The Soco Hotel

We've just got home from 2 weeks at the Soco. We're so relaxed! It's a lovely little hotel, the staff are amazing and so friendly (shout out to both Michelle's, Shane and Kimberly the GM - thank you for everything!). The food is great with always something to choose on the menu. Rooms are cleaned every day and the hotel overall is kept very well. We read a few negative reviews before we booked but some people just don't get Barbados. You're not staying at The Bellagio in Vegas or the The Savoy in London! We're 'well traveled' and Barbados is different - more basic accommodation, but friendlier and much more peaceful. If you book The Soco you won't be disappointed, we did 2 weeks and could have stayed for another 2. Thank you to all the staff for a really amazing and mega relaxing holiday. Read less

Cons: We arrived at the same time as another couple, they had visited the hotel several times and said it was perfect for relaxation. By the end of the holiday they were not coming back, the management had changed and standards had gone downhill. This is something we experienced too. There was a lot of redecoration going on, which meant dust and wet paint and even grouting on the stairs. We felt they were getting ready for the season and not respecting the guests in situ. A closure to redecorate would be much better, we were even woken one morning by banging at 8am! There was an intruder the day before we arrived that had smashed the glass door to the restaurant, this was replaced whilst we were eating lunch! Very dangerous and we did point this out. CCTV was installed whilst we were there, perhaps a bit of an after thought. We were sent a list of policies to follow at check in, like keeping balconies clear of towels, not reserving sun beds and dressing for dinner. None of these were observed by fellow guests, I commented to the receptionist and she was unaware of such policies! Some men were in vest tops at dinner. If you have a policy, the hotel should enforce it. The pool was cleaned most days, with the opening times 8-6pm, but the pool man came around 9am each day so you had to wait. The pool area itself was untidy with wet towels left on tables all day, wet cushions propped all over the place and generally a feel of not caring. As the rain came at night, I don't know why cushions were not stored away, it would take ten minutes to do this each day. The pool was too warm, no cold filter in place. The restaurant had fake flowers on tables, that had flies in, and were generally tatty, dirty and unappealing. The restaurant itself had intermittent music playing, but if you sat near the kitchen you heard the chef's music instead, which was very annoying. We reported our air con as being too noisy, the unit was visibly broken, it took several visits to reception for it to still not be fixed. We lodged a pillow between it and the wall to stop the rattle. The rooms were generally a bit tired, probably awaiting redecoration as soon as we vacated! Positives: The position of the hotel is superb and should be the star of this hotel. Shane at the bar was absolutely fantastic. Shane kept the bar immaculately tidy and served drinks promptly and with much entertainment of singing and dancing and always complimented us when we dressed for dinner, he was a joy. Michelle was also a lovely person, her rum tasting was so much fun and very knowledgable. She also recommended and booked trips for us and when our safari went a bit wrong, she sorted a partial refund. She would make an excellent hotel manager and took strides to try to sort issues for us. The waiting staff were also very lovely and welcoming. The food was of good quality and plentiful, (although some items were unavailable which we were told was down to the purchasing manager not keeping on top of ordering.) The room was kept very clean and the staff cleaning were also very lovely and friendly. The Saxophonist at the Managers Reception Drinks was fabulous, seemed to be a master at many things, welcome drinks and porter! Summary: The management must to be more visible, more accountable and with a consistent approach to enforcing standards. It really felt like nobody cared... apart from Shane and Michelle! Love to them both. Read less

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Barbados and our stay at the Soco was fantastic. When we arrived we were offered a nice cold Prosecco and booked into our room. Our room was on the top floor. It had a wonderful view of the ocean. The room was clean and large. The bed was lovely and comfy. If you have mobility issues note there are no lifts, however staff would be happy to assist with your baggage. The air con in the room was a huge welcome! The hotel is small and you get to know most people who are staying there. One of my concerns was being able to sit around the pool with a lounger. Although there are not many loungers there was no issue in being able to sit around the pool everyday. The beach is literally down some small steps. The water was very warm! This hotel is all inclusive however this is not your usual buffet style for meals. You are offered a menu which had many choices from vegetarian, fish and meat. There would be 3 starters, 4 or 5 main meals and 3 desserts to choose from in the afternoon and evening. The menu would change every two days so you had quite a lot to choose from. The breakfast menu stays the same but again so much choice. All of your meals