Tamarind by Elegant Hotels

Barbados, Caribbean

Oceanfront Room
Oceanfront Room with Sleeper Chair
Ocean View Junior Suite
Ocean View Junior Suite
Bathroom
Rilaks Deck
Spa
Spa
A video preview image
Oceanfront Room
Oceanfront Room with Sleeper Chair
Ocean View Junior Suite
Ocean View Junior Suite
Bathroom
Rilaks Deck
Spa
Spa

The hotel

Situated on an idyllic 750 ft crescent of white sandy beach on the Platinum West Coast of Barbados, Elegant Hotels proudly re-introduce Tamarind. A fusion of Mediterranean warmth and Caribbean spirit coupled with serene outdoor spaces give it a distinctive personality. It is a perfect holiday destination for couples, honeymooners and families seeking a stylish retreat. There’s an array of complimentary water sports, including an Aqua School and activities for all ages, kids' club, family lounge, fitness centre, an intimate spa and relaxation pool (adults only) and access to acclaimed golfing nearby. Culinary experiences include Surf & Turf, Jazzy Steak Night, West Indian Night and the International Beach Buffet now with a Live Floor Show.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Wedding
  • Families
  • Honeymoon
  • Kids Club
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Wheelchair access
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Beachfront location

Where is it

At Paynes Bay, St James. 20-minutes to Bridgetown. Transfer time from airport: 35 minutes.

Hotel information

104 rooms on 3 floors with no lifts. All with air-conditioning, flat-screen cable TV, iPod/MP3 clock radio, fridge, complimentary WiFi, safe, newly upgraded guest bathrooms and hairdryer. Pool/Garden View Rooms have 1 king-size bed and a sleeper chair, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 1 child. All rooms are non-smoking. (For stays in 2022, this room will sleep maximum 2 adults and 2 children).

All Inclusive of: breakfast, lunch, all-day dining options, afternoon tea and dinner. All beverages and cocktails (excluding champagne and fine wines). Room service is also available at a supplementary delivery charge. 

Oceanfront Rooms - have sea views and 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults. (For stays in 2022, this room will sleep maximum 2 adults and 1 child).

Oceanfront Rooms with Sleeper Chair - have a balcony/patio with ocean view, 1 king-size bed and pull out sleeper chair, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 1 child. (For stays in 2022, this room will sleep maximum 2 adults and 2 children).

Junior Suite Pool/Garden View - with garden views, balcony/patio, living area with 1 king-size bed or twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 children.

Junior Suite Oceanview - with ocean views, balcony/patio, living area and 1 king-size bed or twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Wheelchair accessible Room with roll-in shower.

1-Bedroom Suite Pool Garden View - with garden views, separate living room, 1 king-size bed and a sofa bed in the living room, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

1-Bedroom Suite Ocean Front - with direct ocean views, separate living room, 1 king-size bed and a sofa bed in the living room, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Family Connected Oceanview Junior Suites are available and consist of 2 Junior Suite Oceanview Rooms, sleeping maximum 6 adults or 4 adults and 4 children. 

Sugar Cane Room — open-air restaurant serving full breakfast buffet, traditional breakfast choices as well as local Bajan delights. Rilaks Deck & Bar — South Beach Miami-inspired outdoor lounge serving light snacks and cocktails with music including R&B, jazz, Caribbean, and soul. 246 Bar & Restaurant — spectacular ocean views from this idyllic beachfront restaurant, offering all-day dining as well as à la carte dining with chef's specialties, theme evenings and live poolside music on select evenings. Room service*. Taste of Elegance Dine Around Programme* at select sister properties (drink and meal supplements may apply).

Live entertainment 5 nights a week ranging from live bands, saxophonist, steel pannist. New weekly Floor Show featuring exciting performances by professional dancers, fire eating and flaming limbo acts.

3 freshwater pools including an adults-only relaxation pool. Boutique spa*. Fitness centre. Complimentary motorised and non-motorised water sports including water-skiing, sailing, snorkelling and windsurfing. Flying Fish Kids Club. Tamarind Teens Den with outdoor activities, water sports and local educational activities.

High-end boutique. Jewellery store. Gift shop. Complimentary WiFi in rooms and throughout the property. Daytime water taxi service (subject to availability and weather conditions) stops at select West Coast Elegant Hotels. Beach Ambassador service.

Please note: a room levy of $9.63 per bedroom, per night applies (payable locally, subject to change).

Wheelchair adapted rooms with partially accessible amenities or facilities available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. To discover all the special assistance services we offer please see additional information below.

1 night between 5 Jan-21 Dec and 5 Jan-31 Oct.

7 nights between 22 Dec-2 Jan.

* Denotes local charge.

Latest travel advice

Special assistance

Please note: child ages from 2-12 years.

Dress code: elegantly casual in the evenings.

Please note: over Christmas and New Year, a dinner credit of $90 per adult and $45 per child will be given towards the cost of the gala dinners.

