With a name and décor inspired by trade winds breezing in from the Caribbean, Sea Breeze Beach House provides laid-back luxury for its cocktail-sipping, ocean-dipping guests. One thousand feet of white, sugar-soft sand, fringing the warm Caribbean, provide an active beachfront experience at this all-inclusive hotel.
As one of three locally owned Ocean Hotels, Sea Breeze Beach House is proudly Bajan, promoting local art, cuisine and music. Rockley Beach and the O2 Beach Club and Spa are the other properties in Ocean Hotels’ Barbados South Coast portfolio.
Hotel
With just 121 keys spaciously spread out over three tropical acres, there’s room for families to have fun together whilst couples and singles can always find a quiet spot. ‘Your stay, your way’ is the Sea Breeze Beach House mantra.
Guests enjoy an iced drink and chilled towel welcome, with luggage discreetly whisked away by the bellman, as soon as they arrive at the open-sided, dark wood, plantation-style reception.
Although there is an away-from-it-all vibe, Sea Breeze Beach House is just a short stroll from Ostins. An internationally renowned fishing port famous for its fish fry and lively evenings. It’s also the departure point if you fancy trying your hand at deep-sea fishing. Moreover, it is a mere 10 minutes’ drive from reggae-beat, pulsating St Lawrence Gap: the epicentre of Bajan nightlife.
Room
The Oceanfront suites, part of a multi-million-dollar refurbishment programme, are packed with an extensive list of luxury items: a Keurig coffee-maker, a 60-inch television and fresh cut-flowers. Plus, there’s both air-con and a fan.
Light, fresh décor has a chic coastal theme: a driftwood finish to the flooring and to the headboard topping a wide, sumptuous bed sets the marine tone. Vibrant colour-drenched local artwork tells Bajan stories, and turtle portraits are a reminder of turtle eggs hatching on the beach.
The panoramic view through wide floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, leading onto the balcony is, without doubt, the star attraction. Another bonus is that minibar beers, juices and mixers are refreshed daily as part of the all-inclusive package.
In a bathroom larger than some hotel rooms, there’s a rainfall shower and generous provision of White Company toiletries.
In keeping with Sea Breeze’s impeccable service, every guest is given the phone number for their hotel ambassador to deal with any issues that may arise.
Food and drink
Throughout the day, the Mahogany Restaurant is the place to head for a casual-dining buffet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Then from 10am the Rum Shop Café, featuring colourful Bajan chattel house design, is open for coffee, tea, cakes, sandwiches and, of course, rum. Though mid-afternoon the Cerulean Restaurant is open for multi-tiered afternoon tea that recalls Barbados’ history as ‘Little England’.
At lunchtime, the The Flying Fish Bar and Grill has a locally-influenced menu featuring fish cakes, roti, salad and wraps. As with all of Sea Breeze Beach House’s bars, there is an impressive selection of non-alcoholic cocktails mixed alongside the regular favourites, so tee-totallers will never feel that they are missing out.
Even more relaxed and informal is the Tipsy Bar on the beach. It’s a sand-between-the-toes casual lunch venue serving wraps and kebabs and burgers, with a Robinson Crusoe aura, beneath shady palm fronds.
Sunset champagne, on the deck of the Aqua Terra restaurant, soon becomes part of the daily routine for many guests. They slide from sundowners to dinner as the a la carte Aqua Terra opens its doors for a menu that includes a very comprehensive sushi selection.
Cerulean, named after one of the ever-changing Caribbean’s many shades of blue, is the hotel’s elegant fine dining destination with a slightly more formal dress code. Linger on at a bar that stays open for post dinner drinks until 1am.
To do
The water sports team provide equipment and tuition for guests to make the most of the perfect beach location with body boarding, kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkelling and a trip on the Hobie Cat. Jet skis are available at an additional charge.
Sea Breeze Beach House has a family pool, a lap pool which also hosts aqua-aerobics and a serene adult-only pool with two Jacuzzis. The adult-only pool neighbours the Drift Spa where staff provide facials, massages and pedicures. Finally, in the quest for the perfect beach-honed physique, there is a small fitness facility.
Even though Barbados is a small island, scarcely larger than the Isle of Wight, it is packed with appealing attractions. The concierge can help with bookings for a catamaran cruise, a dive on the Nautilus submarine to view the coral reef, a jeep safari around the island and many other excursions.
One of Barbados’ newer attractions, St Nicholas Abbey, gives a comprehensive insight into the island’s past. The Abbey isn’t a place of worship but a Jacobean sugar plantation house, featuring a restored railway that stops to give a spectacular view down Cherry Tree Hill of Barbados’ Atlantic coast.
Remarkably, an 18-minute long, 1935 black and white home movie of plantation life has survived, giving insights into a lost way of life. Finally, guests conclude their visit with a lesson in rum-tasting.
In a nutshell
Sea Breeze Beach House has an idyllic ocean-side location and the top-notch facilities that you would expect from a Barbados all-inclusive hotel. But it’s the warmly welcoming staff, exuding local Bajan charm and smiles, who make this hotel a star of the Caribbean.
Factbox
Sea Breeze Beach House rates are £4,896 (all-inclusive) for seven nights in a classic ocean view room.
Address: Maxwell Coast Road, Christ Church, Barbados
Phone: 020 3868 9916
E-mail: stay@sea-breeze.com
Website: sea-breeze.com
Photography courtesy of Sea Breeze Beach House.
