When going on a cruise, it's always a good idea to fly to your point of embarkation a day or more early. This way, you've got some buffer time in case of inclement weather, mechanical delays, or anything else that may befall your travel.
Our Windstar vacation started in Barbados, so we decided to stay for one pre-cruise night at the Coconut Court Beach Hotel. (Windstar books and recommends the Accra Beach Hotel, but it was completely booked so we needed to make alternate arrangments for our pre-cruise stay. The Hilton is also a solid choice, but it was more money than we wanted to spend for a one-night stay.)
The Coconut Court is small and intimate, with about 80 rooms, a small pool and Jacuzzi, and a restaurant/bar. There are also several activities scheduled throughout the day (beach volleyball, table tennis, and pool table matches, etc.).
The room we booked was air-conditioned, clean, and spacious with a king bed and an oceanfront view. French doors led to a small balcony overlooking the gorgeous beach. Internet access was included in the room rate (about $180 U.S./night). It was so nice to be able to check e-mail from our room.
We enjoyed a lovely late-night dinner at The Deck Restaurant (open daily from 7:30am to 11:00pm). The food was quite good (grilled king fish) and the service was excellent. Since it was late and not that crowded, the waitress was able to spend some time talking with us and telling us about all the special places to visit on Barbados. If you do stay here for several days, you may want to look into their meal plans. For $61 per person per day, you’ll get breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. There’s also a breakfast and dinner plan for just $31 per person per day.
Coconut Court has a prime beach location—a nice calm stretch of it—and sea turtles can be found nesting here! You can also easily walk to the Hilton from Coconut Court.
Overall, the hotel is nice for the price, but I don’t think I’d stay here for a week. (No room service or in-room mini-bar and a way too-firm bed led me to this decision.) But, if you’re coming in to Barbados and need a room for the day or one night, this is a solid choice.
From journal Cruising the Southern Caribbean with Windstar