Please note: the Dine Around Programme is only available at select properties and may be subject to an additional cost. A complimentary water taxi to select west coast Elegant 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 (911)
  • Very good (386)
  • Average (113)
  • Poor (26)
  • Terrible (20)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Good for a package holiday

Jan 12, 2021 odeydog London, United Kingdom

We spent 11 days here over Christmas. I rarely do package holidays, and this reminded me why. That doesn't mean it was bad. Actually, it was great. But you do feel a bit cut off from the rest of Barbados. But that's me. I know most people are looking for a relaxing place, with a nice pool and beach, good food, and a stocked bar. This place ticks… Read more
We spent 11 days here over Christmas. I rarely do package holidays, and this reminded me why. That doesn't mean it was bad. Actually, it was great. But you do feel a bit cut off from the rest of Barbados. But that's me. I know most people are looking for a relaxing place, with a nice pool and beach, good food, and a stocked bar. This place ticks all those boxes. It is also very clean, with friendly staff. The location is nice. It is right at the south end of Paynes bay, which is a nice beach for swimming. If you have good time, you can dodge the waves and sneak onto the beach at Sandy Lane. Speaking of money, Tamarind is not cheap, but this is Barbados and we were there over Christmas. You do mostly get what you pay for. Everything is included. There are really no hidden charges that we came across. There's a lot you can take advantage of. They provide a lot of free watersports, there are organised tours (some free, some not), the kids club runs all day. There is also a water taxi that takes you to other Elegant hotels up and down the coast if you want different scenery. One of the key drivers for us choosing Tamarind was the kids club. Unfortunately, we were there during Covid and the club wasn't doing all their activities, and not many kids were attending. But I think this likely reflected Covid more than anything else. The staff seemed very friendly, and they did some great crafts and things even if the other activities weren't happening. The room we had was nice with an ocean view. It was clean. The hotel can feel a bit of a throwback, but that is common in Barbados, and it still has a nice environment. The adult pool area is a very nice courtyard in the middle of the hotel. We had a few small issues where the hotel can improve. The table service at dinner could be painfully slow. We had to wait over 1.5 hours one night for our meal one night, which was extreme, but they clearly had a few kitchen / staffing issues on a few nights. Also, when we arrived the receptionist gave us no overview of the benefits available at this all inclusive (which actually were relatively extensive). We would have expected some kind of pamphlet at a minimum explaining all the services on offer (tours, water taxi, watersport equipment,etc...). Given all the issues with the pandemic, we got the feeling the hotel was operating with fewer staff than normal, so generally we feel these were small slips were forgivable in the circumstances, but in normal times I'd be harsher.. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Disappointing will not be back

Jul 4, 2020 RJadams64

Stayed here back in March and would not recommend it at all. The room they gave us was filthy, with dirty damp marks on the walls. The carpet was disgusting and wasn’t fit to be outside yet alone in a room. We spoke to other guests who were given rooms to stay for the night having come off the cruise ships who had clean rooms, however we did not… Read more
Stayed here back in March and would not recommend it at all. The room they gave us was filthy, with dirty damp marks on the walls. The carpet was disgusting and wasn’t fit to be outside yet alone in a room. We spoke to other guests who were given rooms to stay for the night having come off the cruise ships who had clean rooms, however we did not experience this at all. The manager did move us to another room which was not much better and when we requested he come to look at the room he refused. Only helpful member of staff was Ether (the egg queen). Please do not go to room 222, not impressed with the service we received or the attitude of some members of staff. It was our first time in Barbados and sadly this hotel did not make our first time there an enjoyable one. Best part of the holiday was the flight home. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Awesome

May 18, 2020 Mmardenmangin123

My husband and I visited right before covid hit. We thought the staff was great, the food is AMAZING, and the grounds were very clean. It appeared they will be doing a Reno as they were digitally surveying one day we were there. Much better than the big names in all inclusive. And yes, Ether and her eggs are amazing.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Such a wonderfully relaxed holiday

Mar 24, 2020 Eve W Fareham, United Kingdom

We visited this mid-Feb to the end, just missing the pandemic shut-down! It was such a lovely relaxed holiday: the staff are so nice, friendly, all seemingly loving their jobs. Of special mention Ether the egg chef.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating A tad disappointing

Mar 14, 2020 David J

This hotel is very tired and is in need of a major renovation. Room was small, old furniture, not enough sockets, inefficient air con, but was very clean. Didn’t expect to have to book sunbeds at 7am - thought those days were over! Lunch was great, but had three evening meals there, which varied from mediocre to awful. The beach area has been… Read more
This hotel is very tired and is in need of a major renovation. Room was small, old furniture, not enough sockets, inefficient air con, but was very clean. Didn’t expect to have to book sunbeds at 7am - thought those days were over! Lunch was great, but had three evening meals there, which varied from mediocre to awful. The beach area has been eroded and is very narrow. Also lots of stones and a sharp drop into the sea. We specifically booked it as non-inclusive, but they are now in a transition to all inclusive, which is not going well. With the recent takeover by Marriott, the staff are worried about their jobs and this perhaps is why mainly the restaurant staff were very unhelpful and looked miserable. Good location with easy bus access to Holetown and some fab restaurants. The highlight was breakfast with the fabulous Ether running the egg bar - what a legend! Read less