Tamarind Cove Hotel

Description:

• On 240m (787 ft.) of prime beachfront, this flagship of a British-based hotel chain (the Elegant Hotels Group) is a major challenger to the Coral Reef Club and Sandpiper properties , attracting the same upscale clientele. The Coral Reef still has a slight edge in luxury, but Tamarind is the equal of the Sandpiper in comfort. Designed in an Iberian style, with pastel-colored walls and red terra-cotta roofs, the hotel occupies a desirable location on St. James Beach, 2km (1 1/4 miles) south of Holetown. The chic and comfortable rooms are in a series of hacienda-style buildings interconnected in a labyrinth of covered walkways, each interspersed with vegetation and fountains. Each of the units was renovated in 2006, and many of them have a patio or balcony overlooking the gardens or ocean. Nearly a dozen oceanfront suites come with four-poster beds, evoking a plantation house atmosphere. Families with one or two kids often book one of the smaller suites.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010

Other features:

Some of the suites feature natural coral stonewalls, private Jacuzzis, walk-in closets and private plunge pools. The Tamarind Cove is a European Plan hotel, but it also offers an all-inclusive package. In-pool scuba diving lessons are available. A twice-weekly candlelight dinner is served on the hotel's white sandy beach.