# The Crane



## Successful4life (Aug 31, 2019)

Hello Tug Family,
I originally posted this on another forum, but I believe I am to post here. 
I have a 24hr hold on a 1 bedroom @ the Crane (#6390) through RCI, we are Hilton owners. How is the area? Is it easy to get around the island? Are all rooms updated? Do they have ac in rooms? We've gone to Aruba for the past 2 years and decided to go to Barbados since it came up. Does the island have great restaurants & shopping as Aruba? Any information is welcome. Thanks!


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## RNCollins (Aug 31, 2019)

Hi Successful4life,

I’ve been to Barbados but I did not stay at The Crane. I hope others will chime in and help you in regards to the resort.
What I know about the resort is that there is AC in the rooms but you will have to pay per kilowatt hour for it.

Things to do in Barbados:

While I was on the island I visited the oldest surviving Plantation in the Caribbean:
http://www.stnicholasabbey.com/

Visit a beautiful private home garden, and enjoy a cup of tea with the owner:
https://gardeningglobe.com/

I would recommend the snorkeling/Catamaran outfit _Calabaza_ located out of Bridgetown. They limit the number of passengers on the boat to 12. They offer tapas, lunch, desserts, drinks. The below pictures are from our sailing/snorkeling excursion:
https://www.sailcalabaza.com/


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## Successful4life (Aug 31, 2019)

Beautiful pictures! - Thanks for the review.


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## CanuckTravlr (Aug 31, 2019)

We have vacationed many times in Barbados, but not in the last 5 years.  We have visited The Crane Resort in the past, and as HGVC owners we are following news about the resort, both on TUG and TA, since we would be interested in visiting it in the future, either via HGVC or RCI.

The resort is beautiful with several restaurants on premises.  All units have A/C, but as mentioned above there is a separate energy charge.  The Crane is a bit isolated on a cliff side on the south-east coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean.  It has a lovely beach below (with elevator access), but it is not the best for swimming due to the heavy surf and undertow. If you wish to see and visit other locations on the island (which is highly recommended) then you really should rent a car.

Barbados has lots of great restaurants, but most of them are farther west towards Bridgetown (the capital and port) or up the west (Gold) coast between Bridgetown and Holetown.  They run the full range from inexpensive rum shacks to high-end restaurants like The Cliff.  Check out the reviews on TA on the Barbados forum.  Most experts do not recommend AI on Barbados due to the wealth and variety of the restaurants available.  Also lots of shopping, but again, most of it is in either Bridgetown or Holetown.


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## Chrisky (Aug 31, 2019)

The Crane is a beautiful complex, but just a bit remote. 
They have 3 restaurants on site, as well as an ice cream/dessert shop.  They have lovely pools as well.  But to go further afield you would need a vehicle. 
Almost across the street from the Crane, within very short walking distances are two restaurants - Marco Polo and Cutters, both serving very good food. 
You can get to a grocery store, in Emerald City, by bus. 
 The town of Oistins is about a 10 minute drive.  Here you will find Enterprise/Miami beach, an excellent fish market and every evening is a fish fry.  Many locals sell cooked fish (such as flying fish, grouper, snapper, sometimes barracuda, mahi mahi which they call dolphin) for excellent prices.  They usually have entertainment in the evenings as well.

Along this main road you will see on the map St. Lawrence Gap.  This is a side road, where you will find many hotels and numerous restaurants, such as Harlequin, Cocktail Kitchen, Primo, St. Lawrence Pizza Hut.  Also in this area is Dover Beach, where there are numerous local food huts. 

Then about 15 min. drive further along the coast road you will find Worthing and Rockley/Accra beach.  A very nice beach where you can sit under the trees and rent a chair, or rent chairs and umbrella and sit closer to the water.  There are many food huts there, as well as washroom facilities, an outdoor shower, and huts with women selling clothing. 
Go to Worthing Beach on a Sunday, at the Crystal Waters Beach Bar for their Sunday barbecue which consists of fish, or chicken or steak with all the trimmings, and local entertainment.  

Another approx. 20 minutes away is Peebles Beach and Carlisle Bay.  If you look on a map you will see that the Hilton Hotel is situated close by.  Both of these beaches are long, have places to purchase food, and locals renting chairs. 
Next along that same road is Bridgetown, the capital city, with duty free shops, a few restaurants just in the vicinity of the Independence Bridge. 

https://re-discover.com
If you are self-catering, look at the above link. You can pick up this flyer at the airport, and you either receive a discount at many restaurants for lunches, or for dinner there are numerous restaurants that offer a 3 course meal + a bottle of wine for $99.00 BDS per person.  This is excellent value.


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## Successful4life (Sep 1, 2019)

Thanks, everyone for the detailed information. Given the information regarding location, I believe we're going to consider the Hilton location rather than the Crane. Tug family is the greatest!!!


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## RNCollins (Sep 4, 2019)

Successful4life said:


> Thanks, everyone for the detailed information. Given the information regarding location, I believe we're going to consider the Hilton location rather than the Crane. Tug family is the greatest!!!



The RCI Gold Crown Bougainvillea Beach Resort is on the southwest coast of Barbados. It is much closer to everything than the Crane and it’s on a great beach. It pops up once in a while in RCI Points and Weeks. It’s a beautiful resort. You could put in an ongoing search request (OGS).



 
http://www.bougainvillearesort.com/


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## Successful4life (Sep 5, 2019)

Great tip! It looks beautiful. Thanks, RN Collins


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## pianodinosaur (Sep 5, 2019)

We have stayed at both the Hilton Barbados and at The Crane.  The Crane is one of the best exchanges we have ever had in almost 20 years of timesharing.  The Hilton is very nice and has easier access to the beach.  However, the rooms at The Crane are amazing.  I think the food is excellent at both places.   It is much easier to book a room at The Hilton than at The Crane.  Therefore, if you can get a room at The Crane, take while you still can.  You will have a good time at either resort.


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## Successful4life (Sep 8, 2019)

Pianodinosaur, thanks for the great advice. We have booked Aruba instead. I will keep Barbados in mind for a future trip.


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## siesta (Sep 10, 2019)

We twice exchanged into the historic building at the Crane. We enjoyed it both times, but you have to go in knowing it is a more remote part of the island. The hotels on Eagle Beach and Palm Beach in Aruba have much more going on.


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