Barbados Vacation Villa with Large Private Swimming Pool.

02/14/2005

VRBO Bear stayed here:

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After the journey to Barbados, my traveling companions and I were glad to arrive at this beautiful home and meet the owner, Marilyn. She showed us around the spacious home with its five bedrooms and three baths which gave all of us plenty of room to spread out in!

It quickly became our routine to have breakfast and read by the beautiful pool with its spectacular views of the cane fields, the old windmill ruins and the sea, less than a mile away. We ended each day there as well discussing our activities which included snorkeling, diving, touring the many interesting nearby sites, and eating at excellent local restaurants.

The people of the island were exceptionally friendly and helpful and after a week we felt that we'd definitely return for further experiences. We understood why Tiger Woods chose Barbados as the location for his recent wedding!

Signed, VRBO Bear

The VRBO Bear

• Great place to stay at while in Barbados

  Great place to stay at while in Barbados

  • Guest przobl
  • Date of stay 04/11/09
  • Review Submitted 04/28/09
  We trully enjoyed the stay at the Coolhill house. This was a perfect vacation that we will never forget. We hope to be back one day. Maybe even next year. :) Spacious, clean house and warm hospitality of owners. Car is recommended. Pool is awesome. We all loved and enjoyed the stay at the Coolhill house..

  Recommended for: Age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: The effort that is put into preparing CoolHill House for arrivals can be seen by all arriving guest.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/2

• Family of 13 stay at Cool Hill House at the end of February 2013

  Family of 13 stay at Cool Hill House at the end of February 2013

  • Guest Peter
  • Date of stay 02/22/13
  • Review Submitted 03/23/13
  Our whole family of 13 have recently returned to the UK from a most enjoyable holiday staying at Cool Hill House. The property was recommended by friends who had stayed there and booking it directly with Marilyn was very easy and entirely straight forward. Her advertising very accurately reflected the property and facilities on offer and on arrival we were met by her Mother who made us all most welcome. We hired two people carriers from Stoutes Cars and they very kindly gave us a car and driver to take our luggage and lead us from the airport to Cool Hill after dark. We would never have found it on our own because the sign posts throughout the Island leave an awful lot to your local knowledge. We were so grateful to Ann Stoute and it summed up just how everyone is in Barbados. Nothing is ever too much trouble and you are always greeted with a big smile. The House was just what we wanted with 7 grandchildren under six, but it was a bit tired. The beds were comfortable, the air con was good, the bathrooms and kitchens were fine and the comfortable chairs and sofas allowed us to relax and watch coloured TV if the kids wanted to before going to bed . When we arrived the house was spotless and the cleaner came in every 3rd day which was such a help and avoided us having to do it. Cool Hill suited us perfectly and everyone was so kind and helpful, when we needed to replace the cooking gas the guy arrived with a new bottle within an hour of us contacting Marilyn’s mum. The swimming pool was cleaned every 3rd day. We all enjoyed it after a day on the beach and the BBQ, table and chairs, lounger beds and toys were all very well used and very much appreciated. The Beaches on the west coast are beautiful and predominately sandy, with some having coral running out from the beach. You will easily find the one to suit your own personal dreams, but you will need a car. The east coast beaches with the rolling Atlantic waves are great to visit when you want a day out of the sun. The north tip of the island is certainly a must for the dramatic cliffs which give you some fond memories of your holiday. Yes, I would recommend Cool Hill for the type of superb family holiday we have just had. It was brilliant but the house isn’t going to suit everyone. For those who want a more sophisticated Caribbean holiday then they may wish to look more up market, but you won’t get better value for money,

  Recommended for: Families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Will return

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Will return

  • Guest Janice & Mike
  • Date of stay 01/06/13
  • Review Submitted 03/21/13
  Dear Marilyn Just a brief note to say how much we enjoyed our stay at Coolhill House. We were able to meet up with old friends and enjoyed relaxing in the sun while it snowed at home. We all enjoyed Kirk’s cooking and used him whenever he was available. Thanks to your Mum for her attentiveness to any problems we had – they were always sorted out quickly. We have an 80th birthday celebration coming up in 2015 and were wondering if you have any vacancies in February 2015. I know it is a long time away but better to be safe than sorry ! Best wishes Janice & Mike

