Coral Reef Club

I went to this hotel in and around the end of Oct 2021 as a single woman. For all single women who are considering this destination be very careful, especially with respect to your company at the hotel and the alcoholic beverages that are served to you.

The location is superb although the Coral reef is long gone. The hotel was 80% full of older guests who book year after year. All the best sunbeds are booked somehow as are the restaurant tables. Staff are amazing and even say never book this time of year. The returning guests always book the same rooms . We had a terribly dark, old and tired room, despite asking to be moved. It’s a shame because the hotel needs to move on from these old guests as that is not the future the philosophy of ‘it’s not broke don’t fix it’ can only last for so long.

We stayed here for a week and we requested a sea facing room and got one which we were delighted with.A family run hotel with great spacious rooms and grounds.Small touches like having your breakfast in your room,keeping your room on for longer if it’s not booked and the family coming to say Goodbye on our departure made it extra special.We have stayed in a lot of hotels in St James and this is definately our favourite.We get why all the guests have been returning for years and we will too.

From our first contact to book our room back in January 2024 to checking out 11 months later, everything about our 7 night stay was handled very promptly and professionally. We asked for a first floor room and ‘Jasmine’ was perfect in every way. A large, well serviced bedroom and a lovely balcony, with views across the beautiful gardens. There was never an issue over sun beds and the beach butlers were very attentive. Many are on the grassed area immediately behind the beach, which suited us fine. We enjoyed our breakfast in the lovely restaurant and especially the hard working ladies at the ‘egg station’. Fantastic sea views to enjoy along with the food. We dined there for 5 nights of our stay and enjoyed each meal, including the BBQ buffet. The dessert menu is however too repetitive. The overall ambiance is, as many other guests have noted, very friendly and welcoming. We were fortunate to be invited to cocktails/canapes with the O’Hara family. A fascinating insight into the history of the Island and its people. Go and enjoy.

My 3rd or 4th visit to Coral Reef, and as usual, a good standard. Sadly the beach had been eroded away by the summer storms. And my favourite, the floating pontoon which was in front of the adjacent Colony Club was gone. I did not stay as long as expected, as issues in the Middle East required me to to leave. I will be back .. thank you Coral Reef.

We stayed here for 10 nights in the Vinca Room, beautifully appointed with stunning views across the bay. The property and gardens are maintained to a very high standard. Housekeeping and Beach Butlers provided excellent service. Beyond that, we were disappointed. At breakfast check in you are told to find your own table (I take this as code for 'we can't be bothered seating you') and frequently there were no free tables set up. This often resulted in us sitting at a table which was half set; we never knew who was serving us and no one advised us there were additional breakfast items, such as Eggs Benedict, available to order from the kitchen. The quality of the fruit juice, pastries, etc left a lot to be desired. Given the mediocre quality of the breakfast, we were not tempted to have lunch or dinner when there are so many excellent restaurants within walking distance in Holetown. The service in the bar was equally poor. Although this is a family run business, management is not particularly visible and there seems to be an air of general complacency about the hotel which may be down to the high proportion of repeat elderly guests. Overall we would rate the room and grounds as '5', but the breakfast and general service as a generous '3'. We would not stay here again.