Last time I stayed in Barbados a few years ago I ended up choosing a different hotel than Fairmont and for my latest stay I tried Fairmont and did not regret it.

Upon landing at BGI airport, Fairmont immediately made it clear they are a more luxurious hotel than many other Fairmonts because there was someone with a Fairmont sign waiting for us before going to immigration, the staff escorted us to the fast track lane and then to baggage claim. Once we had our suitcases we were led to the BMW hotel car for the perfectly smooth transfer door to door. This was not a special arranged transport; I believe this is the normal procedure for all Fairmont Royal Pavilion guests.

When we arrived at the hotel our room was not ready but we were given another one to relax for a couple of hours which was greatly appreciated. That first room was on the top floor of the (low rise) hotel and had decent views.

Once our room was ready I was notified that we could move and we settled in our suite. The space available indoors for the suite was exactly equal to the total space indoors plus the balcony for our initial room, so comparing indoors vs indoors the suite was clearly more spacious. In addition the terrace outside our ground floor suite was larger than the balcony of the previous room so if comparing the total space indoors+outdoors, the suite exceeded the non-suite by an even greater margin.

By far and away, the main highlight of the room was the fact that we were so close to the beach – very rarely do we find any resort where this is the case, we were possibly 15 meters from the water line. The main advantage of being nearly on the beach was that staff walking by to serve guests on the beach could also serve us from our own balcony; we also had dedicated chairs for us (obviously) rather than use any random hotel chair.

Not only the service in the hotel was excellent upon arrival, but there were also butlers which provided a higher level of service than most other Fairmonts in the world. For example in the morning on occasion our butler would make the rounds to greet guests and ask if we needed anything, and it was the same on the beach during the afternoon so the service style was more proactive than reactive. I would also note that unlike some Fairmonts, this property was quite small: two buildings of 3 floors and around 13-14 rooms wide, all of them facing the ocean so probably around 80 rooms. It makes it easier to provide personal service with a moderate number of rooms.

Breakfast seemed to be included in all rate types so it was not really an Accor Diamond benefit. There was a buffet to go along a quite nice a la carte menu and we were allowed to order whatever we wanted without any limit. It was clearly not a boring standard North American breakfast thanks to the special dishes on the menu including a breakfast wrap, avocado toast, etc.

This hotel is a great fit for beach lovers but the flip side is that the pool was nothing to write home about. I don’t think guests should travel there simply to use the pool.

Wifi was slow with download speed of 2 Mbps although upload was better with 10 Mbps. In addition there were several interruptions; this was the main and possibly lone issue we encountered during our stay.

Overall Fairmont Royal Pavilion is not cheap but given the unique position on the beach, the luxury level of service and the above average breakfast, I was pleased with our stay and I can recommend this hotel if budget allows.

Really enjoyed our stay at The Royal Fairmont. Everything from Check in to Check out was handled very well. Friendly staff, including but not limited to Richard, Andre and Charene. The hotels beach is lovely. Rooms were clean and really loved the view waking up. Breakfast has a good variety and the bar menu was good for lunches.

I decided to make a surprise wedding vow renewal for my wife and chose the Fairmont Royal Pavillion Barbados. What a beautiful hotel right on the beach. The rooms are fabulous and we were lucky enough to get a room upgrade. The staff are what makes or breaks your holiday and the Fairmont staff were perfect from beginning to when we had to leave. I cannot remember all the names but Tonisha Niles who organised or vow renewal was spectacular - getting in place the Reverend, Photographer, Cake Maker, Bar Staff and beautiful venue!!! Everything went without a hitch. Tawanda, Lavern, and Shontelle made our stay extra special. Our butler service was fantastic. We had not been able to buy a suitable birthday cake for one of my sons who was also with us and turned 25 whilst we were in Barbados. Our Butler quickly resolved this by asking the hotel chef to make a beautiful cake. And finally Ryan at the Watersports who coached my wife on the catamaran and kept us entertained with stories of local life. Thank you. The friendliness and personal attention at the Royal Pavilion is second to none. We have stayed in various top hotels in Barbados but this is by far the best!!! We are now planning our next stay at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion and this time we have a few gifts to bring for the people who made our surprise 29th wedding anniversary vow renewal the perfect celebration. Thank you.