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Ontario family vacation

  Ontario family vacation

  • Guest Cathy
  • Date of stay 02/13/13
  • Review Submitted 02/24/13
  Our family of ten recently stayed at Cool Hill House. It is a large house and everyone had their own space. The children especially enjoyed the large swimming pool. We can definitely recommend Kirk, the chef who will come into the house and prepare meals. He is the nicest, kindest person we encountered during our stay and his food was wonderful. A car is definitely needed if staying at this property.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• DISAPPOINTED

  DISAPPOINTED

  • Guest Sherriel B
  • Date of stay 08/04/12
  • Review Submitted 08/14/12
  This was the most disappointing property that I have ever rented through the VRBO website. This place is not worth the price they are quoting. The view from the rear of the home is pleasant but the water is miles away. The front of the home facing unfinished run down properties were we couldn't tell if they were occupied or abandoned. After the initial culture shock we decided to accept that we were just in a different country and their idea of luxury just wasn't they same as ours but after so many things that were just not right we decided I felt I had to let the next guest know how bad this property really is. The home overall is dated and basically falling apart. The furnishings are dated, soiled and falling apart. The bathrooms are dated and dingy. The screens for the doors don't work allowing all kinds of bugs and flies into the home. The linens and towels are old and dingy. During our stay we had several issues with lighting not working, a television not working, broken shower rods, a downstairs sink clogged, and the pool side bathroom flooded from the rains. Our complaints to the owner led to the her sending someone over and us spending half a day of our vacation waiting on him to make repairs. The owner offered no type of refund or accomodations for our disappointment in the property. This led to us leaving the property early to try and salvage our vacation. I would not recommend this property to anyone, EVER!!!

  Owner response: After years of accommodating so many wonderful people and receiving just about the most reviews on any vacation website we were shocked to receive this particular review. However we decided to allow it to be shown to future renters and address each issue as related.....Our price is very competitive and with the average group numbering nine it is absolutely a bargain. The view from the front of the house is of a large home that is neither run down nor abandoned. It has windows and doors none of which are broken....The owner is building his dream home at his own pace without the use of a mortgage...this is typical in all the Caribbean Islands. The view from the back of the house overlooking the pool and toward the West Coast is indeed pleasant. The beach is less than one mile from the house not miles away. Culture shock the definition-Culture Shock is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life. How can one experience this shock when one is amongst a nation of people of one’s same race and heritage? CoolHill House has furniture and decor that is both modern and appealing. The bathrooms are offered clean....maid service is available at $50.00 USD per day, it is advisable to use this service but some choose to clean the house and bathrooms daily on their own. Screen doors are always a problem because guests are constantly walking into them, we are now using the retractable screen doors and these sometimes retract by themselves. The installer is seeking to get stronger magnetic locks. The linens and towels are not old and dingy. The light bulb in the kitchen did go out and was replaced. CoolHill House has 3 42 inch TVs none of which are broken. The technician who set up the cable was called in turns out the reported broken TV was off the correct setting. A pressure shower rod was reported as fallen on the 5th day of the expected 7 night stay, the spring was broken and a new rod was replaced that day. Sink clogged.....Drano. June - November is the rainy season, the pool side bathroom does flood when it rains especially when the door is left open. There is no reason to stick around the property if someone is called in. If guest are concerned about their personal property there is safe at CoolHill House to store any valuables. Asking for a refund a day before departure is questionable.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/5

• Driving Directions To CoolHill House

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Driving Directions To CoolHill House

  • Guest Erica
  • Date of stay 06/25/12
  • Review Submitted 07/19/12
  We had a wonderful time at CoolHill House last week. Your directions were excellent! Alicia was wonderful as well. Thanks again!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/2

