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Style: Both elegant and elaborate with a certain air of formality and a décor reminiscent of the plantation great house combined with an English country manor. Wonderful pool setting with views to the Caribbean Sea framed by coral stone pillars. Good choice for anyone seeking a refined, formal setting and those interested in Holders Season or the Barbados Polo Club
The Beach: An approximate 7 minutes to Sandy Lane to the north or Fitts Village to the south
The Rooms: 4 bedrooms, 2 of which are en suite, 2 with a shared bathroom though the powder room could serve as the 4th bathroom as it has a shower
Key features: Among the finest of Barbados villas, swimming pool, barbecue, air-conditioned entertainment room with built-in bar plus satellite TV, VCR and board games, portable CD/cassette player, hair dryer, ADSL internet access and WiFi.
Children: Restricted to 2 children only
Staff: Cook, maid/laundress, gardener and night watchman |
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Description
Croeso is an elegant mix of English country manor and plantation great house opposite the Barbados Polo Club. Discreetly hidden behind an avenue of mahogany trees, with a gated entrance giving way to a shady area of lawn and generous parking, Croeso is a low lying, weathered coral stone property, whose heavy brass pineapple door knocker is a prelude to the décor inside and is one of a number of holiday and residential homes which are built around the edges of the polo field – the club house is directly across the road. Another house on the estate is the historic Holders House, home to the Kidd family and birthplace of the ‘Holders Season’. During the ‘season’ Holders Hill busies itself with all kinds of musical, theatrical and cultural events including international and local polo matches, which attract a good following and can be viewed from the entrance of Croeso. If the ‘season’ is your idea of heaven, then this is the must-have villa.
Beyond Croeso’s front porch is what is known as The Great Room, a relatively formal living and dining area that usually has a wonderful tropical floral display to welcome guests. You will immediately notice the grandeur of the mahogany antique furniture and the chandeliers, but the formality is softened by the traditional tray ceiling of pickle pine and toned down further by the highly polished terracotta floor tiles. To one side, the sitting area has comfortable, cream upholstered sofas and chairs, off which French doors open to a coral stone courtyard called the gazebo with wall mounted dolphin water fountain, a pleasant and breezy place to enjoy a spot of high tea. The other half of the Great Room features the formal dining area which has elegant cream slip covers to the eight chairs around the good size dining table. A large, wood carved dresser with mirrored display sections for selected pieces of china and table ware, sits against the wall, with reflections of the overhead chandelier adding yet more flamboyance to the room. The kitchen is located off the dining area, and Anita the cook counts Bajan style fish, peas & rice, and home baked apple pie or coconut cream pie as her best dishes.
An air-conditioned entertainment room or Den, with satellite TV, VCR and board games, is located next to the Great Room in one of two bedroom wings. This is a cosy room with comfortable wicker corner seating and an elegant built-in bar, it also has its own cloakroom with shower, which can also serve one of the two nearby bedrooms that share a bathroom.
Outside on the covered veranda, reached through two large louvered doorways (which fold back) a more casual sitting area is furnished with dark stained bamboo and wicker seating, which in turn looks over low walls to a central courtyard and the pool and sea vistas beyond. The paved courtyard serves as an alfresco dining area with a couple of wrought iron tables with sun shades set in two of the corners. Surrounded by tropical greenery, the courtyard features a rather charming coral stone fountain which is framed by a pergola festooned with dusty pink Allamandas over the gated entrance way to the pool and gardens.
Raised a few steps above the surrounding gardens, is the extremely inviting swimming pool, set off by two coral stone pillars which act as a frame for the views of the Caribbean Sea, just minutes down the hill. Gardens either side of the pool have well tended lawns and are brimming with tropical greenery, flora and mature trees, giving a sense of privacy and making a relaxing environment.
The four bedrooms are split either side of the courtyard. In the South wing the first bedroom is very feminine and known as either the White or the Hemmings room. It is decorated and furnished almost entirely in white with muslin drapes to the bed. The only departure from the white theme is the palm print scatter cushions and bedside cabinets that feature paintings of monkeys. Next door a pink bathroom with tub/shower serves both bedrooms, the second of which is known as the masculine Polo Room with twin mahogany beds. This room would not look out of place in a country house in England and features fancy burgundy checked drapes and bed covers, with a collection of polo prints on the walls which match similar prints on the bed cushions. From here there is private access to the gardens.
