Mango Bay

One week stay at the end of November 2019. The hotel is a nice boutique style hotel with a great location on the beach. The room was large and spacious, and generally well kept & clean. When it comes to dining there is one restaurant on site which either operates as a buffet or a la cart style on both lunch and dinner. For breakfast, there is a typical selection as with most other all inclusive resorts. For lunch and dinner, you have to book a table in advacnce at breakfast, and it will be either a buffet option or a la cart menu. I travelled with a mix of veg/non-veg guests. The buffet option was generally limited for a vegetarian, but the restaurant staff and Head Chef came to speak to us and made speacial meals for the vegetarians, which was great! The food at the restaurant was generally good, and my only suggestion would be a little more variety when it comes to the buffet. The waiting staff at the restaurant and bar were very friendly and helped to create a great atmosphere. The pool area is quite small, and honestly the weather and proximity of the beach meant we spent all day there instead. There are people that come to sell you items, jet ski rides etc, but if this is not for you then they respect when you say no and do not bother you much. The hotel offered a complimentary boat ride to see a ship wreck and complimentary catamaran ride with the option of swimming with turtles! Both trips are great and a highlight of my trip was snorkelling with the turtles! The hotel also offers complimentary water sports and I enjoyed a few water skiing lessons! Outside of the hotel there is designer mall across the road, a supermarket and gift shops are short walk away. The local bus stop is just outside the supermarket and the town centre is short ride away. The evening entertainment is music based and is usually on for a couple of hours after dinner. Sadly I left on Independence Day, and missed some great celebrations at the hotel. The staff at reception are friendly and helped us with any issues we had. Although before we arrived, we had specifically arranged for transfers with the hotel and their driver did not turn up at the airport. We managed to call the hotel from the airport and they could not get hold of the driver and advised us to make our own way to the hotel. They arranged for our return transfer to the airport and assured us there would be no issues this time round, and there wasn’t. All in all I think this a good hotel, with a great location on the beach. Read less

We stayed at Mango Bay for 10 days for our honeymoon in February 2020. We hadn't booked a transfer so we caught a taxi at the airport. This was regulated and we were given a written quote at the desk before being directed to a vehicle so we couldn't be ripped off. The airport displays rough pricing for each area which was helpful for a couple who had never visited before. On arrival, we received a rum cocktail as we checked in. Ashley checked us in, sorted out our dinner reservations (we arrived at about 7pm and she ensured we were able to have a meal that evening) and showed us to our room which had been upgraded to a room overlooking the pool. The staff had decorated for us and left a bottle of sparkling wine which was a really lovely touch. When we went down for dinner, they had also decorated our table to celebrate our honeymoon which was another nice surprise. The room was spacious and clean, with a cleaning service and turndown service provided daily. The balcony was large and we didn't find ourselves bothered by noise at all. The food was varied each evening. Having said that, the catch of the day was more often than not swordfish or marlin but it was delicious! Although there wasn't always a vegetarian option on the menu, our server was always happy to provide an option or change a dish to make it suit. The service can run to island time so you may have to wait a little longer than usual and this is no reflection on the staff who were friendly and polite. Special thanks to Pedro whose stellar service really made our trip special - a proper gentleman! There is a dress code each evening - women could wear open toed shoes although men couldn't. It is very much smart casual and we didn't see anyone get turned away so don't worry! The beach at Mango Bay was beautiful. We never had a problem getting a sunbed, although we did occasionally have to go without an umbrella. You may be approached by the beach vendors but they weren't pushy and if you said no, they would generally leave you be. There was a beach service although this wasn't too regular. However, the bar isn't far away and the service is quick (with big measures!) The bar staff were great and happy to chat. I often kept my order vague, asking for a rum cocktail and they came up with something new every time! They also stocked the usual drinks and made a brilliant strawberry daiquiri. Marcus on the bar was a great laugh and we look forward to drinking in his own bar in Barbados one day! Mango Bay provided two free trips per stay on the catamaran and glass bottom boat. The glass bottom boat was worth doing for free but I wouldn't pay for it. We did see some turtles and other fish so it was interesting. The catamaran trip was great and we swam with three turtles on this trip, which was amazing. They don't take too many people out at one time so it didn't feel crowded, although the actual swim was slightly rushed because other tourist boats appeared in the same area. We did use one of the beach vendors for a second trip to swim with turtles after our sunset cruise was cancelled due to bad weather and this turned out to be great value. He took us to a shipwreck and then out with turtles on two separate swims. This was a last minute trip and turned out to be a highlight but do always clarify whether the price is Bajan or American dollars. We fell foul of this in the on site shop. We also made use of the hotel's free snorkelling equipment in the sea at the beach and we saw various different types of tropical fish just off the shore. There is a very busy street on certain nights just outside the hotel and we had heard the blocks backing onto this experienced noise issues. We were the next block along from this and heard nothing, so it is probably worth requesting a superior room when you book. Some of the evening entertainment was a bit dated and we did feel like we were bringing the average age down somewhat at some points but we went for a relaxing honeymoon and on that front, we can't fault it. All in all, Barbados was a trip of a lifetime for us and Mango Bay was a fantastic base. The staff make it what it is and couldn't do enough for us. We feel some of the reviews are unfair - you're in Barbados, enjoy it! Read less

