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The House, a small and stylish Barbados hotel, strikes a note different from anything else on the famous ‘Platinum Coast’. Even as you arrive it stands out, the gates of its coral stone entrance lit by flaming torches. Inside, it is a hushed homily to minimalism on a theme of white and navy blue, with polished hardwood decking. Sepia photos line the white walls, hip music plays and ‘Ambassadors’ (staff) move quietly in the background. It centres on an open lounge with a fabulous through-view of hardwood chairs and tables beneath massive blue ‘sails’ and then palms to the electric-blue sea. For all the stylised leanness though, the House is more accessible than might at first appear. It is informal and very easy-going, with very comfortable, air-conditioned suites set over three storeys, almost all looking onto the beach. It has a calm and generally low-key atmosphere, and with Daphne’s Restaurant next door, it is an excellent Caribbean escape.
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KEY FEATURES
| A small elegant hotel in Barbados with 24 hr House Ambassador service including on the beach. Daphne’s Restaurant for lunch/dinner. The Deck for champagne breakfast. Lounge for canapés and afternoon tea. Beach dining on request. Swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Watersports including waterskiing at Tamarind Cove. Daytime water taxi between sister properties (West Coast only). Guest library with board games and internet access. WiFi in public areas. Air-conditioned fitness room. Preferred tee times at Royal Westmoreland Golf & Country Club. |
STYLE
| A striking minimal style in white, navy blue and polished wood. White walls with sepia photographs and blue awnings. Stylish tropical escape |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Independent travellers, many couples with a certain hip style. A pleasant mix of nationalities. Popular for honeymoons or a wedding in Barbados |
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Often in the Caribbean, particularly in the winter, you reach your hotel after dark. And this is when the House looks its spectacular best. After driving along the West Coast main road, you arrive at the hotel on a board-walk over a lily pond. Flaming torches reflect in the water and throw dancing light on the curved coral façade. You enter through double wooden gates, flanked by four massive royal palms like pillars, and walk into a courtyard set with greenery where white balconies are ranged above you. ‘Ambassadors’, members of staff dressed in white, greet you as arrive and hand you a smoothie to drink.
The hotel strikes a different note from the moment you arrive. There is no formal Reception desk. You will be shown around. And then, when you need something, you pause in the lounge and one of the Ambassadors will attend to you. All members of staff can help with all types of enquiry.
Next morning at breakfast you will find that the inside of the hotel is equally striking by day. The impression resides in the view through the tunnel of the lounge and bar out to the electric blue of the sea. Square white pillars stand in lines above low wooden tables and the polished mahogany floor. Attractive square sofas and bench seats are set in neat lines. The colour scheme is established immediately here, in a rich mid-brown in the woodwork, white and various shades of blue – to go with the sea offshore. Then, add atmospheric music and sepia photographs of Barbados and the setting is fulfilled. It is hushed, minimal and hip.
The heart of the hotel gravitates back and forth along this perspective, between the lounge (at breakfast, afternoon tea and canapés at dusk) and the deck directly outside (daytime activities, drinks and lunch). The planks of the hardwood floor extend out into the open air, bordered here by low white walls and then eventually give onto the sand. Overhead, to provide some shade from the heat of the sun by day, there are massive canvas sails in a rich navy blue. Garden tables are set out on the deck so you can get lunch or a candle-light drink in the early evening. Huge urns with candles light up the area at night.
On your left is the Jacuzzi and next to it the pool. Ahead, the beach itself is a lovely stretch of sand on Payne’s Bay. You will find hardwood loungers with blue canvas mats. Watersports are available on the beach, but not actually at The House. This takes place at The House’s sister-hotel Tamarind Cove – and the lack of activity helps to preserve the unruffled calm of The House.
The bedrooms are all suites and they are set in three storeys running parallel to the beach. Most overlook the gardens and sea itself (just a couple are set at the rear of the property in the courtyard). The upper storeys they have balconies, but on the ground floor you can walk straight out onto a terrace and the gardens or pool deck. Actually the rooms are generally approached from a walkway, via the courtyard at the rear, which itself is backed by greenery in planters built into the rear wall of the property. Staircases in the corners of the courtyard lead to the upper walkways.