On the opposite side of the courtyard the northern wing houses the Master and the Princess Margaret room both of which are en suite. The Master bedroom has an Eastern theme done in a sage green, taupe and gold palette with an intricate wood carved screen serving as a head board to the queen size bed. There are windows to three sides with access to the gardens and French doors on the ocean facing side. The bedroom is well furnished with a sitting area and also a desk. There’s a walk-in dressing room and a luxurious white marble bathroom, featuring a large semi-circle step in shower with a glass tiled wall and statuette. The Princess Margaret Room is located to the front of Croeso and leads out to the side of the dolphin courtyard. Named after the princess who apparently slept here, the room has a couple of pictures of her as a young woman, and has been decorated in a feminine style with blue toile covers to the twin beds, blue drapes and some oil paintings of English beach scenes. It has an en suite bathroom with shower and small dressing room. |
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Beach & Swimming
Croeso’s oblong pool has steps to the shallow end and ladder from the deep end. There are some excellent swimming beaches within a ten to 15 minute drive, running from Fitts Village to Sandy Lane and up towards Colony Club. There is a public footpath giving access to Sandy Lane beach located south of the hotel, with parking along the side of Highway 1, the road which runs along the West Coast. |
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Sports & Recreation
The Sandy Lane Golf Club, tennis courts, and dedicated spa are located within approximately 7 minutes drive from Croeso, as are a range of water sports from Sandy Lane Hotel’s beach. There is a fitness studio at West Coast Mall approximately 10 minutes away. Tennis is also available at Sugar Hill approximately 12 minutes drive. |
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Locality
Croeso is located up the hill from Tamarind Cove and Daphne’s on a ridge overlooking the Paynes Bay area, with the polo field to the rear. It is approximately 7 minutes drive from the world famous beach at Sandy Lane. A few more minutes will get you to the heart of St James, and the nearest shopping district which is Holetown (about 5 minutes north by car). Here you will find the Cave Shepherd Plaza and the larger West Coast Mall. These contain a supermarket, bank, photo centre, duty free shops, video rental, and various shops and boutiques. Also close by is the Chattel House Village, a series of traditional-looking Caribbean cabins selling souvenirs, the 24 hour Sandy Crest Medical Centre, and a market stall where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The town also has a gas station (as petrol stations are known locally) which has an in-store mini-mart and an outlet of KFC, both open until late evening. Holetown, the place where the English first landed in 1625, later settling it in 1627, is also a local Barbadian community, with Police Station, Post Office, Parish Church, bank, pharmacy, clinic, fitness centre, school and so on.
There is a host of restaurants within 15 minutes drive along the main West Coast Road in either direction of Croeso. You might consider the famous Cliff Restaurant, about ten minutes away to the south - also look out for Scarlet and Calabaza in this direction. Heading north beyond Holetown you could try celeb favourite the Lone Star, about 15 minutes north, or the Fish Pot. There are any number of restaurants in Holetown itself, including The Mews, Café Indigo, Olive’s and The Tides as well as an excellent patisserie, Flindt’s and several pizza parlours, cafés, a beach bar and some fast food outlets. There is also good nightlife in Holetown with lively weekend gatherings in 1st and 2nd Street, where the restaurants and bars stand shoulder to shoulder, with some providing live music. Drinkers tend to spill out into the street to mingle, creating an easy-going ‘street party’ type of atmosphere. The current ‘hot spots’ are The Mews, The Elbow Room, Spago’s and Lexy’s. |
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Useful Hints
Ask your travel organiser or the management company (if booking direct) for initial food and drink supplies to be laid in for your arrival. The cook will then prepare a welcome meal. Thereafter, staff will shop for you during your stay if you wish to delegate this chore. A 15% service charge plus VAT will be levied on the value of all shopping bills. Prepayment for your provisional groceries should be made when sending the final balance for the villa. Please see here for Bajan Services general grocery pack list with approximate prices.
Miscellaneous items such as airport transfers, extra beds and baby equipment are also payable in advance (see here for a price list). In the event that Bajan Services can only provide an estimated cost for customized shopping lists, or where the final payment for your villa has been made prior to other requests, you will be required to complete a credit card authorization form.
Please note that rental rates for villas in Barbados do not include ‘tips’ about which you will find advice in the guest information book at the villa.
Weddings: Croeso accepts up to 25 guests only for wedding functions. |
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Rates
| | 15 Apr-14 Dec 2008 | 15 Dec-14 Apr 2008-09 | 15 Apr-14 Dec 2009 | | Croeso 4 bedrooms | 890 | 1,435 | 935 | Rates are quoted in US$ per night and are subject to 7.5% VAT. Minimum stay 7 nights. All rates are subject to change without notice. Separate rates apply for the Christmas & New Year period - prices on request. |
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Special Offers
Autumn Special - Complimentary Welcome Package worth US$600
Enjoy complimentary welcome cocktails, first dinner including a bottle of wine and one bottle of rum, two in-house massages and arrival airport transfer. Valid for all bookings with a minimum stay of 7 nights from 05 September to 14 December 2008. |
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How to Book
If you wish to book direct, reservations should be made through the local managing agents, Bajan Services Ltd. You will need to send a deposit of 25% of the total rental fee (50% for Christmas/New Year bookings) to confirm a reservation. Payment of the remaining 75% is required 30 days prior your arrival, as is payment for groceries, transfers and baby equipment. If you are booking within 30 days of your arrival, full payment must be made to secure the booking. You may contact Bajan Services by using the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. For a review of Bajan Services Ltd and details of their services please see here. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser that features this property, please follow the link.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Airport Meet & Greet
If you are booking direct ask the villa management company to send a taxi to meet you at the airport. Your airport transfers take approximately 45 minutes and should be paid for in advance with the final payment for your villa. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport, with a range of services that can include limousine transfers, a Concierge Service is offered by St James Travel & Tours.
If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
Although everything is relatively close at hand, a hire car is strongly recommended for all private villa holidays, unless you prefer staff to call taxis for you as required. A car will be useful if you want to dine out at night or do lots of sightseeing, and particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries. Book car hire via your travel organiser or direct with Stoutes Car Rentals and ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property approximately three hours after your scheduled time of arrival on Barbados or, if preferred, the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. |
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All the information on this page comes to you free of charge. Please remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you contact Bajan Services for Barbados villas rental or Stoutes for your Barbados car rental requirements.
Thank you for your interest. |
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