are cooked fresh for you. Everything I ate during my stay was good and I had no complaints. I actually preferred this way of having meals, this is the first time I have experienced this at an all inclusive resort. The hotel has a small outdoor bar. The drinks were good and plentiful. We didn’t experience any issues with regards to unavailable items etc. So, what makes this place great is the people! Everyone we met who worked at the Soco were incredibly helpful and happy! Little Michelle is so attentive and will do anything for you. She will make sure your stay at the Soco is great! Michelle would always make an effort to speak to guests and to get to know you. She holds the weekly rum tasting and has so much knowledge in rum and the island. Nothing was too much for her! Big Michelle makes the best Tokyo teas! She was always smiling and dancing and really happy! We always had a chat with her! Nikita was another standout for us, she would always speak to us and make sure we were ok such a happy soul. Trudy would always greet us with a smile she was always so happy, but we know her secret, she had the best job in the hotel as she was in the air con everyday! Clive and the rest of the restaurant management team would always ensure that the food was good and made sure we had good service. Darius at the bar made good cocktails! We would often sit at the bar with him and have good chats. I would ask him just to make a good cocktail and each one was great! We enjoyed his company. Danielle and Shanequa on reception/front desk were so helpful! Thank you to you both for sorting out our requests! Kimberley the General Manager also made sure we were having a good time and if we had any issues. She was very attentive. Now this hotel doesn’t have nightly entertainment but they have Shane! Shane is the bar tender, singer and dancer! We enjoyed his antics and he was very entertaining! Also if you like a strong drink, Shane is your man! Everyone at the Soco were great, there are too many people to mention, we have nothing but good things to say! I would recommend anyone to stay here. Just remember it is a small boutique family run hotel. It is not overcrowded and everyone knows you and welcomes you! If this is what you look for then definitely stay here! Read less

Having stayed at their sister hotel the Soco House in St. Lucia in Dec 2023, where we found staff to be lovely, we decided to stay at Soco Hotel Barbados, based on the recommendation of Mr. Birchmore Griffith, as he sold us on the beachside location and the sea views. The hotel is located at the end of the boardwalk, so the top floor rooms all have a nice sea view (unless there is coconut tree blocking the view like we originally had in room 202 until we changed rooms). Reception: Upon arrival, we found the reception staff to be unfriendly, in fact in the week that we stayed, there were many reception staff and all were not friendly. They would not greet you when they saw you at reception, unless guests initiated a conversation. We were not offered any drinks (not even water, as we don’t drink alcohol) when we arrived, unlike the other guests who were offered Prosecco upon arrival. We were just ushered into our room and told no we cannot change rooms until tomorrow, when I saw a coconut tree blocking the sea view. Next day came, different reception staff and again told we cannot change rooms. It was not until the 3rd day that we were finally able to change rooms thanks to the help of Danielle (customer relations) who was the only one from reception area, that was friendly and checked on us during our stay. Bar: This is a small boutique hotel and the hub of this place is the bar. Michelle, Stan and Shane run the bar and all are very friendly. Michelle in particular will go above and beyond providing not only friendly banter but will sort out people’s excursions and provide guests with information on how to get to places and how to catch local buses. For 2 days she chased up and reminded purchasing manager to get soy milk for me as I’m lactose intolerant and allergic to alcohol, so I was limited to drinking smoothies and mocktails. She even made phone calls to report to the police when another guest told her about a strange man prowling around on the board walk, opposite the bar area, who was staring at her and harassing her for cigarettes and money. Restaurant: The staff at the restaurant are mostly polite and friendly. Margarita (restaurant manager) & Clyve (restaurant supervisor) were both friendly and hands-on, helping to take orders or serve meals & drinks to the guests when wait staff were busy. We were given very good and friendly service from Nikita, Shanice, Petra and Kim. Food: The restaurant has a 2 day rotating menu. There wasn’t much in the menu that my vegan husband could eat. However, once we informed the restaurant supervisors of this, chefs Dennot, Alan,Shaq and Gabby would make him delicious vegan meals everyday, that were not on the menu. My husband enjoyed his meals and had put on weight by the end of the holiday. Except for my first meal, where I was disappointed by the beet salad, the rest of my food everyday was delicious. The catch of the day, chicken, ribs and all my other meals were cooked to perfection and delicious. We informed restaurant supervisor and manager of our food preference and intolerances from the start of our holiday and as a result we had no issues with the food, as the chefs will cook