In keeping with the rest of the resort, the suites are very stylishly done, in the same white and subdued blue colour scheme, down to the upholstery and the colours of the photograph frames. Suites have at least a sitting area. Some have a separate bedroom. They each have a king size bed (unless you prefer twin beds) with a frette linen duvet. All rooms have outside space and they are well equipped, with a coffee machine, a fully stocked mini-bar and a satellite TV which contains an interactive music system.
The focal point of the hotel by day is naturally the beach, but the lounge continues to be a gathering place. Newspapers are left here in the mornings and afternoon tea appears on the tables at four. The area has WiFi and there are books in cases and board games hidden away in the cupboards. If the atmosphere at The House is intentionally low key, there is a very active service ethos and the Ambassadors’ ‘base station’ is a louvered room giving onto the lounge. They serve meals and drinks from here as well as anything else you need.
There are just a few other ‘central’ facilities to The House, but one thing certainly worth noting is Daphne’s restaurant, which sits between The House and Tamarind Cove, the next hotel to the north. It is the sister restaurant to Daphne’s in South Kensington in London (part of the Caprice group) and one of the top restaurants on the West Coast. Like a normal hotel dining room, a table will always be found for you if you arrive unannounced, but as it is also a restaurant, if you want a beachfront table you are advised to book it well in advance. You are permitted to sign the bill to your room.
The House is one of five hotels in the Elegant Hotels group (though the only one that has this sort of style), four of which are on the West Coast. The company offers free motorboat transport (weather permitting) to the others in case you are interested. Principally this means Colony Club, which is about ten minutes ride north (Tamarind Cove is right next door to The House, within easy walking distance). The company also owns Crystal Cove, which is in the other direction. There is a dine-around programme with these other hotels. |
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Beach & Swimming
The House is set on a very nice section of Payne’s Bay, where there is excellent sand. Loungers are provided on the beach and the Ambassadors offer service to the beach if you want a drink or a light meal. It is possible to walk quite a long way along the beach at this point of the West Coast, which is particularly nice at dawn (you are likely to wake early on your first morning) and of course at sunset.
There is a swimming pool at the front of the hotel just above the beach. It is round and set into a raised coral-stone deck. A separate Jaccuzzi is set next to it. |
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Sports & Recreation
Watersports are available free of charge to guests at The House, through its sister-hotel Tamarind Cove a short walk north along the beach. Equipment includes windsurfers, small sailing boats and kayaks. Water-skiing is also on offer, and there is snorkelling gear that you can use on the reef nearby to snorkel.
All guests receive a massage on arrival – a jet lag de-stress, they call it. It is available in your room or in the gazebo out at the front next to the pool. Subsequent massages are available if you wish to arrange one.
Off property, there are plenty of opportunities for golf in Barbados. The closest golf courses are at Sandy Lane, just north of here, where two are open to visitors, but guests of The House have preferential tee times at Royal Westmoreland to the north of Holetown. Horse-riding is easily available too. You can ride along the beach as well as in the countryside in the east of the island. |
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Staff
The Ambassadors are key to life at The House. Dressed in white cotton suits or skirts they all cover all aspects of service that are usually subdivided in a hotel (for instance into reception, concierge and dining staff) and while they are a constant presence they are subtle enough not to be in your face. There are no formal reception or concierge desks, but the Ambassadors have an open-fronted room giving onto the lounge from which they lay up tables etc. You will usually find an Ambassador there if you haven’t already bumped into one wandering around. |
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The Rooms
The bedrooms at The House are all suites and they vary in size from Junior Suites, which have a living area in the bedroom, up to Luxury One Bedroom Suites which have a separate living room and bedroom. They are large, very nicely presented and extremely comfortable, with air-conditioning but also ceiling fans in case you prefer the natural air. They are also well equipped, with everything you would expect – a safe, cable TV, ironing board, WiFi – but also a proper espresso machine so you can make yourself a good cup of coffee. All the suites have outside space, either a terrace giving onto the gardens or a balcony. |
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Dining
The dining room is part of the central lounge of The House and tables can be set both inside and out. Champagne breakfast is served there each morning until 10.30am. Then, the Ambassadors serve light meals at lunchtime, from midday till 2pm. There is room service during these hours.
