, recommended pans to my partner and generally chatted about life each morning with us) and to Jason, the hardest working manager I’ve ever met. Can’t wait to go back! Read less