• Vacation Trip

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Vacation Trip

  • Guest Mark and Susan
  • Date of stay 06/13/12
  • Review Submitted 07/19/12
  Marilyn, Just wanted to let you know that we arrived home and are already missing the serenity and loveliness of Barbados. What a wonderful place! You were right.....the people are the jewel of that island! Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Your mom is a gem and your home is very relaxing and peaceful! We found the beaches pristine and the water very warm. We swam with the turtles, took a catamaran sunset cruise Silver Moon Catamarans Highly recommend them! Tubing on the ocean, cliff diving, visited the green monkeys, orchid gardens, animal and flower cave, earth works pottery, and spent time in the Crane Resort and their beach. We drove around every bit of the island and got lost a couple of times on back roads, but everybody was very willing to help get us back on the right path. The east side of the island is so different from the west. Really diverse scenery as you know and very beautiful. Taking your advice, we ate in mainly the small local places. Orange Grocer and Deli in Speightstown was particularly good. Nick the owner was quite the character. We tried all the local cuisine and found it very tasty. The rum shacks make some pretty mean rum punch! Very good! Spagos in Holetown is was very good and our last meal on the island before coming home. The fish market in Speightstown had a great selection of fish for us to grill back at the house and the lady there was so helpful with advice on how to cook everything we bought. It all came out wonderfully! I was able to master driving on the opposite side pretty easily and love the idea of round abouts instead of red lights! We cannot say enough good things about Barbados! Everybody told us that we needed two weeks instead of one to visit everything and they are right. We will definitely return with hopefully more time! Thank you for the fruit basket, Rum, and letting us use your home. It was wonderful vacation and I will highly recommend it to our friends! Thanks again! Mark & Susan

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Reference

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Reference

  • Guest Rick
  • Date of stay 03/25/12
  • Review Submitted 05/11/12
  Thanks for updating me. If anyone ever asks for a reference feel free to give them my address. We really thought the house was wonderfully furnished and were quite impressed with the pool area. The downstairs apt was particularly nicely done. We enjoyed the peacefulness of the north as opposed to Bridgetown. Rick

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Trip

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Trip

  • Guest Patricia
  • Date of stay 04/05/12
  • Review Submitted 05/11/12
  Oh Marilyn! I LOVE BARBADOS! It is definitely my favorite island, and we are already talking about coming back next april. We had a wonderful trip and your house and grounds were beautiful! More than what we expected them to be. I can't thank you enough for all your suggestions and information provided. We took you up on about 90% of your suggestions and were NOT dissapointed! The only unfortunate thing that happened was, my husband lost his prescription glasses in the ocean, THE FIRST DAY! So, he couldn't see to read menus, couldn't really see to drive and get this, he was the only one covered by insurance to drive. It was quite scary for all in the car until he got the hang of it...which took a few days! oh my! I have to say again, your house was so beautiful, inside and out. I loved the spaciousness of it! The bottom apartment was adorable! (My brother-in-law stayed down there and said he loved it) The pool was such a wonderful extra! We would hit the beaches around 9ish and stay until 1ish...then head home to swim in the pool and laze around until dinner reservations. Simply wonderful! I might add, that there were many, many places to hide Easter eggs from the Easter bunny that Sunday as well! (we headed to The Crane for our Easter brunch with the gospel choir and then spent the day on the beach there. It was heaven on earth!) Your mother is a peach! Beautiful woman, inside and out! :) Thank you again, Marilyn. Sincerely, Patty

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Amazing time at coolhill house

  Amazing time at coolhill house

  • Guest The Boys
  • Date of stay 11/06/11
  • Review Submitted 11/29/11
  Every year myself and a some of my boys plan a man trip just to get away from the wives, and everyday life in general. This year we selected Barbados. We decided to rent a home just so that we weren't cramped... and we were super satisfied with the space. Coolhill house accommodated us better then when we could have ever expected.... We had more room then we knew what to do with!! Perfect for a large family get away, or just friends who want to take a trip like us. Everything that we need was in the house.... and more!!! I would suggest renting a car because some of the beautiful scenery, and attractions of the island are a little ways away, but definitely not to far at all. We had a ball, and are already planning another trip back... Thank you Marilyn for your patience when my bank gave me problems.... and Thank you Alicia for you wonderful hospitality! you guys were awesome!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: Thank you Xavier! We are glad you had a great time. Sorry I forgot to tell you about Wednesday nights at Fisherman's Pub but since you will be returning you will have something new to experience. We look forward to welcoming you to CoolHill House again.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/3

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Fees Included.