food that is not on the menu provided they have the ingredients. Everyday at breakfast we would also inform the restaurant supervisor that we would be dining for lunch & dinner so that the chefs had time to prepare vegan meals based on the ingredients they had for that day. Room: The standard rooms are dated but they are constantly freshening it up with just with a coat of paint. The rooms would be even more spacious if they got rid of the bulky furniture and mount the tv on the wall. There is no need for two bulky set of tables with draws as one would suffice. Also, the sofa in the seating area looks very grubby and they could change that to something sleek and modern. Our room was cleaned by Shireen everyday and by Krisann when Shireen was off. Stairs: This hotel is not suitable for people with mobility issues as there is only a narrow staircase to all the rooms even the 2 rooms located on the lower ground floor near the bar, swimming pool and restaurant. So, guests are climbing up and down these stairs everyday. Also, there is stairs down to the beach and boardwalk. My one gripe with this hotel is that something was always running out or not available. I’m not sure if this is the fault of the purchasing or procurement manager or the owner of the hotel tightening the purse strings. The bar on the second day had no ice until mid day. The following day the beer tap died which was sent away for the duration of the week we were there. They ran out of strawberry mix for the strawberry daiquiri, the day we arrived they had no coca cola, another day they ran out of sprite. There was never any mint to make mojitos. At the restaurant for breakfast, there was never any fried plaintain despite it being on the menu. Everyday there was always 1 or 2 items on the menu that wasn’t available. In the end I bought my own plantain, my own fruits and oat milk so I could have smoothies as I don’t drink alcohol and I’m lactose intolerant. I could see the embarrassment on the staff’s face at the bar and in the restaurant when guests, including myself would ask for something and they would have to tell us that item has run out or isn’t available. This isn’t the staff’s fault as this issue should be addressed by senior management. The hotel owner’s daughter, who is the general manager (Kimberly) is sometimes onsite but everyone seems to be scared of her and she certainly isn’t checking up on guests to find out what could make their stay better or how things could be improved. The management meet and greet on Monday evenings although she was present, she only spoke to the staff and not the guests, unless it was a regular returning guest. This is the complete opposite to their sister hotel (Soco House) in St. Lucia, where Mr. Birchmore Griffith, who was managing the staff at the time we were on holidays, was very friendly and approachable to both guests and staff. He was always visible, talking to guests, asking for feedback and ensuring they were happy. Having paid over £4,500 for a 1 week all inclusive holiday, I really shouldn’t have to be buying my own fruit and milk so I can have my fruit smoothies. Also, there seems to be a rat problem in the hotel as I saw 3 of them running around early in the morning near the restaurant. There was also a huge cockroach that was in our room and managed crawl up the luggage rack when we were in room 202. When we moved to room 404 again there were cockroaches (smaller ones) that were in the room despite the door having a draught excluder. While having dinner one night, a huge cockroach crawled from under the table of another guest that was dining. Early mornings I would see large cockroaches on the stair well before staff arrived. The hotel needs to have some form of pest control as it’s not hygienic. This hotel has great potential as it already has great staff, its in a good location, as it’s near Bridgetown, airport, shops, restaurants, fast food joints like KFC & Burger King plus it’s on the beach. They just need to speak to guests, read guests reviews and address the issues. Despite this, we did enjoy our holiday in Barbados. Read less

This is our experience .some of the reviews had a great experience before the new management tok over. We were very disappointed in this this hotel/service/ food. We booked this hotel over 9 months ago, Barbados had been on my bucket list for a long time. The pictures online & reading the reviews , reviews stated that the chefs were flexible with doing something for you if you had a intolerance to a certain food, the rooms looked a fresh , clean , all rooms had a beautiful sea view. We thought we’d use a small boutique hotel instead of the big hotel chains for a change. Check in was quick, I had requested a high floor and quiet room on my holiday booking. Didn’t get either. Room : we got put in the ground floor room, without the beautiful sea view room what was in all the photos. The room smelt musky, you had to have the air conditioning on and keep the doors shut, as it was so hot outside, the room would soon feel wet, inside, if you left the door open to get air. The room was approx 7 foot away from the bar, so the once a week entertainment of the saxophone player, was really loud. There was a rat on our tiny patio area, thats 4 foot from where we were sleeping, the day before we come home, ( my husband didn’t tell me until we was on the way to the airport ) I would of freaked out, I was alarmed when another client had