BEWARE: The House, a Hip Boutique Hotel in Barbados

Don't Believe the Hype! Sometimes the gorgeous photos you see on Websites and in magazines are misleading, and many properties receive undeserved praise in the press. By giving you honest feedback from our personal experience, or that of someone we know and trust, the Beware files help you steer clear of disappointment and wasted time and money.

Their brochure cover has embossed: "The expression of chic" ... I'd say to be truthful they should add the word "Motel" after chic. Amazingly, on the oceanfront setting this property sits, adjacent to Daphne's Restaurant, it gets it all wrong in my book.

The exterior public spaces are well conceived but poorly executed and poorly maintained. Tables, chairs, and chaises are sticky with stained cushions. Inside, the guest rooms are falling apart at the seams and feel dirty. Yuck. I'm disappointed that I was not to discover a wonderful boutique on-the-beach hotel to complement my files on larger resorts that I recommend highly in Barbados, and I'm shocked that Condé Nast Traveler included The House on both its Gold and Hot Lists in 2007. The nice General Manager, Andrew, reassured me—when I provided my candid and not easy to digest feedback—that the owners are investing to clean up their act (my words, not his) this year. Hope they do so! Could be great there. 

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