I stayed at a luxurious resort in Barbados with my young daughter. From the private pool to the stunning beach, our stay was nearly perfect.
My daughter and I spent four nights at The Crane, a luxurious resort in Barbados.
Our two-bedroom deluxe suite was huge and had a private garden with a pool.
The resort is family friendly and I was impressed by the on-site day-care center.
I love connecting with my 3-year-old daughter through travel. We've been exploring together since she was six months old and have been everywhere from Orlando to Morocco.
We enjoy staying at resorts, so when I found a deal for 40% off a stay at The Crane Resort in Barbados, I knew I had to book a trip.
The resort, which was founded in 1887 and is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Caribbean, was charming, serene, and unexpectedly child-friendly. Here's what our $2200 four-day stay was like.
We stayed in a two-bedroom deluxe suite.
As soon as I entered our deluxe two-bedroom suite, I thought, "Wow." The space was massive, and I felt we got so much value for what we paid.
The elegant space was outfitted with mahogany furniture, a raised four-post king bed, wide wooden shutters, and coral stone walls.
The primary room had a king bed and the secondary had two twin beds and a crib for my daughter. There was also a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom, and spacious dining and living room areas.
The best part of our room was the private outdoor garden with a pool.
Our favorite part of our room was the private tropical garden with a patio deck, gazebo, and pool. Because we were surrounded by greenery, it felt like our own private little getaway.
There was so much to do on the property that we didn't use this as often as I'd have liked, but we did spend some time relaxing out here.
We enjoyed many of the resort's restaurants.
On our first night at the resort, we tried Zen, a restaurant that serves Japanese and Thai cuisine.
Although the restaurant didn't offer a kid-friendly menu, my daughter absolutely loved the chicken katsu dish, which included fried cutlets with white rice. My sushi rolls also tasted incredibly fresh and delicious.
My daughter really enjoyed eating at D'Onofrio's, a restaurant serving Southern Italian fare. The staff immediately noticed I had my little one with me and quickly asked to take her order, which I appreciated.
We didn't love the breakfast buffet, so we spent a lot of time at the café instead.
One thing I was disappointed by was the resort's breakfast buffet. Although the views of the beach were spectacular, I found the food to be inconsistent and thought the service was slow.
Eventually, we decided to go to the café for breakfast, which had quick service and everything we needed to start our day on a good note — fresh fruit and granola for my daughter and a croissant and an oat milk latte for me.
The resort's beach was gorgeous.
My daughter and I both enjoyed spending time on the resort's beach. Watching the waves crash against the shore was the perfect way to unwind.
I only wish the resort offered some loaner beach toys for my daughter to play with. I usually don't like to pack these items because they take up too much space in our luggage.
However, I ended up buying a shovel set for her at the gift shop.
I thought the day-care services were top-notch.
As a single parent, the complimentary on-site day care was a lifesaver. Whenever I needed some me time, I could leave her with the team to play games, make crafts, and have storytime.
Although the service is usually reserved for kids ages 4 to 12, they made an exception for my daughter since she's been in day care for years.
One night, I also took advantage of the resort's $ 15-an-hour private babysitting service. The same people from the day care worked as babysitters, so it was nice for my little one to be greeted by friendly and familiar faces.
We loved our stay at The Crane.
Overall, I cherished the time my daughter and I spent together at The Crane.
The resort had genuine and patient staff members who made my daughter feel welcome, a spacious and affordable suite that gave us our own space, and lots of activities for us to do.
I'd definitely return to The Crane in the future and take advantage of any sales they may offer.
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