We rented apartment 5 through Home Away and it was a very nice and well fitted apartment. The apartment (it was really a bungalow) had one main bedroom and a day bed in the kitchen lounge. It had two good bathrooms with showers and plenty of hot water was supplied through the solar water heating system. External lights were provided to ensure easy access to the property at night. The only real concern would be if there are more than two of you there was no air conditioning in the kitchen lounge area.
The apartment had its own off street parking for a vehicle.
The organisation of the rental was excellent and the owner very helpful.
The apartment is in a great location just off the main road through Holetown and close to all its amenities. Included with the rental was access to a pool, sun loungers and a restaurant less than 5 minutes walk away.
The location allowed you to eat out anywhere in Holetown and it was very well located for the local bus services so you could easily travel further afield with regular services to Speightstown or to Bridgetown and everywhere in between.
This was a great base to discover this area of the island with its many tourist attractions on the coast and the nearby hinterland
I stayed at sunset crest for 4 nights in June, below I will list the pros and cons:
Pros: Good value for money, it was very cheap for the room, which is basic, but well maintained with all of the ammenities you would require. This is by no means luxury, but when you go to Barbados you should not be spending much time indoors. The pool is also quite nice, and is very close to the apartments. The reception staff are very friendly and laid back. It's also a 10 minute walk to the beach.
Cons: Some of the furnishings in the apartments are a bit worn, the A/C was a little tempremental.
In conclusion Sunset crest is a great place to stay if you are on a budget, or not too bothered about having a luxury hotel. Everything you need is there and I had absolutly no problems throughout my stay.
I was a little apprehensive before I arrived - but what a surprise I had! A covered terrace with sofa and chairs leading to lounge./dining room with sofa, cable TV (some chanels free - other packages have to be paid for). Kitchenette - a cooker, fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster etc etc (who needs to cook when they are living in paradise?) Double bedroom and shower room with large shower. Soap, towels and dishcloth tea cloth provided. Daily maid service and the bed linen and towels changed every 2 days. Air conditioning tokens are paid for in the office - and the air con was essential as it's hot hot hot! Safe also is chargeable, but I felt happier having this facility even though the Barbadians are so friendly and happy. OK It wasn't The Ritz - but the people at the office were wonderful - NOTHING they wouldn't do for you to make your holiday better! Change your money there too - saves queueing at the bank - and they are giving $2 Barbados dollars to one US $ (The bank were giving $1.98). Didn't use the pool as it's undergoing renovation - but when you see the beach opposite the apartments WOW! it's stunning and so beautiful it's hard to drag your eyes away from the sheer beauty of it. You are warned to ensure everything is placed inside at night - there are always one or two bad apples everywhere and one of our divers had his suit stolen because he'd left it hanging on the outside terrace. The large supermarket is so COMPREHENSIVE - don't bother to take anthing! Waitrose products - Duchy of Cornwall biscuits - every cereal - different breads - it's a great place to shop. Essentail you take your sun cream as it is BAKING hot in the sunshine, and it's best to snorkel with a teeshirt on for the first week. Some excellent restauraunts serving top quality food (The Olive Tre, the Elbow Room etc) - and the Piano Bar for a foot stompin great fun night out. Cheaper food can be had a little cafe inside the shopping centre, KFC and a 'Chefette' plus a couple of cafes. Fabulous beach bar opposite the shopping centre which also serves good food - and this bar is on a beautiful beach! I've left part of my heart in Barbados because everyone there wants YOU to have a great holiday. It's a fabulous place!
My wife and I rented a one bedroom condominium in the Sunset Crest area near Holetown. We went in the first two weeks of the "off season" starting on April 16th, 2004. The beaches were wonderful as was the snorkelling and the locals friendly. This Island really does seem to offer a reasonable standard of living to it's population. We travelled extensively by bus which is cheap and efficient though at times a little scary. I mean the traffic, at no time did we feel threatened by the people even after dark and we walked everwhere in the evening around our neighbourhood. The reason I gave this review a low rating is that we had been expecting to make extensive use of the "Baku Beach Club" which looked excellent on the web. We found it very disappointing and did not use it after our first visit. We were told that the photos of it used in the web sites were taken a few years ago so take care not to believe all you see! I enjoyed myself overall but my wife did not. If we had it to do over again we would go a little earlier in the season and spend the extra to have a place right on the beach. Finally, don't forget to take a folding umbrella as rain showers are frequent but warm and of short duration. Our favourite spot was "Mullin's Bay" where one could get beach chairs, booze and food as well as excellent swimming and watersports.