told me where I sat in the mornings in the smoking area in the bushes they had seen rats, once again I wasn’t told this until our last day . The hotel had an intruder the day before we arrived, the same intruder made his presence regularly, walking along in front of the smoking area, glearing at me and walking up & down at 5am , then after walking up and down then finally asking me for cigarettes & money, & other guests all the time , making us all feel uncomfortable, the same night this intruder broke into the restaurant, in the process the security man, caught him, but intruder run off , as there was only one security man, which he chased him, the restaurant glass door got shattered. As we were on the ground floor , it left me anxious he was so close to our room. We started putting our suit case 1 in front of the patio door & 1 in front of the front desk door, incase he got in, i carried all our valuables about with us all holiday, as the the safe in room didn’t work properly & the kettle kept tripping off. On Telling Michelle at the bar about the intruder, eyeing guests up, she was fantastic, she got straight on the phone to the police, and kept chasing it up, and then after 5 days the police finally caught him, the was a man who walks around in a orange polo shirt who is some sort of manager, who looks so stern , very unapproachable, he doesn’t talk to any guests, I would of thought someone would of come and spoke to us about the intruder or even if everything was ok or even having a nice holiday. No one ever did from reception or management at all. We went to the once a week management 1 hour meeting , no one from management spoke to us, so the following Monday, we didn’t even bother. Even reception staff would walk past and not even talk. ( that’s all reception staff). Maid Trudy alway did a good job on cleaning our room, & always had a smile, and was friendly. Michelle in the Bar area was always friendly, helpful, approachable, but her hands were tied, as a lot of things and was out of job role, and couldn’t get involved with. Michelle did give advise on trips which she was very knowledgeable, she’d also do a little talk at 10am about Barbados at the bar, she’d book trips if needed, Michelle also did a weekly rum tasting for the guests and got everyone involved, even if they didn’t drink.A real people person, and treats everyone with great kindness, a massive asset to the hotel. Shane the Bar man , was a happy charming man. Who also did his job well. The bar area was the only place to have any interaction, but shut at 10pm , there’s no games, activities like in all other hotels. Food: I have a intolerance to spicy food, I don’t like fish . I’d have a breakfast, what was good, after about 6 days of trying to find something on the menu or just having a pudding for lunch and tea, or just missing it all together, as I felt by the restaurant staff /chefs there would be a issue. Other guests kept telling me to ask, I asked I got told NO 3 times , I asked for a plain omelette, I gave up, this was day 9 of a 14 day holiday, The following day, My husband told Clive, he said just ask for an Omelette, we had done, and the restaurant waitresses asked the chefs, and the dread on their faces, of even having to ask them, then coming back and saying NO. Clive ( restaurant manager) did do a memo to hotel management, chefs and waitresses that I could have an omelette. The following lunchtime I asked for an Omelette, which I got,that night We didn’t even go to dinner, as I knew the menu was the same,I had previously tried the chicken, and I cut into it, and it was raw, I said to the waitress Kim, i couldn’t eat it and showed her it was raw, she just shrugged her shoulders and took it away. I dreaded going to the restaurant for meals, there was another waitress, Michelle, who was so unfriendly for 12 days of our 14 days , she would come to the table either with water, do want water , no friendly,upbeat smile, she take our order, so hello , no other communication. Nikita when she was on, it was relief , as she had a smile, and friendly. As we’d started missing meals, Marguerite ( restaurant manger, on different shifts to Clive) said why didn’t you have dinner yesterday, I felt myself tearing up, and said because I can’t eat spicy or fish food, this was after the memo had been done , the kitchen staff still said no after that 1st one I had. She said come to lunch i she will make sure I had an omelette, we went to lunch, and I got an omelette, as we sat inside, we could here Marguerite telling the chefs it’s just eggs, it’s just an Omelette , they made us wait and wait , everyone else who come into the restaurant after us got there food, and we could here Marguerite chasing it up. The other members of the restaurant staff , snapped or just rude. The hotel needs freshening up, the 6 sunbeds on the beach , need replacing they are saggy and broken, the others chained up, and other guests asking 2 or 3 times then giving up for them to be unlocked. The positives in this hotel was the view from the beach Michelle in the bar, Shane in the bar, Trudy our maid, Nikita in the restaurant. Marguerite & Clive for trying to sort the chefs to get an Omelette We paid over £6000 to come here, to have a poor experience, never will I go to a small friendly boutique hotel again, as this was not the case in this hotel. I would of given it 1 star if it hadn’t of been for the above members of stars. Read less