Dinner is served at Daphne’s restaurant next door, just to the north of The House (you can have a private table set up on the beach). Daphne’s is an independent restaurant – one the best on the island in fact - but it is owned by the same group as the hotel and so guests can get a table any evening (book early if you want one on the beachfront) and they can sign their bills to their room. The cuisine is Italian that has been adapted to the Caribbean (in terms of ingredients and some tastes). There is a regular menu with a number of nightly changing specials. Daphne’s restaurant is the sister restaurant to Daphne’s in South Kensington in London (part of the Caprice group).
If you wish to venture out, there are plenty of other restaurants along the West Coast, but The House also offers a dine-around programme with its sister hotels in the Elegant Hotels group – Tamarind Cove, Colony Club, Crystal Cove. You can sign your bill to your room at The House. |
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Weddings
The House is happy to organise a wedding for you. The setting at the hotel is obviously extremely pretty and so the ceremony itself can of course be held there, though equally they are happy to arrange a wedding in a church or in one of Barbados’s excellent gardens. The hotel has dedicated co-ordinators who will organise everything, making sure that for you the day is as free of stress as it can possibly be. They will arrange the licence and the pastor for the ceremony itself and then the reception afterwards at the hotel. There are a number of wedding plans, which include the flowers and decoration for the ceremony, and a cake, a band, photographer and videographer for the reception. The wedding plans can be adapted to suit your particular needs. |
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Children
Minimum age restriction of 18 years of age. |
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Rates
From US$465 per room, per night on a BP basis during summer 2009. Includes service charge and government tax. BP (breakfast plan) = room and Champagne breakfast. Complimentary watersports, fitness centre, tennis (at sister hotels), afternoon tea, evening canapés, and day time water taxi to sister hotels on the West Coast. Please see the hotel’s website for availability and promotional offers for your requested dates. |
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How to Book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation for this delightful tropical escape, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with The House in Barbados, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the link below.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Locality
The House sits on a 750ft sandy beach in St James, mid way up the west coast of Barbados, at the heart of activity of the ‘Platinum Coast’. Sister hotel Tamarind Cove is situated on the other side of Daphne’s and all three are part of the Elegant Hotels Group portfolio, which also includes Colony Club to the north of Holetown, Crystal Cove about five minutes to the south and Turtle Beach on the South Coast. A short drive up Holders Hill inland will take you to the Barbados Polo Club.
The House is about a mile south of Holetown, where the English first landed in 1625 and came back to settle in 1627. There are two shopping centres in the town, the smaller Cave Shepherd Plaza close to Sandy Lane and the larger West Coast Mall in Holetown itself. Here you will find a large supermarket, bank, photo centre, duty free shops, video rental, and various shops and boutiques. Close by is the Chattel House Village, a series of wooden shops in traditional looking Bajan style, which sell mainly souvenirs, the 24 hour Sandy Crest Medical Centre, and a market stall where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables. As a local community, Holetown has all you would expect to find in a small town – police station, post office, parish church, bank, pharmacy, clinic, fitness centre, school and so on.
There are a good number of restaurants from posh to pizzas within just a few minutes’ drive of The House in either direction. The famed restaurant Daphne’s, which has a lovely setting on the beach, is just a few steps away. The trendy bistro bar Scarlet is also within easy walking distance, situated just across the road from The House. A short drive to the south you will find the excellent The Cliff and Calabaza and to the north is the celeb favourite the Lone Star. There are any number of restaurants in Holetown itself, including The Mews, Café Indigo, Olive’s and The Tides. 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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Meet & Greet
If you are travelling independently and book directly with The House then a luxury transfer is complimentary. The ride from the airport is around 35 minutes, depending on the traffic. 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. Taxis are always available at the airport and will cost around US$22 each way.
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
Hiring a car to explore the island or to visit different beaches for the day is easily arranged. Book via your tour operator or direct with Stoutes Car Rentals. Ask for them to deliver your vehicle to The House Barbados, where they can also issue your local driving licence. Be aware that at the height of the winter season there is often a shortage of cars, so you are advised to book yours in advance. If you want a car for a week or more the rates can also be better. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. Taxis are readily available through reception. It is also easy and quite fun to take buses along the West Coast main road. |
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