Four-star St Philip, south-east, Bridgetown
The Crane
A hotel on the cliff above Crane Beach since 1887, now a resort of forty acres with five pools, still owned and run by the Canadian who bought it in 1988.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Opened
- 1887, as the Crane Beach Hotel
- Grounds
- 40 acres, five pools
- Owned by
- Paul Doyle since 1988
- From the airport
- About 15 minutes from Grantley Adams
The hotel
Named after a cargo crane.
In the eighteenth century this was a small port, and ships were loaded and unloaded by a crane on the cliff, which gave the beach its name. In 1881 a civil engineer, Donald Simpson, proposed turning the main house, Marina Villa, into a hotel. The Crane Beach Hotel opened in 1887. Buffalo Bill Cody is said to have paid for his room with his gold chain and fob watch, which the Simpson family still keep.
In 1988 Paul Doyle, a Canadian on a business trip, sold his house in Oakville, Ontario, and bought the hotel, then eighteen rooms. He has spent the years since building it out: residences by the sea from 2001, then five pools, restaurants, tennis courts and a day spa across forty acres between 2007 and 2015. He still owns and runs it.
- Crane Beach The beach below the cliff that gave the hotel its name, cleared of seaweed every day.
- Five pools Five outdoor pools across the forty-acre site, with two floodlit tennis courts and a day spa.
- Crane Village A village square of 55,000 square feet inside the resort, and Cutters across the road for rum punch and fish cakes.
Dining
Thai, seafood and a bar named for 1887.
Venues as listed by the resort. Shown for information.
- Zen Thai and Japanese In the resort
- Azure Seafood Overlooking the ocean
- The Carriage House Light dishes In the resort
- The Grove Beach bar and grill On Crane Beach
- Bar 1887 Bar Named after the year the hotel opened
Good to know
Before you go.
- Children Welcome; there is a kids' club.
- Ownership Some suites are sold as Hilton Grand Vacations at The Crane. Paul Doyle still owns and manages the resort.
Getting there
Flying to Bridgetown.
Grantley Adams International (BGI) lies on the same south-east side of the island, about 15 minutes by car by our estimate. Private jets use the same airport through one of its two private terminals.
- Saint-Barthélemy 1 h 10
- Miami 3 h 45
- New York 4 h 45
- Toronto 5 h 30
- London 9 h 15 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How old is The Crane?
- It opened as the Crane Beach Hotel in 1887. The resort has grown around the old hotel since 1988.
- Is The Crane good for families?
- Yes. Villas and suites run to three bedrooms, and the resort has a kids' club and five pools.
- How far is The Crane from the airport?
- About 15 minutes by car from Grantley Adams International, by our estimate.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Bridgetown?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Bridgetown, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Bridgetown
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Sandy Lane A house of coral stone on its own bay, opened in 1961, with its golf courses on the hill behind.
- Fairmont Royal Pavilion On the beach, with every room facing the sea.
- Coral Reef Club Family owned and run, in gardens that lead down to the water.
- Cobblers Cove An independent house of forty suites, each with a veranda facing the sea.
- Colony Club, a Luxury Collection Resort, Barbados Lagoon pools that wind through the gardens to the beach.
- The House, Barbados, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort For adults only, on the beach at Paynes Bay.
- O2 Beach Club & Spa All-inclusive, with a pool on the roof above the beach.
- Sandals Royal Barbados For couples, all-inclusive, with a pool on the roof.
- Hilton Barbados Resort The closest to the town, on the point at the south end of Carlisle Bay.
- The Sandpiper A sister hotel of Coral Reef Club, run by Wayne and Karen Capaldi, with three suites up in the trees.
Staying at The Crane?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Bridgetown, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.