Great two weeks at Mango Bay. Rooms in annex adjacent to noisy karaoke bars Sunday evening very loud in room until 2 am, rooms clean and comfortable especially the beds, maid service very good. Restaurant mainly ala cart, nice wine all included. Great service. Good pool side drinks service. The beach is small but you can walk along north and south. Beach staff are the laziest people I’ve ever known they hide to there beach shed all day, big effort to help, I spoke to manager who said he would put a rocket up Them. If you are looking for a flash hotel this is not for you but if you want a friendly hotel with great service the Mango is the place for you. We met people who have been returning for years as will we. Read less

Upon arrival it appeared strange to sign a liability waiver re; Health and Safety re; watersports and the beach area but hey ho. Due to previous reviews my wife and I chose to book the catamaran trip upon arrival, though disappointingly this was fully booked with six on standby six days in advance !!. Following a lengthy check in process we were escorted to our room which was a condo in the Palm Beach Apts, which was spacious and had a private pool, hence i cannot comment on the hotel rooms, but beach / bar chatter would indicate you are best to upgrade away from the road where it can be particularly noisy over the weekend due to street parties etc. The AI is of a good standard with a la carte most meals with a few buffets thrown in to provide a variation. The bar is well stocked too with a variation of beers, spirits and cocktails too. I find the Caribbean staff to be of a mixed standard which appeared evident at the Mango Bay with the delightful Peter and Tre engaging with customers very well, Marcia and Pedro professional, courteous and friendly and positive mentions for Maxine and Joyce too. However, the beach staff were a mixture of total disinterest and robotic. The pool and beach appear fine and pretty well kept. Three words of warning; The beach has an extremely sharp incline once in the water therefore older guests proceed with care. There is a rope to pull yourself out but this needs a degree of physical strength. When checking in you are given detail of the sunbed / towel process which dictates your towel will be removed if left for more than half and hour, or one hour for lunch. This was ignored as there was a large group celebrating an elder birthday, who would reserve their sunbeds pre 7am and took around the full 16 on the terraced area which maybe elder guests may have benefitted. Nothing was done about these and others, and selfishly this was done every day of their stay if they were around the hotel or not. ( We used to blame other nationalities for this but embarrassingly i find Brits the worst ). We still went on a catamaran provided by one of the beach fellas passing by which was pleasant enough though the two hours turned out to be one and a quarter. $80 dollars for two but received $20 refund for the short trip. Ultimately, this is a good standard and although the Oceans Two in the south is a nicer hotel the AI is a good alternative and with eats and drinks out pretty expensive makes for a good choice. We tend to eat out quite a bit usually, but the food was really good therefore were happy to eat at the MG. There appeared to be a heck of a lot of returning guests, which is a positive. Enjoy. Read less

Visited this hotel from 2-9 March. The hotel is situated on a very noisy and busy road with loud music from bars at night until the early hours. If you are in a garden or pool room the noise I was told was extremely disturbing . On arrival we were told we had been upgraded from the superior room we had booked. The room we were given was opposite the bar and was clean but very basic and outdated. The electrics and air conditioning needed replacing and the furniture and wardrobes were shabby and old. If this was an upgrade from the superior room we booked then god forbid what that was like. We asked to be moved but were told this was the best available room. Bed was comfortable. Food was ok but 3* at best. The back of the hotel accesses directly to the beach which is lovely with comfortable sunbeds. Many people were returning guests, some for ninth time. Others were like us somewhat disappointed at what had been sold to us as a 5* hotel. So like I said it’s Marmite you love it or you hate it. Me? Too many beautiful hotels in the world to go back here for substandard accommodation and 3* food. Read less