A resort so spectacularly nice, I visited twice – The Crane Resort, Barbados

I’m not a lucky person and I don’t often get offered freebies, so when my dearest friend Jen of 30 years called to say she was going to Barbados for a few days and I could tag along, I didn’t hesitate, I believe my exact text back to her was “Yes! When???”.

And so a few weeks later we spent five amazing days lounging on the beautiful Crane Beach concerned only with timing our trip to the resort ice cream shop so it wouldn’t spoil our dinner.

Their ice cream is really worth its own mention. The Crane Resort‘s home-made ice cream is a special treat. Ginger Mint is my favourite and is so memorable I’m writing about it. With real bits of ginger, it is the perfect refresher after spending the better part of a day on the beach.

I thought about how much I needed the break and about perhaps doing a sunny holiday again soon with my family.

Speaking of food, I’m a massive fish lover but as we all know having fresh fish regularly is harder than it should be when you live in the heart of an urban city. So I made sure I didn’t miss a single opportunity to dine on the ocean goodness on offer, even on the beach where they served fresh, delicious grilled Mahi Mahi sandwiches right to your beach chair.

I’ve been to Barbados several times. Once with my mum, once on my own as I was heading back from visiting a friend in Trinidad, and then most recently, with my whole family in 2008 for a friend’s wedding.  So, feeling like a veteran, my now 4th trip to the island was drawing to a close, and I thought about how much I needed the break and about perhaps doing a sunny holiday again soon with my family.

Home to snow, ice, cold, and dark I went. For a week I pondered how brief my trip was and how much I really needed a few more days.

The March school break was coming up and my husband had long made plans to watch Scotland play their 6 Nations Rugby match in France on March 16th with a group of his friends so plans for a family beach getaway were not on the table. Nevertheless, I poked around on the Internet to see if a deal so good presented it self that I would just have to book another holiday. Then, after securing leave from my boss so I could mind my brood during the school break, I did some more digging and was able to find inexpensive flights back to Barbados. So reasonable that three flights were the same price that Jen and I paid for two less than a month earlier, and so I booked. Excitement and panic set in at the same time. I love Barbados but it’s not cheap so what was I doing? After several more hours of online digging I found a nice looking resort that would be suitable for kids. I booked and then immediately had buyer’s remorse; further looking and many recent reviews submitted through Travelocity were not being kind. “Garden rooms by the pool unbelievably noisy, only ocean view rooms are peaceful”, “pool overcrowded”. I reviewed the amenities, no kitchen, breakfast only and I really felt panicked. Luckily I could cancel if I wanted.

And then, like a beacon, I stumbled on an Ocean View Crane Resort 1 bedroom room with a plunge pool for only a few hundred dollars more. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Without hesitation I booked it, cancelled my other booking and shut my laptop while I absorbed what I had just done. I planned a second trip to the same resort within a matter of weeks. The certainty of peaceful evenings, comfort having just experienced the beach and resort amenities, having a full kitchen and a washer and dryer and uncrowded pools sealed it for me.

It’s now early April and the girls and I had the exact experience we wanted. A go-at-our-own-pace-and-spend-time-together holiday in beautiful and tropical surroundings. On this sojourn, the waves were calmer too making which made my 11 year old’s hours of endless wave jumping enjoyable for both of us. We were there in march break and there was more of a family oriented atmosphere, albeit still very relaxing.

I now completely understand why people buy residences at The Crane Resort and visit annually, it really is one of the most beautiful places on this planet and the resort itself manages to complement that beauty with the perfect blend of amenities, service and tranquility.  I can absolutely see visiting the Crane Resort again.